PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

Impact of Primary Source Analysis on Student Connection to the Historical Context of Classic
Literature: Utilizing Common Core Aligned Texts to Support Background Knowledge

Mary P. Muse
Salem College

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

Chapter 2: Literature Review

High levels of literacy are critical for college and career readiness in the 21st Century
(Common Core State Standards Initiative [CCSSI], 2015), but many of our students in the
secondary grades exhibit a knowledge-based literacy gap that hinders their ability to read for
comprehension beyond the basic decoding of a text (Reardon, Valentino, & Shores, 2012).
Research indicates that background knowledge (Brown, Kappes, & Aspen 2012; Reardon et al.,
2012; Recht & Leslie, 1988; Stevens, 1980; Unrau, 2008; Willingham, 2009) and multimodal
processes such as visualizing the text (Reed, 2006; Sadoski, McTigue, & Paivio, 2012; Unrau,
2008) are crucial to reading comprehension. In an effort to further understand how building
background knowledge can improve literacy skills, this study measured the impact of primary
source analysis on student connection to historical context of classic literature. The study
implemented research-based interventions across a four-week reading of Harper Lees To Kill a
Mockingbird in three standard-level ninth grade English Language Arts [ELA] classes. The
following section will define the constructs of the research question, examine cognitive theories
related to the reading comprehension process, and discuss approaches to adolescent literacy
through a comprehensive literature review.

Definition of Constructs
The research question explored in this study, How does primary source analysis impact
student connection to the historical context of classic literature? includes the following three
constructs: (1) historical context; (2) student connection; and (3) primary source. In this study,
historical context refers to the setting of the novel, or the time and place in which the story takes
place. For purposes of critical literacy, the socio-historical period in which the novel was written
should also be considered. Student connection refers to the cognitive processes involved in
reading comprehension, as well as empathetic response resulting from an aesthetic reading
experience. A primary source is defined as a document or physical object which was written or

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time
period and offer an inside view of a particular event (Princeton University Library, 2012, para.
1).

Historical Context
In the area of literacy, and especially in transactional theory, context often refers to the
classroom context in which a student is reading a text (Moje, Dillon, & O'Brien, 2000; Unrau,
2008). However, for the purposes of critical literacy, historical context refers both to the setting
of the novel, or the time and place in which the story takes place, and the socio-historical period
in which the novel was written (Fang, 2012; Macken-Horarick, & Morgan, 2008). This study
implemented research-based interventions across a four-week reading of Harper Lees To Kill a
Mockingbird. The setting of the novel is rural Alabama during the mid-1930s. It was published,
however, in 1960, and deals largely with civil rights issues. In order to comprehend the story,
consider authors purpose, and analyze the development of theme (CCSSI, 2015), readers must
consider the civil rights era as well as the Great Depression.

Student Connection to Text

Student connection to a text is a result of reading processes, reading for comprehension,
and an empathetic response resulting from the aesthetic stance. There are many different
cognitive theories about the reading process, and there are multiple approaches to literacy. This
section will consider the theories and approaches most appropriate to adolescents.
Reading comprehension. To understand reading comprehension, one must consider a
number of cognitive theories and approaches to literacy. This subsection will explore the
importance of background knowledge, schema theory, dual coding theory, and visualization
strategies. The subsection will also include a brief discussion of a knowledge-based literacy gap
prevalent in secondary grades (Reardon et al., 2012; Willingham, 2009).

