Students will analyze a series of photographs taken by renowned photographer Mathew Brady to reflect on the lives of soldiers during the Civil War. The holdings of the National Archives include over 6,000 photographs taken by Brady and...

A lesson where students examine documentary photographs, the events that were taking place when they were taken, and where they fit into American history. They will also look at the effect a photograph can have on people's emotions, and...

In this lesson plan, young scholars will consider Seeing Sense in Photographs & Poems. Worksheets and other supporting materials can be found under the Resources tab. They will learn to support their analyses with detailed...

This media gallery from the American Masters and VOCES co-presentation of Pedro E. Guerrero: A Photographer's Journey explores Guerrero's working relationship with sculptor Louise Nevelson. Guerrero was a gifted photographer of...

For this lesson students analyze a single photograph from the Library of Congress collection Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865. Using the skills developed, students then find and analyze other images. Conclusions reached will allow...

When using historical pictures in the classroom, students will need help drawing their observations together to reach conclusions about the lives of people at a particular time. Sets of photographs - along with probing questions and...

These student worksheets and activities help students analyze many different types of primary source documents. Life histories, objects, and photographs are all used to engage students.

A State Divided: Exploring the Civil War Through Images includes 75 images related to the Civil War in Kentucky, ranging from medals and photographs to portraits and weapons. The goal is to provide images of artworks, artifacts,...

This portfolio of black-and-white portraits of Oscar-nominated film stars captures a range of faces, poses, moods, and points of view. Excellent site for comparing and criticizing artistic choices and approaches and for inspiring...

Media-rich module examines a terracotta figurine that embodies many characteristics of classical Greek sculpture. Expert commentary accompanied by animated overlays demonstrate details of the composition that give it harmony, balance,...

This lesson plan will analyze Civil War photographs and explore how and why the American Civil War was photographed.

A series of questions guides students as they view, decipher, and analyze the contents of a photo taken during the Civil War. Organized into six sections to help students look closely at its details, this single photo will aid students...

In this lesson, students look at photographs (portraits and people, historical events and images depicting strife or struggle, etc.) based around a given time period and contemplate the impact a photograph has on the perception of a...

This site explains the difference between a primary and secondary source. It also provides students with questions to ask when gathering evidence about a primary source document.

After analyzing primary source documents, pictures, and artifacts, young scholars will use the describe, analyze, and interpret method to compare and contrast a sketch of Tahoe City in 1865 to a photograph of modern day Tahoe City. Then...

Collection of visual resources designed to engage learners in historical thinking; that is, learning to think like historians. Activities and visuals focus on a forty-year period in American history, from 1880 to 1920, making relevant a...

Young scholars will explore the value of personal stories and first-hand accounts when exploring history, in this case, the events of the early twentieth century, which included World War I and the Great Depression. Through this...

This site has an online quiz to test your knowledge of primary and secondary sources.

A photograph of a man writing while sitting on the ground leaning against a tree in a cemetery on a sunny day.

This site is a guide to help students analyze visual media. Further research questions included.

In this lesson, students use photos of people in real-life World War II events as a springboard for composing dialogue between the people in the photographs. Students then work in pairs to create a scene set in World War II and present...

Young scholars will hypothesize what the president and cabinet members were watching on television by analyzing facial expressions, and body language, and the physical environment. Students will learn that President Ronald Reagan and his...

Libraries and archives hold documents and books that can be used for your research projects. Learn how to divide and identify them into primary and secondary sources in this tutorial.

Designed to help teachers and students make effective use of primary documents. There are well written section on how to make sense of numbers, ads, music, diaries, and more. included are interactive activities for students to help them...