Direct to Quick Lessons/Ideas
This is the framework I followed for the three hour workshop on the American Memory Collections for middle and high school library media specialists. All of the individuals attending this workshop are using the Internet with students at their respective schools. American Memory Workshop Planning Guide
Opening Comments - 20 minutes
I opened the workshop with Kathy Ferenz's white glove idea to simulate how the archivists at the Library Of Congress handled original source material. I wore authentic white gloves - the kind the archivists use. This was a real ice breaker. I told them about the Walt Whitman Diaries and our tour of the Library of Congress. The group was absolutely entranced with my story from this summer. Then I showed them some original photographs from my Dad's scientific work at Westinghouse in the early 1930s. This was done to demonstrate how Kathy had used white gloves with her students.Scavenger Hunt - 30 minutes
The group went on a short scavenger hunt just to familiarize themselves with navigation and a variety of the different kinds of materials available from the American Memory Collections.Photo Analysis - 30 minutes
The group was divided into pairs. The Close of a Career in New York photograph was given to each participant along with the analysis chart. Each pair spent time analyzing the picture. When the group came back together, we discussed their ideas and conclusions. One group decided the horse and cart had crashed into the building and that was how the horse met his demise.I also gave them a photo of a one-room schoolhouse from the Built In America collection.
Break - 15 minutes
Collection Search Activity - 45 minutes
Preparation: Papers with different collection names were randomly placed at the computers. Basically this was set up the same way as was done during the Summer Institute.This activity had the group working in pairs again, looking at a specific collection and coming up with ideas on how to use it in the classroom. This was based in part on the Collection Search Activity. The results of this brainstorming session were the Quick Lessons/Ideas that each pair presented. I did not include Step Three. Many of the questions in Step Four were covered during the presentations.
Learning Page - 30 minutes
The culminating activity was an introduction to the Learning Page. By waiting until the end of the morning to do this activity, the group had a better understanding of how the lessons could tie-in to the classroom. They solved the ShockWave jigsaw puzzle and then located information about the picture in the collection.American Memory User Survey - 10 minutes
Each person filled out the survey on the home page.Quick Lessons and Ideas
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