Week Six Reading

During this week’s readings, my first point was that I was not sure I was sure as to if actually knew what primary sources I could use with a grade level as young as the one I currently am placed in. I am placed in a pre kindergarten grade level, not only is that a small conflict, but I am placed in a BILINGUAL pre kindergarten classroom. It is not that I don’t know how to teach my students, I just find it a bit difficult connecting things that I learn at school at the University of Houston to my in placement teaching. Most of the example provided to us student teachers are for practically an all English classroom setting, which again is fine because I would at least have an idea as to what I could do, but not everything in English translates exactly in Spanish which is the language I most need with my class. The topic of lack of support for us bilingual educators is a completely different discussion though. Which is why I enjoy our in class discussion the following week after the readings are given out. In class I am able to discuss things with my peers who like me struggle at times with the bilingual education programs. Luckily for us, our professors are always there to help. A good idea a peer and I thought about was to have our primary source link with two different TEKS: one would be community helpers and the other is map placement. The primary source used for both would be the emergency exit map that is place on all rooms at any given school building (by law).

My second point I cam across during the readings was why are primary sources only recommended? A recommendation is a suggestion or proposal as to the best course of action, especially one put forward by an authoritative body, but that is simply it. How and why is it that we are required to to learn or know what primary sources when it is only a RECOMMENDATION to use these primary sources. In my opinion, I think these primary sources should be mandatory to be use throughout out all lesson and not just only primary sources but also secondary and so on. Using sources, especially primary sources, help those with the meaning of evidence in a sense of any other subject/content area.

And lastly but certainly not least, my third point I came across during the readings for this week was the actual concept of primary sources. Of course, I knew that a primary source is  an original document or any source of material that has not been chawed in any way, it is where all the other sources gets its source. In social studies, a primary source is more than likely going to be the original source. A few examples are an actual artifact, a diary, an autobiography, any type or recording, and even an actual person. Even though some primary sources are hard to get a hold of, some could be found in libraries or any historical place, such as a museum or even at our very own university. This weeks readings provided good examples and information on how to properly go over and use primary sources in which I will do my best to implement during all lessons.