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Thomas Jefferson - Life and Labor at Monticello - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12
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Students can approach this online exhibit from the Library of Congress at several levels. Elementary students can make use of the collection of captioned images (click to enlarge them)....more
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Students can approach this online exhibit from the Library of Congress at several levels. Elementary students can make use of the collection of captioned images (click to enlarge them). Older students can benefit from the discussion of Jefferson's experiments with farming, physics, and practical contraptions. Great exposure to a man who studied everything.
tag(s): jefferson (18)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a "picture walk" in your classroom, introducing the topic of Thomas Jefferson, the Founding Father. Select 10-15 of the more powerful and diverse images, hanging them up in different locations around your classroom. Have students rotate around the classroom every 30-45 seconds, jotting down what they observe and infer about each image until the entire class has completed the circuit. After the class is back in their seats, have a class discussion based on what they observed and what this says about Jefferson. A great way to get students thinking about the content in a way that's more personal and lecture-less!You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Lawmaking for a New Nation - Library of Congress
Grades
9 to 12
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Early Congressional Journals - From the Library of Congress. This site offers access to journals of the first U.S. Congresses. These journals were the precursor to today's Congressional...more
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Early Congressional Journals - From the Library of Congress. This site offers access to journals of the first U.S. Congresses. These journals were the precursor to today's Congressional Record. Primary source material for study of the Federalist period.
tag(s): congress (39), constitution (88), history day (40), politics (113)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for finding primary sources that can be used in your classroom. One great way way to do so is through visual discovery, introducing the topic of the Continental Congress. Select 3-5 images from this site, choosing the most powerful and moving images. Placing the images on individual slides, allow students 1-2 minutes to observe each image. During that time period, students should be taking notes based on what they observe, predict and infer about each image. The more powerful and detailed the image is, the more information students can take out. After the class has observed all the chosen images, have a class discussion based on the notes students took. This is a great way to introduce content in a way that engages students and gets them thinking, as well as avoiding the typical lecture format. Your visual learners will appreciate this technique.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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California As I Saw It - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12
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The Library of Congress has collected original writings by settlers and explorers in California during the period 1850-1900. Indexed by author, subject, and title, this site offers...more
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The Library of Congress has collected original writings by settlers and explorers in California during the period 1850-1900. Indexed by author, subject, and title, this site offers lots of starting points for talented students interested in using primary source materials for research in history or social studies.
tag(s): california (16), explorers (66), gold rush (15)
In the Classroom
This would be a very useful site for covering the Gold Rush in a US history classroom. Select several documents and images that could be used for a document-centered activity in your classroom. Assign students to groups, with each receiving a different document and/or image. Have students fill out graphic organizers about each document, with the intentions of rotating all until students have received every one. At the end of the activity, have a class discussion of what students found and what their answers indicate. A refreshing way to teach Gold Rush history without another lecture.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Photographs of Edward S. Curtis - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12
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This Library of Congress exhibit contains dozens of photographs made of Native Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection concentrates in the Pacific northwest,...more
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This Library of Congress exhibit contains dozens of photographs made of Native Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection concentrates in the Pacific northwest, and was an attempt to record the cultural life of the tribes there. Though some of the images were "staged" by modern standards, these images offer a "real world" glimpse of cultures many students can only read about.
tag(s): native americans (91)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a "picture walk" in your classroom, introducing the topic of Native American cultures. Select 10-15 of the more powerful and diverse images, hanging them up in different locations around your classroom. Have students rotate around the classroom every 30-45 seconds, jotting down what they observe and infer about each image until the entire class has completed the circuit. After the class is back in their seats, have a class discussion based on what they observed and what this says about the specific tribes studied. A great way to get students thinking about the content in a way that's more personal and lecture-less!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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African American Odyssey - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12
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The Library of Congress offers this nine-part introduction to the history of African Americans. The site relies on primary sources - images, letters, speeches - to illustrate contemporary...more
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The Library of Congress offers this nine-part introduction to the history of African Americans. The site relies on primary sources - images, letters, speeches - to illustrate contemporary views and chronicle their evolution from the Revolution through the civil rights movement. There are hundreds of ways to adapt this material to the classroom, and the site offers numerous suggestions and starting points. This one's a must!
tag(s): africa (139), african american (111)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site for a picture-walk during a unit on African American History, from slavery to Emancipation. Print and hang pictures around the classroom, with students assigned to different stations. Have students rotate around the classroom, looking at a new image every minute. Once students have walked through everything, have a class discussion about what students saw and learned. This activity works best with a graphic organizer - to create one, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker, (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Marshall Plan - Library of Congress
Grades
9 to 12
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This section from the Library of Congress' American Memory site provides an overview and details of the Marshall Plan for the economic reconstruction of Europe in the years immediately...more
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This section from the Library of Congress' American Memory site provides an overview and details of the Marshall Plan for the economic reconstruction of Europe in the years immediately following World War II. It's text-heavy, but there's enough information here for a really good term paper or any student interested in learning about the people and policies which helped rebuild post-war Europe.
