Dimension 3: Evaluating sources and using evidence

Developed by:

Scott M. WaringAssociate Professor of Social Science EducationUniversity of Central Florida

C3 Literacy CollaborativeNational Council for the Social Studies in collaboration with the National Center for Literacy Education

Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Welcome!

Scott M. WaringAssociate Professor of Social Science Education

University of Central Florida

scott.waring@ucf.edu

Purpose:

As a result of participating in this investigation, you will become familiar with:

• Ways to “practice” sourcing and evaluating documents to find evidence to support claims

• Ways in which teachers can guide students to gather and evaluate various sources of information

• How to “source” documents, analyze information, examine multiple perspectives, and formulate a conclusion

Dimension 3

DIMENSION 3 includes the skills students need to analyze information and come to conclusions in an inquiry. These skills focus on gathering and evaluating sources, and then developing claims and using evidence to support those claims.

Students should use various technologies and skills to find information and to express their responses to compelling and supporting questions through well-reasoned explanations and evidence-based arguments.

Indicators of Dimension 3

• Gathering and Evaluating Sources

• Developing Claims and Using Evidence

Gathering and Evaluating Sources

Whether students are constructing opinions, explanation, or arguments, they will gather information from a variety of sources and evaluate the relevance of that information. In this section, students are asked to work with the sources that they gather and/or are provided for them. It is important for students to use online and print sources, and they need to be mindful that not all sources are relevant to their task.

Suggested K-12 PathwayGathering and Evaluating Sources

Developing Claims and Using Evidence

This subsection focuses on argumentation. In contrast to opinions and explanations, argumentation involves the ability to understand the source-to-evidence relationship. That relationship emphasizes the development of claims and counterclaims and the purposeful selection of evidence in support of those claims and counterclaims. Students will learn to develop claims using evidence, but their initial claims will often be tentative and probing.

Suggested K-12 PathwayDeveloping Claims and Using Evidence

What are Primary Sources?

Make a list of what items you consider to be primary sources and those that you would refer to as secondary sources.

Mind WalkLeaving Evidence of Our Lives

Primary Sources

How do you define the terms “primary sources”and “secondary sources”?

Analyzing PhotographsNovice-Level Analysis

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/guides.html

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Bibliographic Information

• Title: Daily inspection of teeth and finger nails. Older pupils make the inspection under the direction of teacher who records results. This has been done every day this year. School #49, Comanche County.

• Location: Lawton [vicinity], Oklahoma • Creator(s): Hine, Lewis Wickes, 1874-1940, photographer • Date Created/Published: 1917 April. • Medium: 1 photographic print. • Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-nclc-00667 (color digital file

from b&w original print) LC-USZ62-17510 (b&w film copy negative)

• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.Call Number: LOT 7475, v. 3, no. 4780 [P&P]

• Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ncl2004004981/PP

Hide and Seek

Analyzing DocumentsLeading Towards Expert-Level Analysis

Evaluating Sources

http://sheg.stanford.edu/upload/Lessons/Unit%201_Introduction/EvaluatingSources.pdf

The SOURCES Framework

Scrutinize the Fundamental Source

Organize Thoughts

Understand the Context

Read Between the Lines

Corroborate and Refute

Establish a Plausible Narrative

Summarize Final Thoughts

Waring, S. M., & Scheiner-Fisher, C. (2014). Using SOURCES to allow digital natives to explore the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Middle School Journal, 45(4), 3-12.

Scrutinize Fundamental Source

First, allow the students to examine a primary source selected by the teacher as the one source that is fundamental to learning about the content or subject to be learned.

Fundamental Question

Provide the students with a fundamental question to guide the inquiry.

For this inquiry:

“What was it like for Lewis and Clark to travel west?”

Organize Thoughts

In this stage, have the students organize their thoughts. Students should think about what knowledge they have about the content being presented in the fundamental source and the individual(s) who constructed it. If a student needs additional background information, the teacher may provide narrative(s) that better explains the underlying historical content being covered. This is a great time to incorporate children’s and young adult literature.

Understand the Context

Check for comprehension of the context and the source that is being examined. Students should monitor their thinking and be sure the source is not taken out of context or viewed through lenses, morals, and principles of today.

Read Between the Lines

Students should not necessarily take whatever is viewed at face value; rather, students should consider multiple perspectives. Students should think about motivations for the construction and the intended audience of the source being examined.

Corroborate and Refute Students use and/or find additional sources that will corroborate or refute what is being presented in the fundamental source.

Establish a Plausible Narrative

Students construct a plausible narrative from the data collected and analyzed. The investigation and learning should continue during this phase to locate additional sources and to append and modify narratives as new information is discovered.

Summarize Final Thoughts

To conclude, students should summarize any additional thoughts and formulate questions for future investigation.

Library of Congress Resources

http://www.loc.gov/teachers

Online Modules

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/selfdirected

Handouts from the Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/additionalresources/downloads