Primary Source Activities for the K-2 Classroom

Have you been searching for lessons that incorporate Library of Congress primary sources in the K-2 curriculum? Look no further than The Teaching with Primary Sources Journal, where you’ll find learning activities created specifically for early elementary students.

The TPS Journal is an online publication created by the Library of Congress in collaboration with the TPS Educational Consortium. Each issue focuses on pedagogical approaches to teaching with the Library’s digitized primary sources in K-12. One entire issue is devoted to Elementary Learners.  Here are several TPS Journal activities for primary grades:

30-Second Look: Classrooms Then and Now (K-2)

Students participate in a timed 30-second look at a historic photograph of a classroom, record and compare their observations, and discuss similarities and differences between their classroom and this one.

 

 

Communicating Through Music: “Scott Joplin’s New Rag” (K-2)

Students investigate “How do musicians communicate?” by comparing understandings from looking at sheet music and hearing a sound recording.

 

 

 

Transportation Now and in the Past (K-3)

Students analyze photographs of different transportation methods from the early 1900s and then compare and contrast transportation in the past with transportation today.

 

 

Stars, Stripes and Symbols of America: Comparing Our Flag, Past and Present (1-2)

Students use critical thinking skills to analyze and compare two versions of an important national symbol: the American flag.

 

 

Listen and Wonder: Is it a Chicken or a Boy? (1-3)

Students listen and wonder about a sound recording of a six-year-old boy imitating different sounds to discover what they can learn about his life.

 

 

 

Photo Analysis – Presenting the Statue of Liberty (1-3)

Students observe similarities and differences between two visual images, while learning about an important national symbol.

 

 

 

 

As you explore these learning activities, you may notice that each issue of The Teaching with Primary Sources Journal includes a learning activity developed for elementary grades, as well as one for secondary grades. If you browse past issues via The TPS Journal archive you may find some upper elementary activities that can be adapted for K-2, such as Every Picture Tells a Story (3-5).

For additional early-learning ideas, check out the following blog posts:
Library of Congress Primary Source Sets for the K-2 Classroom
Kindergarten Historians: Primary Sources in an Early Elementary Classroom

Introduce your primary students to primary sources – with help from the TPS Journal! We’d love to hear your experiences and ideas about teaching K-2 students using primary sources.