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

Background knowledge. The importance of background knowledge to any learning

activity is intuitive, and veteran teachers advise strategies to activate and extend background
knowledge for any unit of literature, especially when working with struggling readers (Day,
2012; Shelley, 1998). Background knowledge may refer to reading processes, such as
phonological and lexical knowledge, but it also encompasses prior knowledge about the subject
(Reardon et al., 2012; Unrau, 2008; Willingham, 2009). Subject-related knowledge may be more
important than word knowledge for understanding and connecting the ideas being read
(Willingham, 2009), and studies show that background knowledge of the subject contributes
more to comprehension and recall than reading ability (Recht & Leslie, 1988; Stevens, 1980;
Willingham, 2009). In fact, Rearden et al. (2012) define reading for comprehension separately
than decoding. In their assessment of literacy patterns in U.S. students, they maintain that
comprehension requires a set of knowledge-based competencies in addition to word-reading
skills (p. 17).
Background knowledge has a number of functions during the reading process (Guthrie,
1979; Rearden et al., 2012; Unrau 2008; Willingham, 2009). It allows the reader to create
connections between ideas that are not explicitly stated by the writer (Willingham, 2008, p. 36),
and it helps make sense of details that might be ambiguous without prior knowledge of the
subject (Unrau 2008; Willingham, 2009). Background knowledge is crucial to reading strategies
such as predicting, inferring, and making connections between the text and real life (Rearden et
al., 2012). Additionally, students are unable to evaluate and prioritize information when reading
without prior knowledge about the subject of the text (Guthrie, 1979; Rearden et al., 2012).
In a primer published on implementing close reading under the Common Core State
Standards, Brown, Kappes, and Aspen (2012) discuss the role of background knowledge for
comprehension. New information in the text is integrated with existing knowledge to create
meaning (Brown et al., 2012; Rearden et al., 2012). Comprehension, and ultimately learning, is
dependent upon the knowledge the reader brings to the text, and students lacking sufficient

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

background knowledge are at a disadvantage for academic literacy skills (Brown et al., 2012;
Rearden et al., 2012; Willingham, 2009). Brown et al. (2012) advise that teachers get to know
their students to decide how much background knowledge they have, and how much background
knowledge should be provided in order to comprehend the text. Where sufficient background
knowledge is lacking, teachers should provide instruction or pre-reading activities to fill the gap
(Brown et al., 2012; Stevens 1980).
Schema theory. Schema theory explains how background knowledge contributes to the
reading comprehension process based on the functions of working memory and long-term
memory while reading (Unrau, 2008; Willingham, 2009). In order to optimize the amount of
information working memory can hold, the brain chunks related items together (Unrau, 2008;
Willingham, 2009). Chunking is facilitated by factual knowledge in long-term memory
(Willingham, 2009), or networks of knowledge called schemata (Unrau, 2008). Thus,
comprehension depends on sufficient background knowledge (Brown et al., 2012).
Palmer (1981), referred to schemata as world knowledge, and went on to describe the
process through which a reader used world knowledge to create meaning in a text. Schemata are
not fixed frameworks, but are changed as readers integrate new information into them from the
text (Palmer, 1981; Stevens, 1980; Unrau, 2008). It is through this process of adapting existing
schemata that meaning is constructed (Palmer, 1981; Stevens, 1980; Unrau, 2008).
The reader accesses schemata related to a text during the reading process (Unrau, 2008).
When a reader has an existing framework of knowledge for the topic about which they are
reading, new information is easily integrated into that schema (Unrau, 2008). In a study on the
effect of background knowledge on reading comprehension in ninth graders, Stevens (1980)
claimed, background knowledge (or schemata) is a prerequisite for accurate reading (p. 152).
The results of Stevens (1980) research concluded that pre-established schemata contributed
more towards reading comprehension than reading ability.

