Grade 1 Fall History — Then and Now, Family Histories, and How We Know What Happened
Lesson 10 30 min hist.g1.f.lesson_10

Notice-Wonder-Source - a routine for examining a primary source

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students can complete a 3-box NOTICE-WONDER-SOURCE sheet about a historical photograph.
  • Students can identify the SOURCE LINE (maker / date / place) for a photograph.
Vocabulary
noticewondersourcemakerdateplace of origincaptionsource linearchive

Lesson plan

Warm-up

4 min

Calendar Circle. Then revisit yesterday's PRIMARY/SECONDARY anchor. Teacher: 'Yesterday we sorted sources. Today we EXAMINE one carefully. We add a NEW STEP to our K routine: SOURCE.'

Teacher moves
  • Re-anchor with MG-5
  • Show MG-4 Sources Wall
  • Introduce 'every source has a story behind it - who made it, when, where'

Direct instruction

13 min

In kindergarten you learned NOTICE and WONDER about photos. Today we add SOURCE - the third step. SOURCE means we ask: WHO MADE this? WHEN was it made? WHERE was it made? Often the answer is on the back of the photo, or in a CAPTION below it, or in an ARCHIVE - a place where old documents are kept. If we don't know any of these, we mark 'unknown' - which is still useful information!

Key examples
  • See - the SOURCE LINE tells me MAKER (Spider Martin), DATE (March 1965), PLACE (Selma, Alabama).
    model NOTICE: 'I notice people walking together, carrying signs.' WONDER: 'Why are they walking? Where are they going?' SOURCE: 'The caption says: Selma, Alabama, March 1965. Photographer: Spider Martin.' So this is a PRIMARY source from 1965.
    prompt Demo with the 1965 civil-rights march photo
  • Always check for the source line. If missing, write 'unknown maker, undated' - that itself is information.
    model NOTICE: 'Astronaut on the moon, American flag.' WONDER: 'How did the camera get there?' SOURCE: 'NASA, July 20, 1969, the moon.' Primary source.
    prompt Demo with the 1969 moon landing photo
Checks for understanding
  • What is the 3rd step we add to NOTICE-WONDER?
  • What 3 things go on the SOURCE LINE?
Sourcework
Source type
historical photographs with source lines
Routine
NOTICE-WONDER-SOURCE 3-box: NOTICE 3 things; WONDER 1 question; SOURCE LINE (maker / date / place / primary or secondary)
Details
4 historical photographs each with archival source line: (1) 1925 one-room school - Library of Congress; (2) 1955 kitchen - Smithsonian; (3) 1965 Selma march - Spider Martin photographer; (4) 1969 moon landing - NASA.
Media
M-1-F-HIS-10-A Photograph
Reproduction of a Spider Martin photograph from the Selma to Montgomery march, March 1965 (public-domain Library of Cong

Reproduction of a Spider Martin photograph from the Selma to Montgomery march, March 1965 (public-domain Library of Congress/American National Archives). 8x10 inches, original sepia-tone. Children walking with adults, hand-held signs reading 'WE SHALL OVERCOME' visible. Source line printed below: 'Photo: Spider Martin. Selma, Alabama, March 7, 1965. Library of Congress.'

M-1-F-HIS-10-B Photograph
NASA Apollo 11 photograph AS11-40-5874 (public domain) showing Buzz Aldrin's footprint on lunar surface. 8x10 print. Sou

NASA Apollo 11 photograph AS11-40-5874 (public domain) showing Buzz Aldrin's footprint on lunar surface. 8x10 print. Source line: 'NASA, July 20, 1969, the Moon.'

Guided practice

9 min
Tasks
  • Pairs select 1 photo and complete the 3-box sheet
    scaffold Pre-filled NOTICE for emergent writers
  • Add the photo to MG-4 Sources Wall under PHOTOGRAPHS column
    scaffold Magnetic-tape backing
Media
M-1-F-HIS-10-C Manipulative Physical / non-image

11x17 fold-in-half sheet with 3 boxes printed: BOX 1 'NOTICE - 3 things' (3 lines + picture cue eye); BOX 2 'WONDER - 1 question' (1 line + picture cue thought bubble); BOX 3 'SOURCE - maker / date / place / primary or secondary' (4 lines + picture cue magnifying glass and label). Magnifying glass icon on each box for emphasis.

Formative assessment

3 min
Exit ticket
  • What is on a source line? (3 things)
  • Look at this photo - is it primary or secondary?
scoring Both correct + reasoning = mastery; 1 correct = practicing; 0 = re-teach with anchor

Closure

2 min
Moves
  • Add Notice-Wonder-Source to Word Wall
  • Preview: tomorrow we visit (or virtually visit) a real archive

Homework

5 min
Tasks
  • Find an old photo at home (or on a phone). Try to find: WHO made it? WHEN? WHERE? Bring your answers tomorrow.

Exercises in this lesson

hist.g1.f.his.notice_wonder_source.ex_01
Look at this historical photograph. Complete the 3-box sheet: NOTICE 3 things, WONDER 1 question, write the SOURCE LINE (maker / date / place).
 complete 3box sheet · diff 3

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Picture-only NOTICE
  • Pre-filled SOURCE LINE for 1 of 3 photos
  • Sentence frame
Extensions
  • Find a photo in our classroom - apply the routine
  • Compare 2 photos from the same event
English Learners
  • Bilingual NOTICE-WONDER-SOURCE sheet
  • Pair with home-language buddy
Ieps 504s
  • Verbal noticings with scribe
  • Magnifier provided
  • 1 photo instead of 4

Teacher notes

This lesson formalizes the G1-light Wineburg sourcing move. CRITICAL: every photo MUST have a source line - this models the historian's discipline. If you can't find a source line for a photo, don't use it. Library of Congress, NASA, Smithsonian, and local historical society archives are excellent free sources of primary-source photos with full provenance. Building this routine in G1 sets up grade 3+ historiography.