Imagine television and radio broadcasts from the last 70 years covering topics from economics to social issues, from science to politics. You’ll find that resource in the American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB), a collaborative effort between the Library of Congress, WGBH Boston and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
While a primary source may be only one resource within a larger lesson, deliberating during the selection process over where in the lesson the primary source will be used can lead to greater engagement, inquiry, and learning from the students.
Scientific investigations with plants are a staple in elementary school classrooms. Young learners study plant structures and functions, what plants need to grow, how plants reproduce and pass on genetic information, and how matter and energy move in ecosystems. As they learn core scientific ideas, students should simultaneously engage in the practices of scientists. Historic photographs can serve as windows into planning and carrying out scientific investigations.
Introduce a lesson or unit on electricity, engineering, or computer science using historical primary sources that describe the first transatlantic telegraph.
It is difficult to miss talk of the upcoming presidential election. Speeches, debates, and soundbites fill television screens, newspapers, and websites. But unless you attend a live event for a presidential nominee, you may not hear his or her campaign song, typically a familiar, popular song selected to shape how voters perceive the candidate. Campaign songs from long ago, original scores or popular songs with rewritten lyrics, did the same.
What can a flag tell us about the people who marched behind it? We recently rediscovered these regimental flags from the Library's online collections and were struck by the vivid imagery and mottoes. We did a little research on the flags – and the artist behind them – and decided to highlight them during African American History Month in February.
Valentine's Day may be the perfect time to sink your teeth into advertising messages by studying ads about candy and sweets from historic newspapers in Chronicling America.
Primary sources have tremendous power to complicate seemingly straightforward stories, and are an essential part of every National History Day project.
On Monday, January 4th, the Library of Congress announced Gene Luen Yang as the 2016-17 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. The position raises national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.
