It can be challenging to find good resources that lend themselves to both virtual and in-person instruction. The Digital Public Library of America created 140 openly available Primary Source Sets that make that task easier.
What are Primary Source Sets?
- 140 “highlight reel” primary source collections
Each set includes ten to fifteen sources and a teaching guide - By educators, for educators and students
Created by DPLA’s Education Advisory Committee and designed for both instructors and students. - For secondary and higher education
The sets are adaptable across grade levels, learning styles, and classroom environments, from middle school to higher education
Take a tour of the sets by watching the video below.
Using the Primary Source Sets
Try one of these implementation ideas or create your own!
What’s missing?
There is always room for new ideas or perspectives on a topic! Students can critically examine the sources in a set and identify an item from DPLA that they would add to that set. Students can also generate new discussion questions to add to the set’s teaching guide using the sources.
Gamify the sets
Use sources from the sets to create an educational game or challenge for students. For example, build a Digital Breakout in which answers to each question can be uncovered through primary source analysis.
Storytelling with sources
Ask students to generate a narrative using a set of sources from the sets as evidence. Follow up with a class discussion comparing the ways each student or group used the sources.
Find more implementation ideas in DPLA’s blog post, “10 Ways to Use the Primary Source Sets in Your Classroom”.
Illuminations 