Primary Source Literacy

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Read, Understand and Summarize

Information Literacy Learning Outcome: discovery and critical evaluation

Examine a primary source, which may require the ability to read a particular script, font, or language, to understand or operate a particular technology, or to comprehend vocabulary, syntax, and communication norms of the time period and location where the source was created.
Identify and communicate information found in primary sources, including summarizing the content of the source and identifying and reporting key components such as how it was created, by whom, when, and what it is.
Understand that a primary source may exist in a variety of iterations, including excerpts, transcriptions, and translations, due to publication, copying, and other transformations.

Reading Primary Source Materials

Understanding Primary Sources

Understanding Early Modern Primary Sources by Laura Sangha (Editor); Jonathan Willis (Editor)
Call Number: D228.U54 2016
ISBN: 9781138823631
Publication Date: 2016-07-19
This book introduces students to the sources that survived to become indispensable primary material studied by historians.
Understanding Medieval Primary Sources by Joel T. Rosenthal (Editor)
Call Number: D113 .U53 2012
ISBN: 9780415780742
Publication Date: 2011-10-07
A collection of essays that will introduce students to the key primary sources that are essential to studying medieval Europe. The sources are divided into two categories: the first part treats some of the many generic sources that have been preserved, such as wills, letters, royal and secular narratives and sermons. The second part focuses on areas of historical research that can only be fully discovered by using a combination of primary sources, covering fields such as maritime history, urban history, women’s history and medical history.
Understanding Ontario First Nations Genealogical Records by David Kenneth Faux
Call Number: E78.O5F38 2002
ISBN: 0777921219
Publication Date: 2002-01-01
Comprehensive guide to sources for Six Nations research by Six Nations members, genealogists, historians and anthropologists.
Understanding a photograph by John Berger; edited and introduced by Geoff Dyer
Call Number: NR187.B467 2013
ISBN: 9780141392028
Publication Date: 2013
John Berger's writings on photography are some of the most original of the twentieth century. This selection contains many groundbreaking essays and previously uncollected pieces written for exhibitions and catalogues in which Berger probes the work of photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and W. Eugene Smith - and the lives of those photographed - with fierce engagement, intensity and tenderness.
History Through Material Culture by Leonie Hannan; Sarah Longair
Call Number: D13.H295 2017
ISBN: 1784991260
Publication Date: 2017-05-20
History through material culture is a concise guide for historians focused on how to use material culture as a source. Written in an engaging and clear style, it provides step-by-step instructions for researchers interested in incorporating the study of objects into their historical practice.

Teaching Primary Sources

Using Primary Sources by Anne Bahde (Editor); Heather Smedberg (Editor); Mattie Taormina (Editor)
Call Number: ZA3075.U84 2014
ISBN: 9781610694346
Publication Date: 2014-03-20
Using Primary Sources: Hands-On Instructional Exercises features 30 adaptable, hands-on exercises that special collections librarians, archivists, museum professionals, and teaching faculty can use in a multitude of instructional situations with K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and library school students.
Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking Skills in the Sciences by Carolyn M. Johnson
Call Number: Q182.7.J65 2003
ISBN: 0313312303
Publication Date: 2003-08-30
Presenting more than 150 websites with primary source documents and authoritative data, this versatile book helps educators guide students on virtual scientific fieldtrips in all areas of science, from astronomy, biology, and chemistry to genetics, physics, and space science.
Beyond the Textbook by David Kobrin
Call Number: D16.3.K62B4
ISBN: 0435088807
Publication Date: 1996-05-06
Instead of offering a single model for teachers to copy, Beyond the Textbook presents nuanced illustrations of what "student historian theory" looks like in action. Included are accounts of actual classroom lessons; discussion topics; sample handouts and primary sources; and excerpts from students' writings.
Interacting with History by Katharine B. Lehman
Call Number: E175.8.I57 2014
ISBN: 9780838912058
Publication Date: 2014-06-09
This book persuasively demonstrates how the freely available online resources of the Library of Congress can be used not only to enhance a sense of history but also to teach information literacy, online searching, and critical thinking skills to elementary, middle, and high school students.