About the Program

Mission

The mission of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program is to: build awareness of the Library's educational initiatives; provide content that promotes the effective educational use of the Library's resources; and offer access to and promote sustained use of the Library's educational resources.

The Library achieves this mission through collaborations between the Library and the K-12 educational community across the United States. The program contributes to the quality of education by helping teachers use the Library's digitized primary sources to engage students, develop their critical thinking skills and construct knowledge.

Learn more about the Library's TPS program and other resources available to teachers at www.loc.gov/teachers. 

Goals

The goals of the Teaching with Primary Sources Program are to work with an educational consortium to:

1. Provide online and in-person primary source-based professional development programs nationwide.
2. Increase the ability of educators to design student-centered primary source-based learning experiences that use effective instructional practices.
3. Implement standards-based learning experiences that improve student ability to critically examine primary sources.
4. Build patronage of the Library's digitized resources that expand the community of educators dedicated to the improvement of education through the use of primary sources.

Overview

The aim of the Teaching with Primary Sources Program is to embed the use of digitized primary sources in curricula and the classroom to deepen content understanding and student literacy. Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium members and their partners will follow a process of planning and development, implementation, and dissemination of procedures and products that meet member and Teaching with Primary Sources Program goals. External and internal evaluation will be integrated into all phases of the program.

Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium members and their partners will create professional development strategies and curricular resources on using the Library's digitized primary sources to improve learning. These strategies should be ongoing and progressive to allow for college/university and K-12 educators to improve their competencies to: design primary source-based inquiry-oriented learning experiences, implement these experiences in the classroom, evaluate these experiences and learning outcomes, and share their expertise.

Funded by a grant from the Library of Congress, the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program at California University of PA primarily serves K-12 teachers (pre-service and in-service) in southwestern Pennsylvania and, secondarily, across Pennsylvania and beyond. Campus staff include:

Dr. Michael J. Brna, Director
Lynne Berdar, Administrative Assistant
Linda Muller, Instructional Specialist

To see a list of past and present TPS Cal U faculty affiliates, click here.

About TPS Journal (formerly TPS Quarterly)

The TPS Journal is an online publication created by the Library of Congress Educational Outreach Division in collaboration with the TPS Educational Consortium.

Published quarterly, each issue focuses on pedagogical approaches to teaching with Library of Congress digitized primary sources in K-12 classrooms. The TPS Journal Editorial Board and Library staff peer review all content submitted by TPS Consortium members and their partners. Please email questions, suggestions or comments about The TPS Journal to Vivian Awumey, Educational Resources Specialist, at vawu@loc.gov.

Assessing Historical Thinking Skills Using Library of Congress Primary Sources

Volume 1, No. 3, Spring 2013

This issue illustrates how teachers can review students’ primary source analyses to assess both knowledge and skills.

How can a teacher assess not only content knowledge, but also the development of critical thinking skills? The Stanford History Education Group has created formative assessments using primary sources from the Library of Congress. With these tools, teachers can gauge students’ historical understanding and ability to apply critical thinking skills by evaluating their analysis of primary source materials.

TPS Quarterly Editorial Board
Michael Brna, California University of Pennsylvania
Mark Newman, Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
Cindy Rich, Eastern Illinois University
Sherry Levitt, Northern Virginia Partnership (school districts of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Falls Church)
Sheila Watts - The University of the Arts
Laura Hancock - Southeastern Louisiana University

We offer a range of professional development opportunities, not limited to in-class and community presentations, in-service workshops, and professional and academic conferences. Upcoming opportunities for professional development are listed below.

Upcoming Workshop Information

Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Institute, July 22 - 26, 2013

This is an Act 48, 30 Continuing Education hour professional development course offered to K-12 teachers.  This course is designed to help educators (teachers, librarians, media specialist, and instructional coaches) understand the value of using primary sources from the Library of Congress’ online digital collections in conjunction with Common Core State Standards within the PA SAS Framework. 

To register click here.

Ways to earn Act 48 hours in your classroom

Lesson Plan Field Testing
Oral History Projects
National History Day Preparation
Co-teaching with Primary Sources
Teacher Professional Development 

To request additional information and for a list of upcoming workshops please call 724-938-6025 or email Lynne Berdar at berdar@calu.edu

Professional Development

Professional development activities under Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) progress along three program levels. K-12 educators have the option of taking workshops and courses, offered by TPS Consortium members, under all or some of these levels, depending on their interests.

Level I–Participants gain strategies for using primary sources to help students engage in learning, develop critical thinking skills and build content knowledge.

Participants learn:

                        What are primary sources;
                        Why teach with primary sources; and
                        How to teach with primary sources.

Level II– Participants evaluate, create and teach topic-specific, content-informed lessons that integrate primary sources from the Library of Congress and exemplify effective instructional practices.

Participants:

                        Gain a thorough understanding of effective instructional practices
                        with emphases on inquiry-based and student-centered
                        learning using primary sources
                        Learn to identify exemplary learning experiences
                        Create standards-based, content-informed learning experiences integrating
                        primary sources from the Library of Congress
                        that exemplify effective instructional practice
                       Teach, assess and reflect on their experiences using primary sources in
                       instruction
                       Evaluate primary source-based learning experiences
                       Investigate the effects of primary source-based instruction on student learning

Level III – Experienced educators advocate the use of primary sources and help disseminate the ideas, methods and products of the TPS program.

