Orientation -- A Week-by-Week Guide

Week-by-Week Guide

Week 1:	Teaching and Learning with Primary Sources
	June 7 - June 13
Week 2:	Getting to Know the Library of Congress Web site
	June 14 - June 20
Week 3:	Understanding How to Search the American Memory Collections
	June 21 - June 27
Week 4:	Assessing A Collection with the Help of the "Learn More" Feature
	June 28 - July 4
Week 5:	Developing Curriculum Around the Collections
	July 5 - July 11
Week 6:	Preparing for the Summer Institute
	July 12 - July 16

Week 1: Teaching and Learning with Primary Sources.
June 7 - 13

Welcome again, to our first week of online activities!

This week is intended to help us get to know one another and build a sense of community. If you have not done so already, please take some time to read your peers' Bios by selecting "Fellows" from the top of the website menu. During this week, we will become familiar with the online discussion environment and start our conversation about the value of teaching with primary sources.

Over the next six weeks, please post any technical questions / problems you have in the Tech. Tips and Talk Conference. This discussion forum will be moderated by CCT staff and will be open throughout the orientation to share tips and to answer questions. Make a habit of checking this forum each time you come to this web site.

By now you should have registered for the Optional Technology Workshops that will be given on Sunday at noon, before the Institute officially begins. If you have not, and you feel that you would benefit from either the Basic or Beyond the Basics Workshops, please sign up on the Workshop Registration page.

Checklist for Week 1:

(Top of Page)

Week 2: Getting to Know the Library of Congress Web site
June 14 - June 20

The goal this week is for you to understand the organization of the Library of Congress' web site, and in particular the American Memory collections, so that you are able to access and use these rich resources.

Checklist for Week 2:

(Top of Page)

Week 3: Understanding How to Search the American Memory Collections
June 21 - June 27

Our goal this week is to develop strategies for searching the American Memory collections effectively. Doing so will help you come to the summer Institute well-prepared to make the most of your time.

The American Memory collections are challenging to search. The following ideas are important to keep in mind:

American Memory is a collection of collections.
The American Memory collections are assemblages of "documents" in various formats - manuscripts, photographs, maps, recorded sound, and motion pictures. In most cases, they were not assembled by curators, historians or educators with the intention of representing a topic with any coherence or comprehensiveness or balance. The collections are very different from most web-based 'exhibits' or 'presentations' of historical materials, in which materials have been carefully selected to present a topic. Rather, they are representations of the Library of Congress' holdings. The collections are very different from most web-based 'exhibits' or 'presentations' of historical materials, in which materials have been carefully selected to present a topic, period or theme. (Exhibits and presentations do appear in American Memory in different places, but they serve mostly as editors' introductions to the archives, and remain distinct from them.) As 'raw' data, the collections provide windows on historical questions -- and their materials can be extremely rich when approached thoughtfully, and supplemented by other resources.
There are four broadly different 'entry points' for searching the collections. Three are available starting from the American Memory homepage. You can:
1. Search across ALL the collections (widest scope);
2. Search across a GROUP of collections that address a particular category (somewhat narrower scope) or media type; or
3. Search within an INDIVIDUAL collection (narrowest scope). Generally, the wider lenses are good for discovering which collections you should focus on; more useful search results usually come from searching within specific collections. The fourth entry point, perhaps most useful for educators getting to know the collections, is available from the Learning Page. There, indexes called Pathfinder search guides take you to collections that are most relevant for a variety of curriculum themes and topics.
Not all collections are organized in the same way. The organization of a collection affects the search strategy you should employ. This means you should vary your search strategies from collection to collection. It also means that the more you know about a given collection -- its content, its format, its cataloging-- the more effective you will be in searching it.
With the American Memory search engines, you can enter as many search words as you want. The 'hits' that are returned are usually prioritized by the frequency with which:
1. the exact words you typed appear in the items;
2. the words appear, but only near each other; and
3. the words appear, but not near each other.
It is important to be flexible and creative in thinking up search words. Try synonyms, words that are more general, words that are more specific, and words that might have been in use when the materials were created or cataloged.
Finally, remember that the search engines are only ONE means of locating materials that are relevant to your needs. You should also read the background material on specific collections; browse subject headings when they are available; and use the Pathfinders and the other rich resources available on the Learning Page (we will explore these in more depth in the next two weeks!) A useful overview of all of these resources, as well as specific search tips, can be found on the Finding Items in American Memory page.

