UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Extended Campus
Course Syllabus
June 17-July 31, 2014
Course Title:
EDF 513-646: Exploring US History through Primary Sources and the Library of
Congress; Teaching with Primary Sources, Professional Development
In Collaboration with Weld County District 6
Credit:
Two (2) Graduate Credits
Instructors:
Erin Hunt— Facilitator & Instructional Designer
970-351-3390 (Office L 33 in Michener Library) erin.hunt@unco.edu
Mary Hart—Facilitator & Instructional Designer
970-351-1525 (Office L34 in Michener Library) mary.hart@unco.edu
Anne Bell – Grant director
970-351-1523 (Office L32 Michener Library) anne.bell@unco.edu
*Funding provided by a Library of Congress grant: Teaching with Primary Sources at UNC
Erin Hunt is the Instructional Designer for UNC’s Teaching with Primary Sources grant funded by the Library
of Congress. She journeyed into the teaching world first through a PT3 (Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to
Use Technology) grant and then as a middle and high school computer teacher. She got her feet more than
wet in the exciting world of online learning for three years as the Program Manager of Online Learning at
Centennial BOCES. Her Master's degree is in Educational Technology and she is currently working on
obtaining her MLS (Master's of Library Science).
Mary Hart is an Instructional Designer and Workshop Facilitator with the Teaching with Primary Sources
(TPS) grant at UNC. She has been teaching and developing instruction for over 11 years. Previously, she
wrote assessment plans for courses and programs, developed and taught assessment courses to faculty as
the Assessment Coordinator, developed workshops as an Instructional Designer to train faculty in design
models for courses and programs, and taught college English and literature courses as a full-time, community
college, instructor. Her BA in Communication Development/English and her MA in English are from Colorado
State University, where she has completed ¾ of the requirements for a PhD in Teacher Training and Staff
Development. Mary is impressed with the scope and depth of the material available online from the Library
of Congress. She’s eager to share the materials to the benefit of other teachers.
Anne Ryan Bell, PhD directs Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) grant at UNC, funded by the Library of
Congress. She has been involved in professional development projects for the past eight years, having
previously taught language arts and mass communication subjects at high school and community college
levels. She also managed the community relations office at a community college and was director of training
and communication for a non-profit human services organization. Originally from Oregon, she has a BA in
English, MA in Communication Arts (Radio-TV-Film) and PhD in Educational Technology. She is very excited
about the opportunities for teachers to bring the great wealth of digitized online sources from the Library of
Congress into their classrooms through TPS.
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Course description
Exploring US History through Primary Sources (secondary - grades 6-12
This course begins with a three-day face to face interactive workshop, June 17-19, providing: an exploration
of digitized primary sources - original documents, visuals, maps and multimedia files - and teacher resources
on the Library of Congress website, strategies to support inquiry learning and critical thinking skills, and a
greater depth of study of online collections, interactive resources, and sample lessons highlighting three eras
of US history: Creating the United States, the Civil War and the New Deal Era/Great Depression. During the
three days of hands-on exploration and collaborative learning, you will gain ideas, skills and tools to help
students analyze primary sources for accuracy and point of view, to learn to think like a historian, to
formulate and support hypotheses with evidence, and research key historical questions. You will create a
primary source packet during the workshop and will continue to develop a lesson plan during the 6 weeks
following the workshop. You will interact with facilitators and other participants online through the TPS
Teacher Network as you discuss your lesson plans and application to your classroom.
Materials: All materials are provided by your facilitators or may be accessed online.
 Course Goals and Objectives:
 Participants learn strategies to locate, prepare and integrate Library of Congress primary sources into
their teaching, consistent with Level One goals of the Teaching with Primary Sources program, including
describing the differences between primary and secondary sources and examples of the benefits of using
them in teaching, and accessing online teacher resources and primary sources from the Library of
Congress website (www.loc.gov)
 Skills include analyzing primary sources in different formats, identifying multiple perspectives from a set
of related primary sources.
 Participants explore a chosen topic in-depth and create their own primary source packet and lesson plan
that helps students engage in learning, develop critical thinking skills and construct knowledge.
