Prior to sharing a primary document from the Chinese Benevolent Association collection that students will interpret, invite them to anticipate its contents based on key terms you have extracted from the document. To illustrate this approach, the attached worksheet Key vocabulary lists 30 key terms drawn from Letter to Chinese Government. Distribute a copy of this list, or your own list drawn from another document, to each student. Invite students to identify any words from the list that are unfamiliar to them. Encourage other students to speculate on the meaning of each of the words identified by their classmates. If no definitions are forthcoming, provide a brief explanation of the word. Remind students that words may have multiple meanings or be used differently in a historical context than is common today.
