Teaching with Primary Sources at Eastern Illinois University

World War I and World War II poster exhibit opens Veterans Day weekend at Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library November 9, 2007 - May 26, 2008

This resource was created by Teaching with Primary Sources at Eastern Illinois University as a companion to the EIU TPS Art of War workshop and features Library of Congress resources that you may wish to use in your classroom. These items were selected for their relevance and as a means to intrigue students and encourage them to inquire who created the cartoon, when and why. American Memory is a multimedia web site of digitized historical documents, photographs, sound recordings, moving pictures, books, pamphlets, maps, and other resources from the Library of Congress' vast holdings.

We have all heard the saying "A picture is worth a thousand words." Educators are aware of the different learning styles of students and the value of multimedia as an integrated part of education. By offering instruction through differentiated means, educators reach more students in ways that will engage and hopefully trigger a desire to learn more. Textbooks chronicle historic facts and often focus on well-known data. Diaries, journals, memoirs, reminiscences, letters, speeches and interviews can offer a glimpse into the private lives, thoughts, hopes, and goals of lesser-known people and places providing a snapshot of life at the time.

Two key reasons for including primary sources in curriculum are:

• Primary Sources expose students to multiple perspectives on issues of the past and present.
• Primary sources help students develop knowledge, skills and analytical abilities utilizing higher order cognitive skills.