Uncovering Our History: Teaching with Primary Sources - Softcover

Veccia, Susan H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0838908624 ISBN 13: 9780838908624

Publisher: ALA Editions, 2003

Synopsis

Using primary sources to teach history, which goes beyond rote memorization of dates and facts, has been incorporated into the educational standards of nearly every state. For overburdened K-12 teachers, librarians, and media specialists, complying with those standards is easier said than done. In this useful handbook, expert author Susan Veccia offers readers practical ways to incorporate these standards into their curriculum, using the resources of the Library of Congress's American Memory Website. This national treasure and resource for bringing history alive is home to over 100 digitized collections of primary sources - more than 7.5 million documents! While the wealth of information on this site is freely available, its magnitude can seem overwhelming. This hands-on insider's guide helps educators and librarians navigate the information and learn when, where, and how to incorporate these online primary documents into the curriculum. The author along with four contributors - three teachers, one librarian - share practical lessons and personal stories that illustrate: How American Memory resources can be used to teach history, information; Literacy, and critical thinking in elementary, middle, and high schools; Tips for integrating primary sources into the classroom; Ways to overcome student difficulties with original materials; Historical methods that engage students in the big questions; Experience shows that immersion in the stories of our nation using primary documents illuminates the past and builds genuine interest in a way that textbooks cannot. Veccia and her contributors help classroom teachers and librarians grasp the tools and methods to use this refreshing and effective approach to teaching history.

About this title

About the Author:

Susan H. Veccia is currently working as an education, library, and editorial consultant after retiring from a 20-year career at the Library of Congress. Deeply involved with LOC's digital initiative since 1994, she managed its aggressive educational outreach program, designed to make primary source materials about American history and culture available and understandable to K-12 librarians, teachers, and students. She is founding editor of MultiMedia Schools.

From Booklist:

This fantastic book guides teachers in the value and use of primary sources at the elementary, middle, and secondary levels. It explains what primary sources are (examples include personal stories, ongoing investigations, and raw and unvarnished materials) and shares a variety of ways to find and access them for students. The first few chapters cover, in depth, the American Memory Website from the Library of Congress, which contains a wealth of free information via access to more than 100 primary sources and more than 7.5 million items from the Library of Congress collection. Subsequent chapters convey specific strategies that teachers can use with students on the primary-source journey. Chapters on introducing primary sources to elementary, middle, and secondary students are useful, and a final chapter gives guidelines for a professional development workshop. A highly recommended resource for all school libraries, teachers, and administrators. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: ALA Editions
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0838908624
• ISBN 13: 9780838908624
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 143