UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
Office of Extended Studies
Course Syllabus
Course Title:
EDF 513-______ Teaching with Primary Sources, Essentials Exploration
Credit:
One (1) Graduate Credit
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
*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. Erin journeyed into the teaching world first through a PT3 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 3 years as the Program Manager of Online Learning at Centennial BOCES. She began work
on the Teaching with Primary Sources grant in 2006. She holds two Master's degrees, in Educational
Technology and 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.
Course Description:
How do you find gems and nuggets most valuable to you among more than 30 million treasures? The Teaching
with Primary Sources: Essentials Exploration class is designed to equip you with the tools and resources to
mine those millions of Library of Congress online, digitized primary sources. Designed for K-12 educators
from all grade levels, this course focuses on using inquiry-based strategies to investigate the nature of primary
sources, their significance for learning and instructional strategies for incorporating them into lessons.
Common Core State Standards connections include analysis of a variety of informational texts and supporting
hypotheses. Participants are introduced to the Library of Congress website online collections, as well as
resources for teachers and researchers.
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:
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Participants:
ry or secondary depending upon the time or topic under
study.
Access primary sources and teaching resources from loc.gov for instructional use
and interests, teaching goals, etc.)
y sources in order to identify multiple perspectives
based learning, historical thinking, etc.)
 Create their own primary source-based activity that helps students engage in learning, develop critical
thinking skills and construct knowledge.
Course Outline
Topics Covered
Your facilitators will guide you in:
 Defining and understanding primary sources and their value in teaching
 Exploring the Library of Congress website (www.loc.gov), using suggested search strategies;
recognizing, accessing and saving a variety of types of files
 Examining, evaluating and using classroom resources from the teacher pages
(www.loc.gov/teachers) of the Library of Congress website
 Analyzing primary sources, using literacy and critical thinking strategies, analysis and scaffolding
tools
 Identifying lessons you teach in which you can integrate primary source inquiry and analysis
 Providing opportunity for further application, including instructions and templates for you to create
an activity for your classroom
 Reading and discussing materials in-depth in online environment
Summary of Requirements
Participants:
 Complete one-hour online module on Library of Congress website (www.loc.gov/teachers) prior to
face to face class and submit certificate of completion
 Attend and participate in entire day (8-hour) face to face workshop – (July 10)
o By end of workshop, complete worksheet connecting teaching resources and strategies to
classroom/teaching plans and share with other participants
 Following face to face workshop, interaction continues via UNC’s Blackboard online system for four
(4) week (July 14-August 8) including:
o View and discuss second online module from www.loc.gov/teachers
o Create classroom activity applying learning from workshop and share with other
participants
o Read articles and discuss application to your classroom and understanding of learning from
primary sources
o Post final reflection on plans/next steps for integrating primary sources into instruction
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Evaluation Criteria
Students will be evaluated for:
 Completion of pre-work - introductory module
 Attendance and participation in face to face workshop
 Discussion postings on Blackboard online system as evidence of understanding content from inquiry
module, assigned readings
 Satisfactory completion of classroom activity – using Collection Tool and Activity Template provided
Grades are S (satisfactory)/U (unsatisfactory)
Blackboard
Blackboard is a tool that allows faculty to add resources for students to access online courses.
Powerpoint, Captivate, video, audio, animation, and other applications are created outside of Blackboard
and added into Blackboard courses for students to enhance their learning efforts and for faculty to
enhance teaching methods. Please click or cut and paste link below to access Introduction to
Blackboard (tutorial):
http://www.unco.edu/blackboard/student.html
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 UNC BlackBoard site and will
need an Internet-connected computer for this purpose.
Below are UNC’s minimum suggested computer requirements:
Platform:
 PC (Windows 2000/XP/Vista)
 Mac (10.2, 10.3, 10.4)
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)
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
T1, DSL, Cable, or Satellite high-speed connection (56K dial-up will work, but will
significantly impact online work)
Software:
 Microsoft Office 2007 (or other application with word processing, presentation, and
desktop publishing capabilities)
 Microsoft Office Viewers (for viewing & printing 2007 Word, PowerPoint, Excel, & Visio
files)
 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)
 Microsoft Silverlight (browser plug-in for interactions on MyLOC.gov website)
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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