Can a negative perception of a president's foreign policy harm his or her historical legacy? A project that winds the clock back to the date of Theodore Roosevelt's death puts students at the editorial desk of a fictional newspaper....

Did the New Deal fundamentally shift the role of the American government in the economy? Your class members will examine the interpretations of various historians in answering this question, and use a variety of primary and secondary...

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...

Learners who have a grasp on the events of the Revolutionary war view clips from five different films as secondary sources. They take notes on each clip thinking about historic inaccuracies. They then view parts of the film The Patriot...

Explore the differences between primary and secondary resources with this plan. First, learners will categorize a list of resources into two groups: primary or secondary. Then, the teacher reads different examples and has learners guess...

Students explore the usage of primary sources, what they are and how they originate. Artifacts are compared and contrasted as part of this historical inquiry as questions are formulated and conclusions drawn.

Using primary and secondary sources, such as letters and diaries from soldiers and civilians, learners consider why people fought in the Civil War. A role-playing Historical Mingle activity as well as discussion questions and two-voice...

From desolate images of the Dust Bowl to the text of FDR's Fireside Chats, scholars consider the effects of the environmental disaster during the darkest days of the Great Depression. Further activities, such as jigsaw discussions, allow...

Learners evaluate primary sources from the antebellum era to determine the accuracy of textbooks. They examine narratives from enslaved people, then compare them to their own text. Extension activities include the opportunity to write a...

Was Little Red Riding Hood just rotten—or the victim of a big, bad wolf? Depends on who you ask! Using different versions of the childhood tale and a jigsaw or gallery walk discussion, learners unpack how the retelling of this story...

Marcus Garvey: a leader of African-American independence and freedom, or a polarizing figure? Using primary sources from Garvey, Malcolm X, J. Edgar Hoover, and a textbook excerpt, pupils explore the controversial legacy of Garvey....

While Joshua Chamberlain's name is not as iconic as Abraham Lincoln or Robert E. Lee, he still played a pivotal role in the military engagements of the Civil War. Using two secondary sources—including one that draws heavily from his...

Introducing, hypothesizing, and analyzing are the three steps of learning in the concept attainment model. Upper elementary scholars apply this process to understand the differences between primary and secondary sources and how to use...

Primary and secondary sources are the focus of a lesson that showcases the important role women played during the American Revolution. Pairs review sources and discuss their findings. A close-reading of an informational text leads the...

Using primary and secondary sources—including classics such as the Communist Manifesto—class members consider the effects of these ideas on the course of history. Another essay prompt explores geography and history, while multiple-choice...

Geography has played a complex role in America history. The Atlantic Ocean has served as a buffer to protect the United States from European Wars, but its proximity to Cuba, however, left it vulnerable to nuclear war during the Cuban...

The Mongols, Spanish, and Ottomans all rewrote history with their conquest and control of empires. Yet, each made its mark differently. Using a variety of secondary and primary sources, pupils consider the similarities and differences...

People in Ukraine, Rwanda, and Cambodia have all faced challenges to their human rights and even genocide. Using primary and secondary sources, scholars evaluate these challenges and the international community's role in them. The...