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

Research suggests it is easier for a reader to integrate new information into existing
schemata than it is to build a new framework with which to understand a text while the reader is
attempting to construct meaning from that text (Brown et al., 2012; Palmer, 1981; Stevens, 1980;
Unrau, 2008) According to Palmer (1981), the strength and nature of the readers schema
influences what is comprehended and recalled (p.65). The absence of schemata, however, can
overload a students working memory when attempting to comprehend complex texts
(Willingham, 2009). A reader is then hampered with the cognitive task of building a new schema
while decoding and interpreting the information they are reading (Unrau, 2008). Thus, students
struggle with reading comprehension when they lack related schema (Day, 2010; Reardon et al.
2012, Stevens, 1980). Many readers, especially in the secondary grades, suffer more from a
deficit in knowledge than reading skills (Rearden, et al., 2012; Stevens, 1980).
Dual Coding Theory. Dual coding theory is similar to schema theory, but accounts for
the nonverbal experiences as well as the verbal experiences through which a reader comprehends
text (Reed, 2006; Sadoski, McTigue, & Paivio, 2012; Unrau, 2008). These cognitive processes
may work independently or parallel to each other (Unrau, 2008). The nonverbal processes
described in dual coding theory include the mental imagery and sense memories recalled during
reading experiences (Sadoski et al., 2012; Unrau, 2008). According to dual coding theory, the
brain needs verbal systems to understand abstract words and concepts, while concrete words use
both abstract associations and recalled mental imagery to create meaning (Reed, 2006; Sadoski et
al., 2012).
Sadoski et al (2012) called the information in the nonverbal systems imagens, and
described them as memory representations of nonverbal objects, events, and situations (p.
471). Imagens create imagined sensory events through which a reader may experience the text
(Sadoski et al., 2012). Additionally, imagens improve recall of text and contribute greatly to an
aesthetic reading experience (Unrau, 2008). Such mental imagery is especially important when
reading literature, but also helps comprehension of expository texts (Reed, 2006; Unrau, 2008).

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

According to Reed (2006), it is important to understand that the verbal and nonverbal systems
are independent of each other when we consider memory. Concrete words have two memory
codes associated with them, and thus are learned more quickly (Reed, 2006). It is the dual
association of sensory representation as well as verbal information, or multi-modal processing,
which allows concrete words to transfer more quickly into long-term memory (Reed, 2006;
Wilson, 2012).
Role of visualization. As discussed with Dual Coding Theory, visualization plays a large
role in the comprehension process. Many researchers have used Dual Coding Theory as a
rationale supporting specific teaching and learning strategies based on visualization of a text
(DeKoning & van der Schoot, 2013; Park, 2012; Wilson, 2012).
A comprehensive review of reading process models and visualization strategies by
DeKoning and van der Schoot (2013) suggests that creating mental images of a text is an
effective strategy to improve reading comprehension. In a case study involving middle school
book clubs, Park (2012) noted that incorporating visual images into scaffolding strategies aids in
comprehension and critical literacy (Park, 2012). Wilson (2012) likened visualizing, or
generating mental images to accompany text, to creating brain movies (p. 189).
Explicit instruction in visualization strategies supports students ability to predict and
make inferences (Wilson, 2012). In the strategies suggested by Wilson (2012), it was important
to help students use visualization to connect the text to personal experience, and, by doing so,
help the students to activate relevant schemata. Park (2012), too, noted that personal experience
and background knowledge shape visualization while reading. Those visualizations then shape a
readers interpretation of the text (Park, 2012).
Knowledge-based literacy gap. About two-thirds of students leave middle school without
the knowledge-based competencies required for the literacy demands of high school (Rearden et
al., 2012). Students from families of higher socio-economic status [SES] enter school with

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

greater knowledge, and increase their knowledge exponentially faster than children of lower SES
families (Willingham, 2009). Reardan et al. (2012) describe the deficit more specifically in their
assessment that low-income eighth-grade students are roughly five years behind high-income
eighth-grade students in the acquisition of knowledge-based competencies (p. 26). These
statistics become especially important in a diverse, urban setting and the inclusive classroom. As
established by the literature, background knowledge is crucial to reading comprehension (Brown,
Kappes 2012; Reardon et al., 2012; Recht & Leslie, 1988; Stevens, 1980; Unrau, 2008;
Willingham, 2009); therefore teachers must provide background knowledge where it may be
otherwise lacking (Day, 2012; Shelley, 1998).
Beyond basic comprehension. Research supports implementing multiple approaches to
literacy within the classroom (Fang, 2012; Macken-Horack & Morgan, 2008). The cognitive
approach is helpful because it offers an explanation of the reading comprehension process and is
well supported by research (Fang, 2012). It also provides strategies such as summarizing,
predicting, and inferring (Fang, 2012). The critical, or socio-political, approach assumes texts are
inherently value-laden, and calls for the reader to consider author intent as well as socialhistorical-political contexts to understand meaning of text (Fang, 2012, p. 106). The traditional
literary criticism approach and modern critical literacy have created a divide among some
educators, but they are not mutually exclusive, and in fact can complement each other (MackenHorack & Morgan, 2008).
Critical literacy. The critical literacy approach encourages students to examine a text
beyond basic meaning construction and analyze authors purpose, intended audience, the effect
of rhetorical choices, and the cultural perspective of the text (Park, 2012). Park (2012) describes
critical literacy as a conversation between reader and text in which the reader constructs deeper
understanding of the text. According to Fang (2012), critical literacy has a strong social
justice agenda that goes beyond the government and business sanctioned goals of college/career
readiness and workplace productivity (p. 106).

