Local history resources and the common core

Local History
Resources and the
Common Core
Presented by Heidi Bamford, Regional
Archivist for the Documentary Heritage
Program in Western New York
1

Why Use Local Primary Sources?
• Students are often unaware of their own
communities’ connections to the past
• Students are intrigued with, and are more likely to
absorb contextual knowledge when using local
examples.
• Local primary sources are often less costly
alternatives to textbooks and commercially
prepared primary source sets
• Creating lessons using local primary sources will
create a robust local “bank” of teaching tools and
experiences that can be shared among educators
2
Who is Peter Grimm?

Primary Sources as Teaching Tools
for Building Thinking Skills
• Primary Sources should not be inaccessible to
students – they afford a choice and offer
opportunities to evaluate information (Sourcing)
• Primary Sources should not be presented as discrete
items to students – they are building blocks that help
students gain greater understanding of connections
past and present (Contextualization)
• Primary sources should not be “end points” or “the
answer” in a lesson - they should promote deeper
questioning from a variety of sources(Corroboration)
o Stanford History Group: Reading Like a Historian:
http://sheg.stanford.edu/intro-materials
7

Sourcing Skills
• Create a classroom environment of investigation,
including open and equitable discussion and
exchange of ideas, encouraging students to read
primary sources in a methodical and thoughtful
way.
• Primary sources should be used as points for further
questioning and inquiry
o Who wrote this? POV?
o Why was it written? Audience?
o When was it written? Firsthand or secondhand?
Example: What has been the impact of the human footprint on
Niagara Falls?
8

Contextualization Skills
• Plan classroom learning that will assist students in
gaining greater contextual knowledge so they can
engage in skilled inquiry activities (thinking like
historians).
• Primary sources should not be used to simply provide
information to students, but should be incorporated
in lessons to help reconstruct social and historical
contexts in which they come from.
• What else was going on when the source was created?
• What was different then from now?
• What was life like at that time?
Example: Women in WWII - The Grimm family
16

17
“It's Our Fight Too!”
ca. 1942-1945
The U.S. Government
published posters like
this one to motivate
women to work in
defense jobs.
National Archives,
Records of the War
Production Board

18
In "'Rosie the Riveter:'
Real Women Workers in
World War II," Library of
Congress women's
studies specialist
Sheridan Harvey
explores the evolution of
"Rosie the Riveter" and
discusses the lives of real
women workers during
World War II.

Buffalo, New York. Mrs. Grimm, a
twenty-six year old widow with six
children who is a crane operator at Pratt
and Letchworth (note the PL on her
uniform), makers of castings used for
ships, tanks, etc.
Digital ID: (digital file from intermediary
roll film) fsa 8d18628
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8d18628
Reproduction Number: LC-USW3-
028212-D (b&w film neg.)
Repository: Library of Congress Prints
and Photographs Division Washington,
D.C. 20540
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Corroboration or
Cross-Checking Skills
• Move students towards independent thinking
through reflection on what they are discovering.
• Provide students with opportunities to
independently search for, identify and select
primary sources when attempting to construct a
better understanding of the past.
o What do other pieces of evidence say?
o Does the source confirm or contradict other sources?
o Where else can I find this kind of information?**
Example: Who was responsible for the tragedy at
Andersonville?
23

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The rations consisted of corn-meal,
bacon, fresh beef, peas, rice, salt and
sorghum molasses. The corn-meal was
unbolted, some of it ground with the
cob, and often filled with sand and
gravel. Much of it had apparently been
put up while warm, and had become
sour and musty either during
transportation or while in store. The
bacon was lean, yellow, very salt and
maggoty; it had been brought to us
unpacked, and was covered with dirt
and cinders; it was so soft with rust
that it could easily be pulled in pieces
with the fingers. The beef was
slaughtered near the prison, to which it
was brought and thrown down in a pile
in the north cook-house, where it lay
until it was issued to the prisoners.
Here, in the hot climate, it was soon
infested with flies and maggots, and
rapidly changed into a greenish color…

