Learning Objectives
- Students will develop historical thinking skills to systematically analyze primary sources (artifacts from early civilizations).
- Students will make connections between assigned readings and artifacts as evidence for historical scholarship.
- Students will consider the role of geography in shaping the cultures and creation of the artifacts.
Prepare for the assignment:
Read/watch:
- TED-Ed, “How art can help you analyze,” in Smarthistory, December 20, 2015, https://smarthistory.org/how-art-can-help-you-analyze/.
- Art Institute of Chicago, “The Power to Look,” in Smarthistory, January 25, 2018, https://smarthistory.org/the-power-to-look/.
Do:
- Check your email: groups were confirmed by Dr. Sharpe on Friday, 9/11. Be in contact with your group!
- Check the Course D2L page (Content > Module 4) for your assigned artifact.
- With your group members, download your own copy of the Source Analysis Worksheet. Working together, answer all questions in the worksheet for the artifact/source assigned to your group.
Turn In by Friday, 11pm:
- Post 1 completed worksheet to the Module 4 Annotation discussion board in D2L for the entire group. Please make sure all group members’ names are included with the post.
Engage by Monday, 11pm:
- Each student will read and engage with at least 1 other group’s source and post by following the “I notice, I wonder” format.
- For example, “I noticed that the jade cong was valued for burials and rituals. Last week’s reading about rice cultivation described how populations settled around the Yangtze River. I wonder how far people had to go to find and mine jade, or if it was close by and part of the geology and environment that helped develop rice cultivation.”
- Use information from the assigned readings and videos to support your response. Take at least 15-30 minutes to carefully read the post, examine the source itself, and compose a thoughtful response that furthers our understanding. Quality comments build on the ideas and work of the original post. Avoid repeating or rephrasing what has already been said.
- You may reply to more than 1 post — your 1 best response will be what I grade for this assignment.
- Spread out responses among groups — don’t rush to post on the earliest posts you see.