Ten Tips to Start the Year with Primary Sources
Teachers share ten easy ways to create an inquiry-based, interactive classroom environment that encourages effective use of primary sources.
Observation in Primary Source Analysis: The Sticky Notes Solution
During recent Library of Congress summer teacher institutes, teachers of all grade and ability levels discussed ways to engage students in close observation of primary sources. They agreed that close observation is crucial to deep analysis and a key component of identifying and citing evidence from a primary source. One easy technique to help students improve their observation skill is to use sticky notes.
Primary Sources and Common Core State Standards featured in Library of Congress TPS Journal
The most recent issue of the Library of Congress TPS Journal focuses on the Common Core State Standards and the importance of incorporating primary sources to insure student success.
Reintroducing Ourselves: The Power of Teaching with Library of Congress Primary Sources
As the school year gets underway, we want to welcome back our old friends and introduce ourselves to new readers here at Teaching with the Library of Congress. The Library has more than 20 million digitized primary sources available for free at www.loc.gov. This blog is dedicated to helping teachers explore and share ideas for …
“Change over Time” – More than a Content Standard at the Summer Teacher Institute
When I attended the Library’s June Summer Teacher Institute, I was struck by how much the week of immersion in primary sources altered participants’ preliminary teaching plans. Between Library of Congress website discoveries and tours of real primary source collections, attendees extensively changed and enriched their plans.
Preserving Today’s Primary Sources for Tomorrow’s Research
If you were a K-12 student which websites would you want to save for future generations? What would you want people to look at 50 or even 500 years from now? These questions are at the heart of the K12 Web Archiving program, sponsored jointly by the Library of Congress and Internet Archive, beginning with a pilot program in 2008.
Teaching the World: Primary Sources with an International Flavor
Recently, the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program hosted a summer institute with a focus on world history. The participants found a variety of different ways to incorporate the Library’s resources into classroom activities. Are you looking for world history resources or ways to incorporate them into lesson plans?
An Olympian Effort: The Story of Jesse Owens in Library of Congress Primary Sources
The opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics is just around the corner. How will you include information about the Olympics in your classroom?
One way is to highlight a historic Olympian in lessons.
Aesop’s Fables: The Library of Congress Has a Free App for That
Are you looking for a way to introduce fables to your students? (You might be aware of common core standards that require students to recount fables and determine the lesson or moral.) Let the Library of Congress help.
Blog Round-Up: Music Posts
Popular songs often carry political or social messages or commentary on the events of the day. Music offers teachers a lens to explore the culture of a time and to help students understand issues of importance during that period in history. The Library of Congress archives a vast repository of sheet music and song sheets, and many of these rich primary sources are available online. Several Teaching with the Library of Congress blog entries point to music-related primary sources and ways to use them with students.