25
Andersonville Prison.
Testimony of Dr. Isaiah H. White, Late Surgeon Confederate States Army, As
To The Treatment of Prisoners There.
Southern Historical Society Papers.
Vol. XVII. Richmond, Va., January-December. 1889.
[Richmond Times, August 7, 1890,]
In refutation of the charge that prisoners were starved, let it be noted that the
Confederate Congress in May, 1861, passed a bill providing that the rations
furnished to prisoners of war should be the same in quantity and quality as
those issued to the enlisted men in the army of the Confederacy……
"It is a well-known fact," said Dr. White, "that the Confederate authorities used
every means in their power to secure the exchange of prisoners, but it was the
policy of the United States Government to prevent it, as is well shown by a letter of
General Grant to General Butler, dated August the 18th, 1864, in which he said:
'It is hard on our men held in Southern prisons not to exchange them, but it is
humanity to those left in the ranks to fight our battles. Every man released on
parole or otherwise, becomes an active soldier against us at once, either directly or
indirectly. If we commence a system of exchange which liberates all prisoners
taken, we will have to fight on until the whole South is exterminated. If we hold
those caught they amount to no more than dead men….

26
I will now give a description of the rations, what they were, and how
prepared; and will say, before commencing, that if we had been swine we
might have done right smart well at times, I reckon. As we were not, it
was pretty tough learning how to eat fat, rotten, maggoty bacon, corn
meal, ground cob and all, so that in sifting it, it would sift out nearly one-
half, and about once a week they undertook to issue fresh beef, and in
almost every instance it would be fly-blown before we could get it, so
you can judge of the scent it produced. The cook house parties tried to
cook for one-half of the prisoners one day and the other the next
alternating, and I will inform you how they succeeded. The corn bread
was in all manners of shapes, half-baked, burned, fresh without salt, and
again so salt that we could hardly eat it; and when we did not get bread
we received meal mush; that is poor cooked ration….
An Andersonville Prisoner’s Experience.
From the Elmira Advertiser.
Tioga, Tioga Co., Pa., Jan. 27, 1876
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/wirz/biblio.htm

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New York Heritage a constantly growing and changing
research portal for students, educators, historians,
genealogists, and anyone else interested in the Empire
State’s history. This site brings together open access
digital collections from libraries, museums and archives
from all over the state. It provides a gateway to nearly
200 distinct digital collections that reflect New York
State’s long history.
*Project of the NY3Rs

Locating Local History at…
• Finding Primary Sources at the Library of Congress (online video
module)
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/selfdirected/fin
ding.html
• Finding Primary Sources at the National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/education/research/primary-sources.html
• Repositories of Primary Sources (US, Canada and worldwide directory)
http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/special-
collections/Other.Repositories.html
• Resources from Outside the Library of Congress
• Historical Documents Online from the Cardinal Cushing Library at
Emmanuel College
• Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web
• New York State Archives
• Western New York Heritage magazine
28

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EvaluatingWebSites
EvaluatingSources(SUNYOswego)
EvaluateWebPages,WidenerUniversity
EvaluatingWebSites,UniversityofMaryland
When you search for information, you're going to find lots of it . . . but is it good
information? You will have to determine that for yourself, and the CRAAP Test can help.
Currency
Relevance
Authority
Accuracy
Purpose
*from: Meriam Library, California State University, Chico
http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf

Analyzing Primary Sources
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• Teacher Guides, Student Observation Worksheets from the Library of Congress:
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html
• Analysis Worksheets from the National Archives (multiple types of formats):
http://www.archives.gov/nae/education/tool-box.html
• Historical Thinking Posters (Analysis Guides) from the Stanford History Education
Group http://sheg.stanford.edu/intro-materials
• Analyzing Photographs and Prints at the Library of Congress: (online video module)
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/selfdirected/photographsandp
rints.html
• Analyzing Maps at the Library of Congress (online video module)
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/selfdirected/maps.html
• Activity Modules Using Documents from the National Archives:
http://docsteach.org/tools

