Supporting Question 2: Building Towns and Communities

The second supporting question, “what was life like in the towns and communities established by European and American immigrants and settlers?” helps students use sources to unwrap the context of the time and topic being examined. What were the types of social infrastructure that tended to appear first (schools, churches, etc.…)? Are these institutions still an important part of your community today? How has the social infrastructure of your community changed over time? Complete the following task using the sources provided and additional library and internet resources to build a context of the time period and topic being examined.

Formative Performance Task 2

Create a graphic organizer that depicts the social infrastructure of early non-Native communities in North Dakota. What kinds of institutions were commonly developed? Use the information from Featured Sources A-B, and additional sources from library and internet research, to identify the types of institutions and infrastructure valued by the first settlers of your community. How do we know? What else can you find?

Featured Sources 2

Featured source A consists of two videos that feature communities that grew to very different sizes. What are some of the notable infrastructure features that can be seen in these videos? . Featured source B is a secondary source. Secondary sources are accounts or interpretations of historical events, people, places, and ideas by someone who does not necessarily have firsthand experience of the subject. This is the material that historians and other researchers have written about primary sources and the events, ideas, and people of history. These are the products of historical work including exhibits, websites, documentaries, performances, books, and other publications. When students read or view secondary sources, they should pay careful attention to the bibliography. What sources did the author use? Are they reliable evidence to support their claims? When students read or view secondary sources, they should also explore additional sources, including primary sources, to get an accurate understanding of the context and if the author wrote a valid, accurate, and thoughtful interpretation. What is the author’s historical argument, or thesis statement? Are their claims logical and supported by evidence? Further research of materials and sources can either prove or disprove the students’ argument.