When paired together, primary sources and historical picture books provide learners opportunities to explore and create meaning around small moments in time and bigger events. Compelling primary sources further help students contextualize elements of a story to better understand and relate to it. On the flip side, historical fiction and nonfiction picture books can increase…
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!
Citizen U has developed a series of 8 micro-credentials (MCs) in a partnership with the National Education Association (NEA) and thanks to the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources TPS program grant. This professional learning offering aims to help educators better integrate inquiry learning with primary sources into instruction across grades and disciplines using…
Book Backdrops are teacher-curated primary source sets linked to books and accompanied by teaching ideas and/or teaching notes. They are continually added to the TPS Teachers Network using the album tool. A sampling of some great ones are listed below. All of the ones included here are accessible by anyone. But if you want to…
Fannie Lou Hamer, Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party delegate, at the Democratic National Convention, Atlantic City, New Jersey August 1964 | curator’s note Jury Frees Five Law Officers in Miss. Beating The Detroit Tribune. (Detroit, Mich.), 21 Dec. 1963 Civil Rights oral histories mentioning Fannie Lou Hamer Euvester Simpson Charles McLaurin Maria Varela Jennifer Lawson Peggy Jean…
Elementary teacher librarian and former teacher in residence at the Library of Congress, Tom Bober (@CaptainLibrary), details a plan for pairing primary source analysis with the book, Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, to help students make connections to history and geography. In his post on Knowledge Quest from the American Association of School Librarians, Tom also…
Today in History–September 6–the Library of Congress features Jane Addams, born on this day in 1860. Addams went on to found Hull House, which provided welfare assistance to needy families and recreation facilities for poor children, and was awarded a Nobel peace prize in 1931. Find out more by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more…
Today in History–August 11–the Library of Congress features swimmer Duke Kahanamoku, also known as the “father of international surfing“, who broke the world record in the 100-yard freestyle swim by 4.6 seconds in Honolulu Harbor on this day in 1911. Kahanamoku went on to win numerous gold and silver medals in several Olympic Games and helped to repopularize surfing as a sport. Find out…