Using Primary Sources to Promote Inquiry Kristin Fontichiaro Staff Development Facilitator Beverly Media Specialist Birmingham Public Schools October 27, 2009

21 st -Century Learning Flexible Cognitive Toolkit Learning through curiosity; questioning; inquiry; creative, innovative, and critical thinking; problem-solving; decision-making; and other authentic tasks Technology Harnessing digital resources as tools for multimodal learning, communicating, and sharing Learning Community Working, networking, and learning collaboratively in flexible teams Core Content Acquiring, understanding, and transferring academic content and skills Life Skills Developing student responsibilities, self-assessment, self-reflection, Habits of Mind, dispositions, digital citizenship, and ethics

Lost and Found Activity Step One: What Do You See? – Describe it without trying to guess what it is. Step Two: What Do You Think? – Guess the name or use of the object. Step Three: What Do You Wonder? – What further questions do you have? How will you and your team notate your thoughts?

Sharing What did each group see? Think? Wonder? These objects are all related. How? Let’s find out.

What might the value be of doing an activity like this with students? How is working with individual images and then pooling the collective information useful in developing students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills? What is the value of collective knowledge? All images from the previous exercise come from

Stripling’s Inquiry Process (SLM, 4/07 and 9/09) Connect (awaken prior knowledge) Wonder (generate possible questions) Investigate (seek and discover info) Construct (discover patterns; draw conclusions) Express (create product) Reflect (consider effectiveness of process/product)

Why Use Primary Sources to Promote Inquiry? Authentic artifacts -> authentic knowledge Awaken curiosity using non-textual objects Provide background information that gives a foundation for new learning Use to awaken interest and grow possible questions Can be used throughout inquiry process or just for connect/wonder stages

Using a Historical Photograph

[Antietam, Md. President Lincoln and Gen. George B. McClellan in the general's tent]. Gardner, Alexander, ,Gardner, Alexander, , photographer. CREATED/PUBLISHED 1862 October 3. SUMMARY Photograph from the main eastern theater of the war, Battle of Antietam, September- October NOTES Reference: Civil War photographs, / compiled by Hirst D. Milhollen and Donald H. Mugridge, Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, No Title from Milhollen and Mugridge. Forms part of Civil War glass negative collection (Library of Congress). SUBJECTS United States--History--Civil War, Lincoln, Abraham. McClellan, George B. Antietam, Battle of, Md., Wet collodion negatives. United States--Maryland--Antietam. United States--History--Civil War, Lincoln, Abraham. McClellan, George B. Antietam, Battle of, Md., Wet collodion negatives. United States--Maryland--Antietam. MEDIUM 1 negative : glass, wet collodion. CALL NUMBER LC-B

Pool Your Knowledge! Could use Wikispaces or Moodle Could have a live discussion But let’s give Etherpad a try – Go to – Transcribe your notes – watch what happens!

Clothes on rack. Is rack made out of branches? How long has McClellan been at this site that he has stuff hanging? Top hat is upside-down. I think it’s Lincoln’s because he wore top hats a lot. Why is it upside-down? U.S. Flag draped on table. Is it being used as a tablecloth? Why is it there? Seems disrespectful. Tent. Tall ceiling! Why so big? Cracks or folds in image. How did it get damaged? Pillow and quilt Does the general sleep AND work here? Is he meeting the President in his BEDROOM? General McClellan (learned from Web site) Who was he in the Civil War? Tall man with beard in suit. It’s Lincoln (the Web site said so). Why is the President at a battlefield? Where is his security team? Is he safe? Table. Looks like it might fold up for travel. Grass. Not winter. Web site says Fall 1862 during Battle of Antietam. Did the Union win this battle? Which side is currently winning the war? He doesn’t have a beard, so he must have shaved recently. Is this a staged photo? Photos took a long time; people had to sit still, I think. They probably posed. Why?

Reflection What did you learn? How might you use this to promote inquiry? – Connect (awaken prior knowledge) – Wonder (generate possible questions)