Teaching Strategies
My unit revolves around the theme of interpretation: Who should interpret the Constitution and upon what grounds? When teaching this unit, then, it is important to continually define, redefine, and discuss what interpretation means and how it affects the historian's role. I recommend, as a starting point, having the class develop a working definition of this concept. Is "interpretation" simply "making sense" of something or is it transforming and recasting an old concept, structure, and/or thought in some modern way? Is interpretation an objective practice or is it necessarily biased by our own experiences? Why? What influences our interpretations?
In any history class, analyzing primary sources requires an act of interpretation, and therefore, it is important for every class to formulate some working definition of what this means.
To create a definition of "interpretation," I recommend utilizing high-order thinking questions to help students consider the implications and meaning of interpretation as a process by which we understand our world. Beyond "yes or no" questions, ask students to justify, predict, translate, analyze, and build. You may consider creating and posting a class definition of interpretation. Alternatively, you could create a poster with word "associations."
Also, you can use discussions of interpretation as an opportunity to emphasize the importance of citing examples from text. When engaged in the act of interpretation, it is essential to include direct references to that object which is being interpreted, be it a book or a painting.
Additionally, when presenting the Constitution, have students consider the historical context, the purpose, and the audience of this document. Have students complete the same exercise when examining alternative primary sources such as Presidential speeches and letters. How, for instance, might a private letter from Lincoln on slavery have differed from a public speech?
Lastly, I recommend that teachers use visual organizers such as highlighters and charts to help students recognize patterns and structures in historical sources. The constitution, for instance, is divided into articles and sections. Ensure that students learn the importance and function of such organizational devices. In complex texts and arguments, such as the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers, teach students to analyze text structures that are not so explicit. For instance, teach students to recognize key transition words and to note when an author is moving between different ideas.
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