School Resource Packs: Cork 1912-1918

THROUGH WAR AND REBELLION: CORK 1912-1918

CORK CITY & COUNTY ARCHIVES SAMPLE LESSON PLANS

Number 1 SAMPLE LESSON PLANS 1 ST YEAR Titanic BECOMING A DOCUMENT DETECTIVE

Title The Titanic (Manuscript) Reference PR33/2 Author Goatley Collection Date: April 1912 Place written Queenstown (Cobh) Distribute a copy of the document and a record sheet to each group/individual Divide the class into groups of three or four. Three is better because everyone can get a job. Learning outcome: What is s Primary Document? What is an Archive? Can you analyse a document? Introduction: • What is a document? Ask for examples. Which other records can be used by historians? Audio, photographs, paintings, pictures etc. • What is a primary document? What is a secondary document? • What does the student know about places to keep documents? • What is a library? How many students have visited a library? • Which ones? Two or three examples of what can be found in a library will do • What is an archive? How many students have visited an archive? This is likely to be one or zero. Define an archive: • An archive is a place which stores public documents which need to be kept safe. • These can come from governments, hospitals, city and county councils or from personal and family papers. • Cork City and County Archives stores the records of Cork City and County Councils and a host of other documents from 1100 up to the present day. The document: This is one document from the Cork City & County Archives and is about the liners that called to Cork in April 1912. One is one of the most famous ships that ever called to Cork. It records the date on which a ship arrives, who owned it, its name, where it came from and where it was going, how many people got on and off the ship and how much mail it was carrying. The task: Ask the students to read through the document and answer the questions on the recording sheet. Instructions 1. Read through the Background information in the resource pack 2. Highlight the names of people, sentences, or words you do not understand. 3. Highlight any words you cannot read. 4. Fill in the recording sheet supplied and attach it to the document 5. Store the completed work as directed by your teacher. 6. Optional The hand writing changes in the middle of the document. Which do you find easier to read. • Draw your own ledger and transcribe three lines of the document in your own hand- writing. • Ask someone from another group in the class to read it. • If they find it difficult to read do you think you would have got a job with this firm? Conclusion Discuss whether the students now understand what an archive is and what is a primary document? Decide where to store the recording sheet. Now the class has started their own archive.

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