This is a guest post from Tim Anderson, a middle school English teacher and Google Certified Educator at Sulphur Springs Elementary School in Jonesborough, Tennessee. There often seems to be a disconnect between students and historical events. Connecting literature to history helps make it come alive for students. Since my eighth graders are studying the Civil War, I chose to have them read Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth pieced … [Read more...]
Featured Source: Round the World with Nellie Bly
January 26, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Zoom into a more detailed image of this source. Explain what you can determine about Nellie Bly just by looking at this source (be sure to point out the details that support your findings). Read the following articles to learn more about Nellie Bly, Jules Verne and Elizabeth Bisland. Describe what you learned. Nellie Bly from America’s Library “Bly and Bisland.” The St. Paul Daily Globe (St. Paul, Minn.), December 16, 1889 (left column) Play the game with some friends. Then use a … [Read more...]
Featured Source: Phrenological Delineation of His Character
July 2, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Divide the characteristics listed in this source into positive and negative traits; use a dictionary to help you. Which characteristics listed do you possess? Read this short article to find out who was assassinated, or killed, by Charles Guiteau. What else did you learn from the article? Use a dictionary to discover what phrenology is. What three groups of people does Professor Otto say phrenology can surely help? Do you agree with the professor? Why or why not? More about … [Read more...]
Analyzing Primary Sources: Learning from Maps
May 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Oh, the wonderful worlds we discover when we look at maps! The original infographics, maps help us visualize places, features, activities, distributions, routes, and more. The Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS) consider maps a type of informational text for grades K-5 and the analysis of primary source maps is particularly emphasized in CCSS Reading Anchor Standard 7—Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as … [Read more...]
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