Materials

To support students in the Source Squad Process, teachers utilize a variety of instructional materials.

Role Cards

These cards help to guide students through each step of the Source Squads process. Each student group needs one Sourcer card, one Contextualizer card, a set of Close Reader cards,* and one Corroborator card.

When students have that specific card, they assume that role and follow each of the prompts. Additionally, the cards are laminated so that each prompted can be checked off and erased later with a dry erase marker.

*The Close Reader receives a binder ring of Role Cards for different types of sources, such as a Written/Typed Document, Photograph, or Artifact/Object. This allows for more specific prompts to help students better understand the purpose and perspective of the specific source.

Source Material

Each lesson contains source material related to the compelling question and lesson topic. Within each document, there is a note with sourcing information and historical context, the source itself, and a citation. Each lesson contains three different tiers of sources, each with different supports.

  • Tier 1: Source has been excerpted. Language might be slightly updated, but is generally unaltered.

  • Tier 2: Vocabulary has been substituted. Sometimes additionally context has been added. Visual sources include a cluing note.

  • Tier 3: Source is further excerpted to a shorter length. Vocabulary is further substituted. Annotations are provided for more direct cluing of visual sources.

Squad Goals

After engaging in the Activating Activity, learning the historical context, and being introduced to the compelling question, students align themselves to their “Squad Goals,” which are three supporting questions to help them to answer the compelling question. The teacher can distribute one copy to every Squad or one per student.

Inquiry Map

The Inquiry Map helps both students and teachers keep track of their progress in the inquiry. Each source is listed, along with each step in the Source Squad Process along with a checkmark for students to annotate as they move through the activity. The handout also has a map to help students contextualize each source.