 Participants gain and share expertise through actively participating in the online TPS Teacher Network,
where they can continue interactions into fall semester when they implement their lesson plans.
Course Outline
Topics Covered
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Primary sources and their value in teaching
Navigation of the Library of Congress website (www.loc.gov): use suggested search strategies;
recognizing, accessing and saving a variety of types of files; explore topics of your choosing in greater
depth
Classroom resources from the teacher pages (www.loc.gov/teachers) of the Library of Congress website
Analysis of primary sources, using literacy and critical thinking strategies, analysis and scaffolding tools
Strategies to promote critical thinking and support standards
Practice using and posting to TPS Teacher Network – online environment
Development and sharing online of lesson integrating primary sources
Grades are S (satisfactory)/U (unsatisfactory)
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Summary of Requirements
Participants:
 Complete one-hour online module on Library of Congress website prior to face to face class and submit
certificate of completion
 Attend and participate in three day face to face institute
o Submit mini primary source set and plan for classroom integration at end of third day
 Following face-to-face workshop, interact at least twice weekly online via TPS Teacher Network
Interaction centers around:
o (June) Discussion of second online module on inquiry from www.loc.gov/teachers and
review/Q&A related to content from face to face institute.
o (July) Creation of lesson plan –
o Peer review of lesson plans and discussion of implementation
o Interaction with other TPS teachers outside Colorado on TPS Teacher Network
 Final lesson due Thursday, July 31, 2014- to be uploaded to TPS Teacher Network and e-mailed to
facilitators
To receive a grade of S (satisfactory), participants must complete all of the above
Honor Code
All members of the University of Northern Colorado community are entrusted with the responsibility to
uphold and promote five fundamental values: Honesty, Trust, Respect, Fairness, and Responsibility.
These core elements foster an atmosphere, inside and outside of the classroom, which serves as a
foundation and guides the UNC community‘s academic, professional, and personal growth. Endorsement
of these core elements by students, faculty, staff, administration, and trustees strengthens the integrity
and value of our academic climate. UNC’s policies and recommendations for academic misconduct will be
followed. For additional information, please see the Dean of Student’s website, Student Handbook link
http://www.unco.edu/dos/handbook/index.html
Student Satisfaction Evaluation
Participants will be asked to evaluate the course for instructors’ knowledge, interest and enthusiasm for TPS
at UNC.
Technology Requirements
All participants will access the Library of Congress website and log into the TPS Teacher Network site and will
need an Internet-connected computer for this purpose.
Below are UNC’s minimum suggested computer requirements:
Platform:
 PC (Windows XP, 7 or 8)
 Mac (OS 10+)
Hardware:
 128 MB of RAM
 2 GB of free disk space
 Sound card with speakers
 Ethernet or Wireless network card (for high-speed Internet connection) or 56K modem (for
dial-up Internet connection)
 T1, DSL, Cable, or Satellite high-speed connection (or wireless connection to a high-speed
network)
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Software:
 Microsoft Office 2007/2008 (Mac) or higher (or other application with word processing,
presentation, and desktop publishing capabilities)
 Adobe Acrobat Reader (for viewing and printing PDF files)
 Real Player (for viewing streaming video or listening to streaming audio clips)
 QuickTime (for viewing QuickTime video)
 Flash Player (for viewing animations or using interactive content)
 Shockwave Player (for viewing animations or using interactive content)
 Windows Media Player (for viewing streaming video or listening to streaming audio clips)
Accommodations Statement
Students who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability
Support Services, voice/TTY (970) 351-2289, fax (970) 351-4166, or online at www.unco.edu/dss, as soon as
possible to ensure timely implementation of accommodations.
Inclusivity Statement
The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences (CEBS) supports an inclusive learning environment where
diversity and individual differences are acknowledged, respected, and appreciated as sources of strength. We
expect students, faculty, administrators and staff within CEBS respect individual differences and demonstrate
diligence in comprehending perspectives, behaviors, and worldviews that may be distinct from their own.
Please visit the CEBS Diversity and Equity Committee website for more information on UNC’s commitment to
diversity (http://www.unco.edu/cebs/diversity).
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