Lincoln's Hat - Exploring Primary Sources

Sometimes the hardest part about teaching is helping students to make connections with what they are learning.  As an elementary librarian, I have the advantage of an amazing arsenal of children's literature within inches of my fingertips.  A well crafted book can pull young learners in and help them navigate the world beyond their own small radius.

Researching outside your own personal sphere, however, can be challenging for young students  - particularly for those, like mine, who have had limited opportunity for enriched experiences outside the classroom. Sometimes, a book alone isn't enough to bridge the gap.  Here is where I look at the many possibilities provided by digital learning and smile gleefully!

Stoneware and Stovepipes 

With an almost magical click of the mouse I can take my students in a matter of seconds to view the works of a master potter before reading about his life.

Dave the Potter by Laban Carrick Hill

While studying about the life of the slave artist David Drake, time was taken to stop and explore the Natural Museum of American History's virtual collection of one of Drake's stoneware jars.  Using our library ActivBoard students could zoom in so close as to see beyond the inscription left by Drake's hand down to the individual drips of glaze that run down the side of the pottery.  We used this virtual exploration as a way to gather knowledge about Drake.  What could we figure out about him from an actual object - something he had created, a primary source?

Primary Sources were also used to help students go beyond Lincoln's iconic stovepipe hat to learn more about the actual man whose head it sat upon. Imagine exploring the contents of Abraham Lincoln's desk after reading his biography all while teaching about what primary sources are and how we can use them to guide our understanding and research!  Can it be done? Oh yes my library friends.  Oh yes.

Abe Lincoln's Dream by Lane Smith

Abe's Honest Words by Doreen Rappaport

Like nosy neighbors we peeked at letters written to Mary Todd, checked his math homework and yes, explored that famous hat - in all it's 360 degrees glory!

We continued our primary source practice by using portraits and photographs of Lincoln from the Library of Congress to construct a timeline of his life.  Student partners used image sets of Lincoln that had been paired with QR codes.  The QR codes were set to take students to individual Library of Congress entries that provided information about the particular primary source being viewed.  I've never seen my students so excited about constructing a timeline of historic events!

Using a QR reader and iPods to explore

Scanning QR codes to visit the Library of Congress

Primary sources provide historical dates

Primary Sources - Primary Goal

I see my role as an elementary librarian as more than a Shepherd of good books.  It is my calling, my duty even, to help my students expand their world, understanding and horizons by opening doors to them that they never even knew existed.  Primary sources have an amazing way of doing that. By incorporating digital learning and primary sources we can jump off the pages of a good book right into the real world just beyond, including what exactly lies under Lincoln's Hat.