Are We There Yet?

Introducing History to

Third Graders

by Mary L. Mann

Summer Fellowship 2006

Champaign County Historical Archives

To download this lesson in PDF format, click here.

Lesson 2:

Identifying the “Evidence” for Events

Vocabulary required for the lesson -- written documents, artifacts, events, evidence, photographs

1. Write the vocabulary words on an overhead transparency of the graphic organizer [6-photo] and students write words on their organizer--set aside after an introduction of words.

2. Ask the questions: How do you know that something happened in the past? Discuss the word “evidence”

3. Hand out graphic organizers[topic/details] to students.

4. Explain the graphic organizer transparency on overhead.

5. The teacher and students write “evidence” under “topic”.

6. Introduce and write the different kinds of evidence to be considered--written documents, photographs, and artifacts, on the organizer transparency.

7. Provide each table with an assortment of “evidence”--written documents, artifacts and photographs.

8. The tables will sort the evidence and share with whole group.

9. Set aside the sorted evidence in the classroom.