DocsTeach
To Sign or Not to Sign
To sign or not to sign, that is the question. Scholars review the Declaration of Independence and discuss the Framers' decisions for signing the document. The activity uses primary text, a worksheet, and group discussion to help...
DocsTeach
The Voting Record of the Constitution
A piece of the past helps shape the future. Learn what historical documents reveal about the past using an engaging activity. Academics participate in a role-playing scenario, view the voting record of the Constitutional Convention,...
DocsTeach
Senators' Pay in the First Congress
Senators are public servants but they do get paychecks. The activity focuses on historical analysis and a treasury document from the first Congress. Scholars read the document, answer questions, and participate in group discussion to...
DocsTeach
Road to Revolution: Patriotism or Treason?
Patriot or traitor? Scholars debate the line between patriotism and treason in a short activity. Academics analyze a political cartoon and discuss varying viewpoints between different groups living in the American colonies. The activity...
DocsTeach
Prequel to Independence
It's about time! Young historians use primary sources to create a timeline of events leading to American Independence. The fast-paced activity is designed to be used at the end of a unit on the Revolutionary War or as an assessment tool....
DocsTeach
Political Cartoon Analysis: No Taxation Without Representation
Delve into the world of political cartoons in a lesson on the American Revolution. Scholars practice analyzing an original political cartoon, answer questions, and participate in group discussion. Young academics gain an understanding of...
DocsTeach
Excerpts from the Declaration of Independence
What exactly did the Founding Fathers declare? Elementary historians delve into the Declaration of Independence in a fast-paced activity. The resource provides text experts and guided questions to help academics analyze the intent of the...
DocsTeach
Election of 1800
The 2020 election is not the only unpredictable one in history. The Election of 1800 highlighted an unforeseen event in a presidential election. The activity reviews documents from the elections and what happened when the electoral...
DocsTeach
Boston Tea Party Image Analysis
Elementary scholars become Sherlock Holmes to analyze a lithograph showcasing the Boston Tea Party. Scholars view the image with some pieces missing and must write an observation. Individuals are then shown the whole image and asked to...
DocsTeach
Analyzing a Petition about Slavery
Practice analyzing primary sources in a thought-provoking lesson on the impact of slavery. Young historians read a petition regarding the Fugitive Slave Law and answer a series of questions to understand the importance of the document....
DocsTeach
Letter to President Abraham Lincoln from Annie Davis
What freed enslaved people? The answer, it turns out, is complicated. Using a set of online documents and writing prompts, young historians examine a series of primary sources, including a letter from a woman asking if she was freed and...
DocsTeach
Juneteenth General Order
While Juneteenth was more than 150 years ago, today Americans debate whether it should be a national holiday. Using a military declaration proclaiming the last of the enslaved people in Texas free, individuals look at the significance of...
DocsTeach
How Effective were the Efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau?
The legacy of Reconstruction and the Freedman's Bureau is complicated. Using an interactive web resource, learners literally weigh the evidence using an online program in primary sources such as labor contracts and marriage records to...
DocsTeach
Comparing Civil War Recruitment Posters
African Americans fought in the Civil War, and they were recruited by both the Union and the Confederacy! By comparing the wording of posters—one directed at freedmen and another to the owners of enslaved people—young historians discover...
DocsTeach
Black Soldiers in the Civil War
Get hands on virtually with recruitment posters for African American soldiers during the Civil War with an interactive online resource. By highlighting key phrases in the posters using an Internet tool, learners discover how African...
DocsTeach
A Petition for the Cotton Gin
While almost forgotten today, the cotton gin could be seen as one of the causes of the Civil War. The innovation led to more cotton production, which in turn undermined political power balances in the 1800s. Individuals unpack the...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Exhibiting Common Threads
Artists working in different media often explore the same themes—to model how these same themes weave their way through different forms of artistic expression, scholars analyze images by Dorothea Lange, identifying key themes in her...
DocsTeach
Evaluating a Needlework Sampler as Historical Evidence
Needlework isn't just for home decor; it can also help record family history. Academics analyze a needlework sampler to understand how they were used to record marriages and births. The activity includes a series of written questions,...
DocsTeach
Analyzing the Cotton Gin Patent
Decode primary sources in a fast-paced activity. A quick guessing game helps pupils use visual clues to understand primary sources. Academics look at a picture of the cotton gin and must guess what it is without other knowledge or clues....
Cengage Learning
Pandemics: Past and Present
From outbreak to epidemic to pandemic. Calls for flattening the curve, social distancing, and face masks. A 12-slide presentation details pandemics and strategies for containment and mitigation of infectious diseases.
Scholastic
The First Thanksgiving Feast for Grades 6–8
It's time for the feast! Young historians complete their study of the First Thanksgiving by completing an online activity, watching a slideshow, and examining a First Thanksgiving timeline. After answering text-dependent questions to...
Scholastic
Pilgrim and Wampanoag Daily Life for Grades 6–8
Two slide shows, viewed side-by-side, permit middle schoolers to compare and contrast the lives of the Pilgrims of the Plimoth colony and the Wampanoags. Four videos take learners on virtual field trips to the Plymouth plantation. And an...
Scholastic
Voyage on the Mayflower for Grades 6–8
Imagine living in the hold of a sailing ship for 63 days, enduring rough seas and autumn storms. As part of a study of the voyage of the Mayflower, class members examine an online resource that details life about the ship, watch a slide...
Teaching Tolerance
In Our Own Words: A Story Book with a Purpose
Academics turn into storytellers in an engaging activity on activism. The activity focuses on promoting social change in local communities with stories. Young historians plan a storybook to target a specific audience and social issue and...