While the Library of Congress website is vast, I found the Classroom Resources section under the Teachers heading to be beneficial for my current position as a third grade classroom teacher; although many of the items I saw could be used at any elementary grade level. I found the Primary Sources by State and Immigration Challenges to be beneficial to my current unit in my district's SS program. The Thanksgiving link would be interesting for the students to see and discover things they didn't know before celebrating this holiday. I'll definitely use this site with my students, because it goes so well with what we're studying. Plus, it creates a more 'real' experience than their textbook allows.

The exhibits on this site were awesome! From the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence to the Deadly Influenza Virus or Electing a President and Democracy; these were just a few among many that met indicators on my specific grade level, so I'm sure others would work for different elementary grades. My favorite part was the Eyewitness exhibit. It has links to all important moments in US History and has video, songs, and voice recordings to bring students into that very moment in time.

This site provided a simple method called SOAP in introducing students to primary sources as well as some explicit and direct instruction examples. (S=What kind of source? O=What's the occasion? A=Who's the audience? P=What's the purpose?) Additionally, it had 10-45 minute lesson plans for implementing primary documents in topics like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Sugar in the Modern World. It provided a variety of extra resources: children's trade books, websites, standards and skills addressed, as well as how to get students to think critically about history.

While I directed my search to Nebraska once on this site, many of the other state sites that I checked out were really cool. I imagine upper elementary would benefit from this site for projects, but I could utilize this site in my Flat Stanley project. Flat Stanley is sent to my student's families in other states (countries) and we compare and contrast the physical geography, natural resources and climate. This site would allow me to do that while showing the students some specific historical/cultural aspects not experienced through typical research.

Over 133 links to sites with primary documents covering a variety of topics including American journeys and exploration (Lewis and Clark), Tracking Buffalo, Salem Witchcraft Trials and even some modern topics like Bob Hope and American Variety, and Immigration Today. About a dozen of these 133 links were directed towards teacher and lesson plans, so I liked that this site had so many others wrapped into one. This site also had primary documents for all subject areas: Art, Music, Math, S.S., Science, Writing, Reading, and even Physical Education. There's something for everyone here!

This is an amazing site, fun for kids and perfect for all grades. As a 3rd grade teacher, I found many items on the 3-5 grade level applicable to my SS program. For example, Citizenship, Your Neighborhood and Beyond, and How Laws are Made all match my curriculum and clarify these complicated processes into simple terms. I know my kids would love to match the states game under Interactive Games.

What a great site to explain energy. My 3rd graders learn about potential energy, kinetic energy, light and sound energy, etc. This site will provide great information and resources when I begin this Energy unit in November. With an outdated textbook, I'll rely more and more on sites like this to explain the possibilities of new energies, especially as our natural resources deplete and we rely on finding new ones or utilizing renewable resources.

What a fun site. The games were great because there were so many applications: SS, Science, Math and more. I loved seeing how the quarter was made and comparing and contrasting it to coins across the world. I've already used this site with my class, because a couple of my students filled out wanting to know more about other country's coins in the KWL for our current SS chapter. They LOVED seeing this!

The space exploration info and visuals are fantastic. Space: the sun and planets as well as daily/yearly patterns in the sky are studied second semester at my grade level and this site will be a frequent visit for my students. The research links will be great for the discovery process and increase student motivation, because they can lead their own investigations. Site works well for Geography as well.

Facts, trivia, history, comparisons to other states, maps, almanacs, and more on this kid friendly site. When searching 'primary sources' in their search field brings a ton of other topics connecting to all subject areas including Math, Science, etc. Lots of information and links that take kids to safe sites for further data on whatever they're interested in.