For this assignment, I spent time reviewing Jennie Burroughs' powerpoint, "Government Information for Kids (and Teens)" and the Library of Congress page for teachers. I found both resources to have valuable information that, if incorporated into the classroom, would provide students with the sort of authentic experience from which true learning springs.
Burroughs' PPT was a plethora of resources, giving websites and suggests for research for everything from the ocean to NASA to CIA intelligence. There are links to sites about American Memory (LOC) and the history of Montana. Some of the sites were more appropriate for elementary schools children, and others had the more in-depth information that high school students need for research projects. In all, I was impressed with the depth and scope of the resources included in this document. As I began to wade through all the information, my brain started turning round and round about how to use this powerful resource. There is SO much information that actually presenting this as a PPT seems like too much. However, I think that it would be a great starting place for my juniors to begin their research projects. Often, the students don't know where to start. This document provides plenty of fantastic ideas about all sorts of things!
In addition to the possibilities of using this PPT for our junior research project, I began to see others ways to incorporate some of its suggested resources into the classroom. LOC's American Memory, Montana History Wiki, and the Montana Historical Society seem to be especially relevant to the English classroom where we spend a great deal of time discussing the settings and historical situations of the novels we read.
Primary resources are great way to help students connect to the past. Seeing pictures, letters and other documents reminds us of the people who lived through times past. Primary documents lend an authenticity that connect us with others. Ultimately, it is this connection that sows the seeds of questions in all our minds.
On the LOC teacher's page, I found a ton of information that will help me incorporate primary documents into my classes. I especially liked the thematic lessons resource that has lots of great ideas. I already use a modified version of their suggested lesson for "To Kill a Mockingbird" and have found to be a great way to get students to visualize the times of the novel.
Photo Credit: Thanks to Flikr user Chris McCorkle for his photo Library of Congress; it is available through a Creative Commons License.
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