Should I choose this template?

Do you have a source where you want students to make deeper connections between themselves and historial figures, or between historical figures in sources? The Historical Figure vs. Student network template provides the opportunity to make text-to-self and text-to-text connections in the following ways:

• make connections between themselves and figures from a historical source, specifically focusing on character traits.
• make connections across historical sources.

Teachers who have used this type of network have found it successful for helping students to learn about the traits of historical figures and make connections with the past.

When should I use this template?

When I want students to explore thematic connections between characters from one or more historical sources and relate them to real-world examples of personal characteristics.

What sources work best?

Sources with historical figures displaying many different character traits–both positive and negative.

This activity can be especially helpful for integrating several different readings. Used across several sources, the network can help reinforce or differentiate between historical norms.

How should I use this template?

What should my students and I be tracking?

Nodes (things being connected)

• Character
• Trait
• Emotion

Edges (connection types)

Relationships between the characters to thematic ideas to other works and real world experiences.

• Character — Represents the theme of — Trait
• Source — thematically connects to — Trait
• Personal Experience — thematically connects to — Trait

Edges (connection types)

• Character — Represents the theme of — Trait
• Source — thematically connects to — Trait
• Personal Experience — thematically connects to — Trait

Attributes (specific info)

• Types - Character, Work/Title, Thematic Idea, Experience, Social Issue
• Note/Citation - The thematic message is…

What’s the investment in time and effort for this network?

Time: two class periods. One to get students used to the network as they identify and enter characters and their sources. The second class period provides time to revise/add additional character traits and discuss the patterns students see in the character they entered.

Teacher support: Teachers will need to

• understand the basics of Net.Create (node and edge entry). (See this basic-data-entry video!)[https://netcreate.org]
• how to use one network filter (the “Ego” filter). (See this Ego-filter video!)[https://netcreate.org]

What learning goals does this template support?

• Disciplinary goals
• State-standard-aligned goals
• What kinds of student identity are present?

What data literacy outcomes does this template support?

• Data literacy outcomes and questions (for the VFOI team)

Resources for classroom use

Teacher Resources

• Classroom management recommendations
• Network-analysis learning Resources
  • Simple Net.Create documentation
  • Videos of new node/edge, table sorting, filters, etc.
  • 5-moves-to-make video
• 1-pager lesson plan
  • “Good questions to ask” guide for teachers
  • What network-data moves (viz, tables, filters) to use as network gets big

Student Handouts

• “Good questions to ask” guide for teachers