Teaching
Created by Ryan Reed and Sarah Eyer
Here are two sources for teachers to use to help high school and college level students think about primary sources. The Six C’s are designed for students at the high school. The exercise will walk them through anaylizing individual sources. The Document Based Questions towards the bottom of the page are designed for college students. These questions will ask students to analyze three primary sources and synthesize their analyses into a thesis statement that answers the question. The students will then write a short essay based on that thesis statement.
The Six C’s of Primary Source Analysis
The Six C’s of Primary Source Analysis by the University of California History Project are designed to encourage a student to begin to think like an historian. This includes not only guiding their thought about what the document says, but also why and how the document was written. It also allows the student to begin thinking about their own prior knowledge and larger contexts. Following the six steps will help students produce an effective primary source analysis and develop areas for further research.
The following are a list of questions to help guide you, the teacher, through each of the six sections.
Content:
What is the author writing about? What is the main idea being conveyed? What type of source is it- a letter, a picture, a diary entry, a newspaper article, etc. What does it look like? Handwritten? Typed? Etc.
Citation:
Who is the author? When was the document made? Was it published? If not, why? Who might have read or looked at this document?
Context:
Consider the historical moment that this document came from. Why might this document have been created when it was? What was going on in the world, in the region, and in the local area at the time? Consider how the author or group creating the document fits into that context.
Communication:
What point-of-view is the document communicating. Given the context that it came out of, does it communicate any biases or make an argument about a topic? Does the document seem to have an opinion-political or otherwise?
Connection:
How does this document connect to what you have discussed in class? What prior knowledge might you have that could lend meaning to this document?
Conclusion:
Broadest of all the C’s. In general, how does this document contribute to our knowledge of history? Consider how the context, the content, citation, and communication are related. Try and synthesize a statement given your answers for these four boxes. Do this last and use it to propel you into another area for research. If you come to a good conclusion, it will likely lead you to more questions than answers.
Finally, field any questions the students may have. Consider what new areas of research that the document has led you toward.
The Creation of the Arcade. Here is an early proposal of the Dayton Arcade in the Dayton Herald on Febuary 23, 1889. How does this compare to the actual Arcade?
Arcade During the Flood. This a picture of a horse swimming in the floodwaters of 1913. The picture was taken aproxiamtely a block away from the Arcade. It can be found in the collection of William Lutzenberger in the Dayton Metro Library. What can you learn from this picture about the Arcade’s experience during the flood?
The Arcade During the Great Depression. Here is a news article covering the Food Show at the Arcade in 1932 from the Dayton Daily News. How does the article give testament to the Arcade’s experience during the Great Depression?
World War II on the Homefront. Here is a snippet from the Journal Herald on rationing during WWII. Rationing would have been implemented at the Arcade food market. How would this change the experience of buying food at the Arcade?
Suburbanization. This is a small part of an oral interview transcript with Willis ‘Bing’ Davis. He moved to Dayton with his parents when he was a few months old in the 1930s. What can you learn from an interview? What can you not learn?
Race. The Arcade’s history with race is a complicated one. On one hand, the Arcade was an egalitarian space. On the other, it was no different than all other spaces and suceptible to prejudice. Examine this interview from a life-long West side resident on his experience with the Arcade.
Rennovation. The Arcade underwent serious rennovatons in the mid-1970s and 1980s. Management sought to reinvent itself to compete with the blossoming of suburban malls. What does this 1978 newspaper article tell us about the economic life of downtown Dayton?
Closing. The Dayton Arcade closed its doors shortly after it was acquired by Tom Danis in 1989. What does this newspaper article tell us about the state of business in downtown and in the Arcade? Do you think the urban renewal projects were successful?
HollyDays. The Dayton Arcade reopened briefly during the holiday seasons of 1992 and 1993. What does this image suggest about the popularity of the Arcade? What about for possible strategies for bringing the Arcade back to life?
Friends of the Arcade. The Friends of the Arcade are a local grassroots organization dedicated to saving the Arcade from demolition. Pay attention to the reasons for renewal in this newspaper article.
Document-Based Questions
Directions: Suggested Time: 1 Hour
This question is based on accompanying documents. Advise 15 minutes of planning and 45 minutes of writing. The response should do the following:
- State a thesis that addresses all parts of the question
- Support said thesis using evidence from the documents provided
- Incorporate primary source analysis of each document into the answer (See Six C’s of Primary Source Analysis)
- Support the thesis with analysis of historical examples from outside the documents
- Connect the argument to the broader historical context
- Synthesize all of the above into a persuasive essay
Suggested Question: What do people in contemporary Dayton believe is the primary reason for the revival of the Arcade? What do these reasons tell us about the meaning of the original Arcade?
Suggested Question: Compare and Contrast the way Daytonians shopped for their food before and after the creation of the Arcade. Provide an argument that explains this change and takes into account larger historical trends.
Suggested Question: What were the Arcade’s responses to the challenges it faced between the 1960s and 1980s? How were their responses part of the larger context of suburbanization, race relations, and urban renewal?
