TPS:BASICS
Teaching With Primary Sources:
A Beginning Asynchronous Individualized Course of Study

Focus Activity: What do you see? What questions do you want to ask about this image? Now click on the link below the image. You will be taken to a biographical information page at the Library of Congress. Skim through the information there. Which of your questions does this page answer? What have you learned? What is still unanswered?

Overview

What is the Library of Congress? The Library of Congress was founded in 1800 as a legislative library. The Capitol was its first home. Today, the Library of Congress occupies three buildings on Capitol Hill near the U.S. Capitol: the Jefferson Building (opened in 1897), the Adams Building (opened in 1939), and the Madison Building (opened in 1980).

The Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with nearly 128 million items on approximately 530 miles of bookshelves. The collections include more than 29 million books and other printed materials, 2.7 million recordings, 12 million photographs, 4.8 million maps, and 57 million manuscripts. The Library's mission is to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations.

What is American Memory

American Memory at the Library of Congress is an online archive of over 100 collections of rare and unique items important to America's heritage. The collections contain more than 11 million primary source documents, photographs, films, and recordings that reflect the collective American memory. They are a treasure trove of unique personal items from other time periods - old records, letters with exquisite penmanship and arcane language, clothing, keepsakes, and faded photographs. These collections are 'snapshots' providing glimpses into America's past.

All teachers try to make that "connection" of why we are where we are due to past events. Asking your students to interpret primary source documents will connect them to the past in a creative and dynamic way. What better way to learn than from others whose stories will make the past come alive? 

Session Objectives: During this session, participants will:

• recognize the purpose and scope of the Library of Congress online;

• explore the various Library of Congress departments that target children and teachers;

• identify the connection between local and state curriculum standards and Library of Congress resources.

• compare and contrast primary and secondary sources;

• discover the historical evidence in one's personal life.

Learning Activities:  (Workshop Part I)

1. The Library of Congress Experience – This 7 min video is the most recent introduction to the Library of Congress.  You may view it online or download it to view in Real Player offline.  As you watch the video, make a list of all the things you would like to explore further in the Library of Congress. Note any questions you have about the LOC resources for teachers and students. Note: You have three options for viewing the video once you click the link. The video is located midway down the page on the right. If it does not start playing immediately, you can: 1) Install Microsoft SILVERLIGHT player to view on the page; 2) Click on either the Hi Res WINDOWS or Hi Res QUCIK TIME links under the video holder and download the video. I suggest clicking the second option, as the video is much larger.

2. Library of Congress Resource Page - Choose several of the links on the Exploring the Library of Congress resource page and explore these links in depth.  Considering content for instruction, focus on how the different exhibits and collections at the LOC may be used in a classroom. 

3. Primary or Secondary Sources? Read the definitions of primary and secondary sources at the Library of Congress Website. Roll your mouse over the specific examples in the list on the left to distinguish between artifacts, documents, sound files, visuals and oral histories. Examine this photograph from the American Treasures exhibit. It contains the contents of President Lincoln's pockets on the night of his assassination. It also displays a newspaper article about the assassination. Try to identify the other objects in the photograph before reading the explanation of these personal artifacts. List and describe three different types of primary source documents you have in your pocket, pocketbook, desk, or house. Compare your personal artifacts to those found in President Lincoln's pockets the night of his assassination.

4. Mind Walk Activity: Complete the Mind Walk Activity. Consider, “If future archaeologists had the materials that you have identified as your personal historical evidence, what would they infer about your life? What might the materials tell archaeologists about your family, community, region, and/or nation?”

5. Quality and Reliability of Primary Documents: Select several of the primary source documents related to Slavery in the United States 1795-1865.  Review the Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources. Comsider the quality and reliability of the documents you examine. Consider the bennifits of this content resource.

6. Library of Congress Project/Lesson - You are now ready to consider a project or lesson that you would like to develop during this Workshop using Library of Congress document(s). Select a specific exhibit or collection that relates to your local and state curriculum standards to be the focus.  Outline how you plan to use the project/lesson as a TPS integration model for your personal classroom instruction.

Please download the following resources, examine them, store them for references, and complete any activites they present in order to complete this module of the workshop:

1) Web site for Educators
2) Copyright - the TPS Guide
3) Searching & Saving content - TPS Guide

Content provided by:

WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY

Eastern Region Teaching With Primary Sources Partner
Ann B. Canning, Ed.D.
©2009