The Historical Society of Pennsylvania has debuted a new short video series:  "Stories from the Archives" that might be useful in the classroom.  Each month a staff person shares something from our vast collection that he or she finds particularly interesting.  Each video is less than three minutes and provides teachers a quick way to either pique interest in a subject, showcase what an archive is, or illustrate a primary source for a topic under study.

For example, the video for January relates to our collection of documents on the thrift reform movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s - perfect for celebrating Thrift Week (January 17 to 23) right now.   Other topics to date include photographs of animals and George Washington's hair.

By the way, the first eleven of these videos were made by a high school senior at Springside Academy in Philadelphia.  Maybe your students who are talented in videography might do a similar project at a local museum, historic site, or library.

Check out HSP's homepage each month for a new video! And don't forget to register for the Thrift Week teacher workshop coming up January 26.