+
Lesson Plan
Syracuse University

Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What was it like to enlist as a soldier in the Civil War? By using enlistment papers, young scholars consider this question. After they've looked at the primary source and discussed it, they create a short story of a fictional soldier to...
+
Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Labor Unions in an Industrializing U.S.

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Have class members eager to enter the workforce? They'll be glad to learn that things aren't how they used to be. Have your young historians examine then discuss four primary source images related to the negative effects of...
+
Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Balancing Sources

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Pupils turn into investigative reporters throughout history to learn what it takes to balance different primary sources on the same topic. They use what they learn to create a narrative based on their own interpretation of a historic...
+
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

How Did the Public View Women’s Contributions to the Revolutionary War Effort?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Calling upon the legacies of Joan of Arc, Elizabeth I, and Catherine the Great, Esther Reed rallied Southern women to support the American Revolution. Using a broadside by Reed and other primary sources, such as poetry, young historians...
+
Lesson Plan
National WWII Museum

What It Takes to Win: Mapping Primary Source Evidence

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
World War II was not just waged in Europe and Asia; the home front was key to Allied victory. Using newspaper clippings from World War II and a map, scholars plot out wartime production in the United States. After that, class members...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Iran Hostage Crisis: Reading Primary Documents

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Following brief instruction about the Iran Hostage Crisis during Jimmy Carter's presidency, small groups read three-page sections from the diary of hostage Robert C. Ode. They write editorials from the perspective of either U.S. citizens...
+
Handout
Concordia University

Primary and Secondary Sources

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Show your class the difference between primary sources and secondary sources. The first page provides a list of examples of each type of source. While they research, pupils can refer back to the list quickly to make sure they are reading...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Primary Source Documents in the Classroom

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students use primary documents to explore the past. They consider the source of the documents and identify and biases that the author may have held. They identify any questions about the historical event that may remain after reading the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Is a Primary-Source Document?

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students discover what a primary-source document is, what different types there were back in 1867, and what newer kinds there are today. They play a form of bingo using printed cards that reproduce documents related to Confederation.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Death and Dying in Puritan New England: A Study Based on Early Gravestones, Vital Records, and other Primary Sources Relating to Cape Cod, Massachusetts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the time in which the Puritans lived in colonial New England. In groups, they research the Puritans view on life and death and discuss as a class. They read gravestones, diaries and other primary sources to...
+
PPT
Curated OER

How Do We Know About People From The Past?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
It's not enough to see or just read a primary source document; one has to analyze them fully to understand their historical implications. First learners are introduced to what primary and secondary sources are, then they read a bit of...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Freed the Slaves During the Civil War?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Pose the question to your historians: who really freed the slaves? They critically assess various arguments, using primary sources as evidence. In small groups, scholars jigsaw 5 primary source documents (linked), and fill out an...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Qualifying to Vote Under Jim Crow

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather laws? Scholars study the systematic ways African-Americans were kept from voting even after it was made a law. They analyze a series of primary source documents, complete a worksheet, and engaged...
+
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Grant E. Hamilton, “I Rather Like That Imported Affair”

For Students 8th - 11th
Political cartoons are primary source documents and learning to read them can be a challenge. Challenge the reading skills of your class with a political cartoon featuring rough and ready, Teddy Roosevelt. 
+
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Udo J. Keppler, “Next!”

For Students 8th - 11th
Standard Oil's stranglehold on the US government is the subject of a 1904 political cartoon. Kids use the questions on the provided worksheet to prompt their analysis of this primary source.
+
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Theodore Roosevelt, Excerpt from “The Square Deal” Speech

For Students 8th - 11th
Talk about a timely resource! As part of a series of primary source exercises, individuals read and respond to questions about Theodore Roosevelt's "The Square Deal" speech. Roosevelt reminds us of what our social system should be.
+
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Excerpts from Fireside Chat on Economic Conditions

For Students 8th - 11th
Franklin D. Roosevelt's April 14, 1938 Fireside Chat on economic conditions provides young historians an opportunity to polish their primary source comprehension skills. A great resource to add to you curriculum library.
+
Worksheet
3
3
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address

For Students 8th - 11th
Young historians will learn not to fear primary source materials (or fear itself, for that matter) thanks to this resource that uses Franklin D. Roosevelt's March 4, 1933 Inaugural Address to model how to conduct a close reading of such...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mystery of History-Original Sources

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the events surrounding the Alamo in 1863, and explore the differences between primary and secondary sources of information. They brainstorm lists of items used to research a subject and categorize them as primary or...
+
Assessment
Stanford University

Iranian Constitutional Revolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What makes a good primary source? The assessment tests pupils' knowledge of how to use primary sources with written responses. Designed for high school social studies, it requires scholars to read and analyze a text excerpt concerning...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Historical Thinking Matters

Rosa Parks: 5 Day Lesson

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What led to the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and how might historians approach this question differently? This rich series of lessons includes a short introductory video clip, analysis of six primary source documents, and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Primary Sources

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners examine primary source documents about slavery in the United States. They evaluate the documents for the evidence they provide, reliability and bias. They present their evaluation to the class.
+
Lesson Plan
National WWII Museum

Iwo Jima: The View from the Front Lines

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Iwo Jima was the site of some of the most grim fighting in World War II. Learners consider this fact while examining primary sources, including letters home, from those on the front lines. After they complete the analysis, scholars then...
+
Lesson Plan
National WWII Museum

Dear Mother: Synthesizing Historical Evidence

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
It's one thing to read history, it's another to live it. Pupils examine secondary and primary sources that detail the training of soldiers before deployment. Then, they consider the impact of primary sources on how they understand the...

Other popular searches