LibGuides: History by Design: NYC Edition: Research Phase

Resources From Public Libraries

New York Public Library
- NYPL has a vast database of texts, photos, maps and more to help students with their research.
Brooklyn Connections @ Brooklyn Public Library
- Scroll down a third of the way to the part that says "LET'S GET STARTED!" Guide your students through this short presentation on best practices in online research. Topics covered include: how to make a pre-research game plan, how to use keywords, and the difference between databases and search engines.
- A list of trustworthy internet resources from Brooklyn Public Library.
- Go on the below virtual field trip to learn more about the archives at Brooklyn Public Library! Click the button with brackets forming a square to view full screen then click the play button to enjoy!

The National Archives
- DocsTeach is an easy-to-use resource that was specifically designed to be used in classrooms by students and teachers. Find activities you can use to teach about primary sources and use their search function to find primary sources to help your students decide on their research topic.
- The National Archives Catalog is a search engine that will be most helpful after you have narrowed your topic and are looking for specific information.
- History Hub is a crowdsourcing platform sponsored by the National Archives. This search engine is most helpful when you have narrowed your topic and are looking for specific information.
- Use this worksheet to do a scavenger hunt with students or this graphic organizer to help students stay organized during their search.

New York City School Library System has a lot of databases and research resources including Britannica School Middle (here is the search result for RBG and American Indians at a Glance) and a Gale In Context page for Middle Schools.
Newsela offers leveled articles and thematic text sets on current topics
WeTeach is the NYCDOE library of teacher resources. You can find things like resources on African Americans in the U.S. from the Civil War to present day or Constitution Day resources by searching on this site.
The Smithsonian Learning Lab is a free, online database of two million images, recordings, texts, and other resources from across the Smithsonian’s 19 museums.
Cooper Hewitt's search engine allows for you to search for images of art in Cooper Hewitt's collection. For example, Art That Inspires Change Crews could search for "protest."
Youtube is a great resource to find videos related to any topic.
5 tips for teaching students how to do research
Kid's Search is a search engine that filters out search engine results that are inappropriate for students. Check out their social studies resources page for more helpful sites!