American Journeys: Eyewitness Accounts of Early American Exploration and Settlement
Using Primary Sources - Teachers
Primary sources are the raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience. Examining primary sources gives students a powerful sense of history and the complexity of the past. Helping students analyze primary sources can also guide them toward higher-order thinking and better critical thinking and analysis skills. Before you begin: Choose at least two or three primary sources that support the learning objectives and are accessible to students. 1. Draw on students’ prior knowledge of the topic. Ask students to closely observe each primary source. Who created this primary source? Help students see key details. What do you see that you didn’t expect? Encourage students to think about their personal response to the source. What feelings and thoughts does the primary source trigger in you? 2. 3. Top
History
General History Resources American Experience Access to PBS series about American history. Many programs are available online. American Historical Association As the professional organization for historians, the AHA advocates for the profession and provides information, awards and grants, and resources for educators. Archiving Early America This site provides historical documents from 18th century America. A Biography of America This site was designed to be a self-contained college-level history course. Center for History and New Media Links to general history resources as well as specific events. Discover History The National Park Service offers links to Features of People, Places & Stories and Features of Preservation, Guidance & Grants. History & Social Studies This site from the National Endowment for the Humanities provides lesson plans about American history. History Collection University of Pennsylvania Libraries' links to resources with text archives and image sites. National History Day U.S.
Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps
Sanborn® Fire Insurance Maps for Georgia Towns and Cities, 1884-1922 consists of 4,445 maps by the Sanborn Map Company depicting commercial, industrial, and residential areas for 133 municipalities. Originally designed for fire insurance assessment, the color-coded maps relate the location and use of buildings, as well as the materials employed in their construction. The maps indicate which city utilities--such as water and fire service--were available. Fire insurance maps document the changing face of towns and cities, providing highly detailed information for each neighborhood and block. The Library of Congress web site refers to them as "probably the single most important record of urban growth and development in the United States during the past one hundred years." The Sanborn Maps® database is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia as part of Georgia HomePLACE.
Library surveys
Library surveys are a useful way to align your library resources and services to meet teacher and student needs. Contents Purpose of your survey: what you want to find outDeciding on who to survey - and whyTips on how to create a good surveyCollection development surveysInformation literacy surveysLibrary use and environment surveysTeacher surveysSurvey methods Purpose of your survey: what you want to find out Have specific goals and purposes in mind before you create your survey. For example, information on favourite genres and authors could be used to: Develop your collection (fiction, non-fiction, magazines, online resources)Engage reluctant readers by shoulder-tapping them with a selection of books they may enjoyInspire displays and shelving decisions Surveying students on their attitudes toward reading at the beginning and end of a year / unit can be a useful way to: Deciding on who to survey - and why Always keep your purpose in mind when deciding who to survey. Teacher surveys
Electronic Texts, Primary Sources and Digital Libraries
See Also: Archives & Manuscripts | Audio, Video, Multimedia | French Literature | History | Images | Literature | Magazines & Journals Looking for a particular title or author? Best starting place is the Online Books Page, John Mark Ockerbloom's index to full-texts on the Web with links to more than 30,000 books in various formats. ABU: la Bibliothèque Universelle - Over 288 searchable French e-texts, ranging from Balzac to Zola, listed alphabetically by author and title. Academy of Natural Sciences - Philadelphia. The Albert M. Primary Sources: Workshops in American History - Produced by WGBH Boston. 2001 and provided by Annenberg Media. “12 high school history teachers explore the use of primary-source documents in the research and interpretation of American history.” Antologia (frammentaria) della Letteratura Italiana - Riccardo Scateni.AntologÃa del Ensayo Ibero e Iberoamericano - Created and Maintained by José Luis Gómez-MartÃnez. Walter Crane's painting book Terrorism and U.S.
Primary Sources: What Are Primary Sources?
A government’s documents are direct evidence of its activities, functions, and policies. For any research that relates to the workings of government, government documents are indispensible primary sources. A wide range of primary sources are found in government documents: the hearings and debates of legislative bodies; the official text of laws, regulations and treaties; records of government expenditures and finances; statistical compilations such as census data; investigative reports; scientific data; and many other sources that touch virtually all aspects of society and human endeavor. What makes all these sources “government documents”? Note that government document collections typically do not include primary legal sources such as court decisions and law codes, which are often published by for-profit publishers and are found either in the main library collection or in separate law libraries. Suggested tools for finding government documents: Orbis MORRIS Catalog of U.S. (back to top)
Internet History Sourcebooks Project
Internet History Sourcebooks Project Paul Halsall, Editor Last Modified: Nov 4 2011 | linked pages may have been updated more recently The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use. Update Information 2006: In 2006 the Internet History Sourcebooks Project is undergoing a major overhaul to remove bad links and add more documents. 1. This project is both very large and fairly old in Internet terms. 2. 3. Feedback and Help While I encourage notes, comments and feedback in general, I am unable to reply to all of them. For guidance on homework, research, how people lived/ate/dressed in the past, see the various Help! I am unable to help locate details about your family, or give translations of your name or nickname into Chinese (a very common request)! Statement on Copyright and Fair Use Course Pages by Paul Halsall
