Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Creating a Primary Source Archive: All History Is Local

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
A lesson plan where students collect local primary documents and examine the interplay between national, state, local, and personal history.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Photos From Great Depression: Jacob Have I Loved

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
A collection of images from the period of the Great Depression to World War II provide students with visual references as they read and examine Katherine Paterson's novel, "Jacob Have I Loved." Lesson encourages critical thinking about...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: The Constitution: Counter Revolution or National Salvation

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using primary texts and prior study of Colonial America and the Revolution, students examine "what type of government would best represent the ideals of the American Revolution." Worksheets, discussions, and role-playing within this...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Suffragists and Their Tactics Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners work with two document collections, "Votes for Women: Suffrage Pictures: 1850-1920" and "Votes for Women: 1848-1921", to understand how the suffragists changed the requirements for voting in America.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Indian Boarding Schools

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Library of Congress provides a series of lessons that taddresses historical efforts of assimilating Native American children into white culture through boarding schools.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Civil War Photographs: The Mathew Brady Bunch

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners browse a collection of over one thousand Civil War photos, and then choose one to examine in-depth. The resulting assignment is a news article based on the photo's events and subject matter.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Exploring Community Through Local History

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Guidelines for exploring local history and culture through examining a collection of written and spoken stories, landmarks, and traditions, such as food, festivals, and events. Students will research a variety of primary resources and...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: New Deal Programs: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Photographs and life histories aid young scholars in examining the lives of real people during the Great Depression, specifically those impacted by the New Deal programs and agencies. The culminating student products of this lesson will...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Mark Twain's Hannibal

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Primary texts, such as music, photographs, and maps, allow young scholars to examine how Mark Twain's life in Hannibal, Missouri, influenced his popular written works, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer."
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: After Reconstruction: Problems of African Americans

For Teachers 9th - 10th
After reading a collection of primary texts, students will identify problems facing African Americans in the South following Reconstruction and propose solutions to those problems. In addition to providing guidelines for teachers leading...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Geography and Its Impact on Colonial Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Beginning with a discussion on how people adapt to or relocate to environments, this lesson encourages young scholars to explore why the Colonists settled in specific regions. In groups, students examine primary documents, analyzing...
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Experiencing War: African Americans: Fighting Two Battles

For Students 9th - 10th
Online personnel narratives by African American soldiers who participated in World War II.
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Prints and Photographs: Liljenquist Civil War Photographs

For Students 9th - 10th
View an entire collection of ambrotype and tintype photographs of Union and Confederate soldiers.
Graphic
Library of Congress

Loc: New Deal Programs: Federal Art Project

For Students 9th - 10th
This interesting resource showcases projects produced by a multitude of artists who participated in the Federal Art Project, part of the WPA, a New Deal agency. Find almost 1,000 posters created for many different federal and community...
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: Everyday Mysteries: Why Do Bats Live in Caves?

For Students 3rd - 8th
Ever wonder why bats live in caves? Or why bats don't fly into objects at night? This article describe why bats thrive in the protected shelter a cave provides. It also explains how bats use echolocation to locate food and avoid obstacles.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: American Memory Timeline: Colonial Settlement,1600s 1763

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Read about the colonization in the New World by many European countries. Hyperlinks to you to more specific topics.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: The Marx Brothers: A Resource Guide

For Students 9th - 10th
A guide that has a variety of resources to study the Marx Brothers' lives and work.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: The Gershwin Legacy: George and Ira Gershwin

For Students 9th - 10th
With their famous music and lyrics, the Library of Congress presents an in depth exhibit of primary source materials from the Gershwin brothers.
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Everyday Mysteries: Spiders and Their Webs

For Students 9th - 10th
Have you ever wondered how spiders avoid getting stuck in their own webs? Check out this excellent explanation.
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: African American History Month

For Students 9th - 10th
The Research Department of the LOC provides the history of the founding of African American History Month. Documents from the Legislative and Executive Branches are hyperlinked.
PPT
Library of Congress

Loc: On the Homefront

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Library of Congress provides posters and information on the home front during World War II and World War I. What were the people at home doing to help the men and women in the armed forces? See posters on Volunteer...
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: What in the World Is That?

For Students 3rd - 8th
Can you match the picture to the correct invention? Read about these inventions and the importance of them. Also included are related sites to find further information about each invention.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Everyday Mysteries: What Are the Northern Lights?

For Students 3rd - 8th
What are the Northern Lights? This brief yet fact filled article explains all the important details including origin, composition, colors and appearance. Photos and maps are included.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Inaugural Pilgrim Finds Her History

For Students 9th - 10th
87 year old civil rights activist, Isaac Lowe, came from her small California town to Washington, D.C. to witness the inauguration of the President Barack Obama in 2009. Her story is featured in this article.