Charles R. Drew Through Digital Primary and Secondary Sources

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grade level 9–10 | subject - history and social studies

time needed

two 45-minute class periods

description

Students use the biographical narratives and primary and secondary sources on the Profiles in Science: The Charles R. Drew Papers website in order to learn about African American surgeon Charles R. Drew. In Class 1, students review what primary and secondary sources are. They then read the biographical narratives on the four sections of the site, and start on a group project, developing visual timelines for one of three different periods of Dr. Drew's life. Students prepare timeline presentations that include visuals from the site, as well as other sources that provide historical context. In Class 2, the groups will present their visual timelines to the class so that everyone will learn about all three stages of Dr. Drew's life. At the end of the class, students work in small groups to brainstorm then write individual essays that connect one of Dr. Drew's experiences in the early part of his life to one at a later time.

learning outcomes
Students will be able to
- Identify the different types of "source material," and distinguish between primary and secondary sources.
- Draw important details from both primary and secondary source materials.
- Understand Drew's life and legacy within the context of time period and the African American community.
- Develop a coherent analytical essay that integrates both primary and secondary source material and demonstrates a comprehension of the lesson plan's main points.
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background information

African American surgeon Charles Richard Drew (1904-1950) has been called "the father of the blood bank," for his outstanding role in conceiving, organizing, and directing America's first large-scale blood banking program during the early years of World War II. While best known for the blood bank work, Drew devoted much of his career to raising the standards of African American medical education at Howard University, where he trained a generation of outstanding surgeons, and worked to break through the barriers that segregation imposed on black physicians. His premature death in a car accident generated enduring stories that he was a victim of medical segregation, though this was repeatedly proven false.
(Excerpted from "Biographical Information" in Profiles in Science: The Charles R. Drew Papers. http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/ps/retrieve/Narrative/BG/p-nid/336. Courtesy National Library of Medicine)

Teachers are encouraged to review extensive materials about Dr. Drew, his achievements, and his legacy that are used as source materials for the class, by becoming familiar with the Profiles in Science: The Charles R. Drew Papers website.
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vocabulary

