Related Resources at the Library
- American Folklife Center
- American Memory Timeline
- America's Library
- Center for the Book
- Everyday Mysteries (Science)
- Historic American Newspapers
- Jump Back in Time
- Library of Congress Resource Guides
- Music, Theater and Dance
- National Book Festival Webcasts
- Poetry
- Portals to the World
- Research Centers
- Today in History
- Veterans History Project
Coming soon: the redesigned Library of Congress Teachers page. Preview the new look and new features and let us know what you think.
For complete versions of all materials, please go to the Learning Page.
Newsletter
June 6, 2007
Dear Readers,
Summer has arrived! Many of you have finished the school year, and others will see it ending soon. We hope this summer will offer you time to relax and to renew, personally and professionally. Summer months are also a good time to visit the Library of Congress Web site to find resources that fit your curriculum. We hope you will use some of your summer hours to explore, make connections, and find intersections between the Library's content and your own teaching.
What's new and coming up at the Library of Congress?
The National Book Festival
Share Your Memories of the National Book Festival
The Library is preparing for the 7th annual National Book Festival, September 29, 2007. If you have attended previous National Book Festivals, the Library would like you to share your stories, highlights, and photos with us and with your fellow teachers. We will post outstanding Book Festival memories on a special Web site to encourage others to attend. Here are a few questions to get you started:
- What did you like best about the National Book Festival?
- What highlights or special memories stand out?
- How did the Book Festival affect your teaching?
- How did you share your Festival experience with your students?
- Do you have any comments on the lasting educational or literacy value of the festival?
- Do you have any tips for attending the Festival?
Please e-mail any stories, quotes, highlights, or photos to: tpan@loc.gov. (Submissions may be published by the Library of Congress in any format or context.)
The Library of Congress Has Joined the Blogosphere
The Library's blog offers an insider's reflections about the Library and its holdings, as well as pointing to excellent content. Read the Library's blog
New from the Library of Congress
Specifically for Teachers...
- Asian Pacific Americans Community Center
Help your students understand Asian Pacific Heritage through the resources of the Asian Pacific Americans Community Center. Don't miss the Primary Source Set on Japanese American internment during WW II. - New RSS Feed - Poetry 180
Did you know that a poem is available for each weekday of the school year from the Library's Poetry 180 project? Now these poems can be delivered right to your computer desktop through an RSS feed. Teachers and poetry lovers: sign up today!
Of Interest To All
- The Battle of the Bulge - Interactive Essay
This unique presentation uses U.S. Army situation maps to illustrate this famous WWII battle. Your students will enjoy the interactivity and the historical expertise shared by Library of Congress experts. - Amazing Grace
This new Web site explores the history of "Amazing Grace," one of the best-known hymns in America, through items from the earliest printing of the song to various performances of it on sound recordings. Don't miss the illustrated timeline, the essays on the history of “Amazing Grace,” a discography, and a selected bibliography. - Pictorial Americana
Are you looking for a primary source image to use as a lesson starter or to support a teaching objective? Browse the table of contents of Pictorial Americana for a list of topical sets of images about American life and history. Several new sections have been added. - The Civil Rights Era in the U.S. News & World Report Photographs Collection
U.S. News & World Report photographers took these sixteen images during the struggle for African American civil rights. Use the images to help your students understand both the violence and hope of this pivotal time in American history. - A Century of Creativity - The MacDowell Colony
As students move into summer leisure, encourage them to celebrate their creativity. They may be inspired by a visit to the online version of this Library of Congress exhibition. Students will learn about famous works that trace their origin to the MacDowell Colony, such as Thornton Wilder's “Our Town,” Aaron Copland's ballet “Billy the Kid,” and Dorothy and DuBose Heyward's play “Porgy.” Students will enjoy hearing insider knowledge shared by Library of Congress curators. - World War I: The Great War
This new presentation from the Veterans History Project offers the experience of World War I through the voices, images, and personal effects of those who were there. Students can examine written accounts (letters, diaries, and memoirs) and photographs that will breathe life into a study of this long-ago event. - Science Tracer Bullets Online - Global Warming & Climate Change
Are hurricanes, melting glaciers, rising ocean levels, eroding coastlines, crop damage, food shortages, absence of rainfall, shrinking aquifers, wildfires, and lowered water tables signs of worldwide global warming? If your students are grappling with how to understand this topic, introduce them to this listing of vetted print and Internet resources from the Science Reference Section, Library of Congress.
Have You Used the Library's Topical Portals?
The content celebrates nationally observed heritage months, but many teach these topics year-round.
New:
- Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
This Library-wide Web portal offers links to video selections, sound files, Library collections, and teaching materials pertaining to Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. - Jewish American Heritage Month
This Web site, created collaboratively by the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, offers students a glimpse into the life experiences of the generations of Jewish Americans who contribute to the fabric of American history, culture, and society.
Professional Development Opportunties
The first of four Library of Congress Summer Institutes for Educators are almost upon us. We look forward to making new friends as well as seeing some old friends this summer!
If you plan to visit the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Atlanta, consider registering for a half-day, hands-on workshop
- The Library of Congress: The Crash Course (Tuesday, June 26, 1-4 p.m.)
With warm regards,
The Library of Congress Educational Outreach Staff
Last Updated: 08/30/2007