Zoom-In: Teaching toward Equity

Use primary sources and differentiated instruction to
explore the relationship between literacy and freedom

Join our professional development modules as we use the Zoom-In routine to examine Library of Congress resources to deepen our understanding of literacy as a barrier to and path toward freedom. Dive deep into practical teaching strategies to make meaning from student responses on our feet while learning unfolds.

  • Begin your journey with our Explore module.

  • When you complete four Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources modules you will earn a certificate verifying five hours of professional learning

Professional Development Certificate

Teaching Literacy and Language as an Act of Resistance (TLLAR) is a professional development program developed by faculty at the Harvard Graduate School of Education through the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Program. Our professional development enables teachers to learn the history of education and teaching in the United States while developing essential teaching strategies to ensure all learners are learning every day.

Over three years, we will post modules that both deepen educator historical knowledge of acts of resistance to barriers that prevented literacy teaching.

Aligned to teaching and student learning standards, our modules equip teachers of all grades and subjects to prompt students' critical thinking and make meaning of student thinking by engaging students in discussions.

Parks, G. (1943) Daytona Beach, Florida. Bethune Cookman College. Students using microscopes. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2017845273/

Learn to Zoom In

During a Zoom-In routine, P-12 students uncover a primary source, text, artwork, student work, or any other image piece by piece in order to look closely and use background knowledge to make meaning.

We discuss anti-literacy laws and use a TPS teaching strategy, Zoom-In, to closely examine a photograph of Sojourner Truth, while developing our teaching strategies to make meaning with students.

We explore the Civilization Act and equip teachers with practical teaching strategies that support students in developing the academic language of a specific subject or topic.

We examine Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) and help teachers support students in developing writing skills to use evidence from primary sources to support inferences.

Meet Jarvis Givens, Historian from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as we explore why history may shape our beliefs about readers today.

Join Our Community

  • Each week, members of the TPS Harvard Graduate School of Education team create a post showcasing differentiated instruction with primary sources from loc.gov.

  • P-12 teachers from all subject areas discuss the opportunities, challenges, and practical tips of teaching with primary sources as a vehicle to meet diverse learner strengths and needs.

Our Why

Our How

Our Team