I was flipping through the latest issue of Archival Outlook (yes, there actually is such a magazine!), and I came across an article entitled “Teachers in the Archives” about hosting a professional development day for K-12 teachers (read the article HERE). With the rise in popularity of inquiry-based learning, there has been much activity in the world of archives lately to encourage teachers to teach effectively with primary sources, even in the lower grades.

Here’s a great example of how this was recently accomplished at LREI:

The third graders went on their farm trips a few weeks ago. There was much excitement and anxiety in the classrooms leading up to the trip. The Friday before their trip, Elaine and Shelby showed these two archival items to their class:

With just these two images, the students were able to learn that:

1. That farm trips have been a tradition in their school since Elisabeth Irwin’s time, which was long ago. (The students are currently learning the concept of long ago).
2. The students from long ago look and sound like they had a great time on their farm trip.
3. The students from back then are not unlike the students of today.

These images give the students “proof” that they are part of a long tradition and do not have to rely on hearsay.

Teaching with archival materials also opens up a new method of research, showing students that they can learn about history through avenues other than books and web searches.

What could students learn by looking at this photograph?

Or this one?

For more information about teaching archives in schools:

Teach Archives (at the Brooklyn Historical Society)
Smithsonian Institution Archives (education materials for K-12 teachers)
Docs Teach (an online resource by the National Archives)