Checklist for Week 3

Your goal is to find materials that will support your proposed lesson or student activity, using the four main search 'entry points' available in American Memory. When you are done, share your search results, and a lesson you learned about searching, in our online discussion forum for this week.

Note: This week's exercises may be easier if you have two browser windows open -- one with this syllabus in it, and the other with American Memory in it -- enabling easy movement back and forth between them. To do this, hold the (right) mouse button down on the American Memory link below, and select the option to "Open Link in New Window." Do this with any link below.

First, search across all collections. From the American Memory Homepage select the "Search" option and go to the box that says "Search For Items in the Collections Listed Below." Enter words that are connected to your proposed lesson and search across all the collections for your term/s. Try entering different search words to yield different results and keep track of what works best. As you go through the search results, note which collections seem to have relevant materials, and try to discover what your search words mean in the different collections. Write down your search path so you will be able to return to any resources you think may be useful for your lesson. Based on this exercise, which collections do you think are most relevant for you? What are the limitations of searching on ALL collections?

Next, search across a group of collections that address a theme or category. From the American Memory Homepage this time select the "Collection Finder" option, and scroll down the page to choose one of the following categories from which to search: 'Broad Topic,' 'Time,' or 'Place.' Select a category you think would appropriately match your lesson topic. Note that you will now be searching on a sub-set of collections. Are the collections that appear the same or different? Enter search words and compare the results to your earlier search/es. Based on your searches, which collections appear most relevant now?

Next, go to the Learning Page and Search Help and use the "Pathfinder" aids to locate a relevant collection. Choose one of the Pathfinder indexes (Events, People, Places, Time, Topics) and click on subjects that relate to your lesson theme or topic. Note that a list of collections results; click on a title to go to the collection home page and search using the index term. Did using the Pathfinder guides yield a different view of the most relevant collections for your lesson?

Next, search within an individual collection. From the homepage or the Collection Finder page, go to the List All Collections option. 'Turn on' the descriptions for the collections (by clicking on "descriptions"), so that you can read about them as you scroll down. Select one of the collections you think is most relevant to your lesson, based on the earlier exercises and your reading. Read the bibliographic information about the collection and then select the "Search by Keyword" option. Enter search words, and try to tailor your search words to the specific characteristics of the collection: Is it a photo, film, graphic or audio collection catalogued by subject headings? Is it a collection that allows full-text searching? If so, what kind of language does it contain -- formal language? vernacular speech? language specific to a certain time period?

Now, go to the Searching the Collections discussion forum and describe TWO search attempts you tried -- one that left you with results that were disappointing, and one that got you to materials that you think will be useful in your lesson. What do you now know about effective searching in American Memory that you didn't know before? (If necessary, review the points at the top of this week's activities.)

(Top of Page)

Week 4: Assessing A Collection with the Help of the "Learn More" Feature
June 28 - July 4

The Learning Page has been specifically designed to make the American Memory resources more accessible to K-12 educators. Your goal this week is to use a Learning Page feature called "Learn More" to deepen your understanding of a collection that, based on last week's activities, you decided you'll probably use in your lesson.

Week 4 Checklist:

Go to the Learning Page and the Learn More feature. Choose a collection from the alphabetical list and read the Summary to find out about the themes it contains, the historical eras it addresses, related collections and related print resources, and search tips. If they are available for the collection, look at the U.S. History and Language Arts curriculum topics that the collection addresses, and explore the sample items and search words provided.

