Thinking Like a Historian

Gallery walk and QFT (Question Formation Technique).

• An assortment of primary sources will be scattered around the room (on table sand/or hanging on the walls).
• Walk around the room and choose one primary source that speaks to you, sparks your curiosity, or draws your attention.
• Formulate a list of at least 10 questions about this source. Try to categorize the questions into closed questions (informative questions with a definitive answer, e.g., when and where was it created, by whom, and for what purpose?) vs. open-ended questions (questions whose answers entail some research). Note: for this exercise there is no need to answer the questions but rather to focus on asking them.

• In pairs or groups, share with others the reason why that specific primary source resonates with you and the questions you formulated about it.

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After learning about what primary sources are, do one of the two following activities:

• Find two primary sources that describe a day in your life at a younger age or that document an event you experienced and explain what each source can tell others about your experiences in retrospect (e.g., photo, certificate, article, email, social media post).
• Ask your parents to tell you about an experience you remember and compare their perspective with yours.

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• What tools do we have to understand the past?
• Why is it important to preserve primary sources?
• What is their added value in contrast to other (secondary) sources of information?
• Can we ever learn the truth about events and people from the past?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of historical perspective?
• What is the importance of the National Library of Israel for preserving Jewish and Israeli culture and history?
• What items would you like to preserve for future generations?

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