Process: Collection of Scraps
From journaling to interviews, there are many ways to collection information for an e-scrapbooking project. Think of this quest for information as a quest for evidence to support your project.
Start by brainstorming the kinds of information that would be helpful in answering questions or addressing your topic of interest. Go systematically through the entire list and ask yourself what might be interesting or useful to include in a project. For example, if you're focusing on a theme such as peace you might find a poem, piece of art, quote, and photos to express your feelings on the topic.
Use the following resources to help you locate primary resources:
- Links to Primary Source Collections from the Library of Congress
- Teacher Tap: Primary Sources
Use the following resources to help you analyze these primary resources:
- 25 Questions To Ask Your Primary Source from the Library of Congress
- Evaluating Primary Sources: Lesson Materials from Library of Congress
Artifacts and Realia
There are many different kinds of artifacts that can be incorporated into scrapbooks. Some things such as tickets stubs or currency may be placed directed into a scrapbook or digitized using a scanner. Larger items may be photographed.
Artifacts include:
- Clothing
- Furnishings
- Paper artifacts
- event programs (i.e., music, theatre, sports, graduation)
- receipts (i.e., sales, work orders)
- recipes
- tickets, ticket stubs (i.e., admissions)
- stamps and envelopes
- Website Resources: Ebay (paper dolls), Froogle,
Audio and Video
Multimedia is a wonderful tool. Look for ways to combine old and new resources. For example, the book Ancient Rhymes contains a CD with music by John Denver.
For help with analysis and evaluation, go to
- How to Analyze a Song from Library of Congress
Audio includes:
- Music
- Oral Histories
- Speeches
Video includes:
- Demonstrations
- Performances
- Skits
- Speeches
Websites: Spanish American War in Movies from the Library of Congress
Data Collection, Polls and Surveys
Many kinds of original data can be collected. For example, wind meters, PDA probes, and GPS devices can be used to record information for experiments.
Incorporate polls, surveys, and other data collection tools and results. These may take the form of raw data, charts, and graphs. The information may be collected by yourself or others. The information may be the center of a debate, reflection, or thoughts.
Interviews and Oral History
Conversations are a great way to gather information for your project. These discussions can take face-to-face, through e-mail or threaded discussions, or even on the telephone. When possible record the interviews with video or audio equipment. Also, consider "living witnesses" focusing on particular events experienced by people. Consider focus groups to discuss different perspectives or choices.
Use the following resources to get started:
- 42explore: Oral History
- Links to Oral History Resources
- Oral History Research Office from Columbia
- Oral Histories from About.com
- Fifth Questions for Family History Interviews from About.com
- How to Interview a Relative from About.com
Journaling
Whether you keep a daily diary or an ongoing blog, there are many ways to journal your experiences and ideas. These can serve as a great resource for e-scrapbooking activities.
The key to journaling is reflective questioning. Think about your own thinking. This is a "metacognitive" activity. Mull over issues, ponder the possibilities, and speculate on the world's big questions. Your e-scrapbook may take excerpts from your journal. Or, it may "become" your journal.
Use the following resources to get started:
- Writing & Publishing Your Family History from About.com
- 42explore: Debate
- 42explore: Journaling
- Teacher Tap: Discussion Tools (Blogs, Forums, Chats)
- Tracking Leaves Nature Blog
Records
You'll find documents and records in many places.
Families often keep documents. You may find them in a safe deposit box, family bible, or in a shoebox somewhere.
Many organizations keep records. These documents are interesting to explore. Groups include agencies, associations, churches, chambers of commerce, clubs, fraternal organizations, historic societies, and libraries.
Government agencies also keep records. These include:
- census data
- certificates and court records (i.e., birth, death, marriage, divorce, court decisions)
- deeds (i.e., land records)
- inventories (i.e., Kinnick Estate)
- key documents - Declaration of Independence (alternative versions)
- laws, legislation, treaties
- military records (i.e., Kinnick Muster Roll)
- permits (i.e., building, parade)
- tax records
- transcriptions
Much of this information is being digitized and placed on the web.
Visual Materials
From photographs to maps, visuals are an essential element of an e-scrapbook. These images can be digitized in many ways including the use of a digital camera or scanner.
For sources of visuals, go to
For help with analysis and evaluation, go to
- How to Analyze a Photograph from Library of Congress
Explore some of the following types of original visuals that could be digitized for use in an e-scrapbook. Can you guess the objects in the photo on the right? They're from a website that provides backgrounds.
- calligraphy (i.e., 42explore: Calligraphy)
- clipart (i.e., Clip Art Gallery from Discovery School)
- concept maps
- backgrounds (i.e., Kidpix backgrounds)
- charts and graphs (i.e., 42explore: Charts & Graphs)
- drawings (i.e., architectural, landscape, sketch, 42explore: Drawing)
- engravings
- graphs (i.e., graphing software, Create a Graph)
- lithographs
- logo
- maps
(i.e., 42explore: Maps)
- historical (i.e., 42explore: Historical Maps)
- change over time
- vacations, holidays, trips
- specific locations
- places stayed or lived
- real estate
- road maps
- thematic
- murals
- paintings
- photographs
- historical
- microscopic (i.e., Small World Gallery)
- modern
- quilts
- rock art
- sketches
- spreadsheets
- textures
- themes
- timelines
- woodcuts
There are many ways to make your digital photographs more interesting. Try some of the following techniques:
- Shoot photos from different angles
- action
- bird's eye view
- close-up
- over-the-shoulder
- Use graphics software to
- turn a color photo, black & white
- crop the photo to focus on a particular area
Written Materials
From letters to magazine articles, there are many kinds of written materials that can be incorporated into projects. They may be in primary source documents, handwritten materials, typed records, or digital form.
For help with analysis and evaluation, go to
- How to Analyze a News Article from Library of Congress
- How to Analyze a Text from Library of Congress
Explore some of the following types of original written materials that could be digitized for use in an e-scrapbook:
- books (i.e., textbooks, fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks)
- booklets, brochures, fliers
- correspondence (i.e., email, charts, letters, postcards, holiday cards, announcements)
- diaries, logs (i.e., exercise, health, science, travel, weather), journals
- guidebooks
- newspapers (i.e., advertisements, articles, cartoons, editorials, obituaries, advice column)
- poems (i.e., dMarie scrapbooking poems)
- plays and skits
- press releases
- science lab reports
- websites