Inquiry Question:

What is "the story" of this historical event? And why isn't it told in our history books?

Introduction:

For this activity your task will be to do the work of a historian in order to answer this question. Historians don't read text books - the stories that other people tell about what happened in the past - rather, they write stories. They compose these stories by putting together data - primary and secondary sources, photos, letters, maps, and other clues - and arranging it in some kind of narrative form.

Your task, during the next several days, will be to look at data pertaining to this historical event - to mine that data, to ask questions, to corroborate, to check credibility - and ultimately to answer our inquiry questions.

Note-catcher:

The provided note-catcher will guide you in your note-taking as you work through the historical data sets. This note-catcher will serve as your deliverable and proof of your work, fill it out as completely as possible.

Use the first three questions to guide your thoughts and what you noticed in Data Set 1 or the mystery clip. Record your thoughts after each time you watch the clip. You will also want to fill out the first row with any other pieces of "new information" or "questions/wonderings" you have in addition to the questions above.

After you watch the clip several times, record your initial inquiry question or statement that the video creates for you. What do you think this historical story is about? What curiosities arise for you? Fill this information out on the first provided line.

You will continue to add information to this note-catcher as you conduct further research into each data set. You will also add any corroborating information, or supporting/repeating information in the middle column. Record your thoughts thoroughly in each row. You will revise your hypothesis after each data set according to your newly-found information. You will repeat this process until you conclude with your final hypothesis, or answer to your initial inquiry question/statement.

Data Set 1: (Mystery Clip)

*Watch from the beginning until 0:58.*

Complete the first section of the note-catcher as you watch the clip.

Data Set 2: (Excerpts from The Aleutian Sparrow)

The following PDF contains excerpts from Karen Hesse's The Aleutian Sparrow. Study the data and complete the second section of the note-catcher. Revise your hypothesis with the newly-gained information.

Data Set 3: (Dossier - primary historical documents, maps, photographs, testimonies, additional excerpts, etc.)

The following data set includes a variety of supporting sources (both visual and textual). Study the data and complete the third section of the note-catcher. Revise your hypothesis as needed with the newly-gained information.

Data Set 4: (journalistic article secondary source)

The concluding data set includes a journalistic article on the story. Study the data and complete the final section of the note-catcher. Revise your hypothesis as needed with the newly-gained information and record your final hypothesis of that answers the initial inquiry question.