Teaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region
Projects funded through theTeaching with Primary Sources Midwest Region expand our knowledge about the teaching and learning with primary sources. The Midwest Region appreciates the work of those involved in subcontracts that provide professional development or conduct research throughout the Midwest. The following projects have been funded by the Midwest Region.
Type I Projects
Indiana
Pioneer and Antebellum Midwest Life
The primary goal of this Type I project, awarded to Ball State University, is to have all elementary social studies graduate students who complete their social studies program to have the skills and knowledge to access and utilize the digital primary sources from the Library of Congress. Students will construct teaching materials using the Library of Congress resources to help them teach third and fourth grade students about pioneer life and antebellum issues in the Midwest and the Ohio River Valley. Key staff will receive training on the use of the Library of Congress website as part of this project so that they can help students prepare their instructional material. This staff training will also help to sustain the efforts initiated through this project.
Kansas
Project History Methods
A Type I grant was awarded to Kansas State University to instruct pre-service history and elementary teachers in the use of primary sources from the digital archives of the Library of Congress. After attending six workshops, participants will integrate primary source research into a lesson or unit plan
Teaching with Primary Sources Teaching Secondary Social Studies Methods Better Prepared Teachers in the Social Studies Classroom
This Type I grant was awarded to Emporia State University in order to restructure curriculum for two secondary social science methods courses. These courses will be adjusted to incorporate Teaching with Primary Sources materials and instruction on the effective use of primary sources. Students in Introduction to Teaching Secondary Social Studies will be given the opportunity to compile primary sources for each discipline they will teach and to create mini lessons. Students in Teaching Secondary and Middle Level Social Studies Methods will participate in a workshop that provides TPS materials to help them prepare better primary source lesson plans. The students will be required to implement their newly gained knowledge of the use of primary sources during their student teaching experience by preparing and utilizing at least one lesson plan that incorporates primary sources.
Kentucky
Kids as Detectives: The Historical Scene Investigation Project
A Type I grant has been awarded to the University of Kentucky to introduce teachers to the use of the Historical Scene Investigation Project (HSI) and the use of primary sources to engage students in the process of "doing history". The HSI project guides students in the analysis of primary sources to "solve a case". Participants will be provided with examples of how HSI has been used in the classroom and resources to replicate these experiences.
Wisconsin
Engagement with the Library of Congress Digital Collections by Secondary Pre-Service Social Studies Teachers: Enhancing Inquiry Through Primary Sources
This Type I award was given to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to modify the secondary social studies teacher education curriculum to incorporate the use of Library of Congress primary sources into instruction. Students will integrate primary sources into an inquiry based lesson or unit plan. This plan will be used during the student teaching semester and the students will be encouraged to present their work at the Great Lakes Regional Annual Social Studies Conference and to develop a website to showcase their work and share their lesson plans with other pre-service and practicing teachers.
Improving Teacher Education Students' Ability to Teach with Primary Resources Using Technology
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has been awarded a Type I grant in order to modify course content of the secondary social studies teacher education program. Social Studies faculty and staff will create a framework for the best use of technology in instruction and develop a unit for the social studies method course that teaches pre-service teachers about Library of Congress primary sources. The goal of this project is to ensure that pre-service teachers are able to effectively use primary sources and new technology in the classroom. Students will create a lesson plan that is to be implemented during student teaching experiences and shared online. The guide to technology use, framework for lessons with primary sources and sample lessons will also be shared online with pre-service and in-service teachers and teacher educators.
Making a Connection: A Bridge to the Past
A Type I grant was awarded to Lakeland College. Pre-service teachers will be instructed on the use of the Library of Congress database and the importance of the use of primary sources in the classroom. Students will then locate primary sources to complement the new Wisconsin fourth grade textbook. Students will compile resources that will be distributed to principals of elementary schools in the area.
Teaching About the United States and World War Two Through Primary Sources and the American Memory ProjectThis Type I project challenged pre-service teachers in the history instruction program in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to think in new ways about the meaningful integration of primary sources evidence into history instruction. Students planned a unit of study using primary sources from the American Memory Collections.The units ranged from home front topics such as rationing and the labor of women to Pearl Harbor, Japanese-American internment, the Women's Army Corps, the war in the Philippines, and wartime propaganda. The Principal Investigator looks forward to following these students during their student teaching experience to see if they integrate the use of primary sources into their instruction.
Making Sense of Primary Sources and Understanding by Design in an Elementary Social Studies Methods Course: A Look at 60 Pre-Service Teachers' Perceptions and Applications
This Type I award was granted to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to explore the use of primary source materials during the curriculum design process in the elementary and middle grades social studies methods course. Pre-service elementary and middle teachers will engage in activities such as reflection papers on the use of primary sources, interviews with in-service social studies teacher about their curriculum decisions and their use of primary and secondary sources, and textbook analysis of specific issues (e.g., women's rights, treatment of race, labor unions, etc.). The goal of this project is to better develop students' abilities to integrate primary sources into their instructional units.