Teaching with primary souces can be amazing but also a bit daunting to sort through and use effectively. Help is available online.

Studied on their own or used in presentations, primary sources bring 21^st century learning to life. They can also be a bit intimidating to sort through and integrate effectvely in classroom instruction, which is why the National Archives makes free teacher training available with their documents.

For the cost of the call, groups of up to 30 students in grades 5-12 can schedule a one-hour session. Current offerings include a course on the Constitution and an introduction to the National Archives

A "Teaching with Documents" videoconference workshop for teachers uses primary sources such as Joseph Glidden's patent for barbed wire, FDR's "Date Which Will Live in Infamy" speech, photographs from the Civil War, and the canceled check for the purchase of Alaska provide students with exciting learning opportunities.

Ready made lesson plans also about. "Teaching with Documents" lesson plans include reproducible copies of primary documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government, and cross-curricular connections.Explains the National Archive site:

Teaching with primary documents encourages a varied learning environment for teachers and students alike. Lectures, demonstrations, analysis of documents, independent research, and group work become a gateway for reasearch with historical records in ways that sharpen students' skills and enthusiasm for history, social studies, and the humanities.

Many teacher-education events are available in Washington D.C. Regional resources and training opportunities are available in Alaska, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington State.

For more information, see National Archives: Educators and Students