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

Critical literacy inoculates students against manipulation, whatever the source of a text,
by teaching them higher-order skills, including analyizing, synthesizing, and evaluating texts. In
this approach, students analyze the role of an authors opinions, values, and cultural perspectives
in shaping a text (Fang, 2012). Textual analysis is achieved through an inquiry approach, and
students also consider what privileges and interests are promoted by the text (Fang, 2012).
Students should become aware of perspectives of a text and how those perspectives may guide
meaning-construction in the reader (Macken-Horak & Morgan, 2008).
Transactional theory and empathetic response. The reader response approach to
literacy is empowering for a reader (Unrau, 2008) because it validates their own interpretation of
a text, rather than demand they ascertain one objective meaning (Rosenblatt, 1982; Unrau, 2008).
The reader response, therefore, can contribute to student self-efficacy towards reading, thus
increasing motivation for reading tasks (Unrau, 2008).
According to transactional theory, meaning is the result of a transaction between the
reader and the text, but is inherent in neither (Palmer, 1981; Rosenblatt, 1982; Unrau, 2008). An
authors choices interact with the readers experience and knowledge to create a distinctive
transaction (Rosenblatt, 1982). All readers have different prior experience and background
knowledge; therefore any meaning an individual constructs is unique (Unrau, 2008). The unique
aspect of meaning construction occurs regardless of a readers stance (Unrau, 2008). As much as
an individuals background knowledge and cognitive processes shape verbal meaning, personal
experience shapes nonverbal representations (Wilson, 2008).
The Macken-Horak and Morgan (2008) case study meshed reader response and critical
literacy. Macken-Horak and Morgan (2008) held the perspective that literary texts present
readers a human, social, experience (p. 23), and To Kill a Mockingbird exemplifies such an
aspect of reading literature. While the socio-historical context of texts shape meaning, readers reshape meaning when they bring their own unique perspective to the table (Mackken-Horack &
Morgan, (2008).

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

10

Another important tenet of transactional theory is stance (Palmer, 1981; Rosenblatt,

1982; Unrau, 2008). A readers stance is based on his or her purpose for reading (Rosenblatt,
1982; Unrau, 2008). The efferent stance reads a text for information, while an aesthetic stance
reads for the imaginative sensory experience provided by the reader (Palmer, 1981; Rosenblatt,
1982; Unrau, 2008). The text itself does not determine a readers stance (Rosenblatt, 1982)a
reader could adopt a more efferent stance if approaching a literary text in order to analyze plot or
select vocabulary (Unrau, 2008), or they could adopt an aesthetic stance for an expository text
read within certain contexts (Rosenblatt, 1982).
This study does not seek to qualify the value of the efferent versus aesthetic stance. It
recognizes, rather, that they exist on a continuum, and that most literary reading experiences in
secondary grade have elements of both stances (Palmer, 1981; Rosenblatt, 1982; Unrau, 2008).
Indeed, Rosenblatt (1982) noted that both stances should be taught. This study also accepts that
the current curriculum emphasizes the efferent stance as crucial to the level of critical literacy
necessary for college and career readiness (CCSSI, 2015).
Empathetic response. Research in Dual Coding Theory supports the idea that multimodal
processing aids in retention and recall of a text (Reed, 2006; Sadoski et al., 2012; Unrau, 2008;
Wilson, 2012), and, Rosenblatt (1982) defined the aesthetic stance as reading for an imagined
sensory experience (Palmer, 1981; Unrau, 2008). Therefore, facilitating a students ability to
enjoy a text aesthetically while reading efferently may increase comprehension. It is possible for
educators to build background knowledge in ways that facilitate an empathetic response usually
associated with the aesthetic stance (Day, 2000; Louie, 2005).
Louies (2005) case study observed a six-week unit of study in which students first
studied the people and culture of the Chinese Cultural Revolution before reading a novel set in
the same socio-historical context. While the first phase of the unit encouraged a predominately
efferent stance, the resulting background knowledge facilitated varying degrees of empathetic
response in many of the students (Louie, 2005). Days (2000) review of The Bamboo Flute

