The Importance of Using Primary Sources in Social Studies, K-8

Guidelines for Teachers to Utilize in Instruction

By (author) Elaine M. Bukowiecki

Publication date:

12 March 2014

Length of book:

254 pages

Publisher

R&L Education

ISBN-13: 9781475809213

This two-part book provides teachers in kindergarten through grade eight with a valuable resource as how to include primary sources in a social studies curriculum along with a required social studies textbook. The first section of this book contains descriptions with relevant examples of primary documents and authentic artifacts that are appropriate for incorporation into social studies classrooms. In the second part of this book, the application of primary sources for specific social studies instruction is presented. This book specifically presents ways to use primary sources as means to explore the community where the students reside, to make connections to past and present events, and to research a specific change agent in a particular place.

Each chapter contains:

questions and pedagogical strategies for criticallly reading, viewing, and responding to varied authentic artifacts;
techniques for interacting with primary materials;
modifications to meet the needs of diverse learners;
assessment techniques; information tied to technology and the “new literacies”; and
connections to the National Curriculum Standards for the Social Studies (2010) and the Common Core State Standards (2010).

Preface
Introduction

Part One: Primary Sources for Social Studies Instruction
Chapter 1: Why Include Primary Sources in Social Studies Instruction
Chapter 2: Exploring Primary Print Sources: Examining Authentic
Chapter 3: The Visual Aspects of Social Studies: Investigating

Part Two: Implementing Primary Sources in the Social Studies Classroom
Chapter 4: Primary Sources for Personal Discovery: Exploring One’s Own Community to Discover the Past and to Appreciate the Present
Chapter 5: Connecting the Past to the Present: Employing Primary Sources to Understand Daily Events
Chapter 6: Culminating Research Project: Applying Social Studies

Afterword: Why Should I Include Primary Sources in My Social Studies Instruction?
About the Author
Appendix A: The Themes of Social Studies (National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, (2010)
Appendix B: Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects, K-5 (Common Core State Standards, 2010)
Appendix C: Standards for English Language Arts, 6-12 (Common Core State Standards, 2010)

The author has done a very nice job of writing in a practitioner voice, yet she has grounded the text in research. A very nice balance.