Primary Sources

This week, the ASPIRE 5 students continued their endeavor of using primary sources to learn about history.  Primary sources are challenging for young students, as they add a great deal of depth and complexity to the curriculum.  First, primary sources allow students to read multiple perspectives about a topic.  To study the French and Indian War, students read a journal account of a British officer, and a letter from George Washington to his mother.  The accounts were viewpoints of the same conflict, and the students were able to identify their similarities and differences.  Second, primary sources require the students to dive into the language of the discipline.  The vocabulary is authentic, and the students are enriched when they research the meaning of words, and how they apply to the text.  The language also gives the author a true voice, and it reveals more about their personality, mindset, and character.  In addition, primary sources allow students to analyze changes over time.  Reading history in someone's own words gives the reader a better understanding of the time period, and the details in the writing provide insight about the differences in our world today.  The students often enjoy analyzing how culture, opinions, and social values have evolved since the time of the reading selection.  From indentured servants and colonial landowners to slaves and Native Americans, our class has been reading primary sources to enhance their history curriculum throughout the year.  It hasn't been easy for them, but they have met the challenge, and have a better appreciation for the historical figures who wrote them, and how their experiences helped shape America into what it is today.