What you will be able to do
name three kinds of sources; separate an observation from an inference; use more than one source to investigate a question
Photographs, Objects, and Oral Histories as Sources
What can photographs, objects, and people’s memories help us learn?
Activate what you know
Look at a classroom object chosen by the teacher. Name one detail you can see. Then share one idea the detail makes you wonder about
- sourcesomething or someone that gives information about a topic
- photographa picture made with a camera
- objecta thing people made, owned, or used
- oral historya recorded conversation about a person’s memories and experiences
- observationa detail we can see, hear, or notice directly
- inferencean idea we form from observations and what we already know
- evidenceinformation that helps answer a question or support an idea
1
Observe First, Then Make a Careful Inference
A photograph, an object, and an oral history can all be sources. When we study a photograph, we first report observations: ‘I see two bicycles’ or ‘The road is unpaved.’ When we study an object, we might observe its size, material, marks, or worn places. These are details the source actually shows. An inference goes one step beyond an observation. If a lunch pail has scratches and a repaired handle, we might infer that someone used it often. That is a reasonable idea, but the object does not tell us who used it or why it was repaired. Careful investigators say what they observe and what they infer instead of mixing the two
2
Compare Sources Without Asking One Source to Tell Everything
Sources have strengths and limits. A photograph can preserve visible details, but it shows only what was inside the camera’s frame at one moment. An object can reveal design and use, but it cannot speak. An oral history can explain feelings and memories, but it gives one person’s point of view and memory can be incomplete. Using more than one source can answer more of a question. If a photograph shows bicycles and an oral history mentions walking, the evidence suggests that children used at least those two ways to travel. It does not prove that every child traveled the same way. Good social studies language leaves room for what the evidence does not show
Source Detective Rule
Begin with ‘I observe...’ Then say ‘I infer...’ and name the observation that supports your inference
Use Two Sentence Starters
Keep the learner’s reasoning visible: ‘I observe ___.’ ‘That makes me infer ___ because ___.’ If the second sentence lacks a because, return to the source for a clue
A Photograph Is Not the Whole Place
A camera records a selected view at a selected time. Something outside the frame may still have been present, so absence from one photograph is not proof that it did not exist
Source Trio
Study a teacher-selected public photograph, reproduction object, and short recorded memory about a school or neighborhood. List one clue from each. Tell which question each clue could help answer
Photographs, objects, and oral histories are different kinds of sources. We observe details, make supported inferences, notice each source’s limits, and compare sources for a fuller answer
Practice and answer guide
Work through all 8 questions. Open an answer only after you have written or explained your response.
- 1. Which sentence is an observation about a photograph? A. I see a red wagon beside the door. B. The child loved the wagon. C. The wagon was a birthday gift
Check answer
I see a red wagon beside the door
- 2. A wooden spoon has a dark, worn handle. Write or tell one careful inference and the observation that supports it
Check answer
Example: I infer that the spoon was used many times because its handle is worn. Accept another reasonable inference tied directly to the observed wear
- 3. Match the source to what it can do best: Which source lets us hear one person’s remembered experience? A. oral history B. photograph C. object
Check answer
Oral history
- 4. Draw this described source: a metal lunch pail with a curved handle and a small dent. Label two details you can observe without guessing
Check answer
The drawing and labels should show two stated details, such as the metal material, curved handle, or small dent, without inventing an owner or story
- 5. Why can a photograph not show everything about a community?
Check answer
A photograph shows only what was inside the camera’s frame at one moment; other people, places, or events may be outside it
- 6. A photograph shows children beside two bicycles. Can we conclude that every child biked to school? Explain
Check answer
No. The photograph proves that two bicycles were present, but it does not show how every child traveled
- 7. Choose two sources that could help answer ‘What games did children play at recess long ago?’ A. an old recess photograph and an oral history with a former student B. a weather map and a grocery list C. a new bus schedule and a ruler
Check answer
An old recess photograph and an oral history with a former student
- 8. Write one observation and one inference about this described source: ‘A school bell has a smooth handle and a small crack.’
Check answer
Observation: The bell has a smooth handle and a small crack. Inference: It may have been handled often because the handle is smooth. Other evidence-based inferences are acceptable