Historians collect and verify evidence and then interpret it in an acceptable way. A general consensus is that history does not present us with an absolute truth -- the most we can hope for is historians' reliable, evidentially based interpretations of the historical topic. History not viewed as interpretation has long raised alarm bells in…

This qualitative study explores the experiences of six students enrolled in a special topics biology class that exclusively used primary literature as course material. Nature of science (NOS) conceptions have been linked to students' attitudes toward scientific subjects, but there has been little research specifically exploring the effects of…

As historians, we are dependent on evidence, which comes in many varieties. Rosalind Stirzaker here introduces a project which she ran two years ago to encourage her students to think about artefacts in a different way. They have examined randomly preserved artefacts such as those of Pompeii, and sets of artefacts which were deliberately chosen,…

Primary sources, as defined by the Library of Congress, are the "raw materials of history--original documents and objects which were created at the time under study" (Library of Congress, 2014, p. 1). Primary sources differ from secondary sources, which interpret events without the benefit of firsthand experience. While often employed in…

In middle schools and high schools across the country, students analyze primary sources, engaging with and asking critical questions about historical documents. But the students who generated these observations, reflections, and questions were kindergartners--five- and six-year olds, working with Library of Congress staff to help refine strategies…

Through an integrated study of jazz music within the context of historical study, teachers and students can enrich both their historical and cultural knowledge. Music is an effective resource for teaching social studies, but it is often left out of secondary social studies classrooms. Jazz music selections make for particularly compelling primary…

While research has long been recognized as a high impact practice in undergraduate education, much of the scholarship on undergraduate research has focused on students in the final years of their degree. This article describes a study of the ability of first year students to undertake historical research in an introductory level course at a small…

Scientists read, and so should students. Unfortunately, many high school teachers overlook science texts as a way to engage students in the work of scientists. This article addresses how to help students develop literacy skills by strategically reading a variety of science texts. Unfortunately, most science teachers aren't trained to teach…

My dissertation examines the role of women in the Cuban Revolution through the lens of the 1961 Literacy Campaign. Using archival sources, print media, oral histories, and other primary source accounts, I argue that the Campaign was a key formative period for the nascent revolutionary state and for the 250,000 teachers who worked in it. Beginning…

This article evaluates an alternative model for a history survey that three U.S. history faculty at California State University at Los Angeles have developed. In this course, students sit in groups of four or five for most of each class session and a small team of history M.A. students or advanced history majors serve in the classroom as…

Using primary sources to help students learn about history is one of the most effective ways to make social studies purposeful, relevant, and supportive of inquiry, while integrating it with literacy. Constructing an understanding of an historical event, person, or time period by examining evidence from that era helps students understand that…

The authors have worked with teachers across the country as they have exposed social studies students to primary source texts only to find consistent challenges with: (1) Academic language gaps (lack of content knowledge to contextualize or interpret texts); (2) Comprehension gaps (inability to accurately derive meaning from text); (3) Inaccurate…

Reading rate, a component of reading not closely attended to by educators and researchers prior to the 20th century, quickly became the subject of considerable research shortly after the turn of the century. This article uses historical content analysis to examine primary source documents from that period (1910-1925) to explore why reading rate…

Librarians navigating research data management self-education have an increasing body of literature to choose from, which may become overwhelming. This annotated bibliography reviews: (1) U.S. federal policies; (2) articles; and (3) books to assist librarians who are self-educating on research data management or are seeking background reading…

Using primary sources to teach students about the past helps them to improve crucial analytical skills and gives them an opportunity to evaluate a variety of sources and to construct evidence-based narratives. These are skills that all students need for success throughout their educational process, career, and civic life (NCSS 2013). Examining the…