1. Using the Library of Congress to Create DBQ's and Book Backdrops DANIEL ARMOND COWGILL II UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA/OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2014

2. Agenda What is a book backdrop? How do I implement a book backdrop? Where/how can I create them using the Library of Congress website? Why should I use Book Backdrops? Common Core/C3 Tie In Pros/Cons Questions Contact Info

3. What is a book backdrop? A book backdrop activity centers around a piece of children’s literature that either focuses explicitly on a historical event or focuses on content that can be tied to other social studies themes ◦Students are then given the opportunity to analyze a set of primary and secondary documents that allow them to answer a question about the topic of study

4. Steps 1. The first step in the implementation of a book backdrop lesson begins with the teacher reading a selected piece of literature aloud to the class. ◦The text should be rich enough to provide students with enough context and background information to help students gain a detailed understanding of the topic to be studied. ◦http://www.d123.org/covington/kogean/documents/horton_hears_a_who.pdfhttp://www.d123.org/covington/kogean/documents/horton_hears_a_who.pdf

5. Steps 2. Step two of the implementation of the book backdrop exercise requires that the instructor introduce students to the inquiry task. ◦The task should revolve around historical inquiry, requiring that students answer an overarching question that must be answered through the analysis of various primary and secondary documents. ◦ The types of sources that can be used for book backdrop activity varies, but generally include: ◦Political cartoons ◦Photographs ◦Journal entries ◦Government reports ◦Tables and graphs. ◦Instructors should provide students with a summary of the types of documents that they will encounter and then provide them with the question that must be answered during their analysis.

6. Example of a prompt Horton Hears a Who revolves around an elephant who has discovered a spec that has voices emanating from it. While Horton is unable to see the being who is speaking these words, Horton feels that it has now become his responsibility to protect that spec from harm. While trying to protect his spec, Horton is confronted by other animals who think that he is crazy and they go out of their way to destroy the spec. Horton defiantly asserts that they must protect the life on the spec because “a persons a person, no matter how small.” Throughout this children’s story Horton fights for the rights of the Whos and attempts to ensure that their voice is heard and that their right to equality and their right to exist are protected. These same themes can be found in the founding ideals of the American government. These concepts are so important that they have been forever preserved in the Declaration of Independence, which asserts our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They are also found in the Bill of Rights, which preserves such freedoms as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and the freedom to petition our government. Through the analysis of the following documents and using contextual information from Horton Hears a Who, you are tasked to answer the question “how do our rights protect a person, even if they are small?”

7. Steps 3. Students should then begin the analysis of the documents. ◦A good way of scaffolding the analysis process for students is to provide them with an analysis sheet to guide their inquiry. There are a variety of exceptional analysis sheets available for student analysis of primary documents available from the Library of Congress, the National Archives and various other sources. ◦Another strategy to further scaffold student understanding of the documents is to anchor each document to guiding questions that focus on key content.

16. Steps 4. The final step of the book backdrop activity is to require students to write a culminating essay. ◦This essay should focus on the topic presented to students at the beginning of the book backdrop assignment and should require that students utilize information gathered from their document analysis sheets. ◦Essays should be written in a way that students demonstrate their ability to form, and communicate, a rational and cohesive argument regarding the topic of study.

17. How to Create Loc.gov: [Enter Search Term]

21. How to Create http://www.loc.gov http://www.loc.gov/teachers http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/ http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/

22. Why? Common Core Common Core is a set of standards has been created in order to provide students with a “robust and relevant education reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2012) The types of skills needed to engage in historical thinking include understanding distortions in historical texts, bias, exaggeration, ideology, and partisanship (Vansledright, 2004).

23. Why? C3 Dimension 1: Developing Questions and Planning Inquires Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Tools and Concepts Dimension 3: Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence Dimension 4: Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action

24. Interaction with Common Core/Florida Core CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7 Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to important distinctions the author makes and to any gaps or inconsistencies in the account.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.11-12.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7

25. Why? The Research The use of primary sources is strongly advocated as a means for completing historical inquiry and analysis (Hartzler-Miller, 2001), which then allows students to participate in the construction of historical knowledge (Wineburg, 2001). The use of historical inquiry allows teachers to break the pattern overly relying on the textbook and allows for students to synthesize information and engage in an authentic research activity (Whelan, 1997). The use of historical inquiry allows students to develop appropriate historical thinking skills and are able to understand the essential facts, concepts, and generalizations that underlie historical knowledge (Lee, Doolittle & Hicks, 2006).

26. The Pros and Cons Pros: ◦Requires students to think rather than regurgitate information ◦Requires students to be more engaged with the content area ◦Requires more student work than teacher work ◦Helps support the implementation of CCSS ◦Helps with teacher fulfillment of Marzano observation standards Cons: ◦Students are not used to this type of thinking so we must lay the groundwork for their achievement ◦Students will struggle at first and will attempt to give up ◦Student work is more in-depth, so grading becomes a bit more difficult

28. Links/Contact Daniel Cowgill ◦Daniel.Cowgill@hotmail.com http://www.DanielCowgill.weebly.com http://www.LOC.GOV http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/

29. References Common Core State Standards Initiative (2012). English/language arts standards. Retrieved from Common Core State Standards Initiative: Preparing America's Students For College and Career: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacyhttp://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy Common Core State Standards Initiative (2012). About the standards. Retrieved from Common Core State Standards Initiative: Preparing America's Students for College and Career: http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/ Hartzler-Miller, C. (2001). Making sense of “best practice” in teaching history. Theory & Research in Social Education, 29(4), 672-695. Lee, J.K., Doolittle, P.E., Hicks, D. (2006). Social studies history teachers’ use of non-digital and digital historical resources. Social Studies Research and Practice, 1(3), 291-311. Teacher’s Guides and Analysis Tool. (n.d.). Library of Congress. Retrieved December 5, 2013 from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html Document Analysis Worksheets. (n.d.). National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved December 5, 2013 from http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/ http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/ VanSledright, B. A. (2004). What does it mean to think historically… and how do you teach it. Social Education, 68(3), 230-233. Whelan, M. (1997). The historical subject matter that ultimately matters most. Theory & Research in Social Education, 25(4), 506-510. Winebrug, S.S. (2001). Historical thinking and other unnatural acts: Charting the future of teaching the past. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press