National Archives and Records Administration
	Using Primary Sources with Students
	Documents--letters, photos, newspaper & magazine articles, and memoirs--created by those who participated in or witnessed the events of the past tell us something that even the best-written book cannot convey. To many students, history is seen as a series of facts, dates, and events usually packaged as a textbook. The Hoovers in China curriculum guide was created with primary sources so that students could directly touch the lives of people in the past. As your students read Bert and Lou's eyewitness accounts of the siege of Tientsin during the Boxer Rebellion they will become aware that records of historical events reflect the personal, social, and political view of the participants. The more primary sources students use the more they will realize that history exists through interpretation. Primary Sources fascinate because they are real and they are personal; history is humanized through them. Using original sources, students touch the lives of the people about whom history is written. Students participate in human emotions and in the values and attitudes of the past. These human expressions provide history with color and excitement and link students directly to its cast of characters. Perhaps best of all, by using primary sources, students participate in the process of history. They will debate with teachers and classmates about the interpretation of the sources. They will challenge others' conclusions and seek out evidence to support their own. The classroom will become a lively arena in which students test and apply important thinking skills.   Try your Hand at Being a History Detective Answer these questions using the primary sources in the curriculum guide. A. What type of document is this? B. What is the date of the document? C. Who created the document? D. Why was this document created? E. List three things the author said that you think are important. F. Why was this document saved for all these years? G. What does the existence of the document say about whoever saved it? H. Write a question to the author that is left unanswered by the document. Learning Activities 1. Bert and Lou were often praised for their fine character. Identify examples of core character traits demonstrated by the Hoovers during their time in China. 2. Investigate living conditions in 1899-1900. How does it compare to how the Hoovers lived in China? Make a comparative table that contrasts at least four different ideas. 3. List geographic locations mentioned in The Hoovers in China. On an outline map of China locate and label these places. 4. To learn more about the Hoovers in China, visit the Hoover Presidential Library web site: www.hoover.archives.gov 5. Create a time line for the Hoovers. On one side, write in the main events in Herbert Hoover's life. On the other side, write in major historical events of your state, the United States, or the world.
	Memoirs of Herbert Hoover | Lou's Story | Letter to Evelyn Christmas 1899 | Using Primary Sources with Students
National Archives and Records Administration hoover.webmaster@nara.gov Last updated: August 15, 2007