Traveling the world, becoming inspired, overcoming obstacles, and changing life as we know it all sound like parts of some amazing movie. They are also parts of the picture book story of Samual Morse, inventor of the telegraph and Morse… Read More ›
primary sources
Engaging Students with Inquiry Using Primary Sources
Teaching research is not just teaching about where information is according to Rebecca Newland. In her 2019 AASL National Conference presentation “Engaging Students with Inquiry Using Primary Sources,” she noted that teaching researching is also an opportunity to teach students… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Interview with Donna Janell Bowman, Author of King of the Tightrope
As we continue to explore picture book authors who utilize primary sources in their research, I was excited to interview Donna Janell Bowman who, in her newest book, writes about one of my favorite lesser-known historical figures, The Great Blondin…. Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Interview with Barry Wittenstein, Author of A Place to Land
Authors and illustrators of historically based picture books often use primary sources as part of their research. These sources shape their understanding of a person, place, or time and ultimately help to shape the final story. As we enter the… Read More ›
Perfectly Possible: Library of Congress Primary Sources in YOUR Library
Beating the Summer Heat This summer, I got to beat the heat of southern Maryland by attending a very cool week-long adventure at the Library of Congress. In the spring, I applied to be a part of the Teaching with… Read More ›
Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: How the Cookie Crumbled by Gilbert Ford
When I first read Gilbert Ford’s book How the Cookie Crumbled where readers are introduced to Ruth Wakefield and the invention of the chocolate chip cookie, I immediately wondered what primary sources could be paired with the book. My searches led… Read More ›
Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: When Washington Crossed the Delaware by Lynne Cheney and Peter M. Fiore
Last month I helped to give a workshop in Lexington, Kentucky, through a grant called Project CHARGE (Civics History through Advanced Research and Geography Education). Over five days, elementary and middle school teachers focused on mid-17th-century history through the adoption… Read More ›
Picture Books and Primary Sources: Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution. By Rob Sanders and Jamey Christoph
I am always glad when an anniversary of an event coincides with a historically based picture book. It adds a greater purpose to bring that book and event into student learning. This is the case with the upcoming 50th anniversary… Read More ›
Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: A Lady Has the Floor: Belva Lockwood Speaks Out for Women’s Rights by Kate Hannigan
There are times when reading a historically based picture book that I cannot help but make comparisons to today. Primary sources can help me focus that comparison. This was the case when reading the picture book A Lady Has the… Read More ›
Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources: The Boo-Boos That Changed the World by Barry Wittenstein
There are times when I read a historically based picture book and hope that I can find great primary sources to accompany it. I felt this way when I read The Boo-Boos That Changed the World written by Barry Wittenstein… Read More ›