Now, prepare a critical review of one collection you plan to use. Spend at least an hour searching the collection as systematically as you can. Look for materials that are relevant to your project; but also try to assess the collection more generally as a teaching and learning resource. Keep the following questions in mind as you evaluate the collection --

What is the nature and scope of the material in the collection?
When was it gathered, by whom, and for what purpose?

Teaching and learning opportunities

What curriculum topics or themes do you think could best be taught using this collection?
How accessible are the materials?
What supplementary materials might students need to fully understand the issues addressed in the collection?

Searching and navigation

How difficult was it to search, navigate and view the materials?
What challenges might students face?
What kinds of help would they need in searching, finding and evaluating the items?

When you feel you have thoroughly searched a collection, go to the Assessing the Collections forum and post your review of the collection. Comment on whether the 'Learn More' feature provided you with new insight about the particular collection.

To conclude your explorations of American Memory, read an excellent article about the collections by 1997 Fellow Linda Joseph Cavalcade of American History Revisited.

(Top of Page)

Week 5: Developing Curriculum Around the Collections
July 5 - July 11

This week we will explore the work of the 1997 and 1998 Fellows and their students. You will see that there is not one specific way of developing a lesson plan; some are rather low-tech while others are very tech-savvy. In the same regard, some of the lesson plans are small scale while others are very broad in scope and time frame. The purpose of this week is to reassure you that there are many different types of lessons that will be created by fellows in your group and that you should aim to do what is realistic for your team. What we want most of all are activities that you -- and others -- actually USE, in real classrooms with real students.

Checklist for Week 5:

First, since we are looking at lessons this week, notice that the Learning Page has a useful set of introductory student activities under the Activities feature. These are especially useful for introducing students to searching and helping them learn to look closely at images.

Now, spend some time looking at some of the lessons created by 1997 and 1998 fellows. You can get to the lessons through the Lesson Ideas feature of the Learning Page, or by following the links below. Pay special attention to any student work you can find.

Think about the following questions as you look at the lessons:

What are the qualities of good lesson design and what makes a good lesson?
What role do AM materials play, and what other kinds of resources are used?
Are there any aspects of the content or teaching strategies that are relevant for your own work?
If there is student work shown, does it show evidence of student learning? How? What kinds of learning are demonstrated?

The Conservation Movement at a Crossroads
(Author Mike Federspiel online this week!)

Learning About Immigration Through Oral History
(Author Frances Jacobson online this week!)

History Firsthand 1999
(Author Monica Edinger online this week!)

America Dreams
(Author Leni Donlan online this week!)

To Market To Market
(Author Linda Joseph online this week!)

The Mathew Brady Bunch: Civil War Newspapers
(Author Elizabeth Ridgway online this week!)

From Jim Crow To Linda Brown

Photojournalism: A Record of War

What Do You See?

Doing the Decades: Group Investigations in Twentieth Century U. S. History

The Great Depression and the 1990s

The New Deal: North Carolina's Reconstruction?

Reservation Controversies

The Grandparent/Elder Project

Turn of the Century Child

Child Labor in America

Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

After you have had a chance to explore some lessons go the Author's Forum About Lesson Design and Working with Students and talk to the authors about your reactions to their work. In particular, you may wish to ask them about the process they engaged in over the year to design their lesson, try it out with students, and revise and submit it to the Library.

(Top of Page)

Week 6: Preparing for the Summer Institute
July 12 - July 16

This final week is an opportunity to look ahead to the work we will be doing in the summer and beyond. We hope you will also share your reactions to the Orientation and tell us, the facilitators, what your hopes, expectations and concerns are about the work we will do together this summer and throughout the school year.

Checklist for Week 6:

(Top of Page)

And remember... keep talking, the discussion forums are on-going. See you in Washington!