The Library of Congress

This lesson provides an opportunity for students to share with the entire class the primary sources they have located with their small groups. Students will be expected to use the skills learned from Lesson One and Lesson Two to analyze sources for their reliability, accuracy, perspective, relevancy and authoritativeness. Following individual and group work, instructor and students will integrate each student-chosen primary source into the reading of the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, making connections to Mark Twain and what was happening along or near the Mississippi River between 1850 and 1900 during the reading.

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Objectives	Following their searches in American Memory for sources that directly relate to what was happening along or near the Mississippi River between 1850 and 1900, students will: be able to evaluate a primary source for its reliability, accuracy, perspective, relevancy and authoritativeness. recognize that conclusions drawn may be both accurate or inaccurate. understand the connection between Mark Twain and the impact his environment had on his writings.
Time Required	10–15 minutes per presentation, plus additional time for class interactions and outside research
Recommended Grade Level	Grades 9–10
Curriculum Fit	Language arts, American literature, information literacy, American history, sociology, music
Resources	Resources will include the primary documents that the students located during their searches.

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Procedure

1. Following their searches in American Memory for sources that directly relate to what was happening along or near the Mississippi River between 1850 and 1900, students will do the following activities:
    
   • Share the primary source discovered with the class either by printing the source out or viewing it directly online.
   • Share observations of what is actually seen in the the source using the analysis worksheets.
   • Share observations from using outside knowledge using the analysis worksheets.
   • Share conclusions drawn using the analysis worksheets.
   • Question the presenters about the observations and conclusions.
   • Ask for additional commentary and analysis from the class.
   • Prove or disprove the observations and conclusions drawn using any primary or secondary source. Findings will be reported orally to the class, citing the evidence they found.
   • Summarize what he or she has learned about what was happening along or near the Mississippi River between 1850 and 1900 in a 500–750 word paper.

2. After all presentations are completed, the class as a whole will compare the observations and conclusions drawn.

3. Following individual and group work, the instructor and students will integrate each student-chosen primary source into the reading of the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as correlations to Mark Twain and what was happening along or near the Mississippi River between 1850 and 1900 arise during the reading.

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Extension

• Set up a teleconference with the curator of the Mark Twain Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, to provide additional information about Hannibal, the Mississippi River and Mark Twain.
• Invite a university historian to share knowledge about what was happening along or near the Mississippi River between 1850 and 1900.

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Evaluation

Each student will summarize what he or she has learned about what was directly happening along or near the Mississippi River between 1850 and 1900 in a 500–750 word paper.