Using Primary Sources
Media Analysis Tools
These media analysis tools or worksheets guide students into deeper analysis of primary sources.
Scholars in Action: Analyzing an 1804 Inventory
Scholars In Action presents case studies that demonstrate how scholars interpret different kinds of historical evidence.
Teaching With Textbooks
The Grammar of History Textbooks Part I: Getting Meaning Through Language Analysis
The academic language of history textbooks can be a challenge for English language learners and native speakers alike. This best practice offers an analytical solution.
Examples of Historical Thinking
Intertextual reading of two primary documents
This student think aloud shows a 99-second video of a student reading a Social Security poster and congressional testimony by a NAACP representative.
Sourcing a Primary Document in Historical Thinking Matters
To see sourcing in action, watch how this historian begins to read a document about the Scopes Trial.
Examples of Teaching
Teaching Historical Context Before and During Role-playing Activities
Planning a role-playing activity in your classroom? Visit this website to see how a 5th grade teacher teaches historical context before and during role-playing activities.
Using Maps as Primary Sources
Wondering how to encourage and support student analysis of maps? Watch this 4th grade teacher in action to see how she engages students in analyzing a primary source while tying it into larger curricular issues and topics.
