Curated OER
The Minerva Mosaic of the Library of Congress: Taking a Closer Look
Learners take a closer look at the Minerva Mosaic. In this primary source analysis lesson, students use the provided analysis worksheets to study the Minerva image in the Library of Congress and all that it symbolizes.
Curated OER
The Minerva Mosaic of the Library of Congress
Learners analyze the Minerva mosaic. In this Library of Congress activity, students conduct primary source analysis of the mosaic as they interpret the symbolism and mythology featured in the mosaic.
Curated OER
The Minerva Mosaic of the Library of Congress: Taking a Closer Look
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this symbolism lesson, students examine the Minerva Mosaic of the Library of Congress. Learners consider the symbolism of the mosaic.
Curated OER
Jewish Heroes Congress
Students explore Jewish heroes throughout history. In this character development and history lesson, students work in groups to research a Jewish hero. A life-size model of the hero is constructed. Students participate in a Jewish Heroes...
Curated OER
More Amazing Americans: A WebQuest
Students research amazing Americans using America's Library. In this American heroes lesson, students identify criteria for amazing Americans. Students copy and paste text and graphics from websites to use in their own documents....
Curated OER
Slave Narratives: Constructing U.S. History Through Analyzing Primary Sources
Learners access oral histories that contain slave narratives from the Library of Congress. They describe the lives of former slaves, sample varied individual experiences and make generalizations about their research in journal entries.
National First Ladies' Library
Rosie the Riveter
Students identify and interpret the power of symbols. Then they research and identify what type of information that they can locate at the Library of Congress website and list what they learned from it in the time allotted. Students also...
Curated OER
Library Main Hall: Using Primary Sources in the Classroom
Students choose a historical photograph or film and try to predict what happened after the photo or film in question.
Curated OER
What's The Story?
Teams of learners integrate reading, writing, math, social studies, and science in this simple, yet effective lesson. They work in groups in order to solve a ten-step problem which requires internet research, the use of a calculator, and...
Curated OER
Using Primary Sources in the Classroom
Scholars study a historical photograph to make predictions of what happened right after the picture was taken. They research a variety of different topics and use primary sources to answer questions about common food, fashion trends, and...
Curated OER
Teaching With Primary Sources
Students examine primary sources. In this primary sources activity, students evaluate 19th century advertisements. Students create and illustrate an advertisement.
Library of Congress
Investigating the Building Blocks of Our Community’s Past, Present, and Future
As Ken Jennings said, "There's just something hypnotic about maps." Certainly, the longer you look at them the more you can learn. In this project-based learning lesson, individuals study both historic and present-day maps of their area...
Curated OER
The Branding of America (And Your State)
Students investigate about the origins of some major U.S. brands. They explore local products that stimulate the economy. Students create a map showing where those products originate. Students discover the products that their local area...
TPS Journal
Sourcing a Document: The First Thanksgiving
How reliable is a painting of the first Thanksgiving if it was created 300 years after the fact? Learners assess the validity of a primary source image to determine what it can actually reveal about this event.
Curated OER
What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States
Students examine how the European voyages of discovery influence American culture even today. They map eighteenth century Europe's impact on the United States.
Curated OER
What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States
Students research the impact of European voyages of discovery and colonial influence on different aspects of American culture. They access a number of online sources and reference maps to trace the influences of England, France, Holland,...
Polk Bros Foundation
American Presidents
Emanuel Leutze's painting Washington Crossing the Delaware. Alexander Gardner's photograph of Abraham Lincoln. What do these works of art tell us about the character of these American Presidents? After examining the techniques the...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 Notable Nebraskan: J. Sterling Morton
What are the characteristics of an outstanding citizen? Nebraskan J. Sterling Morton contributed to the formation of societal and family values in his state. Learners gather information on Morton's life accomplishments from primary...
Curated OER
Virtual Winter Count
Learn more about the North American Plains Indian tribes and their unusual methods of recording historical events. Learners examine the winter count, a custom by which these groups illustrated information after each winter passed. They...
Curated OER
Look for Patterns: Quilts in Two Faith Ringgold Stories
Author Faith Ringgold uses quilts to illustrate her books Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad. In this integrated trio of activities, young scholars read stories, identify and create patterns, and design quilt squares of...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?
Drawn by promises of fertile land, thousands of settlers poured West because of the Homestead Act of 1862. By examining images of the ads that drew them westward, learners consider the motivations for movement. They also consider how the...
Curated OER
Abraham Lincoln: The Face of War
Students compare life masks and photos of Abraham Lincoln that were made before and at the end of the Civil War. In this "Faces of War" lesson, students analyze images of Lincoln in a historical context and create a timeline of event.
Curated OER
The Immigrant Experience: Down the Rabbit Hole
Students relate the immigrant experience to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In this immigration experience lesson, students read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and relate it to the immigrant experience...
Curated OER
Political Cartoons: Finding Point of View
Students examine political cartoons. In this colonial America lesson, students analyze political cartoons pertaining to the Stamp Act.