Hilary Mac Austin and Kathleen Thompson, Capstone Publishers

On one level, the book you are holding is about the reading of primary sources. But on a much deeper level, you are holding a manual for citizenship. This book is a guide for awakening tomorrow’s citizens to the world they inhabit.
Sam Wineburg
Founder, Stanford History Education Group

Educators are being challenged as never before to invite reality into the classroom and allow students to explore it. This book will help you meet the challenge. Primary sources are the very documents that history is made of, the images that science is based on, the raw material of our lives. They are also excellent tools to teach the critical thinking skills required by the Common Core State Standards. This book reveals in detail the strategies you can use to make primary sources come alive for your students and to enhance visual literacy, using fascinating photographs and powerful primary source texts.

The History Teacher, Society for History Education

In a time when our emphasis and attention has been focused on reading and close reading of text sources, this book reminds us of the importance of visual sources as a base of evidence and provides tools to mine those sources for all they are worth in the early years of education. . . .In a visual culture where students process images and information so quickly, slowing down the analysis process is a critical step. The authors recognize this importance, noting, “this is where the work is.” . . .While the book is targeted for K-8 teachers and students, all teachers may find this resource helpful, though teachers at every grade level will have to modify and adapt the steps for their classrooms.

2016 Teachers’ Choice Award
Learning Magazine

School Librarian’s Workshop

After explaining what constitutes primary and secondary sources found not just in history but in the world around us, the authors go into detail explaining their seven strategies including “Determine the Purpose,” “Look for Bias,” and “Compare a Variety of Sources.” Photos fill the chapters which conclude with “Things to Think About.”. . .An invaluable resource for you and teachers on how to incorporate primary sources into your daily teaching.

From the Foreword by Sam Wineburg

The book you are holding demands that we learn to see differently, to weigh possibilities, to question more precisely, to argue for our interpretation, and justify our interpretation cogently and convincingly. Primary sources are means to a higher end—one that applies not only to the social studies, but to every single subject in the curriculum. The book you are holding helps you teach students how to think.