tag(s): world war 2 (151)
In the Classroom
Use this site to demonstrate the importance of primary documents for both history and civics. Have students look at the text via interactive whiteboard or projector, and then examine the documents that accompany it. Use this to start a discussion on the different views that both secondary and primary provide before continuing to study the site as it was intended. An excellent site to examine the Marshall plan and primary documents!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Meeting of Frontiers
Grades
9 to 12
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This site from the Library of Congress compares the settlement of the American west with the Russian migration and expansion eastward, and highlights the meeting of the Russian and...more
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This site from the Library of Congress compares the settlement of the American west with the Russian migration and expansion eastward, and highlights the meeting of the Russian and American frontiers in the Alaskan wilderness. Developed in both English and Russian, the site covers a half dozen major topic areas, offering combinations of narrative and archival images. This is a "compare and contrast" study that students don't frequently encounter, and it could be an interesting sidebar to discussions of either the American west or the history of Russia in the 19th century.
In the Classroom
If comparing, use an online Venn Diagram on the interactive whiteboard or projector - we recommend a tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Empire that was Russia - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12
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This is a truly extraordinary collection of images of Russia during the period 1900-1915. The photographer's techniques enabled the Library of Congress to recreate high quality, full-color...more
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This is a truly extraordinary collection of images of Russia during the period 1900-1915. The photographer's techniques enabled the Library of Congress to recreate high quality, full-color images of 100 year old scenes that look as though they were taken yesterday. Though the site has a wealth of technical information, the images themselves will be most useful. The site includes numerous buildings that were destroyed during the Russian revolution of 1917.
tag(s): photography (118), russia (33)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a visual discovery activity in your classroom. Select 3-5 of the more powerful and descriptive images, placing them on separate PowerPoint slides. Share the slides on the interactive whiteboard, allowing students to view each image for 30-45 seconds each. During that time period students should jot down what they can observe, infer and predict about each image. After the class has gone through all the slides, have a class discussion based on student's notes. This is a great way to review a unit on Russia, allowing students to apply their knowledge from the previous classes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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U.S. Copyright Office Home Page - Library of Congress
Grades
1 to 12
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Read about the basics by clicking the tab next to What is Copyright. The menu on the right includes Copyright and Artifivial Intelligence information. Links to full text of copyright...more
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Read about the basics by clicking the tab next to What is Copyright. The menu on the right includes Copyright and Artifivial Intelligence information. Links to full text of copyright law, Congressional discussions on copyright revision, and numerous PDF files on specific or technical topics related to copyright.
In the Classroom
Use this site as reference when teaching about copyright. Share with older students to investigate on their own. Share with other teachers at your school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Historic American Maps - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12
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The Library of Congress has produced this collection of historic maps in half a dozen categories ranging from convervation to cities to military campaigns. Users can view maps online...more
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The Library of Congress has produced this collection of historic maps in half a dozen categories ranging from convervation to cities to military campaigns. Users can view maps online or download them for inclass use.
In the Classroom
Teachers will probably want to suggest which maps are most useful.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Around the World in the 1890s - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12
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This is a Library of Congress collection of photos taken for the World Transportation Commission in the 1890s. Teachers, students, or parents could use this online archive to illustrate...more
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This is a Library of Congress collection of photos taken for the World Transportation Commission in the 1890s. Teachers, students, or parents could use this online archive to illustrate both what foreign nations were like a hundred years ago, and also the subjects that Americans were interested in recording during their journeys. This is a nice example of the primary resources which the Library makes available on the web.
tag(s): cultures (132)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a visual discovery activity in your classroom, introducing the topic of evolving transportation. Select 3-5 images from this site, choosing the most powerful and moving images. Placing the images on individual slides, allow students 1-2 minutes to observe each image. During that time period, students should be taking notes based on what they observe, predict and infer about each image. The more powerful and detailed the image is, the more information students can take out. After the class has observed all the chosen images, have a class discussion based on the notes students took. This is a great way to introduce content in a way that gets students thinking, as well as avoiding the typical lecture format.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Trails to Utah and the Pacific
Grades
1 to 12
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Located in the Library of Congress collection is a variety of primary source accounts of pioneers who travelled across the Wild West. ...more
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Located in the Library of Congress collection is a variety of primary source accounts of pioneers who travelled across the Wild West.
tag(s): primary sources (117), westward expansion (38)
In the Classroom
Search this site, or have students search this site, to find primary sources that accurately display what the experience of traveling west was like.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Watergate and the Constitution - National Archives
Grades
9 to 12
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The Congressional investigations of the Watergate affair and Richard Nixon's subsequent resignation tested the Constitutional relationships among all three branches of the federal government....more
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The Congressional investigations of the Watergate affair and Richard Nixon's subsequent resignation tested the Constitutional relationships among all three branches of the federal government. This lesson from the Library of Congress asks students to explore this relationship and explain how and why the system worked effectively.
