Library of Congress Student Discovery Sets

With the Common Core, there is an emphasis on nonfiction texts and on primary source documents.  The Library of Congress must have been keeping this in mind when they introduced Student Discovery Sets earlier this year.  Students can load the documents onto their tablets and then use the interactive tools to zoom in, draw on, or highlight details.  Each of the sets have teaching resources!

Here is the text from an email from the Library of Congress introducing the texts:

As the new school year begins, the Library of Congress invites students everywhere to touch, draw on and explore some of its most valuable treasures—all via a new set of free interactive ebooks for tablets.

The new Library of Congress Student Discovery Sets bring together historical artifacts and one-of-a-kind documents on a wide range of topics, from history to science to literature. Interactive tools let students zoom in for close examination, draw to highlight interesting details and make notes about what they discover.

The first six Student Discovery Sets are available now for the iPad, and can be downloaded for free on iBooks. These sets cover the U.S. Constitution, Symbols of the United States, Immigration, the Dust Bowl, the Harlem Renaissance, and Understanding the Cosmos.

With a swipe of a finger, learners can peer into the workshop where the Statue of Liberty was built, scrutinize George Washington’s notes on the Constitution, and zoom in on the faces of new arrivals at Ellis Island. Using the portability that tablets bring, students can hand their work to a classmate to collaborate.

The objects in the Student Discovery Sets are primary sources—items created by eyewitnesses to history. From Galileo’s drawings of the moon to Zora Neale Hurston’s plays to Thomas Edison’s films, these maps, songs, posters, sheet music and iconic images immerse students in history, culture and science and give them the power to explore.

Primary sources have unique instructional power, says the Library’s director of Educational Outreach, Lee Ann Potter. “By analyzing primary sources, students can engage with complex content, build their critical thinking skills and create new knowledge. The Library’s new Student Discovery Sets provide rich tools for launching that process of analysis and discovery.”

The sets are designed for students, providing easy access to open-ended exploration. A Teacher’s Guide for each set, with background information, teaching ideas` and additional resources, is one click away on the Library’s website for teachers, www.loc.gov/teachers/.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 158 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov.

---

Make Better Power Points

Today I was assisting 6th graders in the creation of their first Power Points of the year.  All I can say is, I feel bad for the teacher who has to grade them. In an effort to make their Power Points memorable to their teacher, students used all types of animations, transitions, and sounds, including applause for their own presentations.  I don't think any group had the same background for all of their slides, most of them picking different Tie Dye types.


While I am amused when 6th graders do it, I am irritated when I sit through an awful presentation from a colleague or boss.  I came across this page which illustrates 40 ways people "screw up" Power Point slides.  There may be some things on here that you just didn't think of.  Think of them now so your students or colleagues aren't groaning while they watch your presentations.

Reading Comprehension with The Common Core

The Common Core puts a strong emphasis on nonfiction texts, and many teachers aren't sure how to best teach nonfiction texts.  Teachers from all disciplines, not just reading and language arts, must teach students how to comprehend nonfiction texts.  

Here are some great science passages with comprehension questions.  You need to create a free account to get the materials.

Google Tutorials

Up until this summer, I used Google as a search engine, for my email, or to do an occasional Google Doc, but that all changed when I took a Google Apps class.  Google Maps is more than just directions, you can have your students go on a  Google Lit trip.  Students can take self-grading quizzes on Google Docs, and so much more.

The tools are easy to use and free!  There are some great tutorials here.

Project 5 Task 1

The benefits of blogging for students are numerous.  Students want to be heard.  When they write a paper for class, their audience is merely their teacher and possibly their classmates, but when they write a blog and put it on the internet, the whole world is their audience.  Blogs allow all students to be heard, not just the students who are loud and it gives all students the opportunity to respond to others.  They also have the opportunity to participate in discussions if they miss class, and can always refer back to what was posted in class.  It also feels less like a school assignment when they get to post on the internet instead of writing a 2 page paper double spaced.


Click on the link below to access PDC.

Professional Development Courses