Urbana - Champaign during the Civil War
Fellowship Lesson 2009
Deb Heater
To download this lesson in PDF format, click here.
Lesson
3:
Students will learn how to read and interpret data from US Census Records,
memorial tributes and photographs
Abstract:
Information can be gleaned from many different sources. Students will use this lesson to find
out the information available from sources that historians use.
Essential
Question:
- What
information is valuable to historians and where can it be found?
- How can
you look at historical documents to find valuable information?
Assessment:
Students will work in teams to evaluate specific documents. They will have a worksheet to fill out
showing they could find specific information on each document.
Setting
and Purpose: Students are familiar with looking for
information in dictionaries, resource books and the Internet. This class will revolve around using
different types of primary sources to find information useful to historians.
Procedure:
- The
class will start with the teacher using the overhead projector to show three
different types of primary sources:
A census sheet, a photograph and a memorial tribute. Discussion will follow each slide about
the kind of information that can be found on each of the sources.
- Students
will be broken into groups of 3 or 4.
Stations will be set up around the room. Each station will have one primary source available for
students. Students will be given a
worksheet that asks specific questions about each primary source.
- Students
should be given 3 – 4 minutes at each station to find the information
they need. A signal will let
students know when it is time to change stations.
- Once
everyone has had a chance to go to each station, students will return to their
seats and a class discussion will start about the information found.
- Wrap up
the class by letting the students know that tomorrows class will start as the
bell rings because they need as much time as they can get to work on their
project. Remind them to bring the
rubrics form the first lesson, a notebook and writing utensil.
Analysis
of Primary sources: Students will be analyzing photographs, census
information, obituaries and newspaper articles from Champaign County during the
time of the Civil War.
Attachments:
- Questionnaire
- Copies
of overheads to be made of the following:
