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Using the Library for More than Research Papers
Use the repository of resources that modern libraries hold to your advantage during National Library Week.
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Seven Ways to Instill a Love for Libraries
Show your classes the knowledge, resources, and fun a library has to offer!
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Libraries Are the Place to Be
Celebrate National Library Week by discovering all that your local library and the Library of Congress have to offer.
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Investigation of a Key Public Policy Issue
Twelfth graders select and analyze a public policy issue. In groups, they create a hot list of web sites that have been explored and investigated as a result of a web search. Using their research, 12th graders individually produce a...
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Library Orientation
Quidditch anyone? Here's a fun way to introduce your class to the resources available in the library as well as on the Internet. Researchers create an outline of the sources they locate about Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, quidditch, and...
Facing History and Ourselves
Public Art as a Form of Participation
David Binnington's mural commemorating the 1936 Battle of Cable Street is the focus of a instructional activity that looks at public art as a form of civic participation. After reading background material about the mural, individuals...
Reed Novel Studies
The Library Card: Novel Study
Books open up the world. Four main characters in The Library Card discover the amazing things that happen at a library. Scholars complete sentences with 10 new vocabulary words, create similes and alliterations, and give a prediction for...
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Mapping the Library
Learners compare their school library with another library such as: town library, for example, or a virtual library and identify the most important features. Students use their observations to create a map of the school library that can...
National First Ladies' Library
Why Do We Have Libraries?
Students investigate the reason and origins of libraries and conduct an information search using a variety of resources. They are divided into groups that have a specific set of questions they are to answer. Each group will then complete...
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The Designed World
Students visit a school or public library and study how information is organized. For this information management lesson, students answer a group of questions about the organizational method of the library. Students then practice sorting...
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Library Lovers Month
Share your love of libraries with students; it's sure to speak volumes.
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Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making the Case for a National Library
Young scholars examine the need for a national library. For this Library of Congress lesson, students analyze primary sources to investigate the persuasive techniques that Thomas Jefferson used in a letter meant to show his support of...
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Philanthropy in History
Students understand the importance of books in past and present societies. In this philanthropic lesson, students compare Andrew Carnegie and Benjamin Franklin's perspective on the importance of everyone being able to read. Students...
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Don't Let the Earth Down
Writing a persuasive argument starts with a clear thesis. Using this resource, your class will write a persuasive paper on a conservation issue. They will then transform their argument into a 30-second public service announcement. If...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Herblock at 100
In celebration of renowned cartoonist Herb Block's Library of Congress exhibition, this handout includes 2 of his famous political cartoons for scholars to analyze. Background information describes "Herblock's" career, and talking points...
Facing History and Ourselves
After Charlottesville: Public Memory and the Contested Meaning of Monuments
Are Civil War monuments a kind remembrance or a reminder of a dark past? The lesson plan focuses on the public's memory of the Civil War and the monuments that represent it. Young academics explore past efforts to change historical...
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Using the Public Library for Career Search
Young scholars make informed decisions when selecting a career.
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For the Love of Publication!
What is a ‘Zine? Although the referenced PBS video that launches this study of self-published magazines is not available, the activities detailed and the step-by-step directions for creating ‘Zines would engage young writers. This...
Reed Novel Studies
Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library: Novel Study
Comparing yourself to others is a sure way to make you feel worse about yourself. Kyle, a character in Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library, knows this well, as it is difficult for him to compete with his older brothers. Will he finally...
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The Minerva Mosaic of the Library of Congress
Students analyze the Minerva mosaic. In this Library of Congress activity, students conduct primary source analysis of the mosaic as they interpret the symbolism and mythology featured in the mosaic.
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Learning From Document - Public Laws
Students research primary sources about the Bracero worker program. In this primary source lesson, students investigate two public laws along with other documents to determine if the Bracero worker program was implemented properly. They...
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Genetics: A Library/Research Skills and Technology Lesson Plan
Genetic issues, inherited diseases, and genetic engineering are hot topics in scientific fields and provide an opportunity for young scientists to develop their research and presentation skills. Each class member chooses a topic, locates...
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
Pearl Harbor Activity #3: Public Opinion Word Cloud
As part of a study of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, young historians imagine the feelings of those who lived during the attack by creating a word cloud of 10 words they think express the emotions of people at that time....
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Online Public Access Catalog
Fourth graders learn how to find books in the library. In this library lesson, 4th graders observe how to use an online system to search for a book by title, author and subject. Students practice searching for books.