Teaching with Primary Sources
The Library of Congress and the School of Education at Loyola University Chicago present the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program.
The TPS program helps Chicago-area educators teaching kindergarten through 12th grade use the Library of Congress' rich reservoir of digitized primary source materials to design challenging, high-quality instruction. The program is funded through the Library of Congress and awarded in Illinois through the support of U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL). It was formerly known as Adventure of the American Mind.
As a member of the national TPS educational consortium, Loyola helps build on the Library of Congress' previous outreach initiatives, particularly American Memory Fellows and Adventure of the American Mind (AAM).
What Are Primary Sources?
The Library of Congress defines primary sources as "original items or records that have survived from the past, such as letters, photographs, clothing and manuscripts. They were part of a direct personal experience of a time or event."
Why Use Primary Sources with Students?
Dr. Rhonda Clevenson, Program Director of Adventures of the American Mind Northern Virginia Partnership, answers, "Primary source analysis develops students' memory, reason and imagination to foster empathy for the past, perspectives on the present and the ability to impact the future." For more information, see Primary Source Learning.