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John Hart

John Hart, a former intern at the Archives Partnership Trust and now a social studies teacher at Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland, knows the value of primary sources in history education. His experience at the Trust has given him unique insights into how primary documents can bring history to life for students. We are proud to see our alumni making a difference in the classroom, ensuring the next generation understands the importance of preserving and learning from historical records.

As an intern, John played a crucial role in growing primary source materials onto our educational website ConsidertheSourceNY.org. He also assisted in writing content for NY Archives JR! and judging our NYS Archives Student Research Awards competition.

Here's what Mr. Hart had to say about his experience teaching social studies in the classroom.

  1. How do you incorporate primary resources into your curriculum, and what impact do they have on student learning? I believe that teaching with primary sources changes the mindset of the students. It is a pleasant turn away from the classic lectures or worksheets and allows students to feel like they are holding a real piece of history. Using primary sources makes the names, places and events of the curriculum all feel a little more real. It can be tough to get students excited about certain social studies topics, and with the use of primary sources, it provides an access point for a peak in curiosity. 
  2. What challenges do you face when using primary resources in the classroom, and how do you overcome them? The biggest issue is language. Some primary sources we use are hundreds of years old and do not follow the same language rules as we know today. Students tend to be interested in primary sources, but not if they struggle to understand what the source author is saying. Although some students like to try to understand the cursive and older language, having transcripts is extremely useful. It is beneficial when a student can see both the primary source and the transcript side by side. Sometimes, the transcripts are too complicated or out of date with certain vocabulary words, so I will make a "2024 version" where the writers are now speaking like a middle level student to try and get the important points of the source across to my students. This part tends to be a lot of fun. 
  3. Can you share an example of a particularly effective lesson where primary resources helped students better understand a historical event? I teach a lesson that takes a look at the conditions of Revolutionary War soldiers. In this lesson we discuss living conditions, wages, clothing, battle point of views and reasons patriots would join the Revolutionary cause. It is one thing for me to show my students a picture of a militia on the board and say, "Soldiers had it tough, they were hot in the summer and cold in the winter, they did not always get the proper wages or food when they joined the army". It is a whole new classroom experience when I can hand out copies of a soldier's handwritten letters to a loved one back home or display real artifacts that were used in the time period we are discussing. Primary sources increase student engagement while also creating more access points for a student to grasp the content and leave the room more intrigued or curious about social studies than when they entered the classroom.