Using Primary Sources and Digital Images to Support the Comprehension of LiteratureJeff Everhart

Content Teaching Academy

June 2013

Traditional Literature Challenges Students in a Variety of Ways

Linguistic Challenges

• Figurative Language

• Older Version of English or Dialects of English

• Period Slang

Social and Cultural Challenges

• Understanding the Time Period

• Empathizing with Historical Characters

• Using Background Knowledge to Inform Readings

What are Primary Sources and How Can They Help?

Digital Primary Sources: Beyond Text • Written Text or Print

• Voice Recordings

• Art

• Music

• Film

• Photographs

Finding Primary Sources

• Library of Congress- Print Text and Images, Voice Recordings, Historical Photos, Music

Finding Primary Sources

• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts- Paintings, Sculptures, Photographs

Finding Primary Sources

• Google Art Project and Cultural Institute- Aggregates Museum Collections from Around the World; allows users to curate custom galleries

Finding Primary Sources

• Author Archives- Digital Humanities Initiatives (Ex. Walt Whitman Archive)

Let’s Look at Some Examples

Examples

• Whitman’s “O Captain! My Captain!” with resources from the Walt Whitman Archive and the Library of Congress

• Comparing Romantic and Neoclassical Art

• Hearing the Blues and Langston Hughes

Now, It’s Your Turn

• Using one of the resources we’ve talked about today, locate three primary sources that you could use with a unit on the novel Night by Elie Wiesel

• Pick sources that will help address some of the common challenges students have when reading literature

Q & A