Primary Sources with 5th grade

5th graders in Ms. Lord and Mrs. Roach's classes learned about primary sources this month and how we can use them as authentic resources to learn more about the past. To enhance their study of Westward Expansion, I used a collection of primary sources from the Library of Congress. We followed the guidelines for analyzing primary sources: 1. Observe 2. Reflect 3. Question; and applied these guidelines to analyze a piece of artwork titled: "American Progress."

Next, students rotated through 7 stations in small groups. They took notes about what they noticed in each document and discussed questions with their group. Students analyzed photographs, a map, a sketch, song lyrics, a letter, and an interview. 

After making observations about the documents, we asked students to write predictions about the time period based on the primary sources. Thank you to the Library of Congress for providing such valuable documents that pushed our students to ask thoughtful questions and make connections! The students are excited to see this building in person when they visit Washington, D.C. in March.