You have had the opportunity in class to work with examples of one type of primary document, photographs, used to analyze and interpret the past in order to construct a story about that past. Other types of primary documents include journals, diaries, government and legal documents, newspaper articles, letters, posters, old radio and television programs, etc. Secondary and tertiary sources include any piece of writing or performance ABOUT an event, another piece of writing, or a performance. ALL the history we read in the form of secondary and tertiary sources ARE INTERPRETATIONS. These interpretations of the past, these stories, these histories, serve the function of shaping and regulating the social needs and aspirations of a community, culture, or country.

Next week, you will need to be ready to tell a story about a person, a group of people, or an event in American history. To gather the information for this story, use the links found on the American History Homework page or books such as Lies My Teacher Told Me, People’s History of America, or Don’t Know Much About American History.

Your task is to find the stories that usually are not told in public school textbooks or mainstream media.

If you use the links, you will find both primary and secondary documents. As you peruse the links or read a text, remember what you learned about observing and inferring and what you learned from Joyce Stahner. When you try to understand a story, a "history":

1. Observe — pay attention to what is said, what is not said, what evidence is offered, who the author is, and the source of the material.
2. List on a piece of paper what you already know about the person, the people, the time in history you are reading about. What discrepancies do you find between your knowledge and your new sources? What questions do you have?
3. Based on your observations and prior knowledge, write down what can you infer or deduce about the history based on the document(s) you read.
4. Create a story to share in small groups next Tuesday. Stories are most effective when they are rehearsed. Make sure you PRACTICE telling your story before you come to class. Then, in addition to creating and practicing your oral story, your story must be written out, webbed, or outlined and will be handed in. Link this piece of written work to your homepage.