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

11

discusses how integration of photography from the authors life enhances the aesthetic
experience of reading the novel. The snapshots provide a context and personal connection
through which readers may construct meaning of both verbal and visual text (Day, 2000).

Primary Sources
Role of primary sources in the common core. Primary sources align to the Common
Core push for implementing close reading of texts, as well as specific standards within the ninth
and tenth grade English Language Arts curriculum that emphasizes close reading and
informational texts (CCSSI, 2015). Close reading should be implemented within in a broader,
comprehensive literacy framework encompassing narrative and expository texts, and employed
once or twice during a longer unit of study (Brown et al., 2012). Brown et al. (2012) suggested,
for example, a close reading of Martin Luther King Juniors I Have a Dream speech during a
longer unit on civil rights. In fact, one standard for ninth grade ELA Literacy states that students
should analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g.,
Washington's Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech,
King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"), including how they address related themes and concepts
(CCSSI, 2015, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.9).
Some of the main literacy tenets of the common core include a push for students to read
more informational texts, increasingly complex text, and respond to text-based questions (ElishPiper et al., 2014). Elish-Piper et al (2014 suggest using linked text sets to holistically approach
the common core objectives in integrated learning units. Linked text sets give teachers an
opportunity to provide background knowledge before reading more complex texts (Elish Piper).
Some examples provided in the article include integrating multimodal texts about Jim Crow laws
into a unit centered around To Kill a Mockingbird, and viewing a clip from the 1962 film to
scaffold visualizations of the novels setting (Elish Piper).

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

12

Implementation of primary sources as classroom texts. Many ELA and social studies
teachers are already implementing primary sources as part of their class texts. Pescatore (2008)
recommended implementing current events articles as part of a curriculum focused on critical
literacy in ELA and social studies classrooms. A 2007 case study by Dallmer focused
specifically on the benefits of incorporating a mix of photographs and other primary sources to
support student connection to the topic. Dallmer (2007) described the use of photographs and
other materials, including primary source documents and childrens literature as part of an
integrated thematic unit on civil rights. The primary source photographs and documents helped
students connect personally with the time period (Dalmer, 2007). Dallmer (2007) found primary
sources to provide more meaningful instruction than textbooks.

Conclusion
In order to arm students with multiple strategies for understanding texts, Fang (2012)
recommended a synthesized approach to literacy in the classroom; such an approach was
reflected in this study. Fang also suggested educators incorporate classroom practices such as
reading supplemental materials that more fully explore social or political issues related to those
in the canonical text (2012). This study chose primary sources with such an objective in mind,
including Franklin D. Roosevelts first inaugural address (Roosevelt, 1933); a 1933 New York
Times article on the Scottsboro trials (Bowers, 2007); an article on the Woolworths sit-in in
Greensboro, NC (Sykes, 1960), and documentary photography from the Farm Security
Administration (FSA & OWI, 1935 1945). Working with the Common Core State Standards
(CCSSI, 2015), primary sources were a logical option for supplemental texts.
A comprehensive literature review supports strategies that build background knowledge
through supplemental texts (Brown et al., 2012; Palmer, 1981; Reardon et al. 2012; Recht, 1988;
Sadoski et al., 2012; Stevens, 1980) as well as text-dependent response questions to guide
analysis and close reading (Brown et al., 2012; Elish-Piper et al, 2014). According to Brown et

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

13

al. (2012), close reading activities often require prior instruction to scaffold students ability to
engage independently. Additionally, critical literacy requires a degree of rhetorical analysis. This
study attempted to scaffold rhetorical analysis with text-dependent response questions (Brown et
al., 2012) for each primary source document (Appendixes C D). Visual literacy analysis was
supported with a photograph analysis form (Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
[GLIAH], 2012)with questions to scaffold photo critique (Appendix B).

