Locating and Evaluating Primary Sources

Standards: Writing 8.6- Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish
writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as
to interact and collaborate with others.
Writing 8.7- Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-
generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related,
focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Writing 8.8- Gather relevant information from multiple digital sources, using search
terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or
paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a
standard format for citation.
Speaking and Listening 8.5- Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations
to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest.
Social Studies 6-8.1- Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary
sources.
Social Studies 6-8.2- Determine the central ideas or information of a primary source;
provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Objectives: Students will be able to:

 Accurately determine the difference between a primary and secondary source

 Effectively use technology to complete assignments
 Locate online databases to conduct academic research
 Use appropriate search strategies to answer research question
 Determine if websites provide information relevant to research
 Evaluate websites for reliability and credibility
 Properly cite sources to give credit where credit is due
 Understand the importance of digital citizenship and how to be safe users online
Grade Level/Learner Population/Grouping Arrangements: Grade 8; Social Studies,
Language Arts, Information Literacy; unit on Civil Rights Movement; regular education
classroom with some ELL students; working in small groups and individually
Time: 4 class periods
Environment: Library and Social Studies Classroom
Materials: Chromebooks (1:1), White Board, Smart Board, markers
Resources:
Online Resources:
Primary vs. Secondary Sources video https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=TgU1BcDStK0
Common Sense Education
https://www.commonsense.org/
Civil Rights Movement Veterans
https://www.crmvet.org/lets/letshome.htm
Online Databases:
EBSCO
https://www.ebsco.com/schools/middle-schools
Research in Context
https://www.gale.com/c/research-in-context
Graphic Organizers:
Canva
https://www.canva.com/create/graphic-organizers/
Applications:
PowerPoint
Flipgrid
iMovie
Instructional Roles: LIS will lead instruction with students; classroom teacher will
provide support on day 2 when LIS visits classroom; classroom teacher will provide
supplies (i.e. primary sources) when students are evaluating
Activity and Procedures for Completion:
Day 1: Introduction to the topic
1. The LIS will introduce the topic by showing a PowerPoint presentation featuring
images of different information seeking behaviors. Images include not opening a
suspicious looking email and forgetting to cite sources on a research paper. As LIS
navigates through the slides, students will have to determine whether or not the
image is showing an appropriate behavior (thumbs up) or an inappropriate behavior
(thumbs down).
2. Librarian will determine level of research skills by having students conduct a brief
research on one aspect of their topic on key events of the Civil Rights Era or the
Reconstruction Era and write one paragraph. Have students identify and share
examples aloud with the class of how they search for something online to
demonstrate prior knowledge and experience.
3. Show YouTube video Primary vs. Secondary Sources. Create a list on the
whiteboard where students can give examples of primary sources. Example of list
can be as follows:

Primary Sources

Photographs
Videos
Audio recordings
Journals
Letters
Diaries
Newspaper articles

Day 2: Demonstrating how to conduct research

1. LIS will visit Social Studies classroom to provide students with instruction on
how to conduct research. The classroom Smart Board will be used to demonstrate
research strategies to students. LIS will show students how to locate the library
page on the school’s website, where there are links to online databases
appropriate for middle school students. Two of the databases will be demonstrated
in class: EBSCO and Research in Context. These databases are helpful in the
sense that EBSCO offers a research database with sources solely about American
History, and both contain primary sources, as well as fulfill curriculum standards.
2. LIS will use these databases to introduce search strategies to students using some
of the research questions that were created in the previous lesson. Through a
guided demonstration, students will see how to use keywords; how to use
synonyms if initial keywords fail; how to search for a specific URL (i.e.
.com=company; .gov=government website; .edu=educational institution;
.org=organization); how to narrow down search results to a specific format (i.e.
videos, graphs, or images); and how to use advanced search features.
3. Students will create a KWL chart before, during, and after the demonstration.
They will start by writing what they already know about conducting research and
what further information they would like to find out. While the LIS is presenting
the information, they are expected to follow along with their chromebooks and
take notes on what they have learned. Example of chart is below:

What I already know about
conducting database
research
Use the search bar to look
up articles
What I would like to find What I learned after the
out from the librarian presentation
How to decide which source How to use keywords in
is going to be the best research

Make sure article has the How to use the databases How to narrow down search
answer to the research and how they are different results to most helpful
question from Google sources
Day 3: Evaluating Primary Sources
1. Since students will be expected to write letters or journal entries from the
perspective of an African American during the Civil Rights Movement, LIS will
use actual letters as a way to show students how to evaluate primary source
documents. Students will work in small groups of 3-4 students for this activity.
LIS will begin by introducing students to the CARS method for evaluating
sources, as explained on Common Sense Education:
Credibility: Who is the author of the source?
Accuracy: Is the information correct? What is the context of the source?
Reasonableness: Is the source truthful and credible? How do you know?
Support: Is the same information present in another source? Can it be linked to
other information you already know about?
2. Every group of 3-4 students will receive one letter in which they will read and
discuss amongst their group. One student in each group will be assigned to take
notes in an online graphic organizer with the group’s findings.
3. Students will take their information and create a short Flipgrid video with a brief
evaluation of their source. The videos will be shown to the class to initiate further
discussion.
Day 4: Application of Learning
1. Students will return to the question they researched on the first day of instruction.
Using what they have learned, students will find five primary sources in support
of their topic, evaluate them for credibility, and write a short paragraph to answer
their question. Students will then create a Flipgrid on what they did differently
from when they initially conducted the research on the same topic.
2. LIS will compare sources used and paragraphs written to what they used and
wrote on the first day of instruction.
Modifications/Differentiation: The lesson will be accommodating to the ELL students
in the classroom by incorporating several visuals throughout instruction. This includes
the use of videos and demonstration using the Smart Board. Students have the option of
using an online graphic organizer to compile information instead of writing a paragraph
for something more visual. The final assessment allows students to show learning using
their choice of format.
Evaluation: The following Analyzing a Primary Source rubric will be used to evaluate
all students.
http://www.cyberbee.com/viewpoints/psrubric.pdf
Students will also be asked to evaluate their own learning and work using this form.
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson775/ResearchSelf-
Assessment.pdf
Assessment: Using the research gathered on day 4, students will create a small
presentation that culminates the work and the research that they performed. Students have
the option to present their material in a desired format of their choosing, such as a
PowerPoint, a video recording, or an iMovie presentation. They will show the
information skills they have learned by accurately depicting the information on their
topic, as well as citing the sources they have used.
Extension/Follow-up: Teacher will ensure that students continue using the skills learned
in future research assignments and projects.