1 Document-based inquiry skills Dutt-Doner, Cook- Cottone, Allen, & Rech-Rockwell (2003) using the Library of Congress’s Primary-Source Documents Part II
Jan 02, 2016
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Document-based inquiry skills
Dutt-Doner, Cook-Cottone,Allen, & Rech-Rockwell
(2003)
using the Library of Congress’s
Primary-Source Documents
Part II
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Overview
• Document-based questions– definition– required skills– example
• Student readiness & grade level– research– developmental theory– practical suggestions
Document-based Questions• Enable students to work like historians
– analyze & synthesize information from a variety of sources and media
• Evaluate students’ ability to interpret:– purpose– source– bias– date & place
of origin– tone– etc
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Working Like Historians
?Inquiry Document
choiceProductcreation
Analysis
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?
Working Like Historians
Inquiry Documentchoice
Productcreation
Analysis
Students
teacher assigns student completesDocumentAnalysis
Skills
our focus
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Analysis Skills& Background Knowledge
• At any age, document analysis skillsvary with experience.
• Analysis skills can range from basic & concrete to complex & higher-order.
• Background knowledge depends onlife & educational experience.
• Content knowledge can range fromno knowledge to complex & sophisticated understanding.
• Cultural (time and place) viewpoints differ and, at times, can interfere ideologically.
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Student Readiness & Grade Level
document as fact
understand bias
avg / count
stories are constructed
inquiry skills
historic abstract reasoning
author & context=>content
truth is subjective
understand validity of source
choose documents wisely
see multiple perspectives
grade level: 2 5 6 7 8 10 12
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Overview of research
• Purpose– Identify differences in developmental
readiness between 5th & 7th graders• Methodology
– Students reported prior knowledgeof subject
– Students analyzed each of 4 primary-source documents consecutively
– Students synthesized analysis of documents as a group
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Preliminary findings5th grade 7th grade
Don’t know how to manage conflicting information
Rarely suggest primary source documentsas sources of additional information
Only occasionally suggest primary sourcedocuments as sources of additional information
Believe that what they read is true
Less likely to accept the credibilityof primary-source documents
Not able to analyze documentswithout significant prior preparation
Primary-source documents alone are insufficient to provide a deep understanding
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Don’t know how to manage conflicting information
Rarely suggest primary source documentsas sources of additional information
Only occasionally suggest primary sourcedocuments as sources of additional information
Primary-source documents alone are insufficient to provide a deep understanding
Practical suggestions5th grade 7th grade
Primary-source documents alone are insufficient to provide a deep understanding
Believe that what they read is true
Less likely to accept the credibilityof primary-source documents
Not able to analyze documentswithout significant prior preparation
• Provide background information• Correct misconceptions in prior knowledge• Incorporate other resources
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Don’t know how to manage conflicting information
Rarely suggest primary source documentsas sources of additional information
Only occasionally suggest primary sourcedocuments as sources of additional information
Primary-source documents alone are insufficient to provide a deep understanding
Practical suggestions5th grade 7th grade
Believe that what they read is true
Less likely to accept the credibilityof primary-source documents
Not able to analyze documentswithout significant prior preparation
• Provide opportunities to judge the relevance and accuracy of historical information• Examine documents that provide conflicting information or only present part of the story
Don’t know how to manage conflicting information
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Rarely suggest primary source documentsas sources of additional information
Only occasionally suggest primary sourcedocuments as sources of additional information
Primary-source documents alone are insufficient to provide a deep understanding
Practical suggestions5th grade 7th grade
Believe that what they read is true
Less likely to accept the credibilityof primary-source documents
Not able to analyze documentswithout significant prior preparation
• Provide consistent successful use of primary-source documents• Consistently demonstrate value of primary-source documents in determining
the “real story”
Rarely suggest primary source documentsas sources of additional information
Only occasionally suggest primary sourcedocuments as sources of additional information
Don’t know how to manage conflicting information
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Don’t know how to manage conflicting information
Rarely suggest primary source documentsas sources of additional information
Only occasionally suggest primary sourcedocuments as sources of additional information
Primary-source documents alone are insufficient to provide a deep understanding
Practical suggestions5th grade 7th grade
Believe that what they read is true
Less likely to accept the credibilityof primary-source documents
Not able to analyze documentswithout significant prior preparation
• Provide opportunities to examine authors’ motivations and perspectives• Understand how personal viewpoints color interpretation• Demonstrate necessity of multiple points of view to determine complete picture
Believe that what they read is true
Less likely to accept the credibilityof primary-source documents
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Don’t know how to manage conflicting information
Rarely suggest primary source documentsas sources of additional information
Only occasionally suggest primary sourcedocuments as sources of additional information
Primary-source documents alone are insufficient to provide a deep understanding
Practical suggestions5th grade 7th grade
Believe that what they read is true
Less likely to accept the credibilityof primary-source documents
Not able to analyze documentswithout significant prior preparation
• Understand original purpose of documents and their value to our understanding• Provide experience with evaluation of documents’ relevance• Provide guided questions to scaffold analysis• Precede analysis with accurate background knowledge• Model the process of analysis
Not able to analyze documentswithout significant prior preparation
Practical suggestions: before 5th grade• Examine differing perspectives
of common experiences• Use timelines & narrative
to examine sequence of time• Provide opportunities
to retell personal stories• Clarify objectives
before reading or listening• Practice making observations
about pictures• Use Constructed Response Questions
to develop analysis skills– What is a CRQ?
Practical suggestions: high school
• Shift to student-led investigation– Choose their own
documents– Recognize & fulfill
need for scaffolding
• Replace analysis worksheets with student-created formats– Begin with a developed thesis– Organize & connect relevant ideas– Cite supporting source evidence
to create coherent textthat makes claims
Practical suggestions: high school
• Provide opportunities for collaboration – Understand how personal viewpoints
color interpretation– Evaluate strengths of differing
arguments about interpretations– Identify contradictions within
documents– Recognize bias in interpretation– Recognize multiple interpretations
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Preparing Primary Source Lessons• What content base do students have?
– What is their prior knowledge of the topic?– Can they read & understand the documents?
• What is the students’ attention span?– How long can students pay attention to the
documents?– How much can you do with a group that can only
concentrate for a few minutes?
• How can students develop inference skills?– Can students infer from documents – Are they prepared to take risks in developing
hypotheses?– What brainstorming techniques can be used to
help them become risk-takers?
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Preparing Primary Source Lessons
• Do students have the analysis skills?– What investigative methods should be
encouraged – Comparing similarities and differences– Causes and effects– Analyzing bias– Defense of thesis – substantiating points– Social, political and religious causes
• How do we need to prepare them?– Example from New York State Standards
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Preparing Primary Source Lessons• What writing skills do the students have?
– Should analysis be completed in writing?– What level of support should you give to
students in writing about primary source documents?
• How do we manage the lesson?– Should students work at computers or on paper?– Should the work be collaborative or individual?– How do you manage diverse abilities?
• What do we want students to demonstrate during the primary source analysis lesson?– What is the expected outcome?– How can it be measured?