Evaluating Primary and Secondary Sources of the Depression

Subject:

U.S. History

Focus of the Lesson:

Students will learn how to evaluate primary and secondary sources in order to complete a research project, creating a front page of a newspaper from the depression era. They will learn how to search Heritage Colorado as well as American Memory in locating the information they need to create their article.

Standards Assessed:

Information Literacy Standard 1; The information literate student accesses information efficiently and effectively.
History 2.2; Students know how to interpret and evaluate primary and secondary sources of historical information.

Assessment:

Students will be assessed on their group work based on the rubrics listed below, and assessed on their ability to access information and evaluate primary sources and secondary sources based on the worksheets.

Standards Addressed:

History 1.1; Students know the general chronological order of events and people in history.
History 1.2: Students use chronology to organize historical events and people.
History 2.1; Students know how to formulate questions and hypotheses regarding what happened in the past and to obtain and analyze historical data to answer questions and test hypotheses.
History 3.2; Students understand the history of social organization in various societies.
History 4.2; Students understand how economic factors have influenced historical events.
Reading and Writing 2; Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Reading and Writing 4; Students apply thinking skills to their reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing.

Time:

One 90 minute period.

Materials/Teacher Preparation Section:

• Each student will need a computer with internet access, so reserve time in the library and/or computer center;
• Each student will receive 4 or 5 copies of the Photo Analysis Worksheet as well as copies of the Secondary Source Analysis Guide.
• Each student will have a sheet which lists all the web addresses where they can find the information they will need for their portion of the newspaper.
• Each group will have Cooperative Group assignment sheet for them to decide their various jobs within the group.
  
• A rubric will be provided for both the cooperative group work and the worksheets.
• Students will need prior knowledge in the searching of the high school online catalog and basic library skills.
• Make sure that all the non-computer primary sources are out and available for students.
• Ensure that the secondary sources are available and can be searched on the online catalog.

Possible Procedures:

1. Before starting this lesson, students will need prior knowledge of how to search the high school online catalog and have basic library skills.
2. Students will come in to the library and have a seat at a table.
3. Explain that the group will be gathering and evaluating the information necessary to create a front page of a newspaper that represents the depression era in Colorado.
4. As a group, discuss what primary and secondary sources are using a lesson such as the one found on The Historian's Sources from Library of Congress American Memory Website. Examples of primary sources: maps, pictures, diaries, audio recordings of oral storytelling, historical documents, artifacts, etc. Examples of secondary sources: reference materials, encyclopedias, nonfiction books on related topics, etc.
5. Explain how they will be evaluating their sources using the Photo Analysis Worksheet and the Secondary Source Analysis Guide. Identify the websites as well as what is in the collections for them to look at and evaluate.
6. Go over the rubric on the worksheets so they know what is expected of them.
7. Present an example of both primary and secondary sources of your own choosing and show them how to fill out their worksheets using an overhead of the worksheets.
8. Divide them into groups of four and assign them the jobs that are usually assigned in cooperative groups such as those described on the following website: http://teachersnetwork.org/ntol/videos/cooperative_learning.htm. Go over the rubric on group work so that they know what is expected of them.
9. The facilitator and recorder of the group will then sign up for a computer, and start looking for primary sources that will be useful to them for their newspaper page. The other members of the group will be looking for and evaluating the secondary sources.
10. Students will then come together in their groups to discuss their findings and fill out the worksheets. They will decide, as a group, which sources will be presented to the class and why using the evaluative tools they were given. The reporter will then compile the information (with the help of the others in the group), present it to the entire class, and turn the worksheets in.

Websites with primary sources for the assignment:

American Memory, Library of Congress Site <http://memory.loc.gov>

Colorado Virtual Library <http://aclin.org>

Heritage West <http://www.bcr.org/cdp/search.html>

New Deal Network <http://newdeal.feri.org>

FDR and the New Deal <http://geocities.com/Athens/4545>

Stock Market Crash of 1929 from the New York Times <http://nytimes.com/library/financial/index-1929-crash.html>

Stock Market Crash of 1929 from PBS <http://pbs.org/fmc/timeline/estockmktcrash.htm>

The Dust Bowl <http://humanities-interactive.org/texas/dustbowl>

American Cultural History, the 1930's <http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade30.html>

20th Century American Culture <http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/20CC.html>

-Barb Jaques, Bayfield High School, Bayfield, CO.