In his June 1st post celebrating the beginning of the Teaching with the Library of Congress blog's second year of publication, Stephen Wesson pointed out that for teachers and students the Library of Congress “represents a source of discovery and learning unlike any other. Last week when I joined twenty-seven K-12 educators at the second of five 2012 Summer Teacher Institutes in Washington, D.C., I did indeed witness nonstop discovery and learning in a unique and awe-inspiring setting.
What can a political cartoon say that a drawing or photograph can’t? The Teaching with the Library of Congress blog has published a few helpful posts on using political cartoons in the classroom.
Focusing on details in a set of visual images can reinforce the idea that photographs have a point of view. Studying and comparing various photographs of a subject can reveal a great deal about how each photographer viewed the subject. Study the set of images and, in the comments, post your answer to the question. We'll answer the question in the next post.
More than 20 million digitized primary source items present almost limitless opportunities for both exciting discovery and serious frustration. Here is the first in a short series on finding primary sources online from the Library of Congress.
What do you think of when you think of the President of the United States of America? We are fortunate that most presidents have left us their personal papers where we can read about their feelings, their concerns and their love for family and friends.
Consider using primary sources to help your students learn more about the fascinating state of Hawaii and its diverse populations in celebration of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month this May.
How can we learn from tragedies? It’s a universal question that can engage students as they consider both contemporary and historic examples. April 15, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the luxury liner Titanic, presents a timely opportunity. Help your students analyze varying perspectives on this tragic event through primary sources from the Library of Congress.
April has been set aside as a time to celebrate and explore the rich and varied legacy of poetry. The online activity “Making Connections through Poetry” invites students to analyze primary source images and documents from the Library of Congress and then create a poem to share their understanding of history.
Music in Our Schools encourages schools to make sure their students have access to music and the opportunity to learn and use music in their schools. The Library of Congress website has lots of resources that will help you combine music-related primary sources and other classroom activities.
