The Library of Congress: New Virtual Student Workshops Offer Opportunity to Engage with Library’s Collections at Home
The Library of Congress is now offering virtual student workshops to engage young learners during an unprecedented school year. A new set of virtual workshops, available for students in grades three through eight, offer an opportunity to explore the Library’s exhibitions, collections and architecture from home.
“The Library has long been an outstanding resource for teachers through its Teaching with Primary Sources Program. Now as teachers and students continue to teach and learn online, we are excited to pilot new ways to connect K-12 classrooms across the country and expand access to the Library’s resources,” said Shari Rosenstein Werb, director of the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement.
Pilot versions of the workshops are now available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for the current school year, with two weeks’ notice at the time of registration. Workshops are also available in a format suited to family groups or learning pods, which accommodate at least 10 students per session. Workshops will be led by a Library facilitator, with participation from the group’s teacher or educator.
Registration for the following student workshops is available here, or email learn@loc.gov for more information.
Rosa Parks: Freedom Fights (grades 5-8)
Through discussion, questioning strategies, storytelling and more, students learn about the many ways civil rights activist Rosa Parks fought to bring about justice and equality for many Americans. The program draws on the personal papers of Rosa Parks and other multimedia items held at the Library.
Stories in the Stars: Mythology at the Library of Congress (grades 4-8)
Students will unleash their inner storytellers by exploring Greek myths as represented in the Library’s buildings and collections, and create their own constellation stories.
Imagination, Everyone’s Superpower (grades 3-5) – beginning Oct. 27, 2020
The Thomas Jefferson Building was designed to reflect the Library’s commitment to imagination, creativity and learning. Students will explore these themes represented in the Library’s architecture and comic collection and will create their own comics inspired by the virtual visit.
In addition to the new workshops, teachers can discover content and programs to guide them in using the unparalleled resources of the Library of Congress with students. Primary Source Sets, Professional Development and our Teachers Blog are the best places to start exploring.
Finally, new video specials and interviews with some of today’s most popular authors for children and teens from the 2020 National Book Festival also remain available online. Two one-hour programs — children’s and teen specials hosted by bestselling author Jon Scieszka and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds — offer a brisk and entertaining preview of the dozens of pre-recorded videos featuring authors from the festival. Watch the specials and full-length videos at loc.gov/bookfest.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
Media Contact: Leah Knobel, lknobel@loc.gov
Public Contact: Naomi Coquillon, ncoq@loc.gov
