In the November/December 2017 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our “Sources and Strategies” article features a 1910 map of South San Francisco, San Mateo County, California. The map was created for the unique purpose of documenting estimated fire hazards, and resides in the Sanborn Map Collection, part of an ongoing digitization project at the Library of Congress.
I also understand that a lecture, textbook, or slideshow will not engage students in the same way as a primary document. I am thrilled to begin as Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress for 2017-2018.
Driven by a sense of urgency in documenting aspects of American life that are disappearing, such as barns, lighthouses, motor courts, and eclectic roadside art, photographer Carol Highsmith has donated her work to the Library of Congress since 1992. The images, recording current scenes and historical remnants of rural, urban, and small town life, are worthy of study. The project might also inspire students to document and preserve that which makes their own communities unique.
Looking for ideas on how to help students understand this important event? These Library of Congress blogs provide links to resources on the presidential inaugurations and the activities that surround it.
Every four years, voters go to the polls to elect the next president of the United States. We find ourselves listening to campaign advertisements, news reports on the candidates and their activities and watching debates between the candidates. Bring the campaign to life with primary sources from the Library of Congress.
One highlight of the National Book Festival is the opportunity to talk with so many teachers about the Library's program for K-12 educators. On Saturday we were able to meet more than 120 teachers and school librarians and tell them about the Library's amazing online collections of primary sources, and about the teacher resources available at loc.gov/teachers. Learning from teachers is an important part of our program, and we're grateful that the National Book Festival provides a venue for us to exchange ideas with educators from around the country.
Do you need additional resources to celebrate the second half of Hispanic Heritage month? The Library of Congress has some wonderful materials for you and your students.
We'll have activities for all ages, all day, but even if you can't get to the Book Festival, you can experience some of the activities. Here are a couple of the ways that we connect books to primary sources:
