This summer, Teaching with the Library will feature a number of Library resources that might be less familiar to educators. In our coverage, we’ll provide a little background about the resource or program, where it’s located on the website, and a few ideas for how teachers might use the materials.
First up in the series is the online collection Today in History.
What is it?
This collection presents historic events in combination with relevant digitized primary sources from the Library’s online collections. Each historic event is covered in an essay format, written by Library staff. Entries also include an audio essay, as well as additional resources and search strategies for discovering more in the collections.
Where can I find it?
Today in History is one of the many digital collections at the library. You can find it by searching “Today in History” on the Library’s main search bar or by using the search bar on the Digital Collections homepage.
How could I use it?
- This collection is a great way to explore items in the Library’s collections through different angles. The default organization of the collection is by date. You could use this format to support or enhance classroom understanding of current events. Whether your students discuss contemporary issues on a daily or weekly basis, adding a historical event alongside a current topic could spark thoughtful discussion and raise meaningful questions. Additionally, it might be interesting to see where past and present events intersect or have a connection.
- An alternative to searching by date is to explore the collection by topic. The Today in History essays, as well as the related items from the Library’s collections, are great starting points for discovering primary sources that the Library has to offer. By using the “This Collection” search bar, students can enter in a keyword or phrase related to a topic of interest or a subject assigned for further research.
- Today in History is an excellent resource for highlighting or learning more about anniversaries of significant events. For example, if students are studying voting rights, consider using Today in History to introduce the big idea of how and why access to voting has changed over time.
You might take a sampling of anniversaries, as shown above, related to voting rights. Rather than distribute the full post and essay to students, initially provide only the primary sources. Students could use the primary sources to develop questions about what the sources have in common and make predictions about the topic of study. After the lesson or unit, students might revisit the images and reflect on what they have learned and any new questions that surfaced.
We hope this introduction is helpful for thinking about how you might use Today in History. We’d love to know more about your experiences, including any ideas for teaching strategies. Post your recommendations to the comments!
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