What is History? & Types of Sources

​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?

Multiple Choice

Social Studies and History are the same subjects.

• True

• False

It is the job of archaeologists, museum curators, and collections specialists to identify, analyze, and authenticate real artifacts.

Those are Social Studies jobs.

​

Social Studies is the study of how humans live and interact​

History is the study of humans in the past​

Word Cloud

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

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

For example, the sinking of the Titanic. Interviews with survivors resulted in different accounts.

Did the Titanic break in half?

​Second Officer Charles Lightoller

​Jack Thayer

• A historian's job is to try to discover what actually happened in the past.

• They collaborate with other social studies experts, gather information, analyze the data, and then often write their explanations.

Poll

Imagine you are a historian for the Titanic. What do you do with Thayer and Lightoller's stories? Who do you believe?

• Lightoller- ship sank in one piece

• Thayer-ship split in two

The data a historian analyzes and interprets are primary and secondary sources

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

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

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

​

https://commonwealthconnectionsacad-my.sharepoint.com/personal/mjoseph_ccaeducate_me/_layouts/15/stream.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fmjoseph%5Fccaeducate%5Fme%2FDocuments%2F2026%2D27%20School%20Year%2FSocial%20Studies%207%2FHow%20People%20Study%20History%20%2D%20Full%2Emp4&nav=eyJwbGF5YmFja09wdGlvbnMiOnsic3RhcnRUaW1lSW5TZWNvbmRzIjoyLjQ5MDc1MX19&referrer=StreamWebApp%2EWeb&referrerScenario=AddressBarCopied%2Eview%2Ee2a54dc8%2D9929%2D4f1a%2D8e09%2D3ed4a41370dd

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. 

​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