Participants:

                        Mentor colleagues on the effective instructional uses of primary sources
                        Evaluate learning experiences for widespread dissemination and use
                        Interact and collaborate with other teachers who are using Library of Congress
                        primary sources
                       Conduct research into the effective use of primary sources in education
                       Contribute to the use of effective practices for using primary sources in
                       instruction by leading professional development activities

For more information please contact Dr. Brna at brna@calu.edu

Teaching with Primary Sources Program at California Univeristy has recently established the TPS Center for Oral History, which focuses on the preservation, educational use, and creation of oral history primary source materials.  To read the Mission & Vision Statement of the Center, please click here.

Content created and featured in partnership with the Teaching with Primary Sources program does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress.

Listed below are the Oral Histories collected from our Nation's conflicts.  Please click here for all Oral Histories from the TPS Center for Oral History Project.

Afghanistan/Enduring Freedom

Cold War

Desert Storm/Gulf

Grenada

Iraqi Freedom

Korea

Vietnam

World War II

Yugoslavia/Allied Forces 

The Teaching with Primary Sources at California University of PA is involved in a number of community outreach initiatives. Here is a partial listing:

Brownsville Historical Society Guest speaker at their 50th Anniversary Celebration

Chartiers-Houston Library Summer Reading Program - Civil War

Brownsville Library Summer Reading Program - Civil War

Marianna Library Summer Reading Program - Civil War

Scottdale Library Summer Reading Program - Civil War

Mt. Lebanon Library Reading Program - Civil War

Veterans Oral History Project (VOHP)

Donora Smog Museum Project

Donora Digital Collection (DDC)

National History Day

Social Media Links

Teaching with the Primary Sources Library of Congress Blog
National TPS Blog
Library Of Congress on YouTube
Library Of Congress on Facebook
LibraryThing
Summer Institute blog
TPS on Twitter
TPS on Flickr
Library Of Congress Webcasts
Library Of Congress on iTunes (requires iTunes)

Other Library of Congress Links
Library of Congress
Library Of Congress Digital Collections
myLOC
World Digital Library
Library Of Congress Exhibitions

Other related links
National History Day
Heinz History Center

Cal U TPS related press releases and other public relation publications are listed here.

Reading Rigor

Cal U Journal, March 4, 2013, Volume 15, No. 6, Page 2

Area Students Compete at Sixth Annual History Day

Cal U Journal, February 18, 2013, Volume 15, No. 4, Page 2

Students Prepare For History Day

Cal U Journal, February 4, 2013, Volume 15, No. 2, Page 2 

Valley Veterans tell stories or Oral Military History Project

TribLive, September 24, 2012

Grants Awarded

Cal U Journal, September 24, 2012, Volume 14, No. 23, Page 3

TPS Takes Professional Development Program Online

Cal U Journal, September 17, 2012, Volume 14, No. 22, Page 2

Staff Presentations

Academic Affairs News, September 2012, Page 4

Department Accomplishments

Academic Affairs News, September 2012, Page 7

TPS, Students Compete at History Day Contest

California University Journal, Volume 14, #6, February 27, 2012, Page 3

TPS, IU1 Continue Collaboration

California University Journal, Volume 13, #23, Sept 26, 2011, Page 3

Cal U History Day Competition 2010

Herald Standard, Thursday, July 21,2011

Conference Celebrates Music, Literature of Appalachia, Appalachian Culture Focus on Conference

California University Journal, Volume 13, #12, April 11, 2011, Page 3

Cooperative Projects with California University of Pennsylvania

The California Crier, Volume 18, No. 1, March 2011, Page 4

Contest Preps Students for History Day

California University Journal, Volume 13, #7, February 28, 2011, Page 2

Students Ready for History Day

California University Journal, Volume 13, #4, February 7, 2011, Page 3

Summer Institute a Success

California University Journal, Volume 12, #21, Sept, 20, 2010, Page 2

Cal U Primary Source History Day

California University Academic Affairs News, September 2010, Page 4

Recent Grant Awards

California University Academic Affairs News, Summer 2010, Page 3

Cal U Review, Summer 2010, Page 7

Groundbreaker Recalls ROTC Training

California University Journal, Volume 12, (12), Page 1

April 19, 2010

Library of Congress Designates Cal U a Founding Partner

California University Journal, Volume 12 (10), Page 2

April 5, 2010

Young Historians Square Off

California University Journal, Volume 12, (8), Page 2

March 22, 2010

Local Students Brush Up For History Day

California University Journal, Volume 12 (4), Page 2

February 8, 2010

'Million Dollar Achievers' Honored

California University Journal, Volume 11 (33), Page 1

December 7, 2009

Campus Briefs - Brna Speaks at Conferences

California University Journal, Volume 11 (22), Page 4

September 21, 2009

Should any questions arise, please contact us at 724-938-6025 or email Lynne at Berdar@calu.edu

                     
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    Bentworth                  Beth Center                  Brownsville