Notes to Teachers: Using Sources and Scaffolding

The Stanford History Education Group rubric for using primary sources in the classroom is useful here: sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating and close reading. Is this a reliable source? Who wrote it, when, where and for what purpose? What historical developments were taking place at the time? Do varying accounts of the same event differ or support one another? What position is the writer taking and what is the writer’s perspective and use of language? Students must learn to evaluate evidence before they can effectively use it to support a larger narrative. Students are creating narratives based on a pastiche of other people’s stories from the past. Close attention and critical thinking make their narratives credible.

This curriculum is designed to make complex history using original sources accessible to more students. Abstract concepts are attached to concrete people and places and are organized into discrete categories. Documents are edited and placed alongside specific questions that guide students toward the information they need. This process of scaffolding may be extended as the teacher sees fit. For example, you can create a word bank for unfamiliar terms. Or you can create worksheets in which students fill in the blanks with answers to specific questions. Each packet is divided into several guiding questions: you may assign one question to each student in the group. Some packets are more abstract and challenging than others so you may assign them accordingly. You are free to pare down and reconfigure this curriculum to meet your students’ needs. Please share your ideas with us so we can pass them on to other teachers.

Deciphering original texts from the 1800s will challenge some of your students. Consider this approach: Think of reading Shakespeare – the words are often the same, but meanings and usages may differ. Find phrases you understand and build out from there. Confer with others. Look up unfamiliar terms and always keep in mind the context in which the document was written. Don’t get frustrated if something doesn’t make sense – move on.

One way to consider the curriculum is as a one week unit of study:

• DAY 1: Introduce students to the topic and key terms they will need to make better use of their packets. This could include a classroom visit by a DRC scholar.
• DAY 2: Put students into groups and explain the project to them.
• DAYS 3 and 4: Students work in small groups to prepare their presentations.
• DAY 5: Students lead their own walking tours around Florence.
• DAY 6 (optional): Concluding discussion or presentations to other students in school.