Enter the KidCitizen "Guest Director" Contest!

YOU could be a Guest Director, and choose a primary source photograph that will be the centerpiece of a new KidCitizen episode we will build!

Researching photos on the LOC.GOV Website

The Library of Congress has a vast digital archive of primary and secondary sources in a variety of digital formats. It can be challenging to navigate and search these vast archives. Here are a few tips:

Searching on LOC.GOV:

1. In the search box, first choose “Photos, Prints and Drawings from the dropdown.

2. Search with one or two simple keywords: (i.e.: “Maine” and “Fishing”)

3. Then use the checkboxes on left to refine your search.

Using advanced Google search:

- You can use google to search only on loc.gov: type in your search words, followed by site:loc.gov (i.e.: fishing in maine site:loc.gov)

- Or go to google.com/advanced search for more options.

What makes a great developmentally appropriate photograph?

Not all images are well suited for young learners (K-5)!

To activate students’ prior experience and learning, look for photos with things students can relate to their current lives To connect with KidCitizen’s focus, we also encourage you to identify primary sources that can engage children in exploring civics and government concepts.

By comparing their own lives to children long ago, observing changes in their communities, and recognizing familiar objects and images, young learners may begin understanding representation of distinct time periods and critically reflect on multiple perspectives of events and experiences.

Check out the KidCitizen episodes for examples of photographs that work well.

The contest is open to teachers everywhere…

And it is open from September 14 through October 14., 2020. The winners will be selected based on YOUR votes with help from experts from the Library.

Here’s how to enter and join in:

Step 1: Join the TPS Teachers Network:

The contest will take place on the TPS Teachers Network, a wonderful online community dedicated to teaching with primary sources, supported by the Library of Congress. (We’ll show you how to join at the bottom of this page.)

Step 2: Choose a primary source photograph from the Library’s collection that you think would make a great episode.

Go to the Library’s website at loc.gov, and research their amazing and growing digital collection to find a photograph you want to submit.

At right, see tips on researching -- and on what makes a great developmentally appropriate photograph.

Step 3: Upload your Primary Source

The button below will take you to the KidCitizen Group in the TPS Teachers Network There, you should upload your primary source photo to the album “KidCitizen Contest”. Next, in the teaching notes, add an Inquiry Question, along with the citation and a link to the photo on loc.gov.

Step 4: Vote on your Favorite Primary Source

Vote for your favorite primary source photos by clicking the thumbs-up button below the photograph. All TPS Teachers Network members may vote! (You don’t have to be a contest entrant.) The primary sources which generate the greatest numbers of ‘likes’ will be reviewed by the KidCitizen Team in conjunction with the Library of Congress TPS staff. Two winning primary sources will be selected, and new episodes created from those sources, and featured on Kidcitizen.net for all to use.

Ready?

Click the button below to go to the TPS Teachers Network and get started!.

How to Join the TPS Teachers Network

1. Click the JOIN THE CONTEST button to go to the TPS Teachers Network.

2. The site will show a popup asking you to login. Click OK.

3. Then click “Log in” in the center of the screen below the logo.

4. On the login screen, click the blue “Not a Member: Click Here” button

5. Fill in your user name, set a password, and follow directions to complete your registration.

6. Once you’ve joined, search for the KidCitizen group, and join!