The Library of Congress

	Self-Serve Workshops created and used by the Library of Congress ...now available for YOUR use in local professional development activities
	Title	Description	Audience
	Classroom Applications
	The American West A changing cultural landscape	Use prints, photos, text, sound, and film from American Memory to examine and compare how the environment, natural resources, and migration of diverse peoples have influenced the development of the cultural identity of the West.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes. It models use of inquiry and develops critical literacy skills for using primary sources. It could also be used as an inquiry lesson for students of middle school through high school.
	Finding the Invisible Folklore in sense of place	Define folklore and its potential in the classroom. Explore sense of place through the folklife and traditions of your own life and region using materials from American Memory.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes. Activities from the workshop could be applied, with appropriate modification to a K-12 classroom setting.
	The Great Depression In your classroom	Complete and discuss inquiry-based lessons related to the Depression Era novel, The Grapes of Wrath, using three different American Memory collections.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes. It could also be used as an inquiry lesson for students of middle school through high school.
	The Second Wave European Immigration from 1850-1920	Follow a set of Web links to documents, images, and more to uncover what America was like for immigrants arriving at the turn of the century. Working with primary sources in small groups, create a firsthand account of a fictional family from one culture chronicling their experiences as immigrants.	This activity models a highly effective yearlong study of American history for middle school students. Workshop participants take the part of students who are learning about 19th and 20th century European immigration.
	Squeezing Documents Close reading of primary sources	Tour the collections and different media formats as you learn strategies and tips for successful searching.Use an inquiry approach to analyze and critically understand document based primary sources.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes. The workshop serves as a model and is intended to be replicated in classrooms.
	Students as Historians Exercises for the elementary and middle school Student	Use photograph collections focused on the Civil War and African Americans to identify ways students can use American Memory collections as a basis for historical investigation.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes. The workshop serves as a model and is intended to be replicated in classrooms.
	What Can We Learn from Yesterday's Stuff? Exploring the past through printed ephemera	Delve into advertisements, broadsides, leaflets, proclamations, and programs. Learn from these sources that speak to us of concerns and conditions of the everyday life of people like us who lived in the past.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes.
	Search Skills
	Prospecting in American Memory	Learn search techniques and share results and observations. Practice techniques that you can use to teach your students how to search American Memory.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes. Participants can share these search strategies with their students.
	Searching American Memory	Tour the collections and different media formats as you learn strategies and tips for successful searching.	Appropriate for educators new to the American Memory collections.
	Technology
	Basic HTML An introductory look	Learn the basics of HTML: what it is, what its building blocks are, and how it is affected by file structure.	Useful for HTML novices of all ages.
	Games Kids Play PowerPoint Pizzazz	Learn to create PowerPoint presentations of historical investigations conducted through primary sources from American Memory.	Useful for PowerPoint novices of all ages.
	How Did You Do That? GIF Animated Slide Shows	Learn to create animated GIFs to enhance the look of Web pages. Findlinks to tutorials and free downloads.	Useful for Web site designers of all ages.
	The Look... Design for the Web	Examine basic, underlying design considerations for web builders.	Useful for novice Web site designers of all ages.
	Top Ten List for Web Designers Designing curriculum for the Web	Outline the planning process necessary for designing effective Web sites. Find links to tutorials and help sites.	Useful for Web site designers of all ages.
	Working with Primary Sources
	Creative Portraits Using art and artifacts to deepen historical understanding	Learn “Object Observation”, a method by which art and artifacts can deepen students’ historical understanding.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes. Strategies learned in the workshops can be shared with students of all ages.
	Discovering American Memory	Learn about the American Memory collections through a series of engaging activities. Use the provided tools as a basis for introducing important literacy skills needed when using primary sources.	This workshop is appropriate for initial professional development purposes as it quickly immerses participants in the American Memory collections.It provides activities that could be used by teachers of students in grades 2-12.
	Emblematic Illustrations Using Material Culture to Interpret African American Life	Strive to understand some of the ways that African Americans were portrayed in popular culture, some of the ways that they portrayed themselves, and the ways these portrayals reflect larger historical developments at the turn of the century by analyzing objects in American Memory.	Appropriate as professional development for museum educators as well as middle school and high school educators.
	It's All in the Design Making it work, piece by piece	Create engaging curriculum that uses primary sources to provide a powerful learning experience for students. Use several American Memory collections as specific tools for curriculum designers.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes.
	Primary Sources: Learning with American Memory Historical Collections	Roll up your sleeves and use the exciting multimedia resources of the collections! Help your students understand what they “see”, “hear” and “read” in American Memory.	This workshop is appropriate for professional development purposes. Strategies learned in the workshops can be shared with students of all ages.

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Last updated 02/18/2004