Considerations for Selecting Primary Sources

This webinar highlights strategies for representing multiple perspectives and addressing difficult topics, and discusses criteria for selecting and using primary sources in instruction, including thinking about audience, historical context, and point of view.

About the Library of Congress:

The mission of the Library of Congress is to support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people.

The Library of Congress is the repository of millions of primary source items relevant to the study of American history and civics. Many of these items have been digitized and are therefore freely available to teachers and students across the United States and the world. Working with primary sources not only engages students in subject matter, but can also help them build their critical thinking skills and construct new knowledge.

The Library’s educational outreach mission is to promote the effective classroom use of the Library’s primary sources. To do so, it provides teaching tools and professional development on its online home for teachers, loc.gov/teachers. It also provides face-to-face professional development through workshops and teacher institutes, and is building a nationwide consortium of partner institutions.

Participants for this Webinar Include: 

• Cheryl Lederle (host), Educational Resource Specialist at the Library of Congress, where she develops classroom materials and works with teachers to incorporate the Library’s digitized primary sources into high-quality instruction. Before coming to the Library, Cheryl taught English and writing at the high school and community college levels.
• Additional Guests

Resources for this webinar:

• Library of Congress
• Library of Congress Teachers Page

 Photo/ Library of Congress