Greetings Colleagues,

I am very excited to be able to host the 2026 SOURCES conference here in Orlando on Saturday, January 24, 2026, on the lovely campus of the University of Central Florida.  You, and other educators interested in effective practices related to teaching with primary sources, will be in attendance.  I am thoroughly excited that so many will be here to share ideas, engage in discussions, and learn about new, effective, and engaging ways to integrate primary sources into K-12 education.

Presenters will provide strategies for using primary sources to help K-12 students engage in learning, develop critical thinking skills, and build content knowledge, specifically with alowing them to engage in one or more of the following of the goals of the Teaching with Primary Sources program of the Library of Congress: 
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• Determining whether a source is primary or secondary depending on the time or topic under study;
• Understanding the benefits of learning with primary sources;
• Accessing primary sources and related materials from loc.gov that support specific learning goals;
• Using Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool and Teacher's Guides to observe, reflect, and question primary sources;
• Identifying key considerations for selecting primary sources based on learner needs, interests, goals, and desire to create;
• Understanding how to review and apply copyright information. 
• Applying citation guidelines when using primary sources and other materials from loc.gov;
• Analyzing primary sources in multiple formats;
• Comparing and contrasting related primary sources to identify multiple perspectives; and
• Developing inquiry, historical thinking, and literacy skills with primary sources. ​

I hope to see you here at the SOURCES Conference on January 24, 2026.

Keep on teaching with primary sources!

Scott M. Waring, Ph.D.
Professor of Social Science Education
Director of the Teaching with Primary Sources Program
at the University of Central Florida

SOURCES Conference
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