Literacy+using+Primary+Sources

**Primary Sources and Literacy**  Using primary sources is a critical component in historical research, and students shoud be given the opportunity to work with primary sources. After all primary sources are the closest we can come to historical figures, events, and history in general. Primary sources are personal accounts like oral histories, diaries, memoirs, correspondence, or newspaper articles, documents like correspondence, treaties, laws, speeches, or images like. maps, photographs, drawings, and paintings.

Elementary school students are rarely given the opportunity to use primary sources, however the Internet and technology has allowed teachers to bring primary sources to the classroom. Primary sources can be used to have students interact with history, while going beyond textbooks. Primary sources can make students feel the richness and fun in history, without labeling it a boring subject. Primary sources will enhance curriculum, instruction and student learning by using authentic texts and artifacts and documents. Students should be given the opportunity to work with primary sources.

Here is a link to Scholastic Instructor about [|Powerful Primary Sources for Students].

ERIC Digest article for teachers about [|Using Primary Sources on the Internet to Teach and Learn History]

Cool Stuff for Teacher about Teaching With Documents: []

[|Library of Congress]  website for Teaching with Primary Sources.