Vacations are over.  It is time torevise lessons and prepare for new classes.  Let’s start this year with a little creativity and enthusiasm ;-) At this time of the year, our goal as educators is to make our students look forward to learning, while brushing up on important concepts they learned previously.  

How can you as an educator, inspire your children this year?  By using the Library of Congress website to enhance your lesson plans.  On the Library on Congress site, children will be able to discover, explore and learn.  Let’s guide our students to a brighter future!

  • Helpful Lesson Plan Sets Using Primary Sources

The Civil War Through the Child’s Eyes

The Titanic: Shifting Responses to Its Sinking

American Indian Reservation Controversies

Civil War Photographs:  What Do You See?

The Grapes of Wrath: Scrapbooks and Artifacts

  • FEATURED LESSON PLAN FROM A PAST PARTICIPANT

Teaching Reading Strategies Using Primary Sources:

This month’s feature lesson is designed to teach young students the strategies of making inferences, as well as the skills of comparing and contrasting.  Through the use of photographs, students will explore and discover that classrooms from the past have both similarities to – and differences from – today’s classrooms.

*This lesson was created by Sue Brady, a teacher at  Nathan Hale School.  Thank you, Sue!

  • ONLINE WEBINAR BY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS EDUCATION TEAM

The Library of Congress Education Team is pleased to announce that we will host a new professional development online webinar on Constitution Day Resources.

The hour-long program will start with an analysis of a primary source related to Constitution Day and participants will be invited to discuss instructional strategies that can be used with primary sources. In addition, education specialists will highlight resources related to Constitution Day for teachers from the Library’s vast online collections.

The event will be held on September 5, 2013, at 7:00 pm ESTAttendance is limited to the first 1000 to register, so we encourage you to REGISTER RIGHT AWAY! (CLICK HERE TO REGISTER)

http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/

EXCITING NEWS!

The 13th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival  will take place on September 21st and 22nd! 

The festival is held on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are honorary chairs for the event.

This year’s festival will feature authors, poets, and illustrators in several pavilions.

Festival participants can meet and hear firsthand from their favorite poets and authors, get books signed, enjoy special entertainment, have photos taken with storybook characters and participate in a variety of activities.

This is a free event that is truly an experience of a lifetime. 

To learn more, please click on the poster image ==>

  •  CLASSIC BOOKS

http://www.read.gov/books/apple-pie.html

Classic Book from Primary Sources of the Library of Congress

Enliven your classroom experience and encourage your students to turn the pages and explore time-honored, historical narratives. 

There are so many books available within the Primary Sources of the Library of Congress.

To find the ideal book for your next lesson plan, please visit this section of the Library of Congress website: Read.gov.

 

  • INAUGURAL COACHES ACADEMY COMPLETE!

The first TPS-GSU Coaches Academy was a huge success.  As you can see in the photo below, our TPS-GSU Trainers had a wonderful 3-day academy in July teaching the carefully chosen group of participants -  experienced educators and business leaders – the skills to become a high-quality coach.

Trainers for Inaugural TPS-GSU Coaches Academy 2013

Trainers for Inaugural TPS-GSU Coaches Academy 2013

Participants learned to effectively use the resources on the TPS-GSU website and the Library of Congress website. 

As the newly certified ambassadors of TPS-GSU, our new Coaches will be guiding and supporting other educators in their district to:

* Better utilize Primary Sources from the Library of Congress

* Meet Common Core State Standards

* Bring more “life” into your students’ educational experiences 

We invite you to contact them to support you with your lesson plans this new school year.  Each Coach is now qualified to advocate the use of Primary Sources as they disseminate the ideas, methods, and products from our TPS-GSU program. 

Newly Certified Coaches from Inaugural TPS-GSU Coaches Academy 2013

Newly Certified Coaches from Inaugural TPS-GSU Coaches Academy 2013

Of the many applicants who were considered, we are honored to introduce you to our eight newly certified TPS-GSU Coaches … Congratulations to each of you!

 

THERE’S STILL TIME TO REGISTER … but hurry!

DIGITAL STORYTELLING using Primary Sources to Achieve CCSS

(Pre-requisite: At least 12 hrs TPS Training)

  • Fresh approach for achieving CCSS in your classroom
  • Learn to weave images, music, and narrative voice to create digital stories

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR HISTORICAL DIGITAL STORYTELLING – TWO DAY WORKSHOP OCTOBER 5 & 19 – FROM 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

==> REGISTRATION ENDS on SEPTEMBER 20TH.

Don’t delay … Register Today!  See you there ;-)  

Library of Congress-Teaching with Primary Sources logo - black & white