All History is Local

Students as Archivists

Neal Gibson and George West

   This unit is the culminating activity for a year-long study of historiography and the use of primary sources. Students will collect primary source materials from their families or local communities and analyze the interplay between American, Arkansas, and local/personal history. The mission of the class is to produce materials that can be used in other Arkansas' schools. The collection is held on the Webserver at the Arkansas School for Mathematics and Sciences.

Objectives

The four main goals of the ASMS American Studies curriculum are for students to:

1. Know key facts/concepts of American history
2. Understand historiography as a process as a parallel to the Scientific Method
3. Understand and articulate the interplay between American, Arkansas, and local/personal history
4. Become producers of knowledge for USE by teachers and students in Arkansas schools

The objectives of this unit are for students to be able to:

• Identify and collect artifacts related to key themes or events in American history
• Describe and analyze these primary sources
• Locate related primary and secondary source materials to aid in interpretation
• Compare/contrast the materials to articulate the relationships between the artifact and events/themes at national, state, and local levels
• Archive and package the selected documents, along with related materials and interpretation, in digital format

Time Required

   Students will choose their topic and begin collecting materials by the end of the first nine weeks. Progress in collecting, analyzing, and searching related materials will be evaluated in roundtable discussions in class every third Friday over the remainder of the year. Final presentations and packaging of the collections digitally will take place during the last week of class.

Recommended Grade Level

   This unit is designed for 11th and 12th grade students but could be adapted for use at middle school levels. Curriculum Fit American Studies, Arkansas Studies, Multi-Cultural Studies, Writing Lab

Procedure

• Introduce the assignment to the students and show examples of digitized instructional materials
• Have students propose possible topics for collections and how they might relate to themes in American History
• Have students determine criteria for assessment based on the collection's value to Arkansas classrooms and the quality of analysis
• Have students explore the American Memory collections as a model for their own archiving.
• Provide students with advice on where to look for supporting materials and as to what paths their searches may lead
• Evaluate student progress for the remainder of the year through peer-review on a regular basis
• Have students formally present their final collections in class
• Have students package all collections into electronic media
• Encourage students to create lesson plans for their collections

Evaluation and Extension

   The unit may be extended by having students: collect a larger body of primary documents, compare/contrast their documents with a greater number of items in other archives, research the issues/themes in more depth, develop lesson plans for the use of their collections, and/or exchange their findings with students in other states.

westg@asms1x.dsc.k12.ar.us