UNIT 2: WHAT IS HISTORY? WHY DO WE STUDY IT? P. 3
DIRECTIONS:
Last night a 21 yr old college student named Billy
McAwesome went out with his friends. However, by the
end of the night, he had mysteriously disappeared
without a trace, leaving behind only his wallet. Below are
4 Clues that might possibly explain what happened to him.
Your Tasks: Read & Examine each clue, then record
below: What do these clues reveal about Sam leading up
to his disappearance?
Based on the clues, what do you think happened to Sam?
Why?
Witness Testimony #1: Roberta, Friend
“Sam, Adam, and I met at the ticket
booth at 8:00pm to buy tickets to the concert.
It was a great concert! Everyone was dancing
and shouting…the crowd was really into it. I
had to be home earlier than Sam and Adam.
The last bus to my neighborhood leaves at
11:30. I think I left the concert at about 11:00.
The last I saw Sam, he was still on the dance
floor.”
Witness Testimony #3: Henry, Taxi
Driver
“I knew it was gonna be a busy
night because of the concert. I was
about to head home for the night
until my dispatcher sent me back for
one more fare. The kid was waiting
for me…and looked pretty upset. It
was about 12:30 am, but he said he’d
been waiting since 11:45. Then he
says to me, ‘I live at 232 North St.’ Its
about 10 bucks to get there, but he
only had 6. I run a business, not a
charity, so I told him to I would take
as far as 6 bucks could. I dropped
him off at the corner of Main St and
South, about 4 miles south of his
house. And that was at about 12:45
or so.
Witness Testimony #2: Mr. Garret, Dog Walker
“Everyday I get up at 5 in the morning,
make some coffee, and walk my dogs. This
morning while I was out on my usual walk
down the road, I had only been walking for a
few minutes, when the dogs started barking
and going crazy. As we went around the
corner, they pulled me out into the middle of
the road there was a pair of jogging shoes and
a wallet. I immediately went home and called
the police. I then remembered that my wife
had said that at around midnight or so, she had
been woken up when she had heard a lot of
noise outside like engines roaring and brakes
screeching. I bet something was happening
out there.”
What do these clues reveal about Sam leading up to his
disappearance?
Based on the clues, what do you think happened to
Sam? Why?
UNIT 2: WHAT IS HISTORY? WHY DO WE STUDY IT? P. 4
DIRECTIONS: When Mr. M says go, circle the room on a fact-finding mission to find out more about
what TBA was like last year. Your job is to get direct quotes from people. With the exception of your
teacher, you may not interview the same person twice. When your interviews are over, you may
return to your seat.
QUESTION#1: What kind of things did you experience @ TBA last year?
Student #1:
Student #2:
Student #3:
Mr. Martinelle:
QUESTION#2: What are 3 words that you would use to describe your time at TBA
last year?
Student #1:
Student #2:
Student #3
Mr. Martinelle:
UNIT 2: WHAT IS HISTORY? WHY DO WE STUDY IT? P. 5
DIRECTIONS: Below are 5 Historical Questions that your group has been assigned.
Read each question, then decided whether or not Source 1 or Source 2 is more credible
and explain why your group thinks so.
1. Historical Question: Who was present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence?
Source 1: Hollywood movie about the American Revolution made 2001.
Source 2: Book written by a famous historian who is an expert on the American Revolution, published in
1999.
Which do you trust more? Why?
2. Historical Question: What was slavery like in South Carolina?
Source 1: Interview with former slave in 1936. The interviewer is a black man collecting oral histories for the
Federal Writers’ Project.
Source 2: Interview with former slave in 1936. The interviewer is a white woman collecting oral histories for
the Federal Writers’ Project.
Which do you trust more? Why?
3. Historical Question: What was the layout of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz?
Source 1: Interview with 80 year-old Holocaust survivor in 1985.
Source 2: Map of concentration camp found in Nazi files.
Which do you trust more? Why?
4. Historical Question: Why were Japanese Americans put in internment camps during WWII?
Source 1: Government film explaining internment from 1942.
Source 2: Government report on Japanese Internment from 1983 based on
declassified government documents.
Which do you trust more? Why?
5. Historical Question: Did American soldiers commit war crimes during the Vietnam War in 1969?
Source 1: Sworn testimony by American Sergeant in Congressional hearings in 1969.
Source 2: Speech by American General touring the United States in 1969.
Which do you trust more? Why?
UNIT 2: WHAT IS HISTORY? WHY DO WE STUDY IT? P. 6
DIRECTIONS: BASED ON ALL OF YOUR INTERVIEWS, YOU MUST NOW DESCRIBE WHAT
TECHBOSTON LOWER ACADEMY WAS LIKE LAST YEAR….STRICTLY BASED ON THE EVIDENCE YOU
COLLECTED TODAY. (4pts)
WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!! THERE ARE RULES FOR THIS THOUGH  YOU CANNOT USE THE WORDS, “I,”
“ME,” OR “YOU” IN YOUR RESPONSE AT ALL. A HISTORIAN TRIES THEIR BEST TO TAKE
THEMSELVES OUT OF THEIR WRITING. USE THE PROMPTS TO BEGIN EACH PARAGRAPH. (5
sentences each.)
PARAGRAPH 1: “During the 2011-2012 school year, TBA was a….
PARAGRAPH 2: “According to people who attended TBA…