“There are millions of primary sources online at the Library of Congress! Where do I start?” is a common question from K-12 teachers.
Here’s some advice from California teacher Lindsay Robinson: “Start by using the tools and materials available on the Teachers Page. If you’ve never used primary sources before, try using a primary source set. After teaching with one or more of these sets in class, you can adapt or add layers to the lesson. I would also urge teachers to use the Teacher’s Guides and the Analysis Tool for students….”
I’m glad to pass on that advice. The Teachers Page is designed to make the Library’s resources easy for teachers and school librarians to use. We know that it’s time-consuming to find primary sources, much less put them into context; so, as my colleagues and I are fond of saying, “We do the searching for you, so you can focus on the teaching and learning.” We put primary sources into context via lesson plans, online and offline activities, presentations, timelines, analysis tools and professional development resources.
If you’re new to teaching with primary sources, a good place to start is Using Primary Sources, where you’ll find answers to the questions, “What are primary sources, and what do I do with them?” Read Why Use Primary Sources to learn the value of teaching with primary sources and the benefits to your students. This section also includes the Teacher’s Guides and Analysis Tool, the ready-to-use analysis guides for primary sources in various formats (photographs, maps, cartoons, manuscripts, music and more) and a reproducible analysis tool for your students.
Classroom Materials is your go-to section of the Teachers Page to start using primary sources in your classroom. Look for lesson plans and activities that meet your state standards, or browse through them topically. Explore the popular Primary Source Sets – selected primary sources on specific topics, available as easy-to-print PDFs, with background information, teaching ideas and tools to guide student analysis.
The Professional Development section should be the first stop for anyone interested in standards-base