Effective Use of Sources

Year 9 History Library Lesson

What will we learn today?

Information process

Resources available on library website

Primary and secondary sources

Evaluating websites

Reading strategies

Corroboration of sources

Information Process

Defining

Locating

Selecting

Organising

Presenting

Assessing

Locating Information - Library Website

Print Books – Frozen collection

Suggested databases

Keywords searching

Helpful weblinks

Ebooks – Terrace and State Library

Video – Library catalogue and Clickview

Selecting Sources

• Use both primary and secondary source

types

• Use multiple sources

• Evaluate the relevance and the reliability

of sources

• Compare sources as you read

• Notice any corroboration across sources

Primary Sources

What is a primary source?

Provides first hand ‘you are there’ information. They are used to support an interpretation.

Examples?

Letters, Scholarly works of the time-Plato’s Republic, artifacts

Slaves Working in a Mine of Larium (Image)) 2014 Wikipedia . Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Greece

Secondary Sources

What is a secondary source?

Provides second hand information. They are written after an event and provide an overview or interpretation.

Examples?

Biographies, documentaries, commentaries, encyclopedias

Shaw,B.D. (1998). Ancient Slavery and Modern Ideology. Princeton, New Jersey: Marcus Wiener Publishers.

Source Example - Website

Online material – be cautious as it may not have been through a peer review process like a book.

Use reading strategies to be efficient and to read digital material closely

Ask questions to evaluate the source – perspectives, motives, relevance

Be prepared to compare to another source

Take notes – do not copy and paste

Record bibliographic details

Evaluating Websites

1. Does it have a suitable domain name? EG: edu, gov, org, net

2. Is there a suitably qualified author?

3. Are there quality external links provided?

4. Is there a clear purpose?

5. Is there a date of publication or update?

6. Is the presentation clear and easy to navigate, with a professional design style?

Evaluating Websites Pair Activity

In groups of two:

Firstly, each partner should choose one of the following websites and individually answer the evaluation questions from the previous slide:

The occupations of slaves

When did Ancient Greece become a slave society?

Ancient Greek Slavery and its Relationship to Democracy

Secondly, compare answers and decide which website is more reliable and credible.

Reading Strategies - Website Activity

Using your original website chosen, individually use the following reading strategies to become more familiar with the website.

1. Identify the keyword/s in the title

2. Read the subheadings

3. Read the opening sentence and the introductory paragraph.

4. Consider the tone of the language – Is there low modality? Is there third person? Is it formal?

5. Scan for important keywords (also try ctl+f or cmd+f)

Close Reading – Website Activity

Using your original website chosen, individually use the following close reading questions to delve deeper into the information on the website.

1. What are three tasks performed by slaves that effectively free up the master to take part in higher level social, economic or political functions?

2. Overall, what is the main point made about the contribution of slaves to the betterment of Greek society?

3. What is one example of primary evidence? What is the purpose and effect of providing this primary source?

Corroboration of Sources

Corroboration - identifying the points of agreement and disagreement across sources.

With your partner, compare the answers to the previous questions 1 and 2.

Is there any information that can be corroborated across the two sources?