Sometimes one page can say more about a subject--and about the writer--than a thousand. Short texts from the Library of Congress, including letters and telegrams, can be used to help students unpack meaning and make inferences about the authors.
Decades after the drought and depression of the 1930s ended, images of the Dust Bowl are still familiar to millions of people worldwide. These images, and the stories and songs that emerged at the same time, are powerful tools for exploring the history and legacy of this nation-changing disaster.
Can science teachers use primary sources? They certainly can. One approach is to use primary sources to examine how scientific discoveries were treated in popular culture.