Today in History–June 25–the Library of Congress features Custer’s Last Stand, which occurred on this date in 1876. General George Armstrong Custer and 265 men under his command lost their lives in the Battle of Little Bighorn. Find out more about this battle in the Today in History section and access resources related to Little Bighorn and those who fought there through…
In his article, “Thinking Like an Historian“, from the TPS Quarterly archive (now the TPS Journal), Sam Wineburg points out how many students’ view of history—memorization—diverges from that of historians—investigation—and offers advice for using primary sources to engage students in the “historical approach”. Doing so will help students make more authentic and lasting connections to important…
Primary source analysis promotes information literacy, a vital skill for competent citizens. When selecting primary sources to use with students, keep the criteria listed below in mind to ensure valuable learning experiences. KNOW YOUR STUDENTS Engagement Will your students want to dig deep, ask questions, and learn more about the primary source? Is the source interesting?…
Image sequencing activities help students better understand written or spoken texts. Image sequencing requires groups of students to review an image set and match individual images with designated lines of text, discussing and justifying their choices. These activities give students great practice in the skills emphasized by the Common Core State Standards, particularly the CCSS standards…
Today in History–October 11–the Library of Congress features Eleanor Roosevelt, born on this day in 1884. Learn more about this first-class first lady in the Today in History section then click the links below to access related primary sources. Eleanor Roosevelt image set Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. attends Women in War Work Congress in Paris 1918 film Speech by Eleanor A. Roosevelt New…
Activity Guidelines Gather minutemen-related primary sources and print them out or make them available to your primary students digitally. As a class or in groups, have students review different primary sources and note what they see, think, and wonder. Next, you may choose to have students review source bibliographic information or secondary source materials and…