@johnsonmaryj
Manager of the Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Teachers Network for a Library of Congress grant since 2012 and a retired high school teacher & middle school librarian. Travel, art, languages, & reading fill my time, too.
Went to my local library this morning to do a bit of research for my current book project and my goodness such a life-affirming space! There was an adult being taught to read on the next table, children enjoying story time, countless people taking out books. So grateful for our libraries ❤️
Political cartoon about Arizona Governor Tom Campbell and the Bisbee deportations of laborers on box cars 1917.
"Deportation Tom Wants to Govern" - headline in The Voice Combined with La Voz Latina newspaper (AZ 1936). The political cartoon is perfect for students today trying to make sense of ICE, deportations, & historical precedents. Read more at www.loc.gov/resource/sn9... #TPSTeachersNetwork
This 1919 photograph shows soldiers of the 57th Infantry of the 3rd Division from Camp Pike in Little Rock, who were dispatched to Elaine, Arkansas, during the race riot, relaxing at their camp of pup tents.
From the TPS Teachers Network. In 1919, 230 African Americans were killed by angry whites in the Delta region of Elaine, AR. Soldiers of 57th Infantry of 3rd Div from Camp Pike, Little Rock, were dispatched to Elaine. Ask students to compare Elaine to Minneapolis today. www.loc.gov/item/2020638...
Two-panel cartoon. The 1867 panel shows a proper Victorian family -- father, mother, and little girl -- in their parlor, taking tea. The 1917 panel shows a riotous party in a restaurant with champagne corks popping, a man dancing on the table, two men playing leapfrog, and a heavy lady in a strapless dress drinking champagne. Irwin was a popular contributor of cartoons to Life (the humor magazine) before being named art editor of the New Yorker in 1925.
Which side of this 1916 cartoon shows how you will be celebrating tonight? A Happy New Year 1867—A Happy New Year 1917 www.loc.gov/pictures/ite... (From the Cartoon America exhibit at the Library of Congress - www.loc.gov/exhibits/car...)
I was merely looking for a Library of Congress image of a generic meeting when I ran across this political cartoon from 1899. The caption in the Notes section ends in "...the only good Democrats are dead ones." Whoa! What's the story behind this image? www.loc.gov/item/2012647... #sschat
If you'd like to know more about PD & learning opportunities from the Library of Congress and the TPS Consortium, take a look at the December 2025 TPS Consortium Update. Free & fabulous for educators! us3.campaign-archive.com?u=906ac9e895...
#primarysources
Here's the URL: www.loc.gov/item/89712638/
1803 political cartoon from the Library of Congress of a Russian holding up a small figure of Napoleon, preparing to eat him. Title: A tit bit for a Russian ambassador!!!
Here's a political cartoon from 1803 showing a Russian holding up a small figure of Napoleon, preparing to eat him. Title: A tit bit for a Russian ambassador!!!
How could a teacher use this? Perhaps as an entry point for discussing Russia's invasion of Ukraine? #sschat #libraryofcongress
I’m so pleased to be presenting at #NCTE25 on teaching ELA with primary sources using the Question Formulation Technique (QFT). What a powerful combo! 4:15 today in Room 503!
The Library of Congress TPS Consortium amplifies the power of #teaching with #primarysources. Find out some of the ways how in the November 2025 edition of the TPS Consortium Update! mailchi.mp/.../tps-cons...
"Seawall" - an image of eighteen paintings by Roger Hayden Johnson for his show opening at McLarry Fine Art, 225 Canyon Rd, Santa Fe, 4-6 pm September 26.
The other half of my double life! Roger Hayden Johnson and I will be at the opening Sept. 26, 4-6pm, so if you happen to be in Santa Fe, come say hello! rogerhaydenjohnson.com
Grab some great #primarysource teaching ideas from the TPS Midwest during this free virtual course. I walked away so much smarter! Did I mention that it's free? teachingprimarysources.illinoisstate.edu/development @librarycongress.bsky.social #sschat #socialstudies
Today I discovered a feature in The National Jukebox where you can search on a date and find music that was recorded on a birthday, an anniversary, or whatever date interests you (or your students). www.loc.gov/collections/... #MusicEd #sschat
![School Begins. Print shows Uncle Sam as a teacher, standing behind a desk in front of his new students who are labeled "Cuba, Porto [i.e. Puerto] Rico, Hawaii, [and] Philippines"; they do not look happy to be there. At the rear of the classroom are students holding books labeled "California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, [and] Alaska". At the far left, an African American boy cleans the windows, and in the background, a Native boy sits by himself, reading an upside-down book labeled "ABC", and a Chinese boy stands just outside the door. A book on Uncle Sam's desk is titled "U.S. First Lessons in Self-Government". https://www.loc.gov/item/2012647459/](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:5vngz3t4wq53jpwlarjgqwvn/bafkreicgpud3fgzvxs5lubbaowadbukya3kmmzjbqhiysjeiq7m3ijgala@jpeg)
School Begins. Print shows Uncle Sam as a teacher, standing behind a desk in front of his new students who are labeled "Cuba, Porto [i.e. Puerto] Rico, Hawaii, [and] Philippines"; they do not look happy to be there. At the rear of the classroom are students holding books labeled "California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, [and] Alaska". At the far left, an African American boy cleans the windows, and in the background, a Native boy sits by himself, reading an upside-down book labeled "ABC", and a Chinese boy stands just outside the door. A book on Uncle Sam's desk is titled "U.S. First Lessons in Self-Government". https://www.loc.gov/item/2012647459/
Here's the political cartoon. www.loc.gov/item/2012647...
