In a recent Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) workshop, gathered to learn about the power of teaching with primary sources, a teacher was concerned that she needed to “change everything” to address anchor standards for reading. As we discussed ideas for using primary sources in the classroom (already a good sign, right?), we realized that some small activities, such as close attention to reading a title, can be very powerful.
One way to engage students with what they're reading, without turning an extra-curricular club into a class, is to introduce Library of Congress primary and secondary sources related to a particular book, a particular author, or to reading in general.
We engage our students in learning, and then we hope that their learning continues to spread, influencing others around them. Many times, we don’t see the effect of our influence until years later. In my role as a literacy coach, staff developer, and writing project teacher consultant, and because I don’t have students of my own, I always feel that my job is to drop pebbles and stand back as the professionals I work with create unpredictable and beautiful ripples.
Once a student has used primary source items to develop research questions, as in our previous post in this series, a next step is to begin delving deeply into primary and secondary sources to seek answers.
The Library of Congress Summer Institute taught me a new and surprising lesson about what primary sources offer to any curriculum, including my AP Psychology classes.
Primary sources from the Library of Congress are powerful tools for engaging students and fostering natural curiosity. You can help students learn to harness that curiosity in ways that will focus and direct research.
The Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institute matched my experience with the Writing Project, and refined and drew focus to everything I have learned as a teacher.
The @TeachingLC Twitter feed for K-12 educators shares rich primary sources and teaching materials every school day. Learn about the #LCReveal, where a primary source is deconstructed and tweeted one section a day for a weeklong, classroom-ready activity.
The first post of this two-part series offered ten tips for filling classroom spaces with engaging primary source displays to promote systematic critical thinking. This second post lists ten ways to introduce primary sources into pedagogy. No matter your grade level or subject, the ten ideas start from this basic premise: For every lesson a primary source!
