Archival visits, whether in person or online, are great additions to any curriculum in the humanities. Primary sources can be the cornerstone of lessons or activities involving any aspect of history, ancient or modern. This Teachers Guide is designed to help educators plan, execute, and follow up on an encounter with sources housed in a variety of institutions, from libraries and museums to historical societies and state archives to make learning come to life and teach students the value of preservation and conservation in the humanities.
For more than 400 years, Shakespeare’s 37 surviving plays, 154 sonnets, and other poems have been read, performed, taught, reinterpreted, and enjoyed the world over. This Teacher's Guide includes ideas for bringing the Bard and pop culture together, along with how performers around the world have infused their respective local histories and cultures into these works.
Since 1995, Rhode Islanders have come together each February to read and celebrate the life of one of America's finest poets and writers, Langston Hughes (1902-1967). Made possible through a grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, an independent state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the annual Langston Hughes Poetry Reading is a shining example of what public humanities can pass on to communities far and wide. In addition to videos of readings given by participants at the annual event, this page includes resources and related materials for teaching about Langston Hughes.