"The Karpeles Libraryis the world's largest private holding of important original manuscripts & documents.The archives include Literature, Science, Religion,History and Art. Among the treasures are .... "The original draft of the Bill of Rights of the United States", The original manuscript of " The Wedding March", Einstein's description of his " Theory of Relativity", The " Thanksgiving Proclamation" signed by George Washington, Roget's " Thesaurus", Webster's " Dictionary" and over one million more."
"Turn your students into historians with primary-source based activities that develop historical thinking skills. Activities are ready to use in your classroom. Or alter an existing activity to fit your unique needs. Exchange primary source documents and modify activity instructions. "
The Historical Scene Investigation Project (HSI) was designed for social studies teachers who need a strong pedagogical mechanism for bringing primary sources into their classroom. With the advent and accessibility of the internet, many libraries, universities and government agencies are housing their historical documents online. Simultaneously, there has been a push in K-12 history education to give students experiences that more closely resemble the work of a real historian.
"Encourages students to go back and look at primary documents, such as the Constitution and the letters of the Founders such as Jefferson and Madison to better understand the intended role of Congress in our system of government. Appropriate for classroom use, middle school students and above."
Blog post about powerful web resources that have the power to engage students using digital tools and the desire today's youth have to express themselves, all while using the increasing amount of primary source materials available online.
This section contains reproducible copies of primary documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government, and cross-curricular connections.
Teaching with primary documents encourages a varied learning environment for teachers and students alike. Lectures, demonstrations, analysis of documents, independent research, and group work become a gateway for research with historical records in ways that sharpen students' skills and enthusiasm for history, social studies, and the humanities.
The features on this Web site enable educational communities to:
* Browse primary sources that teachers have used with students.
* Teach primary source-based learning experiences from the Teaching Materials Collection.
* Design learning experiences using MyPortfolio.
* Share discoveries with others through field-testing and publishing.
* Use our professional development programs to uncover the breadth and depth of LOC.gov resources.
* Learn through primary source-based online activities and samples of student projects.
* Create digital documentaries using University of Virginia's Primary Access or make a handout for students.
Welcome to the Digital Classroom, the National Archives' gateway for resources about primary sources, activities and training for educators and students.
Calisphere is the University of California's free public gateway to a world of primary sources. More than 150,000 digitized items - including photographs, documents, newspaper pages, political cartoons, works of art, diaries, transcribed oral histories, advertising, and other unique cultural artifacts - reveal the diverse history and culture of California and its role in national and world history.
The National Archives preserves and provides access to the records of the Federal Government. Here is a sample of these records, from our most celebrated milestones to little-known surprises.