Primary Source Designs for Learning Handbook

Primary Source Learning Experience Design

Before Designing a Learning Experience: Identify Content or Topic to Study

1. assess student needs
2. choose standards for knowledge and skill development
3. research topic to deepen instructor’s knowledge
4. locate needed instructional resources, including primary sources

Introductions use the primary source(s) to invite students to greet the topic under study. Students interact with the primary sources much like visitors interact with the items in a museum exhibition. An Introduction is like when people meet for the first time. Usually, people take a moment to learn more about each other and find out if they have anything in common. Introductions spark interest, identify the learning goals, and help students find connections between their experiences and prior knowledge with the topic under study.

Introduction: Build Relationship with the topic under study using primary sources to:

1. spark interest and curiosity.
2. connect topic to personal experiences.
3. recognize prior subject area knowledge to topic.
4. identify questions the primary sources inspire about the topic. 

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Investigations challenge students to interrogate the primary sources to learn more about the topic under study. Students are working as researchers in an Investigation.

Investigation: Make Sense of the primary sources to learn about the topic under study:

1. read: comprehend the message of the primary source by using word attack and vocabulary skills, comprehension strategies, and media literacy skills. (Read could be listen for an audio recording or view for an image).
2. analyze: consider the purpose of the primary source, context,  and point of view.
3. interpret: stretch thinking about the topic under study by checking to see how this information, confirms, challenges, or changes our previous thinking on the topic.
4. question: identify questions for future research based on this investigation.

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Formal Assessments use primary sources as evidence to support thinking. Students work as docents, stating their thinking on the topic and using the primary sources as evidence to support their hypothesis about the topic under study.

Formal Assessment: Recognize Growth and Use Learning Productively

1. reflect on learning from Introduction and Investigation, recognize how individual thinking has been confirmed, challenged, and sometimes changed.
2. determine a useful product or performance to show thinking to others.
3. use thinking, knowledge, and skills to create the product or performance.
4. consider how well the product or performance makes thinking, knowledge, and skills visible.
5. revise product or performance to increase the thinking, knowledge, and skills shown.
6. wonder, “What questions do I have about the topic under study now?” “What are my questions about the methods used to learn more about the topic?”

Students use primary sources for different purposes in the different segments of a Learning Experience

	Field	Description	Publishing Criteria
Overview	Title
	Subject/sub-subject
	Summary
	Unit
	Unit Sequence
	Time frame
Learners	Grade Range
	Grade Used
	Audience
	Learner Profile
	Skills and Knowledge Content knowledge Required vocabulary
	Technology Skills
Goals	Understanding Goal
	Investigative Question
	Standards
	Primary Source purpose
Resources	Materials
	Library Items
Actions
Connections
Analysis
Reflections
Credits
Student Pages
Title
Task
Introduction
Investigation