Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking Skills in Government, Economics, and Contemporary World Issues

Teachers of political science, social studies, and economics, as well as school library media specialists, will find this resource invaluable for incorporating the Internet into their classroom lessons. Over 150 primary source Web sites are referenced and paired with questions and activities designed to encourage critical thinking skills. Completing the activities for the lessons in this book will allow students to evaluate the source of information, the content presented, and it usefulness in the context of their assignments.

Along with each Web site, a summary of the site's contents identifies important primary source documents such as constitutions, treaties, speeches, court cases, statistics, and other official documents. The questions and activites invite the students to log on to the Web site, read the information presented, interact with the data, and analyze it critically to answer such questions as: Who created this document? Is the source reliable? How is the information useful and how does it relate to present-day circumstances? If I were in this situation, would I have responded the same way as the person in charge? Strengthening these critical thinking skills will help prepare students for both college and career in the 21st century.

JAMES M. SHIVELEY is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Miami University where he teaches courses in social studies methods and supervises student teachers.

PHILLIP J. VANFOSSEN is an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education in the School of Education at Purdue University./e He is also the Director of the James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship and Assistant Director of the Center for Economic Education, both at Purdue University. His teaching and research concentrate on the use of the Internet in the social studies classroom.