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Total Budget for Teaching with Primary Sources Western Region Project

The Teaching with Primary Sources Western Region Project is a grant-funded program that provides teachers in the western region of the United States with access to primary sources from our nation's past. The program, which began in 2018, will continue until 2023 and is funded by a $2 million grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

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National History Day 2017: Conflict and Compromise Resources for Teachers and Students

National History Day 2017: Conflict and Compromise in History is already in full swing for the 2017-2018 school year. We’ve compiled a list to help educators and students with topics, resources, and strategies for teaching historical thinking primary sources. These resources come from TPS partners across the nation and other Colorado educational resources. Feel free to steal, adapt, and evolve as needed.

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Financial Course at Metropolitan State University of Denver

Financial literacy is an essential skill to have in order to be successful in life. However, many people do not learn about financial literacy until they are adults. Fortunately, there are a number of courses available at the Metropolitan State University of Denver that can help you become more financially literate.

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Pairing Picture Books and Primary Sources

Picture books are a staple of elementary instruction, but also work well for older students too. Nonfiction and fiction picture books alike can create a powerful learning environment, especially when paired with primary sources. This is a great way to integrate history into existing reading and writing activities.

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Teacher Librarian Day 2017: Inspire Critical Thinking Reaches Educators Across Colorado

After a small scare at the beginning of the week with the weather forecasting snow on February 24th, 2017, Teacher Librarian Day was a huge success once again. Over 150 teachers, librarians, and education specialists from all across Colorado showed up excited to listen to our 10 speakers and get resources from 18 different educational resource tables.

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Historical Thinking Assessment Using Thanksgiving Primary Sources

Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated as a day of giving thanks with a robust but often misunderstood history. Though it wasn’t made a federal holiday until October 3, 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln issued an official proclamation, colonials are said to have celebrated a good harvest starting in 1621 in Plymouth.

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What’s the Difference Between Primary Sources and Secondary Sources?

Have you ever encountered a meme with an ominous quote with attribution to an author that never actually said it? For example, did you know Albert Einstein never actually said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?” At best, it can be attributed to the Narcotics Anonymous “Basic Test” from November 1981.

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Teacher Librarian Day 2016: Creative Contrast Recap

The 12th annual Teacher Librarian Day 2016: Creative Contrast was held on February 26th, 2016 at History Colorado. Nearly 200 teachers, librarians, educators, and content specialists attended the event and unlike last year, the weather was beautiful – 60 degrees and blue skies!

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The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921: A Tragic Massacre Suppressed in History

The Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 is one of the more large scale, racially motivated conflicts that happened during this time period. Unfortunately, this event is rarely mentioned in history books, and even less frequent in the classroom. In what should be labeled the Tulsa Massacre, the number of casualties ranges from the official death count of 39 to over 300. Ten thousand African Americans were left homeless, 1,256 residences and businesses were burned down, and 35 entire city blocks were destroyed.

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Using Google Cardboard as a Time Machine into 150 Year Old Stereographic Photos

By now you have probably heard the buzz about Google Cardboard, but if you haven’t, it is exactly what you would expect – a piece of cardboard – that turns your smartphone into a virtual reality headset. Remember the old stereoscope viewers? Google Cardboard harnesses this 150+ year old technology into an educational tool relevant for today’s classroom.

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Robert Smalls and the Heroes of the Colored Race

The above photo from the Library of Congress is entitled “Heroes of the colored race” and shows “Head-and-shoulders portraits of Blanche Kelso Bruce, Frederick Douglass, and Hiram Rhoades Revels surrounded by scenes of African American life and portraits of Jon. R. Lynch, Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, Joseph H. Rainey, Charles E. Nash, John Brown, and Robert Smalls.” (From the bibliographic page.)

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Waldseemuller Map Activity: America’s Birth Certificate

The Waldseemüller map is a phenomenal piece of history. Coined the birth certificate of the Americas, the map was originally published in April 1507 by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller. This was the first map to use the name “America”, which was used in honor of Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci.