Selecting Primary Sources: Strategies & Tips

Selecting Primary Sources: Strategies & Tips

Use these resources from the Library of Congress and Citizen U to help you select the best primary sources for instructional use. Foundations Webinar: Selecting Primary Sources recording | session materials Selecting Primary Sources: Criteria for Classroom Use Selecting Primary Sources: Knowing your Students Selecting Primary Sources: Learning Activity Criteria Selecting Primary Sources for the…

Selecting, Excerpting  & Modifying Primary Sources

Selecting, Excerpting & Modifying Primary Sources

Have you ever wanted to use a primary source document with students but hesitated because you felt the struggle to comprehend the text would be the focus of the task rather than text analysis? In a TweetChat about teaching with primary sources, middle school social studies teacher Chris Heffernan (@cheffernan75) articulated the dilemma, “This has been a…

Selecting Primary Sources That Deal with Difficult Issues

Selecting Primary Sources That Deal with Difficult Issues

Primary sources bring history to life but life can be harsh. Teachers need to be prepared for primary sources that may include, as Library of Congress Educational Resource Specialist Danna Bell wrote in the Teaching with the Library of Congress blog, “material that would shock, anger, disgust, stun, frustrate or annoy”. But they also provide incredible learning opportunities…

Selecting Primary Sources for Research Projects

Selecting Primary Sources for Research Projects

When completing a research project you will want to include primary sources. Using primary sources is particularly important when creating a history project and required for National History Day (NHD) projects. To get a better understanding of different types of sources, review the post Selecting Primary Sources: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary? Think of primary sources as raw, unfiltered…

Selecting Sources: Tertiary, Secondary, Primary

Selecting Sources: Tertiary, Secondary, Primary

When conducting research, you will likely use three types of sources: primary, secondary, and tertiary. While exact definitions may vary by discipline or institution, we hope this post will help you sort out the main distinctions between these types of sources and when to use each in the research process for National History Day (NHD) and other…

Selecting Primary Sources: Criteria for Classroom Use

Selecting Primary Sources: Criteria for Classroom Use

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?…

Selecting Primary Sources: Point of View & Perspective

Selecting Primary Sources: Point of View & Perspective

When teaching a topic with primary sources, it is important to provide multiple sources that represent a variety of points of views and perspectives. Doing so provides students with practice in critical thinking and evaluating evidence and arguments, skills emphasized by the Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS), particularly CCSS anchor reading standards 4, 6,…

Selecting Primary Sources: Considering Historical Context

Selecting Primary Sources: Considering Historical Context

Understanding historical context is an important element when considering why a primary source was created. The Teaching with the Library of Congress blog outlines characteristics to look for when selecting primary sources that students will be able to place in historical context. For more help providing historical context, look in the Library Teacher Guides in…

Selecting Primary Sources: Learning Activity Criteria

Selecting Primary Sources: Learning Activity Criteria

The Teaching with the Library of Congress blog gives some great tips on selecting the most effective primary sources to use with your students. The TPS-Barat program offers some more tips, suggesting teachers ask themselves the following questions when choosing primary sources for use in the classroom. Goal – What is the overall activity or project goal?…