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Using the Familiar to Introduce Students to the Study of Primary and Secondary Sources

Instructional Support for the Student Activity I Left a Trace!

The activity I Left a Trace is designed to serve as an early stage instructional intervention when teaching students to investigate primary and secondary source materials. The intent of the activity is to ease students' transition by using the familiar. Students first explore their own contribution to the historical record. They then explore a public event and how we learn about the past through a study of such events. Throughout the process, students also become used to recording, mapping, and analyzing information.

In Parts A and B...

Students record and analyze their own activities over a 24-hour period. The focus is on familiarizing students with the extent of the historical record, while simultaneously exploring its limitations. Students learn about both accidental and purposeful evidence—sources—and about the effect of lost or intentionally destroyed sources and the subsequent gaps in the historical record that result. The questions in Part B additionally provide a basis for discussing the small part a student's own "record" plays in the larger cumulative picture or context. They realize that what they personally record is even only a small part of their own record (which includes school and home records, medical records, and even references and comments on their activities that have been written or otherwise preserved by other people), and begin to realize the importance of public documents and records on what we can glean from studies of the past.

You may choose to have students work alone or in groups. It is, however, important that the questions—and students' responses—become part of a classroom discussion, either after or during their completion. Also consider the additional instructional tips.

In Part C...

Students work in groups (or individually if you prefer) to explore a public event. Using the graphic organizer provided, they record pieces of evidence that in some way could serve to document the details and context of the event—in writing or otherwise—such that future historians might be able to study what transpired. You may wish to select one event for the entire class, or have each group select their own event to study. You may even wish to have groups present their "event analysis" to their classmates upon completion. For each source or trace evidence listed, ask students to use their map to describe the following.

- Who recorded it?

- How was it recorded? (This refers to the circumstances, accidental or purposeful, that resulted in the evidence being recorded.)

- Why was it recorded? (This presents an excellent opportunity to discuss purpose and even to begin to introduce the concept of bias—see the Bias Rule in Teaching with Source Documents.)

For more on teaching and learning using historical source documents and artifacts, see CASE: Context Analysis Source Explorations. CASE represents a cohesive instructional approach that is adaptable to any classroom or home teaching environment. The CASE overview page contains a regularly updated variety of CASE instructional units (including the free sample lesson on child labor—"A Long Time Ago"), as well as links to each pertinent instructional resource used in units. Visit regularly for new additions and options.

If this is your first time to visit LearningLeads™, or if it has been awhile, be sure to take a look at the LearningLeads™ homepage and the Learning Through Context curriculum and learning strand overview page while you are here.