Learning from Primary Sources

Today the real fun began...

We are beginning to explore primary sources.  You know, those things written a long time ago that no one can understand.  But that's not going to stop us.

We are in the process of studying a few primary sources from the Era of Exploration to help answer our first document-based question, or DBQ.  Students have to answer one simple question:

"Why did the Europeans choose to explore the Americas?"

Except they have to base their answer in evidence from the primary sources as well as a source (or multiple sources) they find on their own.  Then they have to cite that evidence.  Yep that's right, they have to do a whole bunch of stuff with really tricky reading :).

We will be taking this process slowly as we work through it the first time.  The ultimate goal is a paragraph that makes connections to the sources as well as connections formed on their own.  It's going to be tough, and that's the point.  While we work to read tough texts and make meaning we are also learning to focus, keep trying, and ultimately persevere.

And we will.