A museum object record preserves what is known and uncertain

Read the catalogue's date, material and provenance fields rather than relying only on the object's appearance. Words such as estimated or attributed are part of the information and should survive the classroom retelling.

Read provenance details. Describe materials. Identify uncertainty.

Keep the qualifiers attached

Preserve catalogue qualifiers such as attributed, estimated or unknown. Replacing them with certainty would misrepresent the museum's record.

A catalogue may give an estimated date rather than an exact year.

What is known with confidence? Use highlighted catalogue fields.

Preserve qualifiers in retelling.

Resources

• Interview Someone Special — Adapt the interview prompts with voluntary participation and agreed permissions.

Further reading

• National Museum of Australia — Digital Classroom

Read next

• Label a classroom museum invention as an invention
• Historical maps need their date, key and purpose
• One cultural account speaks from a particular perspective

Explore Respectful cultural and historical inquiry. Browse all teaching articles.