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Gift to the Future

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine the different ways that primary sources are reserved.  In this Social Studies lesson, 7th graders analyze documents and photographs.  Students watch video clips and answer questions on a graphic organizer.
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The Home Front (Circa 1863)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this American Civil War instructional activity, students examine sources and then write personal accounts of the war.
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Images of Gary: An Ideal Place to Live?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine photographs depicting historical scenes from the US Steel Photograph Collection. They develop criteria to analyze or judge an image's representation. They assess photographs according to the criteria.
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All That Sparkles is Silver!

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students analyze photographs for information about life in Virginia City Nevada in the late 1800s. In this Nevada statehood instructional activity, students work in teams to analyze photographs from Virginia City. Students brainstorm...
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Can You Picture That?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze and write creative pieces based on photographs taken during the 2005 New York City transit strike.
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Jints and Hannah

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine photographs of slaves, and listen to various first person accounts of life as a slave. Students write essays describing the relationship between the woman and the child in the photograph.
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Values and Composition

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine and analyze the values of gray and the composition in photographs by Ansel Adams. They discuss elements of art, draw shapes and lines, complete a tone rectangle, and create a still life drawing.
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Changing Geography

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students visually examine, identify and analyze the components of various images of the automobile. They discern how to use a road map by planning a route, then use road maps to explain how the state has developed over time.
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The Penny Factory

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders identify the characteristics of a simple physical and chemical change. They describe objects by the properties of the materials from which they are made and separate or sort items using these properties. Students explain...
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From Mud to Masterpiece: Individual Clay Mosaic Relief Murals Inspired by Rudy Autio's Public Murals

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Pupils create clay mosaic relief murals as analysis of Abstract Expressionism. In this clay art lesson plan, students analyze the abstract expressionist art of Rudy Autio and create their own clay mural using fire clay and glazes. Pupils...
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Three Days at Gettysburg

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders discuss why the Battle of Gettysburg was important to the Civil War. In groups, they identify the major events of each day of the battle. They analyze how the battle changed the direction of the war and discuss the outcome.
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Social Studies: How Did Native Americans Live?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine Edward Curtis' photographs and Robert Griffing's paintings to analyze Native American culture. They present research information on specific tribes, using the photos and paintings to uncover information about the...
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Gandhi Speaks Through Clothing

For Teachers 9th
Student analyze how Gandhi used the way he dressed to communicate with the Indian people. Students should be able to identify some of the many layers of meaning clothing can express.
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The Lynching of Emmett Till

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students will be introduced to the historiography of the Emmett Till murder to discover more about the case and to evaluate how history is reliant on interpretation. They will also refine analytical and critical thinking skills as they...
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Photos from the Past

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students observe and interpret historic photographs of water in New Mexico. They record observations, draw inferences, and compare water in New Mexico's past with water today. They create a class book or exhibition of the photographs...
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Photos from the Past-Grades 5-8

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine and interpret historic photographs of water use in New Mexico. They match captions to the pictures as to what they think the picture depicts. They research a topic represented by their photograph and write an extended...
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Architecture: The Badge of Identity for Our Society

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students prepare a "camera's-eye" view of the local architecture and then analyze their findings from an historical perspective.
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Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Pupils analyze photographs that feature segregation. In this human rights activity, students examine photographs of a segregated movie theater, a Ku Klux Klan gathering, a segregated business sign, and an illustration from "Harper's...
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Driving Down the Highway: Billboards in Nebraska

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers review photos of billboards from Nebraska highways. Using these billboards as examples, students design a billboard promoting a city in Nebraska.
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The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas: Understanding Primary Sources

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze Russell Lee's photo essay as a sign of segregation in Texas. They consider the differences between primary and secondary sources and how historians use these sources.
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Looking at Portraits: Reading Poe

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars compare the daguerreotype of Edgar Allan Poe by an unknown photographer with Poe's writings in an effort to discover the character of this mysterious author.
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The Arms Race - From the Beginning to the End

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders focus on the political and technological developments of the Cold War. They, in groups, read and summarize the speech they are given. They should provide a short presentation based on their interpretation.
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U.S. History: Technology of the 19th Century

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders, working in pairs, explore the technological advances of the 19th century particularly photography. Researching on the Internet, they find the earliest photograph and prepare to use notes to answer questions about the...
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Woman Suffrage

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students are provided access to primary sources for a discussion of woman suffrage. They are introduced to the motivations, ideology, and organizations involved in woman suffrage. Students analyze primary documents including cartoons,...