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Sender: American Memory Fellows <AMFELLOWS@LISTSERV.LOC.GOV>
Poster: George West <WestG@ASMS1X.DSC.K12.AR.US>
Organization: AR School for Math & Science
Subject: Re: those dreaded, Imbedded Historical texts
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Thanks for the tip on the article. We watch our 11th graders
struggle with a similar challenge of translating George Washington's
remarkably current but woefully run-on sentences in his Farewell
Address. They do this as their first big analytical essay in the second
nine weeks in American Studies and in Junior English Comp. They get
to pick one of the threats to the "Unity of Gov't" GW foresees, then they use
the "Letters of GW" collection at AmMem to show how Washington's
thinking developed over time.
They have trouble keeping track of the subject in the paragraph long
sentences. We've learned to help them divide the Farewell Address
into its section, double-underline subjects, and circle examples GW
gives for each of the dangers (e.g.sectionalism, "party spirit", entangling
alliances, etc ).
They also have trouble using the Search engine on the AmMem site to
find relevant letters to or from Washington. Part of the problem is
that the relevant section is buried in the letter behind some earlier
particulars. Part of the problem, though, does seem to be the AM
search engine. It helps when the American Studies history teachers
give them some historical names and events related to each of the
dangers, e.g. Hamilton and Jefferson for party factions and French
Revolution for entangling alliances.
But once they find or luck into the related letters, the exercise does show
students how to analyze single documents and also how to develop and
support their thesis idea about the meaning and/or evolution of a
writer's words. Plus they practice citing in text and doing the MLA
thing religiously.
If your're interested, we have the lesson packet for this unit. Let
us know.
George West
Humanities Department
Arkansas School for Math & Sciences
Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 08:45:12 -0500
Reply-to: American Memory Fellows <AMFELLOWS@loc.gov>
From: Patricia Solfest <psolfest@ALTOONA.K12.WI.US>
To: AMFELLOWS@sun8.LOC.GOV
I thought some of you might be interested in an article in the new Journal
of Adolescent and Adult Literacy (May, 2001). The article, entitled "Hath!
Doth! What? Middle graders reading innovative history text," by Peter
Afflerbach and Bruce VanSledright, discusses the comprehension challenges
for students reading primary sources. The article discusses a particular
history text, but is applicable to the work Fellows and others are doing
with American Memory.
An excerpt to think about, " Embedded texts and sources may create
opportunities for students to develop historical thinking, to have enriched
interactions with text, and to foster strategies for critical reading
practice. However, these interactions and ways of thinking are learned, and
many students need coaching and modeling from teachers and knowledgeable
peers around how the texts can be understood as part of a much larger
historical evidence chain from which history is contructed."
Pat
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