Close Reading with Historical Newspapers: Making Meaning from the Past

There is a wealth of information in historical newspapers, but it can be challenging for students to find and access the information on the page. This webinar explores how students can find content in historical newspapers related to topics of study and how close reading and other historical analysis approaches can assist students in coming to an understanding of the text's meaning in the newspaper and of the historical event being written about.

Tom Bober, librarian at RM Captain Elementary School in Clayton, MO, focuses his presentation around historical newspapers from the Library of Congress' Chronicling America and the Google Newspaper Archive. He will share:

• Unique search techniques for each source to find articles as well as information on the newspapers themselves
• Close reading strategies to use with historical newspapers
• Sourcing, contextualizing, and corroborating to make meaning of the event or individual being explored through historical newspapers

Multiple elements within a newspaper, including news stories, headlines, news leads, advertisements, comic strips, and editorials, will be part of the session. Upper elementary through high school educators, librarians, instructional coaches and coordinators are invited to watch this recorded session. Learn how to use close reading with historical newspapers to make meaning from the past for your students!