What is History? & Types of Sources

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​​What is History?

​​What are Historians?

​​Primary and Secondary Sources

​​Spot the Fake Game

​​Agenda

Word Cloud

What comes to mind when you hear the word- history?

• ​History is the study of people, actions, decisions, interactions and behaviors

• Depends heavily on humans and their stories ​

​Mrs. Steis' Definition

• People who research and analyze past events, people, and places are known as historians.

• Their job is to (try) discover what actually happened in the past.

• Historians must look at both primary and secondary sources and examine an event from multiple perspectives

​

​Historian Defined

Poll

Which of the following do you think is a primary source?

• A book written about the colonization of Africa

• A school report written on Harriet Tubman

• A painting painted by an artist during the Italian Renaissance

• A video on YouTube about a Chinese Emperor

A primary source is an artifact created during the time under study OR created by someone with first-hand experience 

Examples:

• Letters

• Journals/Diaries/Memoirs

• Drawings/Paintings/Photos

• Birth & Death Certificates 

• Manuscripts 

​

Primary Sources

Is a source that interprets or summarizes the information from one or more primary sources. Secondary sources are created at a later time. 

Examples:

• Books & Textbooks

• Biographies

• Documentaries 

• Theses/Essays 

• Encyclopedias

​

​Secondary Sources

Multiple Choice

What type of source is the attached video?

• Primary

• Secondary

Multiple Choice

A book published in 2020, containing the original writings of George Washington, is what type of source?

• Primary

• Secondary

Multiple Choice

Photographs from "The March on Washington" (Civil Rights movement) is what type of source?

• Primary

• Secondary

Multiple Choice

A critique of John Adams economic policies during his presidency (1797-1801), written by a scholar in 1918 is what type of source?

• Primary

• Secondary

Multiple Choice

The statue of David, is what type of source?

• Primary

• Secondary

​History is not a study of facts. It is more like discovering partial truths, dealing with contrasting viewpoints, and solving puzzles. 

Before historians can use a source to help understand a topic, they first need to see if the artifact (piece of the past) is real

​Being a Historian

​We are going to play a game. I am going to show you two pictures. One is the real art piece, the other is a fake. 

Can you spot the fake? ​

Spot the Fake Game

Draw

Which is the fake?

Draw

Which is the fake?

Draw

Which is the fake?

Draw

Which is the fake?

Draw

Which is the fake?

Draw

Which is the fake?

• I know that most of you in this room will not be professional historians, BUT for these daily 50 minutes, I want us to read, write, and think like historians. 

• During our next live class, we are going to be learning how to write like a historian

​

​So What?

Multiple Choice

Which source would be most useful for understanding daily life in ancient Rome?

• A modern documentary about Roman culture

• A Roman citizen's personal journal

• A textbook chapter on Roman history

• A news article about recent Roman archaeological discoveries