Rachel+Dunbar

Rachel Dunbar Teaching with Primary Sources Option 3. Select two different media formats of primary source at the Library of Congress Site and complete a Teachers Guides and Analysis Tool for each one

When researching primary sources on the Library of Congress site, I wanted to look for resources to help me in my classroom now. I have found a webcast on Walter Dean Myers. In my classroom, Walter Dean Myers is the author we study throughout the year. We have just finished reading the novels, //Bad Boy// and //Scorpions//. I have come across this webcast in which Walter Dean Myers discusses each book. He talks about his life and the memoir he has written. This is a great resource for me to use when we have completed our first set of books as a review of the author behind the piece. Along with the webcast, I have created a Teacher’s Guide and Analysis tool addressing questions that could be answered from watching and listening to the video. This will hold students accountable for watching the video and it will give me a sense of what they learned and what they found interesting. 
 * 1) Webcast: Walter Dean Myers []

[] The two Walter Dean Myers texts students read took place in Harlem, New York, during the 1940’s-1950’s. I thought it would great to find a photograph they could analyze to see what Harlem looked like in that time. This photograph depicts what the streets of Harlem looked like. I am interested to see if any of my students will identify this picture as Harlem. I have created two graphic organizers that allow and encourage students to analyze the photograph and make inferences based on what they see. After students have completed the two graphic organizers and we discuss them, I will share the informational specifics on the photograph.
 * 1) Inferencing Activity: New York, New York. A Harlem street scene

 1. I chose to do activity three because I wanted to find material that applied directly to my classroom. I felt that finding my own media resources and creating worksheets would benefit the students in my classroom most. We are completing an author study on Walter Dean Myers and I was able to find a webcast that I feel would intrigue my students. I also like the photograph I found of Harlem, New York. This photograph allows students to visualize what Harlem looked like during the time when the book they read took place. 2. The Library of Congress relates to my background in education because it is an excellent educational tool to use in the classroom. It is very user friendly and relates to all subject areas. It gives students a realistic view of different aspects of history. There are many resources posted for teachers, parents, and students. 3. The Library of Congress is an excellent education tool. If I were to run a staff development training on the Library of Congress, I would begin by having teachers complete the two tutorials as we did before we were officially taught the specifics of the website. I think that was a great way to get involved in the website before being officially trained. The next step would be to complete a training showing what the Library of Congress has to offer. I would have to explain the different resources and what they can be used for. This will be a structured activity where the teachers and staff and following along as I am directing them to different links within the website. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">The last step would be to allow teachers and staff some exploration time. This is very important because they need to find material that will most benefit the students in their classroom. When initially looking at this website it appeared the majority of the resources were used within the social studies curriculum. However, when given the time to explore they will find materials for every subject area. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">4. Some of the photographs are not available to be enlarged, why? When looking for a photograph of Harlem, New York many of the photographs I liked were unable to be enlarged. They would say larger images display only at the Library of Congress. What would be the sense of putting the thumbnails if you could not enlarge the picture?
 * 1) <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Questions