Primarily Teaching: Using Primary Sources to Promote Effective Instruction and Improve Student learning

The Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region Program is located at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.  The goal of the Teaching with Primary Sources Program is to promote access to primary sources through the Library of Congress and the effective use of those primary sources.  The Iowa Council for the Social Studies was recently awarded a Grant by the Center.  The Primarily Teaching Grant was awarded to the Council through December 2014. 

Project Goals and Objectives: 

• Participants will gain strategies for using primary sources to help students engage in learning, develop critical thinking skills and build content knowledge.  
  
• Participants will evaluate, create, and teach lessons that integrate primary sources from the Library of Congress and exemplify effective instructional practice.  
  
• The program will share primary source based lesson plans and resources developed and create a sustained focus on using primary sources and teaching historical thinking strategies through the use of Library of Congress materials.