Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Teacher Workshops at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

Working with Primary Sources

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is pleased to present workshops for teachers and other educators interested in learning more about using document-based lesson plans in their classes. Call Jeffrey S. Urbin at (845) 486-7761 or email roosevelt.education@nara.gov for more information or to arrange a workshop.

Workshop Format:

Part One: Introduction to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, and Presidential Library System Overview

Participants will be given a brief research guide designed to help students and teachers plan and execute their research projects. Topics covered in the guide include: the nature of research, clarifying the research task, and developing critical thinking skills.

Special attention is given to the use of primary sources. The guide includes a written document analysis worksheet created by the National Archives and Records Administration , used to analyze and evaluate primary source documents. In addition, this portion of the workshop will highlight some of the rewards and restrictions of working with primary documents.

Part Two: Teaching with Documents: Topics relating to the life and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt

In this section, participants will review primary sources from the National Archives and Records Administration representing a wide range of topics relating to President and Mrs. Roosevelt, or to issues that were important to their times.

The documents are arranged in three sections based on the level of complexity of the topic being presented. Selections are as follows:

3rd - 4th Grade Selections

  • Victory Gardens in World War II
  • Campaign Slogans and Fliers
  • Fire Prevention Posters: The Story of Smokey the Bear
  • "A Date Which will Live in Infamy:" The First Typed Draft of FDR's War Address

5th - 9th Grade Selections

  • Writing a Letter of Appeal
  • Eleanor Roosevelt Resigns form the DAR: A Study in Conscience
  • Decision at Yalta: Anna Roosevelt's Diary
  • Rights in Times of Crisis: American Citizens and Internment
  • D-Day Message from General Eisenhower to General Marshall
  • A Letter on Employment of Married Women
  • Letter Proposing Candidates for the First UN Assembly

10th - College Selections

  • Correspondence Concerning Women and the Army Air Forces in World War II
  • A 1939 Letter of Protest: Controversy Over Public Art During the New Deal
  • Correspondence Urging Bombing of Auschwitz during World War II
  • Nazi Medical Experiment from the Nuremberg Medical Trial

Part Three: Using the Roosevelt Library and Museum in Person and Through the Internet

Teachers are welcome to use the material we have provided, or they are encouraged to select and design document-based lessons themselves. Participants will be given a tour of the Arthur Schlesinger Research Room and will learn how to access material from the Roosevelt Presidential Library's website containing 13,000 online documents.

Part Four: Sharing Ideas for Improving Document-Based Teaching and Meeting the Goals of Curriculum Requirements

The final portion of the program will provide participants an opportunity to share among themselves techniques and strategies they have found useful as they have worked to meet curriculum requirements.

Session Options and Costs:

Half Day Session - $125 plus $5 per participant
Full Day Session - $250 plus $5 per participant
Two Day Session - $500 plus $5 per participant

We would be happy to include tours of the museum galleries. Arrangements can made in advance to tailor the above programs to better meet the needs of participants.

For more information or to arrange a workshop, please contact:

Jeffrey Urbin at (845) 486-7761 or
email: roosevelt.education@nara.gov

 

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