Primary Source Spotlight: Yellowstone National Park

Primary Source Spotlight: Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone became the United States’ first national park on March 1, 1872. Act Establishing Yellowstone National Park: Primary Documents in American History Report upon the Yellowstone National Park to the Secretary of the Interior 1879 Yellowstone National Park images Yellowstone National Park maps Yellowstone Park Guide: A Practical Hand-book 1894 Hayne’s Guide to Yellowstone Park:…

Collections Spotlight: Letterpress Posters by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.

Collections Spotlight: Letterpress Posters by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.

More than 250 of this Detroit-based artist’s dynamic posters, which inspire both action and reflection through layers of words and color, are now online. A Creative Commons license allows image downloading and sharing, as long as appropriate credit is given to the artist. The images cannot be used commercially or modified. Letterpress Posters by Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. 2002-22…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Black Women Achievements Against the Odds

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Black Women Achievements Against the Odds

Look closely at this source and respond to the questions below. Where is your eye drawn to first? Next? After? What do you notice about the source’s design? What, in particular, stands out to you? Why do you think this source was created? How do you know? (Be sure to point to evidence from the…

Integrating Technology: Making Myriopticons

Integrating Technology: Making Myriopticons

OK, so this post isn’t about digital technology but it does present an idea for combining history with a maker lab of sorts that incorporates math, engineering and art. Let’s take a look at a blog post from In Custodia Legis, which features, “A Historical Panorama of the Rebellion” myriopticon, a toy manufactured by Milton Bradley around 1865….

Primary Source Spotlight: Tuskegee Airmen

Primary Source Spotlight: Tuskegee Airmen

Online exhibition items Tuskegee Airmen Breaking Flight Barriers Tuskegee Airmen with Lena Horne The 332nd Fighter Group Tuskegee Airmen image set Tuskegee Airmen in Art Exhibit The Detroit Tribune. (Detroit, Mich.), 01 Sept. 1945 Tuskegee pilots historical newspaper coverage 332nd Fighter Group historical newspaper coverage 332nd Fighter Group veteran oral history collections WWII Reunion: Tuskegee Airmen streaming webcast…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Illustrating America

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Illustrating America

Zoom into the selected section of the primary source shown above. Look closely at the details and answer the questions below. What do you see? What is happening in this scene? How do you feel when you look at this scene? What do you wonder about? Now look at the complete primary source and answer the questions below….

Guided Primary Source Analysis: The Banks of the Yellow Sea

Guided Primary Source Analysis: The Banks of the Yellow Sea

This Emily Dickinson poem was set to music by composer Ernst Bacon. Take a closer look at this sheet music and read the lyrics. What feeling does this poem give you? What specific word choices influence how you feel? What kind of music do you think would go with these words (happy, upbeat, sad, mournful, lively, slow,…

Primary Source Spotlight: Harlem Renaissance

Primary Source Spotlight: Harlem Renaissance

Harlem Renaissance primary source set, includes teacher’s guide Harlem Renaissance primary source iBook Harlem Renaissance recollections: oral history Harlem Renaissance online exhibition Harlem Renaissance artists The Harlem Community Art Center and the WPA The Whites Invade Harlem WPA life history captured 1938 Harlem rent parties WPA life history captured 1939 Related resources Learning from the Source: The Negro Speaks…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Little Rory Borealis

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Little Rory Borealis

Look carefully at this map of the Arctic (online or .pdf document). Which countries could Rory live in if he lived above the Arctic Circle? Which of the animals in the picture would you NOT see in the Arctic Circle? Rory’s mother named him after the Aurora Borealis, also called the Northern Lights, which you…

Learning from the Source: Cesar Chavez & Good Citizenship

Learning from the Source: Cesar Chavez & Good Citizenship

This activity is adapted from lessons in the Barat Education Foundation Our American Voice® program. This civics program for 4-8 graders features a spiral curriculum and emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills as students learn the fundamentals of American democracy and work to create positive change in their communities. Overview Using Cesar Chavez as an…