An inquiry approach supports students as they draw on their prior knowledge, personal experiences, and critical thinking skills to develop questions that guide their learning. The process engages students because pursuing the answers to their own questions gives them direct control as they construct meaning about topics of interest. Join us for a webinar focused on strategies for taking an inquiry approach to teaching with primary sources on Tuesday, November 18, at 4 PM ET.
Have you ever wondered how to use photographs, recordings, or short films in your non-art classroom? The latest issue of the Library of Congress TPS Journal has ideas for incorporating fine and performing arts-related primary sources from the Library of Congress collections across the curriculum.
One of the most powerful effects of primary sources is their ability to complicate common understandings of history. As the raw materials of history, original documents are able to bring to light little-known details or neglected episodes that add complexity to oversimplified accounts.
The Gershwin Prize celebrates the work of an artist whose career reflects lifetime achievement in promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding. The prize commemorates George and Ira Gershwin, the legendary American songwriting team whose manuscript collections reside in the Library of Congress.
On Tuesday, November 4, at 7 PM ET, Library education experts will expand on strategies and resources introduced in "Exploring the Legacy of Leadership Through Primary Sources: The Women's Suffrage Movement" from National History Day's 2014-15 Theme Book.
In the October 2014 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our "Sources and Strategies" article focused on the presidential election of 1864.
November highlights include the exploring the origins of Veterans Day, the establishment of four Standard Time Zones for the continental U.S., and the opening of the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress.
One way for teachers to engage students with poetry is to connect poems and poets to historical events. Students gain a deeper appreciation of poets and their work when they can see snippets of the writer's life in the work.
