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Primary Sources to Help Students Develop Arguments and Empathy (Discussion)

Krysti Bakelaar

Maritere's talk featured a primary source assignment she gave her 8th grade students that naturally increased engagement with the primary source. My favorite aspect of this project is how she took it through all of the stages of Bloom's, ending with a synthesized (and incredibly fun) demonstration of their learning. She concludes with her thoughts on revising this project, particularly this question she'd ask of her students: What questions do you still have about these perspectives? Or: What perspective is still missing?

I have had some difficulty in the past incorporating primary sources in such a way as to maintain high interest and engagement. What are some similar projects you all have incorporated into your curriculum to build engagement in the sources as well as empathy for historical perspectives?

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  • +4

    Thank you so much for your kind words about the project above. I strongly support using images of artifacts to gather responses in a way that does not involve long-term projects. For example, I created…

  • in reply to Donnetta Elsasser +3

    Thank you for your comment. Yes, it is very impactful. I used it at the end of a chapter in our current textbook that contained stories which seemed to perpetuate the "happy/grateful enslaved person" / "benevolent…

  • +2

     I too found @Maritere's talk to be very interesting as well.  I was impressed with how the use of primary sources was so engaging and that students were asked for feedback so the project…

Parents

  • Thank you so much for your kind words about the project above. I strongly support using images of artifacts to gather responses in a way that does not involve long-term projects. For example, I created a padlet with the image below and asked my Grade 7 students to look at the piece. Then, I asked the students to type up what they thought they were looking at. Then, I explained what the Latin text translated to: "I have run away. Hold/keep me. If you take me back to my master Zoninus, you'll receive one solidus (a gold coin)." Students came up with different conclusions. Many considered this was a collar for a dog if he ever gets lost - because that is where their prior knowledge logically leads them. Only a few considered the dark fact that this collar was worn for an enslaved person. It caused some debate because they thought it was cruel and we explored why we felt this way and much more.

    Discussion using artifacts like this is a great opportunity to explore the daily realities of ancient peoples. It requires some scaffolding but I find that it is worth it. (Side note: teachers could ask more proficient students to attempt to translate the Latin inscription into English on their own.)

    Hope this adds to the discussion around the topic.

Reply

  • Thank you so much for your kind words about the project above. I strongly support using images of artifacts to gather responses in a way that does not involve long-term projects. For example, I created a padlet with the image below and asked my Grade 7 students to look at the piece. Then, I asked the students to type up what they thought they were looking at. Then, I explained what the Latin text translated to: "I have run away. Hold/keep me. If you take me back to my master Zoninus, you'll receive one solidus (a gold coin)." Students came up with different conclusions. Many considered this was a collar for a dog if he ever gets lost - because that is where their prior knowledge logically leads them. Only a few considered the dark fact that this collar was worn for an enslaved person. It caused some debate because they thought it was cruel and we explored why we felt this way and much more.

    Discussion using artifacts like this is a great opportunity to explore the daily realities of ancient peoples. It requires some scaffolding but I find that it is worth it. (Side note: teachers could ask more proficient students to attempt to translate the Latin inscription into English on their own.)

    Hope this adds to the discussion around the topic.

Children
  • in reply to Maritere Mix

     This image is so impactful. I can imagine students being really engaged. I also like that it is a short-term exposure/time commitment that allows for long-lasting learning.

    Would you use such an image above as a hook for a lesson, or in some other way?

  • in reply to Donnetta Elsasser

    Thank you for your comment. Yes, it is very impactful. I used it at the end of a chapter in our current textbook that contained stories which seemed to perpetuate the "happy/grateful enslaved person" / "benevolent master" trope.  So it was more of an opportunity to reflect on how the story conveyed slavery and what the artifacts say. I'm curious as to how others might use primary sources or artifacts to provide unadapted context to textbooks...