Archive for the Teaching Strategies Category (39 posts)

The Thomas Jefferson Building: Exploring Symbolism and Purpose

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The Thomas Jefferson Building: Secret Messages

The Thomas Jefferson Building: Secret Messages

Information literacy standards today often require students to determine the meaning of symbols. They also ask students to think about creator’s purpose. The Thomas Jefferson Building: Secret Messages is an online activity designed by the Library of Congress that allows students to do both.

Exploring the Great Hall in the Jefferson Building

Exploring the Great Hall in the Jefferson Building

In this interactive, self-paced activity, students explore the Library’s historic Thomas Jefferson Building, which was built in 1897 in the style of the Italian Renaissance and features symbolic sculptural and painted decoration by more than 50 American artists. The Jefferson Building celebrates knowledge and symbolizes American turn-of-the-century optimism. Its elaborate decorations are worth a close look, since few buildings represent human thought and aspiration so dramatically.  The Thomas Jefferson Building: Secret Messages guides students in discovering and examining these symbolic decorations in and around the building – thinking critically about what secret messages these objects might send about the Library’s purpose.

 

Explore the symbolism of the Minverva mosaic

Explore the symbolism of the Minverva mosaic

Teaching ideas:

  • Have students complete the online activity in small groups to find objects and collaboratively interpret what messages they send.  Tip:  As each object is discovered, an activity window will open; encourage students to click on the thumbnail image for a close-up view.
  • Use one or more objects in this activity in a primary source analysis, to help students become more familiar with architectural elements and how they are used to communicate.  Use the primary source analysis tool and ask guiding questions such as:
    Why do you think this object was created for the Thomas Jefferson Building?
    Who do you think was the intended audience for this object?
    What feelings or ideas do you think its creators wanted to communicate?
  • Use this activity to help build student understanding about symbolism in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century.
  • Use this as a pre-visit activity if you are planning to bring your students to the Library.

Additional resources can be found in the Teacher Resources section of this activity.

We’d love to hear your experiences using Library resources to explore creator’s purpose or symbolism.

Analyzing Photographs: Child Labor from a Child’s Perspective

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How do 21st century children respond to photographs of child labor? Barbara Natanson, who works in the Prints and Photographs Division at the Library of Congress, recently wrote a blog post about what her children saw in selected photographs that Lewis Hine took for the National Child Labor Committee. Replicating what Barbara did would be an easy way to introduce students to learning with primary sources.

Back to School Night: Parents and Primary Sources

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Whether you call it “open house” or “back to school night,” an evening for teachers to meet and greet parents is a fall ritual. This year, consider “flipping” the event: distribute rules and policies in writing, allow time for parents to see examples of student learning, and include an activity or two to help parents better understand the learning processes their children will experience.

Observation in Primary Source Analysis: The Sticky Notes Solution

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During recent Library of Congress summer teacher institutes, teachers of all grade and ability levels discussed ways to engage students in close observation of primary sources. They agreed that close observation is crucial to deep analysis and a key component of identifying and citing evidence from a primary source. One easy technique to help students improve their observation skill is to use sticky notes.