Local Catholic teacher Ryan Yerton will travel to Washington, D.C., this month to attend a prestigious course at the Library of Congress. The five-day immersion program will cover effective methods for incorporating original historical documents into classroom discussion and study. 

Yerton, an eighth grade teacher at Our Lady of Grace School in Encino, was selected from more than 300 applicants and will join K-12 educators from around the nation at the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Summer Teacher Institute from July 27 to 31. 

Library education specialists will work with educators to study effective ways of teaching students using documents created by historians with firsthand experience. The program aims to engage learners, build critical-thinking skills and advance learning using primary texts. 

Educators will also explore the library’s extensive digitized historical artifacts and documents, also available online. To access these classroom materials, teaching tools and strategies, please visit www.loc.gov/teachers.