Primary sources add so much humanity to a lesson.  For any subject, it helps for students to connect to other people's stories -- the power of story transcends content divisions (math, science, social studies, etc.).  Students will connect to content more if they understand real people were scientists, authors, etc. and not flat figures that fit into units of study in their textbooks.

Students naturally love to be detectives, and if they have a chance to ask questions and make their own discoveries, they will better understand WHY people dressed and acted the way they did during different eras in history.

I loved looking through The Children's Object Book.  The illustrations are beautiful, and it shows how much the 'daily objects' have life have changed over time.  I think this could be a great introduction to American history units for 4th or 5th grade.

Primary sources can help give a context and a sense of reality of the time period that a book is from. It is so helpful and interesting to see life during the time of a book and where the setting really takes place.  During class when we talked about To Kill a Mockingbird, it was amazing to see the photos of the time and it gave greater meaning behind the literary classic.  The clear and distinct sense of racism of the time is hard to imagine and makes the book come to life even more so. 

I did my book backdrop on Alan Turing and I found that using primary images brings the reality of that time period to life and would help show students and even myself what was occurring during that time period. 

I think that primary sources can enrich engagement by showing the students exactly what the time period was like and making it "real" for them. The images are very powerful and can help to make the past "come to life" for students, especially younger ones. I knew which books I wanted to use and there were only so many option on the LOC page regarding his name, etc. So I expanded my search to include the cities and overall time period thinking this would give the students a better glimpse into what life was like long ago.

The Classic Book that I chose was, Baseball ABC because we usually write ABC books and this was a great example of one. We also learn about the past and compare it today. This book had limited text, colorful images, rhyming phrases and I think it would capture my 2nd graders attention and interest. It would be a good springboard activity for them to use for the ABC books, social studies or even poetry. 

These are great! Pairing books with other primary sources and putting together a "vision board" for an in-depth research project gives a window into the culture and priorities of a time period. 

I really liked the copy of Poe's The Raven. The book looks super old with faded pages, adding to the creepy vibe. The illustrations are highly engaging and bring the poem to life. This is a much better way to present this piece than looking at straight text. 

I feel so lucky that classes I took in high school and college were always focused on an interdisciplinary approach to literature and history. In high school my history teachers provided historical context for the novels we were reading in our English classes and it always made for a much more engaging dive into the novels and history as well.  Then, I took two amazing classes in college that really demonstrated the power of an interdisciplinary approach.  One was called, War and the American Family.  In that class we examined primary sources associated with the different wars America has been involved in while reading non-fiction and fiction texts.  Cold Mountain and Snow Falling on Cedars stand out to me. Another class - History and Culture of the Cold War took the same approach and I just remember feeling like I was learning so much more than if I had just been in an English class or just in a history class.  I loved having the ability to see the connection between the two. 

When working on finding primary sources for the activity I put together on The Crucible, I focused on the time and individuals.  If I was doing The Great Gatsby I would have added in dress, economy, etc. 

Up until last year, I was part of the 10th grade honors history/English linked team.  It provided an easier platform for teaching classic books into the curriculum. We were able to teach things like A Tale of Two Cities, Night, 1984 to name a few.  The linked classes have been dismantled and now it presents more of a challenge to incorporate classic books into my history classes due to the amount of content I need to cover.  

My all time favorite classic book that I would LOVE to bring into my classroom is A Passage to India.  I loved that it was historical fiction, part mystery and also social commentary on imperialism in India.  Just haven't figured out a way to make it happen. 

Primary sources bring realism and understanding to fiction books with the use of visual and auditory materials.  For my students primary sources help them relate to the book and that provides a greater understanding of what the story is telling.  I must admit that I have learned so much from this class that I will use but feel sad that I did not have the knowledge of the library to help enrich the learning of students in past classes.  Pictures bring topics and ideas to a more realistic understanding of subject matter.  

I loved the book The Square Book of Animals.  It has great poems that I will use in my third grade class that are easy to read but give students the opportunity to decipher words that they are not familiar with to enrich understanding.  The illustrations are wonderful yet simple.  

Discussing using primary sources to help students engage in text was really an Ah-ha moment for me. I often find myself explaining what is happening in a story to give historical context to my students when I could be allowing students to explore primary sources on their own and achieve a richer understanding. I think it is essential to understand the time and place of when selecting primary sources. 

The classic book I found most intriguing is A Apple Pie. I loved the format and thought it had so many teaching points! You can teach verbs or have students use a similar format in their own writing. Is is such a fun spin on an alphabet book!

OK - I thought I had submitted my comment but I don't see it.  

I think primary sources, especially images, can make concepts more relatable.  In my book backdrop, I used some images of people similar in age to my students in order to help them see that the First Amendment can help them make changes too.

Because I teach HS Government and Geography, it was hard for me to determine a relationship between the Classic Books and my courses.  I have read Robin Hood and I could probably use excerpts with my Government class to lead into the Magna Carta and discuss the concept of "redistribution of wealth" that the students hear about on the news.  The Arabian Nights (have also read) would be of interest to my geography students when we are studying the Middle East.  If I were teaching History classes, I know I could work more of them into class in some fashion.

One way primary sources can enrich student's engagement is by using visual sources which may help students to better understand an idea.  Primary sources can also better help students relate to the book being read, whether the main idea, different themes, characters, or life in general in the story.  I find it particularly useful to consider individuals because students often can identify with a character trait or something the individual is experiencing in the story.  

I'm interested in the book of Aesop's Fables.  There are so many quick short readings that can be used in many different ways.  It seems like students would be able to draw connections to something they've been studying, or at the very least it would be a nice warmup activity to start some conversations going in class.  I will definitely bring it into my classroom and on occasion will use a fable for "story time".  Even 8th graders like being read to!

I think any time we can build a story for students, the better.  Giving them a set of primary resources or better yet even having them find them, for a book assignment just seems like a richer and more authentic way to start off on the right "learning foot."  When I was exploring images for my book, Hidden Figures, I found it more helpful to focus on the time.  Most of the women in Hidden Figures were not searchable by name (this is also another discussion point about the book...why are there so few or no images of them at the time).  Instead I searched by the field of study and then honed in using the time. 

The classic book, A Apple Pie, gave me a sweet chuckle and reminded me of alphabet books I read my daughters.  I was intrigued how the entire alphabet focused on the apple pie in some way, obviously the common theme.  Wouldn't it be neat for students to make their own alphabet book with a common theme from class, maybe our unit on functions in Algebra I!!