Winter Reflections with Primary Sources
Posted by: Michael Apfeldorf
This post features a variety of primary source analysis activities using the Library of Congress's Winter Free to Use and Reuse set.
Posted in: Teaching Strategies
Archive: 2025 (55 Posts)
Paleontologists Make Mistakes, Too! Using a Newspaper Article to Learn About the Nature of Science
Posted by: Colleen Smith
Analyzing an excerpt of a newspaper article from the late 19th century provides an opportunity for students to think about the uncertainty inherent in paleontology, a discipline that often relies on incomplete specimens and bone fragments to construct understandings of extinct species.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Learning About Extinction, Evolution, and the Nature of Science through the Case of a ‘Living Fossil’
Posted by: Colleen Smith
The history of the coelacanth (pronounced SEE-la-canth) can be an intriguing entry point into science concepts like evolution, extinction, and the nature of science.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Stacking Primary Sources to Dig Deeper into Fossilization
Posted by: Colleen Smith
An instructional sequence of "stacking" three related primary sources prompts student curiosity and can promote further investigation into the processes of fossilization and the ways in which scientists study fossils.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Join Us in Washington, D.C., for NCSS
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
The Library's education team - and subject matter experts from many divisions of the Library - will be at the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) annual conference in Washington, D.C., on December 5-6. Visit us in Booth #241!
Posted in: News and Events
Apply Now! Summer 2026 Professional Development at the Library of Congress
Posted by: Michael Apfeldorf
The blog announces the launch of the 2026 Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institute application form and invites educators to apply to the program.
Posted in: News and Events
Young People as Community Members, Helpers and Leaders
Posted by: Colleen Smith
Primary sources from the Library of Congress can help students consider how young people belong to, participate in, and can act as helpers and leaders within a community.
Posted in: Teaching Strategies, Young Learners
Paleontology, Past and Present: A New Primary Source Set for Educators
Posted by: Colleen Smith
A new primary source set from the Library of Congress features 18 primary sources that teachers can use to bring forward the nature of science while also addressing science content standards about paleontology, the fossil record, and geologic time.
Posted in: Primary Source Highlights, Science Technology and Math
Teaching About Community and Place with Library of Congress Maps
Posted by: Colleen Smith
Maps from the Library's collection offer teachers a range of tools for helping students see, think about, and construct questions about a sense of place.
Posted in: Teaching Strategies, Young Learners