Teaching with Primary Sources
Micro-credential Library

The Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) Micro-credentials were developed by Citizen U® in conjunction with the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Partner Program and in collaboration with TPS Consortium members. 

The TPS micro-credentials are free for NEA members and $75 for non-members. Citizen U has a number of vouchers available for non-members. To learn more, contact us.

In addition to the micro-credential badges and digital portfolios, educators can typically also receive local/state certification of professional development credit towards license renewal. Graduate credit may also be possible for a supplemental fee. 

Educators with no foundational training in teaching inquiry with primary sources from the Library of Congress may find it helpful to begin with the Inquiry with Primary Sources micro-credential. To support all educators, we offer a Personal Learning Community. Simply click to join the TPS Teachers Network, then join the TPS Micro-credentials group.

Teaching with Primary Sources

What You'll Learn

You will learn how to integrate inquiry learning with primary sources into instruction across grades and disciplines using a variety of frameworks and strategies.

Who Should Apply

  • K12 Educators
  • Education Pre-service Educators
  • Instructional Coaches
  • Content Specialists
  • Education Support Professionals
  • Aspiring Educators

     

8
micro-
credentials
15
Approximate hours each
Description
Primary sources lead students naturally into inquiry, helping them to confront the complexity of the past, engage with it in a personal way, and reflect on how it relates to the present and future. In analyzing primary sources, students move from concrete observations and facts to questioning and making inferences. Because primary sources may be incomplete or lack context, each one represents a mystery that students explore further by asking questions and investigating new pieces of evidence from multiple perspectives. Along the way they work to find patterns, construct knowledge, communicate newfound understandings, reflect on the learning journey, and ready themselves to apply their learning to new contexts.
Click to View PDFDetailsAction

Teaching with Primary Sources: *Inquiry with Primary Sources
Educator uses inquiry to engage learners in analysis of primary sources to promote student empathy, foster understanding of multiple perspectives, deepen content knowledge, and enhance critical thinking skills.
Key Method: Educator curates relevant and appropriate primary source sets to develop and analyze an inquiry-based primary source learning activity.

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StartNEA_TPS1Teaching with Primary Sources*Inquiry with Primary Sources

Teaching with Primary Sources: Connecting Primary Sources & Technology for Formative Assessment
Educator connects primary sources with technology for formative assessment to meet instructional goals and increase student engagement with course content.
Key Method: Educator creates or revises a lesson that uses technology for formative assessments of primary sources.

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StartNEA_TPS6Teaching with Primary SourcesConnecting Primary Sources & Technology for Formative Assessment

Teaching with Primary Sources: Connecting Primary Sources with Historic Places
Educator will be able to connect primary sources with a historic place, meet instructional goals, and increase student engagement with course content.
Key Method: Educator will create or revise a lesson that connects primary sources with a historic place to teach about an event, person, or landscape.

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StartNEA_TPS5Teaching with Primary SourcesConnecting Primary Sources with Historic Places

Teaching with Primary Sources: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy with Primary Sources
Educator uses primary sources and inquiry strategies to craft culturally relevant instruction.
Key Method: Educator develops and analyzes a lesson that incorporates the three tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy with primary sources.

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StartNEA_TPS3Teaching with Primary SourcesCulturally Relevant Pedagogy with Primary Sources

Teaching with Primary Sources: Multidisciplinary Civics with Primary Sources
Educator uses inquiry learning with primary sources to enhance students’ civics knowledge, skills, and dispositions across one or more disciplines.
Key Method: Educator develops and analyzes a multidisciplinary civics lesson using inquiry and primary sources.

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StartNEA_TPS2Teaching with Primary SourcesMultidisciplinary Civics with Primary Sources

Teaching with Primary Sources: Pairing Primary Sources with Historical Picture Books
Educator uses an inquiry approach to learning that utilizes primary sources and an historical picture book.
Key Method: Educator develops and analyzes an inquiry-based lesson that pairs an historical picture book with a curated set of related primary sources.

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StartNEA_TPS7Teaching with Primary SourcesPairing Primary Sources with Historical Picture Books

Teaching with Primary Sources: The Question Formulation Technique & Primary Sources
Educator uses the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to engage learners in content by generating and analyzing questions about a primary source.
Key Method: Educator creates or revises a lesson using the QFT with a primary source, directly connecting students' questions to the next steps of their learning.

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StartNEA_TPS8Teaching with Primary SourcesThe Question Formulation Technique & Primary Sources

Teaching with Primary Sources: Universal Design for Learning with Primary Sources
Educator uses Universal Design for Learning (UDL) with primary sources to provide multiple means of engagement, representation of information, and opportunities for action and expression to increase universal accessibility of course content and skills.
Key Method: Educator customizes and augments a primary source learning activity by employing UDL principles to increase universal accessibility.

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StartNEA_TPS4Teaching with Primary SourcesUniversal Design for Learning with Primary Sources
* Educators with no foundational training in teaching inquiry with primary sources from the Library of Congress may find it helpful to begin with the Inquiry with Primary Sources micro-credential before proceeding to subsequent ones.