Using Primary Sources: You are the Curator
Overview:
Participants are divided into small groups. Each group examines a set of primary source materials related to the Civil War. Each group chooses a theme and selects five representative items to illustrate a narrative of the Civil War, which they then cut out and paste on a poster board adding descriptions and titles. Then, each group must nominate a spokesperson to give a guided tour through their completed museum exhibit panel.
List of Materials:
- You are the Curator Worksheet: pdf file or Word document
- You are the Curator Material Descriptions : pdf file or Word document
- Packet of Primary Source Materials: All Print Size Images pdf
- Vocabulary list: pdf file or Word document
- Poster Board
- Markers
- Construction Paper
- Scissors
- Glue
Instructions:
- Print enough Packet of Primary Source Materials, You Are the Curator Material Descriptions and You Are the Curator worksheets so each group has one packet, one set of descriptions and one worksheet
- Introduce activity
- Each group chooses a theme for their exhibit panel and picks five sources representative of this theme
- The group then designs their exhibit panel by using the poster board as the base and using their five sources, material descriptions, markers, construction paper, scissors and glue to create their exhibit panel
- After all groups have been given sufficient time to work, a representative from the group explains the exhibit panel
- This presentation could be done in a variety of creative ways, including staging an "exhibit opening" where all exhibit panels would be hung around the room and participants could move from panel to panel and write an exhibit review or critique
- As a wrap up, discuss the various ways each group used the sources to support their theme. Are there varying themes? Varying deliveries? Varying points of view?
Primary Source Materials:
These pages show the primary sources in more detailed, including description, creator, creation place, date and standards for each source. For ease in application of the You are the Curator Activity, all sources have been converted into one PDF document that will print one source per page (see Packet of Primary Source Materials).
Slavery
Ten Dollar Confederate States of America Currency
Ohio and the Civil War
Color Guard of the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry photograph
George and Arthur Wansbrough letters
Entry of Morgan's Raiders into Washington, Ohio print
General Grant and Staff in the Field photograph
General William Tecumseh Sherman photograph
Camp Chase
Colored Troops and African Americans
27th United States Colored Troops Camp stereograph
Emerson Opdycke
Emerson Opdycke Civil War Belt Buckle
Emerson Opdycke Civil War Bullet
Reconstruction
15th Amendment and Its Results Print
"This is a White Man's Government" cartoon
© Copyright 2007 Ohio Historical Society. All images and documents provided for educational purposes only. Any commercial or resale use of OHS material is prohibited without the express permission of the Ohio Historical Society.
