Resource Sheets for Kentucky Avenue School Teachers

Teachers @ Kentucky Avenue School in Shadyside (Pittsburgh) will find many of the resources that were covered in the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) workshop on the following PDF sheet:

Additionally, I have included some LOC informational packets below that may be of use. The blue handout is a general handout on primary sources and professional development. The red handout is on the topic of “why use primary sources?” The green handout is on the topic of “how to use primary sources?”

Blue Handout
Red Handout
Green Handout

Oral History with U.S. Representative John Murtha

Dr. Michael Brna’s oral history with U.S. Representative John Murtha (2006) has just been published on the Library of Congress’s (LOC) Veteran History Project (VHP) website. The video recording of the interview, as well as bibliographic information and a photo, can be received from the LOC-VHP. The direct URL is as follows: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.39534/

The transcript of the oral history interview can be retrieved from Cal U’s VOHP page, or by directly visited the following URL: http://www.cup.edu/education/aam/index.jsp?pageId=1580830010421160991206470

TPS Center for Oral History @ Cal U of PA: Mission and Vision

Teaching with Primary Sources Center for Oral History
at California University of PA
College of Education and Human Services
Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources

Mission: The mission of the Teaching with Primary Sources Center for Oral History at California University of Pennsylvania is to promote the educational uses of oral histories in classrooms, preserve local history through oral history, educate others about oral history processes, and serve as the center for oral history education and research in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Vision: We envision the Teaching with Primary Sources Center for Oral History at California University of Pennsylvania as a place where oral history collections of local, diverse individuals and groups are captured, catalogued, archived, preserved and researched so future researchers, educators, students and community members can learn about local history from persons living in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Center’s mission encompasses archival, pedagogical, and research goals in the field of oral history with particular emphasis on instructional uses of oral history in the classroom.

This initiative serves:

• K-16 educators
• K-16 students
• Researchers
• Historians
• Community members/groups
• Organizations/associations

Services include:

• Teacher professional development initiatives (Act 48 compliant)
• Student development initiatives
• Teaching the oral history process
• Conducting oral histories
• Oral history project planning
• Resource provider for all served groups

The Teaching with Primary Sources Center for Oral History at California University of PA is attached to the College of Education and Human Services. The program sponsor is Congressman John P. Murtha and funding is provided by the Library of Congress.

TPS staff is a faculty resource. Upon request, we work with faculty members to design and implement instructional strategies that incorporate the use of oral history in the classroom to enhance and create student learning opportunities in diverse ways.

2010 Primary Sources History Day Competition @ Cal U

Nik Roberts will be available during the   fall 2009 and spring 2010 semesters to meet with local teachers who plan to prepare students for participation in the 3rd annual Primary Sources History Day Competition @ Cal U. This February 18th event prepares students for entry into the regional National History Day Competition at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA. The regional competition will take place from March 20-21, 2010. The kick-off for the event is offered on October 14th (junior division) and 15th (senior division). To view a brochure and additional information about the regional competition, click here. View a flyer from one of our past local competitions at CalU here. Interested teachers should contact Nik Roberts at either 724-938-6022 or roberts_n@calu.edu.

Lynne Says (Nov. ‘09)

This month I am providing teachers with resources for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday. These resources also tie in with the English Colonists theme in the Prentice Hall Textbook, World Studies:  The United States and Canada.

The first resource is from the Teacher Guide section of the Library of Congress. It is a ‘primary source set’ on Thanksgiving: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/thanksgiving/pdf/overview.pdf.

This next resource is about Colonial Settlement from 1492—1763. Once on the site, you can click on several other links pertaining to the Colonial Settlement: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/additionalresources/relatedresources/ushist/chrono/colonial.html.

Note: the LOC picture at the top of the post can also be found on Page 40 of the Prentice Hall Textbook mentioned above.