The following words may be introduced or incorporated during class discussions: primary source, secondary source, constricting, virtue, segregation, defer, transfusion, pathology, residency, dissertation, innovative, legacy, mediocre, prestigious, paternalistic, erratic, integrity, feat, genial, diplomatic
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materials
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Internet access to the following websites:
- Profiles in Science: The Charles R. Drew Papers
  [If there is no access to the Internet in the class, display or distribute copies of the handouts listed below.]
Handouts:
- What Primary and Secondary Sources Are (PDF)
- Biographical Information: Introduction (PDF) and Brief Chronology (PDF)
- Education and Early Career (PDF)
- Father of the Blood Bank (PDF)
- My Chief Interest Was and Is Surgery (PDF)
- Timeline Project: Charles R. Drew, MD (PDF)
- Final Essay: Charles R. Drew, MD (PDF)
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class 1 procedures
Pre-class Assignment: Students explore and read the Biographical Information section of the Profiles in Science: The Charles R. Drew Papers website.
1. Review or provide direct instruction on what primary and secondary sources are. See What Primary and Secondary Sources Are.
2. Display the Profiles in Science: The Charles R. Drew Papers website for the class, and discuss briefly students' initial observations on the text and photo that introduce Dr. Drew.
3. Tell students that the class will use Profiles in Science: The Charles R. Drew Papers, an online archive, to learn about Dr. Drew, who made significant contributions to medical science while contending with a segregated society that offered few opportunities.
4. Display the Biographical Information section of the site and point out different elements of the section—i.e., the biographical text, and Documents, Visuals and Chronology links.
5. Have students explore Documents and Visuals as a class or independently, then select a couple primary sources from each to conduct a class discussion with the following questions:
  - Who created the source? When and where?
  - What stands out to you about this primary source? What is unexpected and surprising about it?
  - Which world or U.S. events do you know of at the time when the primary source was created?
  - What thoughts and questions do you have after examining the primary source?
6. Summarize the discussion and highlight how a primary source can help deepen our understanding of the obstacles encountered and aspirations held by Dr. Drew, an African American surgeon of that time.
7. Tell students that first they will use the biographical text from the website. Pair students to review the narrative on the Biographical Information page and answer the following questions:
  - Draw Dr. Drew's family tree based on what you have learned from reading the Biographical Information.
  - What were some historical events that Dr. Drew experienced during his lifetime?
  - Which medical school did Dr. Drew attend?
  - What were some of Dr. Drew's key accomplishments?
  - About which part of his life are you most curious?
  [Optional: Hand out copies of Biographical Information: Introduction and Brief Chronology for students to read and answer questions.]
8. Use their responses to questions c–e above, to showcase the three sections of the site that discuss Dr. Drew's life from 1922 until 1950. Then tell students that they will work together in small groups on a project to research and present one of those three stages of Dr. Drew's life.
9. Divide students into groups of five, and assign each group one of the three time periods of Dr. Drew's life presented on the site. (There may be more than one group assigned to each time period.):
  [Optional: Have students work with copies of their assigned stages of Dr. Drew's biography: Education and Early Career, Father of the Blood Bank, and My Chief Interest Was and Is Surgery.]
10. Distribute copies of Timeline Project: Charles R. Drew, MD and review the task, procedures, and assessment criteria as a class.
11. Allow groups to use the remainder of the class time to work on the project, and tell students that they should be ready to present their completed projects at the next class.
12. Class 1 Evaluations: In addition to class participation, students may be assessed by their group work during the class.
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class 2 procedures
1. Use the Timeline Project: Charles R. Drew, MD handout and review the assessment criteria.
2. Tell students to take notes on what they find interesting in the other groups' presentations for a future assignment.
3. Order the groups chronologically so that the students presenting a timeline of Dr. Drew's life from 1922–1938, go first, then 1938–-1941, and finally 1941–1950.
4. Summarize the group presentations, referring to Biographical Information-Brief Chronology and adding several historical entries included in the presentations.
5. Hand out copies of Final Essay: Charles R. Drew, MD, and review the assignment as a class.
6. Organize students in groups of three, and have them brainstorm to identify the two moments that each member will focus on in the essay.
7. Allow students to work independently outlining the essay and selecting the source materials for their individual essays.
8. Assign students to finish their essays at home and turn them in at the next class.
9. Class 2 Evaluations: In addition to the group presentations and class participation, students may be evaluated on their final essays.
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evaluations and extension activities
Evaluations:
In addition to observing and assessing students during class discussions, teachers can evaluate student progress and understanding of the topic by reviewing group presentations and final essays.
Extension Activity:
- Have students work in small group writing workshop to revise their essay.
- Allow students to study one of the following sets of online primary sources on the site, then make oral and visual presentations about the main topic of the primary-source set and how the topic is being discussed today:
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National Education Standards
Common Core State Standards: Literacy in History/Social Studies
- Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the dates and other origin of the information.
- Determine the central ideas of the text (primary, secondary, informational text) and analyze topic development; provide an accurate and objective summary of the text.
- Determine meanings of words and phrases in the subject area, context, and connotations, etc.
National Center for History in the Schools : Historical Thinking Standards (http://www.nchs.ucla.edu/)

Chronology:
- Identify the temporal structure of a historical narrative or story: its beginning, middle, and end (the latter defined as the outcome of a particular beginning).
- Interpret data presented in time lines and create time lines by designating appropriate equidistant intervals of time and recording events according to the temporal order in which they occurred.
Historical Comprehension:
- Identify the author or source of the historical document or narrative.
- Read historical narratives imaginatively, taking into account what the narrative reveals of the humanity of the individuals and groups involved--their probable values, outlook, motives, hopes, fears, strengths, and weaknesses.
- Appreciate historical perspectives–the ability (a) describing the past on its own terms, through the eyes and experiences of those who were there, as revealed through their literature, diaries, letters, debates, arts, artifacts, and the like; (b) considering the historical context in which the event unfolded–the values, outlook, options, and contingencies of that time and place; and (c) avoiding "present-mindedness," judging the past solely in terms of present-day norms and values.
- Draw upon the visual, literary, and musical sources including: (a) photographs, paintings, cartoons, and architectural drawings; (b) novels, poetry, and plays; and, (c) folk, popular and classical music, to clarify, illustrate, or elaborate upon information presented in the historical narrative.
Historical Research Capabilities:
- Obtain historical data from a variety of sources, including: library and museum collections, historic sites, historical photos, journals, diaries, eyewitness accounts, newspapers, and the like; documentary films, oral testimony from living witnesses, censuses, tax records, city directories, statistical compilations, and economic indicators.
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