MassachusettsHISTORY EXPLORERS GRADES 3–8
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Quick glossary
evidence
Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.

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Elizabeth James-Perry

Contemporary artist

Portrait of Elizabeth James-Perry
Elizabeth James-Perry Image source & credit ↗
Massachusetts connection

Aquinnah Wampanoag homelands; Dartmouth

James-Perry is an Aquinnah Wampanoag artist who works with wampum and plant fibers. She combines family knowledge, research, and careful preparation of natural materials. Her art helps carry knowledge forward. She received a National Heritage Fellowship in 2023.

You can use your device’s reading tools or read with a partner.

Find a detail. Build an idea.

  1. What did this person or group do? Point to a detail in the reading.
  2. How did this person care for a community, its rights, or its knowledge?
  3. What would you like to find out next? Which kind of source could help?

“Elizabeth James-Perry mattered because ___. A detail that supports my idea is ___.”

Follow the evidence.

This short reading is an original classroom summary. Open the source with your teacher to check details and learn more.

Read the source: arts.gov ↗

Ask: Who made this source? What can it tell us? What might it leave out?

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