This document provides guidance for Year 9 history students on conducting research for an assignment using the library website and other resources. It discusses the information process, locating and selecting primary and secondary sources, evaluating websites, and strategies for reading and analyzing sources. Students are instructed to use multiple sources, consider author credibility and date of publication, and look for corroboration across sources. The lesson includes individual and group activities to practice these skills by analyzing example websites on ancient Greek slavery.

1. Effective Use of Sources
Year 9 History Library Lesson

2. What will we learn today?
 Information process
 Resources available on library website
 Primary and secondary sources
 Evaluating websites
 Reading strategies
 Corroboration of sources

3. Information Process
 Defining
 Locating
 Selecting
 Organising
 Presenting
 Assessing

4. Locating Information - Library Website
 Print Books – Frozen collection
 Suggested databases
 Keywords searching
 Helpful weblinks
 Ebooks – Terrace and State Library
 Video – Library catalogue and Clickview

5. Selecting Sources
• Use both primary and secondary source types
• Use multiple sources
• Evaluate the relevance and the reliability of
sources
• Compare sources as you read
• Notice any corroboration across sources

6. Primary Sources
What is a primary source?
Provides first hand ‘you are there’ information. They are
used to support an interpretation.
 Examples?
Letters, Scholarly works of the time-Plato’s Republic,
artifacts
Slaves Working in a Mine of Larium (Image)) 2014 Wikipedia . Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Greece

7. Secondary Sources
 What is a secondary source?
Provides second hand information. They are written after
an event and provide an overview or interpretation.
 Examples?
Biographies, documentaries, commentaries, encyclopedias
Shaw,B.D. (1998). Ancient Slavery and
Modern Ideology. Princeton, New Jersey:
Marcus Wiener Publishers.

8. Source Example - Website
 Online material – be cautious as it may not have been
through a peer review process like a book.
 Use reading strategies to be efficient and to read digital
material closely
 Ask questions to evaluate the source – perspectives,
motives, relevance
 Be prepared to compare to another source
 Take notes – do not copy and paste
 Record bibliographic details

9. Evaluating Websites
 1. Does it have a suitable domain name? EG: edu, gov,
org, net
 2. Is there a suitably qualified author?
 3. Are there quality external links provided?
 4. Is there a clear purpose?
 5. Is there a date of publication or update?
 6. Is the presentation clear and easy to navigate, with a
professional design style?

10. Evaluating Websites Pair Activity
In groups of two:
 Firstly, each partner should choose one of the following
websites and individually answer the evaluation
questions from the previous slide:
The occupations of slaves
When did Ancient Greece become a slave society?
Ancient Greek Slavery and its Relationship to Democracy
 Secondly, compare answers and decide which website is
more reliable and credible.

11. Reading Strategies - Website Activity
Using your original website chosen, individually use the
following reading strategies to become more familiar with
the website.
 1. Identify the keyword/s in the title
 2. Read the subheadings
 3. Read the opening sentence and the introductory
paragraph.
 4. Consider the tone of the language – Is there low
modality? Is there third person? Is it formal?
 5. Scan for important keywords (also try ctl+f or cmd+f)

12. Close Reading – Website Activity
Using your original website chosen, individually use the
following close reading questions to delve deeper into the
information on the website.
1. What are three tasks performed by slaves that
effectively free up the master to take part in higher
level social, economic or political functions?
2. Overall, what is the main point made about the
contribution of slaves to the betterment of Greek
society?
3. What is one example of primary evidence? What is the
purpose and effect of providing this primary source?

13. Corroboration of Sources
Corroboration - identifying the points of
agreement and disagreement across sources.
With your partner, compare the answers to the previous
questions 1 and 2.
Is there any information that can be corroborated across
the two sources?