Local educator’s TPS lesson selected for inclusion in Teaching with Primary Sources Quarterly

In conjunction with the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Program at Waynesburg University, Andrea Buchanan, Central Greene School District Elementary Guidance Counselor, created a lesson that was selected for inclusion in the Teaching with Primary Sources Quarterly. Buchanan’s unit plan, “Windows on Waynesburg, Windows on Your Town,” will be included in the Spring 2010 edition of the national publication issued by the Library of Congress.

The lesson provides students with an interactive way to learn about the history of the town in the classroom. Buchanan’s program incorporates primary and secondary sources to give students a better understanding of Waynesburg (or their town) in both the past and the present. These sources brought history to life and helped students to visualize the changes in buildings through the comparison of past images to current photos. This unit plan has been adapted for use within other communities.

The lesson allows students the opportunity to look at the buildings that they have visited for years in a new light. Students began with a walking tour which focused on the architecture within the town. Students then chose a building to investigate for the remainder of the unit.

Buchanan’s students completed several projects including the creation of scale models to represent their building of choice, research related to the creation of the building, interviews that enabled them to learn more about the buildings and the creation of timelines listing architectural changes in Waynesburg.

The project culminated with a presentation of each student’s findings.

TPS Quarterly is available at www.loc.gov/teachers/tps/quarterly. To access “Investigating the Building Blocks of Our Community’s Past, Present and Future,” adapted from “Windows on Waynesburg, Windows on Your Town,” click Learning Activity – Elementary Level.

This lesson and others developed by local pre- and in-service teachers are available at the Waynesburg University Teaching with Primary Source’s program web site: http://tps.waynesburg.edu/swpa.

The Waynesburg University Teaching with Primary Sources program is a professional development provider for in-service and pre-service educators. The TPS program works with schools, universities, libraries and foundations to help teachers use the Library’s vast collection of digitized primary sources to enrich their classroom instruction.

Teaching with Primary Sources is funded through the Library of Congress and is administered through Waynesburg University. The TPS program has only three regional partnerships, each responsible for dissemination of TPS techniques and materials throughout the states within the region. Waynesburg University has been involved with the Library of Congress outreach program since 2003 and was named the Eastern Regional Partner in October 2008. As the TPS Eastern Region Partner, Waynesburg University is responsible for disseminating TPS methods and materials to Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

For more information contact Sue Wise at 724-852-3377 or swise@waynesburg.edu.

Founded in 1849 by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Waynesburg University is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with three adult centers located in the Pittsburgh region. The University is a member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) and is one of only 27 Bonner Scholar schools in the country, offering local, regional and international opportunities to touch the lives of others through service.

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Released July 27, 2010 
Contact: Pam Cunningham, Assistant Director of University Relations
724.852.3384 or pcunning@waynesburg.edu