Thing 17: One New Thing

While exploring the world of databases, I discovered Historical Newspapers. (Thanks, Jeanne!)What a powerful tool to use in my classroom. Especially when it comes to the kids finding primary sources for their History Day projects. When I introduced this to the kids they were SO excited. To see newspaper articles the way that they actually appeared so mnay years ago was really cool. There is also a timeline that shows the context of that time period.

I also like the "this day in history" feature. I have seen this many times before but Historical Newspapers shows the article that went along with the story. Like today is the day that the Roe V Wade decision was handed down and the New York Times article is there to read.

Unfortunately, this is a subscription that we may have to let expire because of lack of funding. So, using what I learned in my administration program (it's hard to say no to kids), I asked a couple of my students to write a letter about what the Historical Newspapers database has meant to them. A very "cheesy" technique to be sure, but if we are truly interested in doing what's best for kids then we need tools like this to assist them in the research process.