Library of Congress: Teaching With Primary Sources

This reference guide is designed to highlight the benefits of using primary source materials in any classroom and to provide the teacher with practical suggestions and examples of how to do this. It includes a bibliography and links to...

Your young historians will compare and contrast the details of the American flag today with an an image of the nation's flag from the post-Civil War era, and identify the flag's importance as a national symbol through analysis...

Five lesson plans, complete with videos, primary sources, and document-based questions (DBQ) to encourage students to utilize primary sources and incorporate thinking and writing into daily learning. Topics include: Artifact &...

If you've ever wondered how early elementary students develop historical thinking skills, check out this lesson with a group of kindergarten students. The Class of 2025 demonstrated their educational readiness while engaged in analyzing...

Students explore the usage of primary sources, what they are and how they originate. Artifacts are compared and contrasted as part of this historical inquiry as questions are formulated and conclusions drawn.

Why do we read primary source documents? What can they give us that other writings cannot? Provide your learners with any of the primary sources attached here (there are seven), and have them complete the graphic organizer (which opens...

An interactive map to search for extensive collections of primary sources for each of the United States.

This resource offers a collection of cultural works for this month of recognition, celebrated each May. Includes content from the Library of Congress, National Archives and National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Library of Congress provides information on Thomas Edison's profound contribution to the music industry.

National Library Week honors the American tradition of free access to information, to books, magazines, and even computers. Launch a celebration of the holiday with a short video that provides a brief history of lending libraries.