It only takes a Primary Source Minute to learn a strategy for teaching with a primary source, courtesy of a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member. Apply the Library’s Observe Reflect Question analysis tool to a political cartoon--School Begins. tpsconsortiumcreatedmaterials.org/primary-sour...
Here's a gem of an article from 1963 about the official release of a recording from the "Washington March." Check out the list of Civil Rights activists on the recording - and use it as the start of an inquiry lesson. www.loc.gov/resource/sn8... #sschat #CivilRights #MarchOnWashington #PrimarySource
Have you signed up for the TPS Consortium Update? mailchi.mp/tpsteachersn... It only comes once a month, and it's filled with PD opportunities and news & fun stuff from the Teaching with Primary Sources program at the Library of Congress. Great for teachers & librarians!
I wonder how this idea might be adapted to primary sources, perhaps by adding a primary source to each year a student writes about.
Have you ever tried teaching with the front page of a historic newspaper? TPS Consortium partner @dlaufenberg.bsky.social explains her "Just One Day" strategy in this Primary Source Minute video. Simple, effective, fun! #sschat www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Twz...
It only takes a "Primary Source Minute" to learn a strategy for teaching with a primary source, courtesy of a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member. “Just One Day” uses the front pages of historical newspapers to contextualize events. tpsconsortiumcreatedmaterials.org/primary-sour...
Tramp climbing on railroad car, another man standing between tracks and looking up to watch, hat on ground. Bain News Service, publisher
Tired of the using the same old photos to teach about the Great Depression? Try this one from the Library of Congress! I recommend using the QFT strategy from @rightquestioninst.bsky.social to elicit student questions as an introduction to the topic. www.loc.gov/item/2014680...
So many opportunities for PD credits, quick reads, unique primary sources, & simply being a little more in-the-know about the Library of Congress and its Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program! Take a look at our July TPS Consortium Update! mailchi.mp/tpsteachersn...
If students want to discuss Alligator Alcatraz, why not add to their understanding through primary sources, starting with his outstanding document set created by Emerging America through a TPS Library of Congress grant. emergingamerica.org/teaching-res... #sschat
When I posted this image on July 4th, I had no idea it would be the very date a disastrous flood would begin in the Texas Hill Country in 2025.
It only takes a minute to learn a strategy for teaching with a primary source, courtesy of a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member.
When is a source a primary source and how do we know anything about Sacajawea? youtu.be/vsuApPhFT3s
tpsconsortiumcreatedmaterials.org/primary-sour...
#sschat
It only takes a minute to learn a strategy for teaching with a primary source, courtesy of a Library of Congress TPS Consortium member.
When is a source a primary source and how do we know anything about Sacajawea? youtu.be/vsuApPhFT3s
tpsconsortiumcreatedmaterials.org/primary-sour...
Here's an intriguing primary source photo from the Mississippi River Flood of 1927. Great for zoom-in student observation. "Aerial view of Indian mounds in the Mississippi valley where refugees and cattle flocked until rescued by the American Red Cross." www.loc.gov/item/2002699... #sschat
Need PD credits this summer? Check out these free & fabulous opportunities & learn how to teach with primary sources from the Library of Congress to boot! @jschaul.bsky.social puts together a newsletter each month just for you. mailchi.mp/tpsteachersn... #sschat #primarysources
The Library of Congress and its Teaching with Primary Sources Consortium Partners are continually adding new resources. Find out about the latest as well as amazing opportunities and professional development in the June 2025 TPS Consortium Update. mailchi.mp/tpsteachersn... #Teaching #PrimarySources
Diana's advice is so practical! My favorite sentence? "As someone who worked through a massive district budget mismanagement, (so bad they stopped buying paper in January), I can tell you there is nothing more important than you doing your job in the most mundane and officious way."