OurDocuments.Gov. (Teaching with Documents)

"Our founders believed that the study of history and citizenship should be at the core of every American's education; yet today our children have large and disturbing gaps in their knowledge of history." --President George W. Bush, September 17, 2002 "OUR DOCUMENTS: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service" seeks to fill the gaps that President Bush referred to in his 2002 Constitution Day remarks. The project revolves around one hundred milestone documents drawn primarily from the holdings of the National Archives--from the thousands of public laws, Supreme Court decisions, inaugural speeches, treaties, constitutional amendments, and other documents that have influenced the course of U.S. history. Educators and students can participate in this initiative in a number of ways, including integrating the documents into classroom instruction and participating in national competitions. Integrating the Documents into Classroom Instruction As a starting point, educators are encouraged to visit www.ourdocuments.gov, view the high-resolution images of the milestone documents, read the transcriptions and brief explanations, share and discuss the documents with students, and develop instructional activities that focus on the documents. Although each of the one hundred documents can serve as a powerful teaching tool, one teaching method may be more effective with a particular document than another. The following fifteen teaching suggestions may be helpful for introducing the milestone documents (and other primary source documents) to students. Focus Activity Introduce document analysis as a regular activity at the beginning of each class period to focus student attention on the day's topic. For example: Place a transparency of a document on an overhead projector for students to see as they enter the room; or meet students at the door, hand them a document, and as soon as the bell rings, begin a discussion. Brainstorming Activity Launch a brainstorming session prior to a new unit of study with a document. This will alert students to topics that they will study. For example: Distribute one or more documents to students. Ask them what places, names, concepts, and issues are contained in the documents, as well as what questions the documents prompt. Write these on a sheet of butcher paper. Keep this list posted in the room for the duration of the unit. Check off items as the students study them. Visualization Exercise Encourage students to visualize another place or time by viewing and analyzing graphical materials. For example: Post around your classroom photographs, maps, and other visual materials created during the period that you are studying. Change these images as the units change. Project inspiration Let documents serve as examples for student-created projects. For example: The Original Design of the Great Seal of the United States, milestone document #5 (featured in this article, p. 398), could be used for this purpose. Provide students with a copy of the document, and assign them to research the symbolism contained in the design. Next, ask them to design a seal of their own, integrating modern-day symbols to represent the characteristics that the nation's founders included in the Great Seal. Dramatic Presentation Activity Use documents to inspire dramatic presentations by your students. For example: Share with students a presidential speech (such as President George Washington's First Inaugural Speech, milestone document #11), and ask a student volunteer to deliver the speech to the class; or ask a student to present a dramatic reading of a letter; or assign students to write a script containing quotes from primary source documents. Writing Activity Use documents to prompt a student writing activity. …