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UsingPrimarySources
InquiryBasedLearningUsingPrimarySourcesattheLibraryofCongress:(onlinevideomodule)
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/selfdirected/inquiry.html
CopyrightandPrimarySourcesattheLibraryofCongress:(onlinevideomodule)
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/selfdirected/copyright.html
CitingPrimarySourcesattheNationalArchives:http://www.archives.gov/publications/general-info-
leaflets/17-citing-records.html
GuidetoTeachingwithPrimarySources (*localresource,producedunderagrantfromTeachingwith
PrimarySources,EasternRegion)

32
Lesson Plans
Library of Congress
Classroom Materials: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/
National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/
Smithsonian Institution History Explorer
http://historyexplorer.si.edu/home/
Stanford History Education Group
US History: http://sheg.stanford.edu/us
World History: http://sheg.stanford.edu/world
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/

Example 1: A Lesson/Unit on:
• World War II: Can be integrated with Library
of Congress “Themed Resources” including The
Great Depression and, Wars and the Homefront
and; with “Presentations and Activities,” including
On the Homefront
WWII Unit Plan (Teacher Guide with connections to Common
Core)
WWII Resource Organizer (Library of Congress format)
33

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A. Key Ideas and Details
1. Students can ask and answer questions about key details in a
text. At a higher level, they can refer to these details when
drawing inferences about explicit meaning in text.
a. 1936 - FDR addresses to crowds and factory workers in
Buffalo and Niagara Falls (typed speeches)
• What are two purposes given for the construction of the
federal buildings in Buffalo?
• What does the word “dole” mean?
b. Man on the Street Interviews (audio and transcript
available)
 What factors may account for the difference of opinion?
 What evidence is presented to support each interviewee's
viewpoint?
 How convincing are the arguments
presented to defend a particular perspective?

35
2. Students can identify the main topic or idea in a text. At higher
levels, they can explain how key details support the main ideas.
a. “I Hate War Speech”
i. Identify causes of war described by FDR
b. Images of Women Working in Factories (recruitment)
i. What details in the images reflect the tone/message of the slogans
of the period?
FDR “I Hate War” Speech is audio and transcribed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjbsiPUO3kA
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=15097

36
1. Students can identify basic similarities between two texts on the same topic. At
higher levels, they can compare and contrast the most important points in two or
more texts, and can write or speak about the subject with knowledge.
a. Man on the Street Interviews
i. Ask students what the interviewees had in common (surprise at Japanese
attack; that US should fight as the Japanese do; Blame is on Japanese
government, not the people, etc.)
b. OWI images of women at work
i. Compare the two photos of C. Wrazen – what additional details/context in
one image help in your understanding of what is happening? How do
captions help? What don’t they include?
Title: Buffalo, New York. Cecelia Wrazen, a roller, inserting tubes into condensers for the Navy at the Ross Heater
plant
Creator(s): Collins, Marjory, 1912-1985, photographer
Date Created/Published: 1943 May.
Reproduction Number: LC-USW3-023889-D
Digital id: fsa.8d16972
Library of Congress Collection: Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black-and-White Negatives
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/owi2001025148/PP/

37
Example 2: A Lesson/Unit on Immigration (can be
integrated with Library of Congress “Themed Resources” including Asian Pacific
Americans, Hispanic Americans, Immigration, and, Labor; and with Library of
Congress Presentations and Activities including The Industrial Revolution, The Great
American Potluck, Immigration and, Interviews with Today’s Immigrants)
Immigrants and Immigration in the Classroom (PowerPoint)
Lessons for Teaching Immigration
Outline and Resources for Immigrant History
Rose Sarosa, Room 42, 62 Main St., Buffalo, N.Y. 13 years old
last summer. Sarah, 9 years old last summer. Jo, 6 years old last
summer. Worked in Albion Canning Factory on beans and
tomatoes. When they worked all day, the three earned $1.50,
paid 8 cents an hour for all time, including over time. Rosa and
Sarah worked up to 10 P.M. sometimes last summer (a poor one)
other years until midnight. Rosa worked in factory. Sarah and Jo
in sheds part of the time. Went out to Albion last of May and
came back middle of November, losing nearly 15 weeks of
school time. Location: Buffalo, New York (State)
*Image and text from Lewis Hines Collection at Library of
Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ncl2004001960/PP/

