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In New York State elementary schools, the use of primary sources is built mainly into the K-8 Social Studies Framework. Students are expected to begin analyzing historical evidence at an age-appropriate level, starting in the earliest grades and becoming more sophisticated as they progress.
Primary sources are original materials created during the time being studied, such as:
Rather than simply memorizing facts, New York's curriculum encourages students to act like young historians by:
Primary sources are original materials created during the time being studied, such as:
- Photographs
- Letters and diaries
- Maps
- Government documents
- Newspaper articles
- Oral histories and interviews
- Artifacts and historical objects
- Gather, interpret, and use evidence.
- Analyze primary and secondary sources.
- Compare different perspectives.
- Construct arguments using historical evidence.
- Communicate conclusions based on sources.
Rather than simply memorizing facts, New York's curriculum encourages students to act like young historians by:
- Asking questions.
- Examining evidence.
- Identifying point of view.
- Drawing conclusions from original sources.
How the Forsyth-Warren Tavern fits in to this standard:
Our museum has a massive collection of 19th century primary sources.
The collection's greatest strength is not that it contains famous national history. It contains local history. Students often struggle to connect with distant events, but a tax roll showing people who lived on the same roads they travel today, or a deed for land near their own community, makes history tangible.
A traveling museum built around those records would directly support New York's emphasis on using primary sources while creating something many schools lack: the opportunity to analyze authentic historical evidence from their own backyard.
Our museum has a massive collection of 19th century primary sources.
The collection's greatest strength is not that it contains famous national history. It contains local history. Students often struggle to connect with distant events, but a tax roll showing people who lived on the same roads they travel today, or a deed for land near their own community, makes history tangible.
A traveling museum built around those records would directly support New York's emphasis on using primary sources while creating something many schools lack: the opportunity to analyze authentic historical evidence from their own backyard.
