Education
While it is important to learn the “facts” of history (ie. the who, when, what, where and how), it is also necessary to learn how historians actually “do” history. Eventually, this page will offer several online lessons that will give students hands-on practice with a variety of skills that are important in a historian’s toolbox. These lessons also seek to model the process of historical thinking by teaching students to ask specific questions when reading or viewing historic evidence (primary sources) to determine if the sources are reliable. Click on the title of a lesson below to get started.
Lesson 1: Sourcing
This lesson asks students to think about different types of primary sources, using George Rogers Clark’s Memoir as the primary example. Students will be asked to think about Clark as an author, his purpose in writing his Memoir, and the point of view he presents. Finally, students will be asked to decide the believability and reliability of Clark’s Memoir as a primary source.
Lesson 2: Corroboration #1
In this lesson, students will compare a section from Clark’s Memoir with an account of the same event written by Clark’s second-in-command, Captain Bowman, in his Field Journal. Students will be asked to look at the two sources in a side-by-side format in order to determine the consistencies or discrepancies between these two documents.
Lesson 3: Corroboration #2
In this lesson, students will compare two accounts of an Indian attack that occurred as Clark was arriving at Fort Sackville. Students will be asked to point out the places where the texts agree and disagree with each other. They will also learn how historians try to reconcile sources that disagree.
Lesson 4: Close Reading
In this lesson, students will take a closer look at a journal entry written by the British commander at Fort Sackville, Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton. Students will be asked to slow down and spend time looking at his entry in detail. In particular, students will look at the language and tone Hamilton used and determine what message Hamilton was trying to express.
Lesson 5: Contextualization
This lesson asks students to the explore the context surrounding a letter that George Rogers Clark wrote to his friend and mentor, George Mason in Virginia a few months after his troops were captured. Students will be asked to think about Clark’s purpose in writing this letter, his audience (Mason), and what other important events were taking place in the country during this time.
Lesson 6: Analyzing Depictive Images
In this lesson, students will learn how to approach artistic representations of historical scenes by taking a closer look at one of the seven murals Ezra Winter created for the George Rogers Clark Memorial in Vincennes, Indiana. After viewing “Cahokia: Peace or War with the Indians,” students will have a chance to explore the historical accuracy of the painting by comparing it with relevant primary sources.