38
Essential questions:
1. What is “The American Dream?”
2. Why does the introduction of new technologies seem to
create both prosperity and poverty?
3. Why is it difficult for immigrants to become accepted in
society?
4. Has the “immigrant experience” been the same across
time and nations?
5. How can “diversity” and “unity” both be valued in
American culture?
Lesson Ideas:
1. Compare contrasting attitudes towards immigration,
past and present: benevolent versus authoritarian.
2. Use “The American Dream” lesson to identify different
perceptions of what it means to be “American,” as well
as to examine successive periods of significant
immigration.
3. Have students create “Community Heritage Sheets”
based on their own cultural traditions, foods, music,
dress, etc.
4. Use immigrant stories of past and present times to
describe “push” and “pull” elements of immigration

39
Example 3: Lesson/Unit on Pioneers
and Early Settlement (Can be integrated
with Library of Congress “Themed Resources”, including
Advertising, Colonial and Early America, Geography and
Maps, Native Americans, Wars and the Homefront and,
Women’s History and; with Library of Congress
“Presentations and Activities” including The Branding of
America, Pages from Her Story, Thanksgiving, Women
Pioneers and, Zoom Into Maps)
Outline and Resources for Teaching
Pioneers and Early Settlement
Lessons for Teaching Pioneer History
Local History Resources for Early Settlers
and Advertising Lessons

Activity: Create a word wall or a pioneer
alphabet book using words encountered,
and add new words as unit progresses.
Make it creative! Maybe a small trunk in
which new words are placed, or are taped
to wall over the trunk; maybe a chain of
covered wagons made from construction
paper and placed around the wall, one with
each students’ name on it and words they
have uncovered
Common Core Connection: Teacher
pre-selects one or several excerpts
based on grade level, individual
reading levels, time allowed. Have
students work independently or in
pairs (or for younger students, teacher
reads to entire class) to read pre-
selected excerpts and ask them to:
Identify new vocabulary and guess
what it means (Craft & Structure)
Identify explicit meaning in text,
and use details to support this
(Key Ideas and Details)
40

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Example 4: Lesson/Unit on African American History
(Can be integrated with Library of Congress “Themed Resources” including
Abraham Lincoln, Baseball, Civil Rights, The Civil War, Political Cartoons and, Wars
and the Homefront and; with Library of Congress “Presentations and Activities”
including From Slavery to Civil Rights and Elections Non Shockwave)
From Enslavement to Freedom (Power Point)
Outline and Resources for African American History
Sample Lesson for Grade 5 Teaching of African American
History
Questions for Guided Reading of "Freedom Crossing"
Eastman House Collections and African American History

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Slavery, Abolition & the Underground Railroad
Essential questions:
Who freed the enslaved?
What were strategies employed by abolitionists to try to end enslavement of African Americans?
In what ways was enslavement in the American South different from enslavement in the American
North?
How did the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 test the American legal and social systems?
What was the essential difference between enslavement and indentured servitude?
Guided Reading questions for the book Freedom Crossing by Margaret Goff Clark
Chapter 1
1.Where has Laura recently arrived from? Where had she lived before and why had she moved? (pp.1, 4)
2.Who is the “visitor” in the kitchen? Why is Laura upset about him? (p.5)
3.What was Laura’s memory of Joel? Was it good or bad or both? (pp. 6-8)
Activity: Utilize historical fiction to provide background knowledge and begin
Investigation into actual firsthand accounts and related documents of freedom
seekers and those who helped and hindered them. Take students on
“virtual tours” of various online exhibits from New York and elsewhere.

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• That’s It! Any Questions?
Thank you!
These videos ,linked below, demonstrate the use of the instructional resources
in classrooms.
 Reading Like a Historian: Overview
 Reading Like a Historian: Sourcing
Follow along as students study original documents to determine whether
the source is believable.
 Reading Like a Historian: Contextualization
See how the teacher scaffolds learning as students develop their
understanding of context.
 Reading Like a Historian: Corroboration
Students use books, documents, and images to determine reliability and
bias.

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