Chapter 7: Using Primary Documents with Fourth-Grade Students: Talking About Racism While Preparing for State-Level Tests

Despite all the attention paid to race in our culture and despite the fact that racist oppression occurs on many levels, race and racism have not been easy topics for many schools to address. Moreover, the current focus on preparing students for standardized tests has led to less emphasis on multicultural education and an increased pressure on teachers to concentrate on decontextualized skill development (Smith, 1991). I want to argue that it is possible to open conversations with children about the racial history of the United States while at the same time preparing them for standardized and high-stakes tests.

In this chapter, I first explore the argument that using primary source materials that focus students’ analytical and interpretive skills upon issues of race and racism can enable students to critically engage the past. I then describe how—while addressing provocative historical controversies—students in a fourth grade class were able to practice skills that are required by the state tests for which they must be prepared. The students addressed issues of economics, race and gender relations, and the question of who participates in history. They also practiced the skills of critical thinking, reading for meaning, vocabulary building, deciphering figurative language, and making intertextual connections. In conclusion, I argue that social studies teachers need not sacrifice teaching historical content—multicultural content, in particular—for teaching skills or vice versa. Indeed, the two are mutually beneficial.