Live and Recorded Presentations
As part of the Inquiry in the Upper Midwest project, professional development is available to help teachers use primary sources, inquiry strategies, and culturally relevant pedagogy in the classroom. Book a live presentation or watch the recorded sessions below. Watch this page, Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe to the History Education e-Newsletter for updates.

Book a live presentation
Book a free one-hour presentation about culturally relevant pedagogy! Choose from the sessions below. Sessions can be in-person or online, depending on your location. Sessions are appropriate for K-16 educators and pre-service teachers. Contact Kara Knight with your presentation request.
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Primary Sources
(Grades K-12)
Introduction to CRP in social studies. What is culturally relevant pedagogy, and how can we apply it in social studies instruction? In this session, educators will learn the basics of CRP and how primary sources can support CRP in their classrooms.
Working Toward a More Culturally Relevant Classroom
(Grades K-12)
Advanced CRP in social studies. If you understand the basics of CRP and would like strategies to apply this lens in your instruction, this session is for you. Learn four methods for adapting your classroom to be a more culturally relevant space.
Analyzing Photographs for Bias
(Grades 6-12)
All photographs, current and historical, have bias. In this session, learn strategies to analyze historical photographs with your students, to better understand how photographs are curated and shape our perceptions.
Leveraging Maps with CRP
(Grades K-5)
Maps are amazing social studies tools, but can feel daunting with our youngest learners. In this session, learn to use maps in a culturally relevant and age-appropriate way, including a focus on student creation of community maps.
Book a Live Session
To schedule a one-hour presentation with Teacher Education staff, fill out this form. Staff will contact you regarding your request.
CRP content and strategies
Transcript (PDF) Watch video Show Me The Evidence on Vimeo
Show Me The Evidence: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy & Primary Sources with Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings
Watch Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, the educational researcher who developed the culturally relevant pedagogical framework, give her keynote for the Inquiry in the Upper Midwest summer institute hosted at the Minnesota History Center on August 2, 2022.
Length: 1:11:03
Transcript (PDF) | Watch video Courageous Conversations on Vimeo
Courageous Conversations
Addressing issues of social justice in the classroom can be, in many teaching contexts, controversial. Primary sources provide tools through which educators can frame these conversations rooted in the past and use them as bridges to address current critical social justice issues. This session with Dr. Jean Swindle (East Tennessee State University) will demonstrate how primary sources can be used as bridges in courageous conversations and how to map historical events and narratives onto contemporary issues.
Length: 1:03:17
Transcript (PDF) | Watch video Connecting Past and Present on Vimeo
Connecting Past and Present
Using current and historical struggles for suffrage as examples, this webinar aligns modern political advocacy to movements of the past, highlighting ways educators can connect current events to history. We examine Library of Congress and other sources about the fights for the 15th, 19th and 26th amendments and share strategies to extend the inquiry arc into civic engagements.
Length: 50:50
Transcript (PDF) | Watch video CRP in Elementary on Vimeo
CRP in Elementary
Join Jehanne Beaton from the University of Minnesota as she provides a brief introduction to culturally relevant pedagogy, and then models a second grade lesson that has students analyzing primary sources from the Library of Congress collections.
Length: 27:11
Using primary sources in the classroom
Transcript (PDF) | Watch video Using Primary Sources on Vimeo
Using Primary Sources
Jessica Ellison from the Minnesota Historical Society describes why we should use primary sources in the classroom, and provides some tips on how to use them effectively with students.
Length: 12:18
Transcript (PDF) | Watch video Finding and Evaluating on Vimeo
Finding and Evaluating
Primary sources are powerful teaching tools, but can sometimes be a challenge to track down. Get some quick tips for finding relevant, reliable primary sources and ideas for evaluating those sources with your students.
Length: 11:13
Transcript (PDF) | Watch video Making Primary Sources Accessible on Vimeo
Making Primary Sources Accessible
Using the principles of disciplinary literacy, this webinar explores explicit, specific strategies teachers can use to make primary sources accessible to students with varying skill and ability levels.
Length: 50:14
Analyzing primary sources
Transcript (PDF) | Watch video Analyzing Images on Vimeo
Analyzing Images
Jessica Ellison from the Minnesota Historical Society walks us through a primary source analysis of two photographs and a political cartoon.
Observe Think Wonder tool (PDF)
Length: 5:34
Transcript (PDF) | Watch video Analyzing Maps on Vimeo
Analyzing Maps
Geography educator Jess Winkelaar shares a tool for analyzing maps, and models how to use that with three historic maps related to immigration.
Length: 12:07
Transcript (PDF) | Watch video Analyzing Sound Recordings on Vimeo
Analyzing Sound Recordings
Kate Stower from the Minnesota Historical Society shares sound recordings selected from the Library of Congress and models primary source analysis of the song “Don’t Bite the Hand That’s Feeding You.”
Observe Reflect Question tool (PDF)
Sound Recording analysis (PDF)
Sheet Music analysis (PDF)
Length: 16:01