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

References
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Secondary Solutions.
Brown, S., Kappes, L., & Aspen, I. (2012). Implementing the Common Core State Standards:
A primer on "close reading of text". Aspen Institute. Retrieved from
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED541433
Common Core State Standards Initiative (2015). English Language Arts standards: Grades
9 10. Retrieved from www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy
Dallmer, D. (2007). Teaching students about civil rights using print material and
photographs. Social Studies, 98(4), 153-158.
Day, J. (2010). Of mice and media. English Journal, 100(1), 70 75.
Day, K. S. (2000). Garry Disher's "Bamboo Flute": Negotiating multiple aesthetic
responses. Children's Literature in Education, 31(1), 31 38.
De Koning, B. B., & van der Schoot, M. (2013). Becoming part of the story! Refueling the
interest in visualization strategies for reading comprehension. Educational Psychology
Review, 25(2), 261 287.
Elish-Piper, L., Wold, L. S., & Schwingendorf, K. (2014). Scaffolding high school students
reading of complex texts using linked text sets. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult
Literacy, 57(7), 565-574.
Fang, Z. (2012). Approaches to developing content area literacies: A synthesis and a
critique. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(2), 103-108.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. (2012). Dust Bowl Stories: Photograph
Analysis Worksheet [PDF]. Retrieved from
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Guthrie, J. T. (1979). Research: How we understand the news. Journal of Reading, 23(2),
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Louie, B. (2005). Development of empathetic responses with multicultural literature. Journal of

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Moje, E. B., Dillon, D. R., & O'Brien, D. (2000). Reexamining roles of learner, text, and context
in secondary literacy. Journal Of Educational Research, 93(3), 165 80.
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Park, J. Y. (2012). A different kind of reading instruction: Using visualizing to bridge reading
comprehension and critical literacy. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(7),
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Pescatore, C. (2007) Current events as empowering literacy: For English and social studies
teachers. Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(4),
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Princeton University Library. (2012). What is a primary source?. Retrieved from
http://www.princeton.edu/~refdesk/primary2.html
Reardon, S. F., Valentino, R. A., & Shores, K. A. (2012). Patterns of literacy among U.S.
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Rosenblatt, L. M. (1982). The literary transaction: Evocation and response. Theory into
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PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

Appendix A

17

18

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

Appendix B
Photograph Analysis
1. Look at the photograph. Write down five things that you notice.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
2. Circle the answer(s):
a. Does your photograph show:
b. Does your photograph show:
c. Do people look:

Men
Objects
Happy

Women
Children
Places where people live
Sad
Tired

Angry

3. Describe what is happening in the photograph.

4. Based on this picture, what do you think life in the 1930s was like? In what ways was it
similar to life today? In what ways was it different?

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

19

Appendix C
1. Franklin D. Roosevelt refers to the present situation of our Nation and says America
must honestly [face] conditions in our country today (1).
A. What is FDR talking about in these quotes?
B. Why must Americans face these conditions rather than avoid them?
2. What is meant by the only thing we have to fear is fear itself (Roosevelt 1)? What,
according to Roosevelt, is the danger of fear?
3. Roosevelt compares industrial enterprise to withered leaves (1).
A. This comparison is an example of which type of figurative language?
B. What does this comparison tell you about American industry at the time of the speech? In
other words, why does FDR compare it to withered leaves (1)?
C. What are some of the other economic problems described by FDR?
4. At the end of the second paragraph, FDR blames the failure of certain individuals for the
situation of the country.
A. Who does FDR blame for the current situation? (Im looking for a quote from the speech for
this one.)
B. To whom, specifically, is FDR referring in the answer to 4A? (Im looking for your
interpretation here.)
5. What Does FDR say is the first thing to be done? How does he say that task will be
accomplished?
6. What other solutions are described by FDR?
7. What does FDR say will not help improve the nations problems? What must we do
instead?
8. What are the evils of the old order and what two safeguards are prescribed
(Roosevelt 2)? To what industry, specifically, is FDR referring?
9. What does Roosevelt request of Congress at the end of the speech?
10. Why, according to Roosevelt, should Congress grant his request? (Roosevelt argument
compares the nations situation to another type of crisis. What type of crisis?)

PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

20

Appendix D
As you read
On February 1, 1960, four students from North Carolina A&T, a black college in Greensboro,
North Carolina, sat down at a whites only lunch counter at Woolworths department store.
Before the rise of fast-food restaurants, lunch counters provided cheap and quick food to people
on lunch breaks. It was standard policy in the South that lunch counters were reserved for whites
only.
The actions of these four students were part of a growing movement among African Americans
to demand an end to Jim Crow laws. Emboldened by the Brown vs. Board of Education decision,
which had ended segregation in public schools, African Americans across the South began public
protest against segregation and discrimination.
The sit-ins at Woolworths lunch counter continued through the month of February. Each day,
more and more African Americans arrived at lunch counters across the city to protest white
only policies. You can learn about the tensions over the sit-in movement in Greensboro by
reading these newspaper articles published by the Greensboro News-Record.
African Americans were inspired by the actions of the NCA&T students and began sit-ins in
cities across North Carolina, including Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh. Soon, sitins spread to Virginia, Tennessee and eventually all southern states. By the end of 1960, an
estimated 70,000 people had participated in sit-ins at lunch counters across the South, and 3,000
had been arrested.

Discuss the questions below with your group. Record the answers, in complete and
thoughtful sentences, below.
1. What did the students want?
2. What was the response of the manager to the sit-ins?
3. Why did Blair, one of the organizers of the sit-ins, believe students had to take a leading
role in ending segregation? How did he characterize adults in the African American
community?
4. How did the newspaper describe the sit-ins? Was the coverage positive, negative, or
indifferent?
5. After reading the coverage of the sit-ins, do you think they were successful? Why or why
not?

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PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

Appendix E
1. When was the Great Depression?
a. 1910s
b. 1930s
c. 1940s

d. 1960s

2. When was World War II?

a. 1910s
b. 1930s
c. 1940s

d. 1960s

3. When was the Civil Rights era?

a. 1910s
b. 1930s
c. 1940s

d. 1960s

4. True or
False (Circle one): Lower socioeconomic classes and minority people
saw less of an impact from the Great Depression than the upper class.
5. How did the Great Depression impact the lives of middle-class Americans? (What
changes did they experience in their day-to-day lives?)
6. How did the Great Depression impact the lives of poor and minority Americans?
(What changes did they experience in their day-to-day lives?)
7. What rights did minorities have during the 1930s? Circle all that apply:
Voting
Property
Equal access to facilities & institutions
Right to education
Equal employment opportunities
8. What rights did women have during the 1930s?
Voting
Property
Equal access to facilities & institutions
Right to education
Equal employment opportunities
9. What did children do for fun in their spare time during the 1930s?
10. In what ways was life in the rural south during the 1930s different from life today?
11. In what ways was life in the rural south during the 1930s similar to life today?

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PRIMARY SOURCES AND CLASSIC LITERATURE

Appendix F
Check the box to the right that most accurately
describes how you feel about each statement.

Strongly
Agree

The historical photographs helped me understand the

setting of the novel.
The historical documents helped me relate to events
in the novel (newspaper articles, presidential speech,
etc.)
Studying photographs and documents of historical
events made the novel come to life for me.
The novel itself helped me to understand life in the
1930s better than any of the primary or secondary
sources we studied.
I found it difficult to connect the photographs and
documents to the novel.
Please write any comments you may have in the space below.

Agree

Unsure

Disagree

Strongly
Disagree