Chapter 9 Investigation Model Lesson Plans

Investigations involve the process of reading, analyzing, and interpreting primary source material to consider the source’s impact on the subject under study.  Investigations begin with a question and end answering the questions and reflecting on how the answer connects to an explicit understanding goal for the subject. 
Investigations include:

• primary source identification including context and purpose
• reading and interpreting the source
• discussion of relationship between the source and the subject under study
• comparisons among primary sources considering multiple perspectives and/or media formats.

This chapter provides resources to assist teachers in choosing reading strategies to help students comprehend primary sources. The reading strategies have been divided into pre, during, and post-reading. Analysis tools for primary sources may be used to support students in drawing meaning from the primary sources and making connections to prior knowledge of the topic under study. Investigations often use both reading strategies and analysis tools to support student inquiry.