This new K-5 episode from KidCitizen dives into the history of lighthouses in the United States. Using fascinating historical documents from the Library of Congress, students explore the importance of the 1789 Lighthouse Act—one of the first laws passed by Congress—and the key role lighthouses and their keepers played in ensuring safe navigation. https://www.kidcitizen.net/episodes-blog/lighthouses 

Do you have a favorite lighthouse primary source from the Library of Congress collection?

This is a great new post by Cheryl Lederle with Stacie Moats, who are both from the Library of Congress.

“Canned Childhood”: Encouraging Student Understanding of Progressive Era Issues and Reform Strategies Through a Poem Related to Child Labor

https://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2024/06/canned-childhood-encouraging-student-understanding-of-progressive-era-issues-and-reform-strategies-through-a-poem-related-to-child-labor/?loclr=eatlcb

If you are working with young learners, you can check out the KidCitizen episode Congress and Child Labor https://www.kidcitizen.net/episodes-blog/congress-and-child-labor .

Library of Congress Story Maps

https://www.loc.gov/research-centers/geography-and-map/researcher-resources/story-maps/ 

https://www.loc.gov/collections/geospatial-applications/?fa=partof:story+maps 

The first Library of Congress Story Map publications debuted in 2018, and they continue to expand through today. Staff of the Geography & Map Division use the Story Maps platform to create curated entry points into our digital collections. We invite you to explore the collection material of the Geography & Map Division through narrative, multimedia, and interactive maps using the Story Maps below. The Geography & Map Division actively supports the creation of Story Maps across the Library and encourages you to explore all Library of Congress Story Maps.

Behind Barbed Wire

https://www.loc.gov/ghe/cascade/index.html?appid=69183af8d45d4f46a9dc4eba99440891 

A unique glimpse into the daily lives of Japanese-Americans in internment camps during WWII through the digitized collection of internment camp newspapers at the Library of Congress.

If you are working with young learners, check out A Close Look at the Miyatake Family https://www.kidcitizen.net/episodes-blog/close-look-miyatake. In this KidCitizen interactive episode, students uncover the story behind the image of the Miyatakes, a Japanese American family incarcerated in Manzanar during World War II. Students may draw upon their observations to critically inquire about the diverse experiences of families in America past and present.

This is a very informative post by Cheryl Lederle, an Educational Resource Specialist at the Library of Congress https://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2024/05/rosa-parks-writing-and-activism-the-struggle-continues/?loclr=eatlcb entitled Rosa Parks' Writing and Activism: "The Struggle Continues."

If you are working with young learners, remember to check out Rosa Parks: A Proud Daughter https://www.kidcitizen.net/episodes-blog/rosa-parks-a-proud-daughter

In this KidCitizen episode, children analyze a greeting card to learn about Rosa Parks and her family. The greeting card offers a familiar resource for exploring family traditions. The front of the card has an image and some simple writing. The inside of the card has a poem, and the back of the card features Rosa Parks’ handwritten note to her mother.

February is Black History Month https://www.blackhistorymonth.gov/

Explore the KidCitzen episode Rosa Parks: A Proud Daughter

In this episode, children analyze a greeting card to learn about Rosa Parks and her family. The greeting card offers a familiar resource for exploring family traditions. The front of the card has an image and some simple writing. The inside of the card has a poem, and the back of the card features Rosa Parks’ handwritten note to her mother.

https://www.kidcitizen.net/episodes-blog/rosa-parks-a-proud-daughter