In a recent post on the Library of Congress blog, Matt Raymond, the LOC’s director of communications, introduced the newly launched web portal for teachers. He notes that this is just the latest step to make materials from the LOC accessible to K-12 teachers. Back in 1990 the library sent out CD-ROMs to be used in classrooms, then in 2005 they created the Teaching with Primary Sources Program (TPS), and now in 2009 they’ve produced this portal.

The main sections of this portal include:

• Classroom Materials – Here find “ready-to-use materials” like lesson plans, themed resources, primary source sets, presentations & activities, and collection connections.
• Professional Development – modules to explore content areas and tools to plan and create ones’ own curriculum.
• TPS Partners – Teaching Primary Sources with the help of colleges and organizations.
• Using Primary Sources – Step by step instructions on how teachers can use primary resources in the classroom.
• News and Events – Upcoming events for teachers.
• Additional Resources – Links to resources on the Library of Congress’s web site and elsewhere online.
• FAQ – Quick answers to some general questions about the site.

The LOC is also emphasizing the TPS Direct section of the new teachers portal. TPS Direct is “a new build-it-yourself professional-development tool.” Just click on which professional development activities you’d like to do (like understanding primary sources through the “Lincoln’s Pockets” activity or analyzing primary sources through the “Analyzing Maps” activity), review what you’ve selected, and download to your computer.

While the Teachers page already has a lot to offer, the “full transition of educational materials to the site will take place over time, and new features will become available from now on.”

This post first appeared on AHA Today.