The following is a press release from the Secretary of State.

A new gateway for Washington students to discover and learn from primary sources documenting Washington history is now live.

Primarily Washington, an online education portal by the Washington State Library featuring digitized lesson plans and historic documents from the Library, Washington State Archives, and Legacy Washington, can now be accessed at www.primarilywashington.org.

The website, which was produced with extensive cooperation from Washington teachers and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, launches with six introductory lesson plans on events from Washington history.

Primarily Washington also showcases the Emma Smith Devoe Scrapbook Collection, a wide-ranging set of early 20th century newspaper clippings and other documents about important contemporary topics such as women’s suffrage.

“This is a valuable and unique research resource that we’ve made available for students and teachers of Washington history,” said Washington State Librarian Cindy Aden. “Primary-source documents make historic events relatable and will help teachers bring our state’s important history to life for their students.”

Lesson plans currently on the Primarily Washington website focus on topics including the Everett Massacre, Territory to Statehood, teaching elections and Legacy Washington’s Korea 65 exhibit. More will be added over the summer, giving teachers statewide enhanced resources for Washington history classes during the 2018-19 school year.

Washington’s Office of Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, as well as documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington.