Documenting History with the National Archives
Joyce Adams Burner, Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 11/3/2009
Are budget constraints limiting your classroom enrichment options? Put students face to face with primary historical sources, thanks to the wealth of resources available on the Web site of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Reproducible digitized documents and accompanying lesson plans are only the beginning of this national treasure just waiting to be discovered on this robust site. Take a virtual field trip into the storehouse that has been called the nation’s attic, without leaving the classroom.
Getting Started
Test the waters by checking out NARA’s Document of the Day. A map of Yosemite National Park, an engraving of Molly Pitcher in battle, the charter of the United Nations—are just a few of the documents that been featured along with accompanying lesson plans and research links.
Online exhibits expand the virtual NARA experience, allowing students to visit well-designed displays of documents and artifacts with expertly crafted accompanying commentary from the convenience of a classroom or home computer. Examine an 1877 petition for women’s suffrage or a photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the 1963 March On Washington, D.C., with Documented Rights, an investigation of the development of civil liberties. The Deadly Virus features photographs and documents from the 1918 flu epidemic, including a poignant letter written by a young nurse working in military hospitals filled with soldiers dying of the disease. Enrich study of government and politics with Running for Office, brimming with reproducible political cartoons. Charters of Freedom is packed with images and links to enhance study of the U.S. Constitution, and Designs for Democracy collects drawings covering 200 years that link history and art.
Digging Deeper
The Educators and Students page on the NARA Web site is the gateway to a vast store of exciting resources. Lesson plans for every era of U.S. history, easily adaptable for grades 5 through 12, include high-resolution reproducible copies of primary documents and suggestions for cross-curricular teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government. Analysis worksheets for different types of documents guide student understanding and provoke critical thinking. For example, The War in Vietnam—A Story in Photographs features 13 photos taken by military photographers depicting life in battle and camp, with activities teaching students how to “read” photographs and respond through research, small-group work, and creative writing.
NARA holdings can be searched online through the Archival Research Catalog (ARC). The ARC Guide for Educators and Students provides step-by-step instructions and handouts for using ARC effectively to enhance classroom and personal use, turning students loose to incorporate historical documents into their work. Primary Sources for Educators and Students organizes links to digital copies of documents and photographs found in the ARC, grouped by historical era to facilitate lesson planning.
America’s Historical Documents and Our Documents—The 100 Milestone Documents each feature reproducible copies of selected, historically significant records with concise discussions of their impact. Put the Emancipation Proclamation in students’ hands, or hand out copies of the cancelled, $7.2 million Check for the Purchase of Alaska.
Hidden National Treasures
The National Archives Web site is richly layered and heavily linked. Some “buried” pages that will be of particular interest to teachers and students include Photographs online, American West photographs, African Americans during World War II, Native Americans, American cities, Civil War, Revolutionary War, Navy ships, World War II, and Ansel Adams's photographs of National Parks. The Digital Vaults feature more than 1200 documents seamlessly interlinked that let the student researchers follow their interests down branching and merging paths.
The latest innovation on the NARA Web site is the addition of a YouTube channel! New videos are added weekly, such as the space race and stories from the Great Depression. "Democracy Starts Here,” produced by the Discovery Channel, provides an inspiring look at the work of the National Archives. Treat your students to an interactive experience with some of NARA’s 10 billion documents!
