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,…
Have students collaborate to compare U.S. newspaper coverage of the Battle of Little Bighorn with eyewitness accounts from Native Americans who were there. Ask them to compare descriptions of the battle as well as characterizations of opposing forces. Remind students to look for and note differences in tone, particularly as defined by word choice. You…
The Photographs from the FSA and OWI collection provide vivid scenes of the harshness of life in rural America during the Great Depression. Students can observe the effects of New Deal relief work by comparing pictures of makeshift shelters and tent cities with resettlement camps and showcase housing. Look at images of tents, migrant camps, and labor camps for examples. You might…
The Teaching with the Library of Congress blog has started to publish primary source starters–quick, easy-to-use activity ideas using primary sources from the Library’s collections. The first uses Thomas Jefferson’s rough draft of the Declaration of Independence to help students think critically about the process that produced the document. Get all the details by reading…
Wow, I almost can’t believe this is actually happening! I’ve been working with the Barat Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Program* since it began in 2004. Before too long we had launched a program website and online learning system. In 2006, I suggested starting a blog that would serve as an online resource to the teachers…