Using primary and secondary sources in social studies makes up much of our instruction. Knowing the difference between using sources and engaging with them are two very different things. We can waste our breath explaining the content we teach but in order for our students to understand and use it entails something else. With the knowledge of history I possess and the tools in which I use, I can demonstrate how to analyze difficult texts in order for my students to grasp what those texts mean. By having students take apart texts together and write their own, they are both gaining the perspectives of others as well as going through the same process that the authors of these texts went through. Personalizing history contextualizes it, making it easier for students to grasp and make connections with what they are reading.
This assignment forces us to engage texts within our discipline in order to have meaningful connections with our students. It is not simply enough to lecture about the importance of texts. We need to model and use a variety of texts to support our content. By making students read, analyze, and create their own texts they use the same methods as the authors have in the past (i.e. reading Amendment IV of the Constitution and having students draft their own amendments). Making history engaging and fun is a main goal of mine and reading Gabriel’s book and thinking about what types of texts are most useful allows me to gain an understanding of what works best in my classroom.
