Library of Congress-*Virtual Visit*

After visiting the Library of Congress, it really shows the vast amount of information right below our eyes. Library of Congress to some might be about looking for books or searching the catalogs. It does so much more than that for every time of person including, parents, students, educators, and more.

            For the teacher, it has access to the wide collection of books that are out there. It as well helps with presenting various lesson plans and thematic units. For example, if you were to do a lesson on Abraham Lincoln, you would find maps, manuscripts, books and printed text, songs, recordings, and photos. This is all something that can be used by the teacher with the students. I also love how I was able to go to Hispanic Exploration in America and how it shows me the First Voyage, Hernando Cortes, Grand Canyon, Inscription Rock and more. Many of these things are hard to get access to and many don’t know where to start because history goes back a long way. Thanks to the Library of Congress, it is all a click away.

            For children, I love the tab where it says Center for the Book. On this link, it described how reading is beneficial and what you gain from reading everyday. My favorite were the three I’s. Interest, Integration, and Invention. Interest is when a child wants a book for information and/or enjoyment. You build on their interests, hobbies, favorite activities or a trip you have taken by asking them if they would like a book about one of these topics. Then for Integration, you connect to other subjects like math, science, art, sports, music and many more. You need to find out what real-world topics your child is interested in and suggest areas of the library or bookstore that have books on that topic. Connect reading to at-home experiences. For example, finding a book on machines would help explain why a toy or clock is not working at home. Invention comes in when you want to create something about the book. An element in the story can be used to make an arts and craft.

            Overall, I love this site and how there are so many ways we can integrate history since it is not being used as much as it should in today’s classrooms. I will definitely be adding it to my delicious account.