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Teaching with Primary Sources

Oklahoma

  • University of Oklahoma

    Consortium Interest Group: Engaging Rural America Support Project

    This project aims to provide planned professional development opportunities for consortium members and associated groups in support of rural education in America. During dedicated meeting times, this group will discuss the current state of rural education from varying perspectives, including how to identify angles of opportunity for supporting rural education; ways to expand knowledge and use of rural collections in the Library of Congress resources to provide support to rural educators and community partners in the creation of a public history project; how to take action in support of rural education from our respective organizations; and ways to build and sustain relationships between project participants to sustain long-term conversations regarding rural education. Planned outcomes from these meetings will include action plans designed to support rural education through a variety of organizations from across the United States and a bank of resources for educators with an intentional focus of spotlighting primary sources and Library of Congress materials related to rural America.

    Contact: Kristy Brugar

  • University of Oklahoma

    Meeting Oklahoma State Standards While Engaging Students with Library of Congress Primary Sources

    Goals for this project awarded to the University of Oklahoma were related to the growth of teacher knowledge associated with classroom materials, content knowledge, and pedagogical practices. Educators explored the TPS program using the resources on the Library of Congress website. Being introduced to primary source materials for investigation allowed teachers to build content knowledge, as well as explore pedagogical opportunities for students. Participants modeled inquiry about U.S. history and developed an enriched understanding across different eras. With this enriched understanding, they designed culturally relevant materials that exemplified historical inquiry and used developmentally appropriate primary source materials. Participants then shared knowledge and experiences of the workshop in presentations at one or more professional settings.

    Contact: Kristy Brugar

  • Public Library of Enid and Garfield County

    Enid Books as Hooks: Teaching with Primary Sources Project (ETPS Project)

    This project, awarded to the Public Library of Enid and Garfield County, implemented a four-day summer institute for educators. Teams were arranged to include a teacher and librarian from a single school to encourage collaboration during the institute and after they returned to their schools. Instructors used pre-test results from participants to refine program activities. Specific activities presented during the summer institute were developed using the information provided by the Professional Development Builder section under the Teacher page at the Library of Congress website. Online modules were also utilized.

    Contact: Jenny Regier

  • Piedmont Public Schools

    Teaching with Primary Sources

    The Piedmont Public Schools, in collaboration with the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma City Zoo, provided professional development workshops to middle school and high school teachers on primary sources locally and from the Library of Congress. Connecting with local organizations gave participants access to experts who helped them discover the vast collection of primary sources available to enrich their classrooms. Using a train-the-trainer model, participants trained other teachers within their schools, sharing their new knowledge with their peers.

    Contact: Tara Hixon

  • Oklahoma Zoological Society

    Zoom Into Primary Sources (ZIPS)

    The purpose of this project, awarded to the Oklahoma City Zoo and the Oklahoma State Department of Education, was to introduce teachers to the resources of the Library of Congress, particularly those related to animals, conservation, geography, and history. The project conducted a four-day institute for teachers. Teachers worked in teams of two or three, which included one teacher and one librarian from a single school to encourage collaboration in primary source activities and lesson plans.

    Contact: Amy Stephens

  • Oklahoma State Department of Education

    Oklahoma Teaching with Primary Sources

    This project was a combined effort by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, and the Oklahoma Historical Society. Professional development was provided for ten teams consisting of one in-service teacher and one school librarian during a four-day workshop. Participants were introduced to the integration of primary sources, digital resources from the Library of Congress, and resources from Oklahoma historical records and repositories. The project fostered collaboration as teams worked together to create lesson plans using primary sources. Following the workshop, participants were expected to provide professional development to introduce the Library's digital resources to their peers at the school and district levels.

    Contact: Elaine Regier

  • Oklahoma Department of Libraries

    Oklahoma Teaching with Primary Sources Project

    This project, awarded to the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, provided training for both in-service teachers and librarians. Teams consisting of two teachers and one librarian learned how to integrate primary sources into their curriculum to encourage students' critical thinking skills. These teams had the opportunity to use resources from both the Library of Congress website and local resources to create activities and lessons to use in the classroom.

    Oklahoma Teaching with Primary Sources Project

    This project, awarded to the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, trained ten teams of in-service teachers and school librarians from across Oklahoma. The teams were introduced to the integration of primary sources from the Library of Congress and resources from Oklahoma historical records and repositories. The teams created lessons using these primary sources, which were also stored on a website. Participants were expected to provide professional development training to introduce digital resources from the Library of Congress to their peers at the school and district levels. They were also encouraged to present at statewide conferences. Finally, this project provided additional training on the use of the Library's digital resources through various conferences and workshops by focusing on individual topics, such as Westward Expansion.

    Contact: Jan Davis