New Exploring Primary Sources Mini-Site Offers Free Primary Source Teaching Tools

New Exploring Primary Sources Mini-Site Offers Free Primary Source Teaching Tools

Primary sources get students closer to historical events and offer varying perspectives that spark inquiry, discussion and deeper learning. 

iCivics’ Exploring Primary Sources website, supported by a grant from the Library of Congress, is an exciting new resource for K–12 educators and their students. By using the website, you will:

  • Discover innovative, free products from iCivics and our partners that offer interactive, engaging learning experiences with primary sources
  • Build your knowledge, skills and confidence teaching with primary sources with our collection of professional development videos
  • Simplify lesson planning with this curated collection of high-quality primary source tools, including iCivics’ DBQuest, Eagle Eye Citizen, Engaging Congress, History’s Mysteries: Historical Inquiry for Elementary Classrooms, Journalism in Action, KidCitizen, and Voices for Suffrag

Primary sources take students beyond the textbook and help them see the past (and present) in new ways. We’re excited to help make primary sources more accessible to you and your students.

Explore more from the educator blog

We Can Teach Hard Things Like Immigration

I began my career as a social studies teacher in September 2001. By my second week in the classroom, the attacks of September 11th had reshaped not only the nation, but also my understanding of what it meant to teach history. I became acutely aware of the students in my

Victoria prepares her students with critical skills for life beyond the classroom

Last September, I set a goal for myself: to find a game for every standard I teach. In other words, to gamify the entire school year. While 6th graders can’t vote—and they often feel that participating in civic life is something only their parents can do—games put them in the

Amanda builds literacy that strengthens her students’ civic decision-making

My main drive as an educator is to teach literacy as a way of understanding the world. My focus is not just reading and writing, but building literacy in how students navigate the internet, politics, and the world around them. It’s about vetting sources, understanding if what you’re reading is