Why is the Use of Primary Source Data Effective?

Authentic Real World Data is Motivational

Using real world data is exciting to students. Look at the earthquakes that happened today. Where did they occur? Can you find them on a map. When did they occur? Can you figure out when they occurred in local time? When students read actual words written by participants in history, the history comes alive.

Authentic Real World Data Gives Rise to Authentic Work

Historians and scientists work with real world data. When students use real world raw data, they are engaging in the same work that university researchers do. Historians don't read other historian's versions of history to really find out what happened. They read letters, diaries, and newspaper accounts of the events written by the people alive at the time.

Requires High Order Thinking

When students use real world primary source raw data, they must organize, interpret, understand, look for patterns, and more. All of the activities associated with primary source data are higher order thinking skills. Once students are engaged in higher order thinking activities, they are automatically working at the level of WASL preparation.