Primary Source Spotlight: Weather
Weather primary sources Library of Congress weather-related blog posts Teaching resources Related resources
Guided Primary Source Analysis: Women Land Ownership & the World Economy
Zoom into this 1997 map online or this .pdf document. What do you learn just from looking at the title and the information presented outside of the country labels (ignore the orange leaves for now)? Look at the country labels (orange leaves). Which countries have the most female landowners? Use the information provided in this map to…
Guided Primary Source Analysis: The Solar System Displayed
This map was published in 1789. Zoom into the map online or using this map document (.pdf) and review “A Table of the Diameters, Periods & of the several Planets in the Solar System”. Compare the information in that table to the data scientists have today. Make a new table with the same column headers and fill it in…
Teaching Now: Analyzing Primary Sources for Scientific Thinking & Organization
This is a guest post from Tom Bober (a.k.a. @CaptainLibrary), an elementary librarian at RM Captain Elementary in Clayton, Missouri and frequent contributor to the TPS Teachers Network. Earlier this school year I wrote about an activity in which third grade students analyzed primary sources from the Library of Congress, specifically the notes, diagrams, and…
Today in History: Bell’s Photophone
Today in History–June 3–the Library of Congress features the invention of the photophone on this date in 1880 by Alexander Graham Bell. Although more famously known for the telephone, the photophone transmitted sound on a beam of light. This technology with the precursor to fiber optics which today transmits voice and data communications at the speed of light….
Guided Primary Source Analysis: Grand Canyon Tourist Map
List the different data you find on this map (view larger image). Conduct research to compare the data from this map from 1977 with current information and statistics. What similarities and differences did you find? Investigate reasons for the change(s) in data; describe your findings. What other observations, reflections or questions does this source inspire? Let…
Primary Source Learning: Math Activities That Add Up
Integrating primary sources into the social studies curriculum doesn’t take a quantum leap of imagination, but can you imagine how they could be paired with math? Numerous teachers who have gone through Teaching with Primary Sources programs delivered by TPS consortium members, have done just that. Intrigued? Check out their formulas for mathematical learning by…
Today in History: Uniform Presidential Election Day
Today in History–November 4–the Library of Congress features the passage of legislation on this day in 1845 requiring a uniform election day for President of the United States on the: “Tuesday next after the first Monday in the month of November of the year in which they are to be appointed.” The 1848 election was the first…