Lesson Plan Title: Analyzing Primary and Secondary Sources
Concept/Topic to Teach: To have students gain a firm understanding of what primary and secondary sources are and how they can use them.
Standard Adressed: Grade 5 History Learning Standard
Historical Benchmark: Analysis of Primary and Secondary Sources
Strand Grade 5: Observe and identify details in cartoons, photographs, charts, and graphs related to an historical narrative
General Goal: Students will be able to identify Primary and Secondary Sources and understand how they can help us gain a firm grasp and understanding of historical events.
Objective: To use Primary and Secondary sources to form a conclusion about a historical event after considering different viewpoints.
Required Materials: photocopies of Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre, photocopies of excerpts of newspaper articles depicting opposite viewpoints of the events on King Street, photocopies of Paul Revere's trial sketch of the Boston Massacre, paper examples of Primary sources; Bill of Rights, maps, and broadsides from Revolutionary time, internet access to Mass Historical Society, and secondary source newspaper article to be created by students.
Procedure: * Lesson begins with an introduction of what primary and secondary sources are and examples are given and displayed to the class.
* Students are then shown Paul Revere's engraving of the Boston Massacre. Background information regarding this event. As a whole we discuss that the engraving is a primary source, as well as, a piece of propaganda.
* Students break into groups and begin to observe the engraving. Their objective is to determine what is going on in this picture? Do they believe the colonists were brutally attacked by the regulars? Do they think the colonists were at fault for what happened?
* Once all groups have completed the observation we put the engraving on the projector from www.masshist.org. We discussed all group observations. Once completed groups were given excerpts from newspaper articles which followed the event.
* Students will work in groups in the computer lab to observe other primary sources from the Mass. Historical Society. They will review broadsides, articles and pictures depicting the same event and begin to develop an independent opinion of what happened and which side they believe.
* Once students have completed this part of the lesson they will begin to work independently on a secondary source article, which they will create. Their article will state their opinion and give examples of primary sources that helped them reach their opinion. They will also draw their own picture of the event based on what they believe happened.
Plan for Independent Practice: Students will work on the final project independently, so I am able to determine their understanding and how much work they did with the group.
Closure: Students will present their projects orally. They will read their secondary source articles, display their pictures and answers questions regarding how they completed the project. Pictures of their projects, as well as, pictures from group work are put into an animoto video created by the class.
Assessment: The teacher will use the completed project as an assessment tool. This lesson will be beneficial throughout the Social Studies Curriculum as we continue to discuss primary and secondary sources from all areas of our curriculum.