tag(s): constitution (88), water (101)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and classroom activities during a unit or lesson on Watergate. US history and government teachers will appreciate this one - just be sure to save this one as a favorite on your classroom computer to allow for easy retrieval later on!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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FDR and the Supreme Court - National Archives
Grades
9 to 12
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Franklin Roosevelt's plan to pack the Supreme Court was a landmark test of the Constitution's separation of powers. This lesson plan from the Library of Congress explores the implications...more
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Franklin Roosevelt's plan to pack the Supreme Court was a landmark test of the Constitution's separation of powers. This lesson plan from the Library of Congress explores the implications of Roosevelt's plan and asks students to argue both sides of the question.
tag(s): roosevelt (12), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plan and classroom activities hosted on this website! US history and government teachers will appreciate this one - just make sure to save it as a favorite to allow for easy retrieval later on.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Learning About Immigration Through Oral History
Grades
6 to 8
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Designed as a year-long project, this unit can be adapted for a short-term lesson. The goal is to give students a realistic experience of oral history and its place in ...more
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Designed as a year-long project, this unit can be adapted for a short-term lesson. The goal is to give students a realistic experience of oral history and its place in our history, focusing on American immigrants. Students will use visual and information literacy exercises to gain an understanding of how to identify and interpret primary historical sources. There are a total of six activities; each one can serve as a "stand-alone" unit. The activities cover topics such as "Oral history methodology" and "Making meaning out of an archive," and students get to work alone and in groups.
tag(s): immigrants (33), immigration (63), migration (44)
In the Classroom
The library of Congress has put together an excellent lesson plan that simultaneously addresses the standards teachers need to focus on and one of the most important elements of history - oral evidence. Take advantage of this free lesson plan.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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State and Local Government Resources - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12
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This collection from the Library of Congress includes links to state-specific govenment and legal information from a variety of official and independent sources. There are collections...more
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This collection from the Library of Congress includes links to state-specific govenment and legal information from a variety of official and independent sources. There are collections of state statutes, web site directories, state constitutions, and much more. Very useful resource for state history assignments or any study of state-specific government.
tag(s): states (122)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource if making state profiles during an American History or Government class. Assign students different states to study, allowing them to research specific aspects about their assigned state. To modify learing and show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online infographic to share using Visme, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Current Legislative Activities - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12
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Maintained by the Library of Congress, this site contains information on the status of federal legislation, Federal Register, and daily schedules including committee meetings. The site...more
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Maintained by the Library of Congress, this site contains information on the status of federal legislation, Federal Register, and daily schedules including committee meetings. The site is geared to provide current status on as much legislation as possible. Required reading for those studying American government.
tag(s): congress (39), house of representatives (8), senate (10)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a reference for finding information about specific legislation to supplement your unit. For example, teachers working on a unit about civil rights can find information about laws regarding equality and the progress that has been made. Likewise, this can be used during discussions on the Legislative Branch, Separation of powers, Healthcare reform, environmental policy, etc. A great resource for a US government class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Religion and the Founding of the American Republic
Grades
6 to 12
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This site from the Library of Congress traces the role of religion in the founding of both individual colonies and the American federal government using primary sources and documents....more
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This site from the Library of Congress traces the role of religion in the founding of both individual colonies and the American federal government using primary sources and documents. It would be useful for introducing students to primary research, or for any exploration of the different purposes for which Europeans came to America.
tag(s): colonial america (95), primary sources (117), religions (77)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a "picture walk" in your classroom, introducing the topic of religion in US politics and government. Select 10-15 of the more powerful and diverse images, hanging them up in different locations around your classroom. Have students rotate around the classroom every 30-45 seconds, jotting down what they observe and infer about each image until the entire class has completed the circuit. After the class is back in their seats, have a class discussion based on what they observed and what this says about the people's desire for an establishment clause. A great way to get students thinking about the content in a way that's more personal and lecture-less!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Immigration History Firsthand - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 8
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This unit is designed to help elementary students learn to use the Internet for research, as well as broaden their understanding of history. In the first lesson, students gather and...more
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This unit is designed to help elementary students learn to use the Internet for research, as well as broaden their understanding of history. In the first lesson, students gather and discuss personal artifacts to gain an understanding of what makes a "collection." During the second lesson, students use their local archives to discover how collections are organized, then try organizing some documents themselves. In the final lesson, students transition to a national topic and research the archives online. The gradual steps of the lesson help make it easier to search through the immense amount of material available online.
tag(s): local history (14)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and activities offered by the Library of Congress! The lessons all come equipped with corresponding standards, so teachers can rest assured this is all valid information that will help satisfy their requirements.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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To Kill a Mockingbird - Historical Perspective - Library of Congress
Grades
9 to 12
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The Library of Congress created this extensive site, which uses archival images and texts to provide background and context for a multi-part study unit on To Kill A Mockingbird. The...more
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The Library of Congress created this extensive site, which uses archival images and texts to provide background and context for a multi-part study unit on To Kill A Mockingbird. The entire project takes four to five weeks, but the unit can be subdivided into smaller components. If this book is in your syllabus, this site is well worth a visit.
tag(s): africa (139), african american (111), racism (76)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plan to include with your book study of To Kill a Mockingbird both as a whole class unit, or modify for use with independent reading groups. If you don't have time to teach the entire unit, use portions of the activities as part of your lessons on racism or US history during the Great Depression era.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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