Literature Links: Book Kits
Book Kits pair books with primary sources using engaging activities to help students in grades K-8 connect to literature. They are free to use for educational, non-profit use. Access the Book Kits today!
Primary Source Spotlight: Black Hawk War of 1832
Black Hawk 1832 historical newspaper coverage Indian Wars of the West 1833 Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, or Black Hawk, and Scenes in the West: a National Poem in Six Cantos 1849 The Great Indian Chief of the West: Life and Adventures of Black Hawk 1854 Battle of Bad Axe print 1857 Scenes and adventures in the army: or, Romance of military…
Primary Source Spotlight: The Sauk & the Black Hawk War
Sauk image set Sauk Indians historical newspaper coverage Sac Indians historical newspaper coverage Black Hawk 1832 historical newspaper coverage 1832 historical newspaper mention of the Black Hawk War More Black Hawk War historical newspaper coverage Sac & Fox primary source set Battle of Bad Axe print 1857 Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, or Black Hawk, and scenes in the West:…
Teaching Now: Separating Myths from History
This unit plan and teaching guide was developed by Dr. John Bickford, Professor of Social Studies/History Education at Eastern Illinois University and Editor-in-Chief of The Councilor: A Journal of the Social Studies, in collaboration with Citizen U. It presents a lesson plan with teaching notes targeted to early and upper elementary students. TEACHER BACKGROUND Children—and…
Primary Source Learning: The Wampanoag, the Plimoth Colonists & the First Thanksgiving
This primary source set is targeted to elementary students and includes background information and thinking prompts. It was curated mainly by Dr. John Bickford, Professor of Social Studies/History Education at Eastern Illinois University and Editor-in-Chief of The Councilor: A Journal of the Social Studies, with the goal of helping students separate Thanksgiving myths from history. This…
Primary Source Spotlight: Narragansett
Narragansett Indian Fall Festival image set Indian Rock, Narragansett image set Image set: masonry work and belt buckle creation by Narragansett Narragansett oral history audio recordings Letter related to Narragansett history project Narragansett mentions in A report to the Secretary of War of the United States, on Indian affairs, comprising a narrative of a tour…
Primary Source Spotlight: Native American History & Heritage
PSN curated source sets Today in History Captivity Narratives Chief John Ross & the Cherokee Nation Chief Joseph Surrenders Custer’s Last Stand Fort Necessity & the French and Indian War Indian Citizenship Act Jamestown Siege of Fort Meigs Jim Thorpe Western Missionaries & Native Americans Sarah Winnemucca Primary Source Spotlight Indian Removal The Iroquois Confederacy…
Collections Spotlight: Joy Harjo
On June 19, 2019, Joy Harjo was appointed the 23rd Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. On making the appointment, Dr. Hayden said: Joy Harjo has championed the art of poetry—‘soul talk’ as she calls it—for over four decades. To her, poems are ‘carriers of dreams, knowledge and wisdom,’ and through…
Finding Resources: Story Maps
Story Maps are immersive web applications that tell the incredible stories of the Library’s collections through narrative, multimedia, and interactive maps. The story maps are created within a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based software platform created by Esri. Story Maps are chock full of primary sources, including photographs, illustrations, texts, newspaper articles, and even maps. “I find story…
Primary Source Spotlight: Charles Curtis
Politician Charles Curtis of Kansas was, as he liked to tell audiences, “one-eighth Kaw Indian and a one-hundred per cent Republican”. He was a member of both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, serving as Senate majority leader from 1924 until his inauguration as the 31st vice president in 1929. Representative Curtis…
Primary Source Spotlight: The Iroquois Confederacy
Senate Resolution 702 — 115th Congress (2017-2018) was agreed to on November 26, 2018. It recognized the contributions of Native Americans to the United States, including the Iroquois Confederacy. Whereas Congress has recognized the contributions of the Iroquois Confederacy and the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the Founding Fathers in the drafting of the…
Primary Source Spotlight: Sioux (Dakota) & Sitting Bull
Sioux Sioux images Dakota images Sioux ghost dance (film) Mary Louise Defender Wilson and Keith Bear: Sioux and Mandan Hidatsa storytelling and music from North Dakota streaming webcast Oral history interviews mentioning Sioux indians Indian fanfares: The Camanche revel, The Sioux gaillarde, The Manitou air dance Poems from Sioux and Chippewa songs Books related to the Sioux Texts related…