Using primary sources in Middle School Social Studies is so valuable for your students. When your students are learning with primary sources, they are using critical thinking skills such as analyzing, evaluating, and interpreting. Using primary sources frequently in your lessons ensures that your students are learning to think like historians.
Even though you know the importance of using primary sources in Middle School Social Studies, it can be difficult to bring them in consistently. But, with these mindset shifts, you’ll be using more primary sources in no time.
Mindset Shift #1 – You can use a small portion of a primary source.
When primary sources are text-heavy, it is almost always more effective to use only a portion of the primary source. Using a small portion of the primary source will make it more accessible for your students. If you find that it is important for your students to understand all of the primary source, then use a jigsaw strategy and have students analyze different portions of the primary source then share with classmates.
Mindset Shift #2 – Your students can learn content from the primary source.
Sometimes, we as teachers feel like we have to teach the content of a lesson first, then have students complete an activity with a primary source. This is simply not the case. Students can learn content knowledge through analyzing primary sources. In fact, by learning through primary sources, students are learning about history the way historians do. Plus, you help your students understand that they can make their own judgements and inferences about historical events, and it’s not just the teacher’s job to tell them what they need to know.
Mindset Shift #3 – Your students can find primary sources.
You shouldn’t be the only one looking for primary sources to use in your classroom. You can ask students to find primary sources too. It can be part of an in-class lesson for all students or an opportunity for early finishers. Asking your students to find a primary source related to the topic you are studying is a great skill for them and a time saver for you.
Mindset Shift #4 – You can use a general set of questions for every primary source.
Your students will develop their analyzing skills much better if they use general questions to analyze primary sources. By using the same questions over and over students will learn how to actually analyze a primary source on their own. And, as a huge bonus, using a general set of questions will save you time.
If you’d like to grab a general set of questions so you can hit the ground running with primary sources in your Middle School Social Studies classroom, check out the links below:
–> Check out this free list of questions to use with any primary source.
–> Check out these task cards and digital slides to use with any primary source.
Adopting these mindsets about primary sources will help you bring more primary sources into your lessons and turn your students into stronger historical thinkers.
Want to more about using primary sources in your Middle School Social Studies classroom? Check out this post about common challenges and how to tackle them.
