Curated OER
Volcanoes!: Eyewitness Accounts
Students review previous lessons about volcanoes and name the phenomena they think the eyewitnesses of the Mount St. Helens witnessed. They play the roles of reporter, eyewitness and scientists who are serving on a committee...
Curated OER
Excerpt from Eyewitness Accounts of Slavery in the Danish West Indies"
Use the power of primary sources to help young historians understand the conditions Africans endured while being shipped during the slave trade. After reading an excerpt from Eyewitness Accounts of Slavery in the Danish West Indies,...
EngageNY
Evaluating Eyewitness Accounts
That sounds like a plan! Scholars complete the Newspaper Article Planning graphic organizer to understand the process of writing a newspaper article. They also use what they learned about researching factual information and gathering...
EngageNY
Researching: Eyewitness Accounts, Part 1
Time to go on a quote hunt! Because learners cannot interview real eye witnesses for their newspaper articles, they read through text The Great Earthquake and Fires of 1906 looking for quotes to answer their questions. Learners complete...
Curated OER
Evaluating Eyewitness Reports
Students consider the advantages and disadvantages of eyewitness accounts as records of history. They research several accounts of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and then compare and contrast each version to arrive at a final picture.
Curated OER
Eyewitness Accounts
Students use eyewitness accounts to gather and evaluate information about the events of the May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens. They play the following roles: reporter(s), eyewitnesses, and scientists who are investigating the...
Curated OER
Eyewitness Accounts
Students role-play to show the eyewitness accounts of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. In this volcanic eruption activity, students act as reporters, eyewitnesses, and scientists to dramatize the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. They discuss...
Curated OER
Death and Recovery
Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980, devastating plant and animal life for miles around. Two activities are included in this lesson plan. In one, learners evaluate tree rings to determine the age of a tree and the year of a volcano....
Curated OER
Writing an Eyewitness Account
Students write an eyewitness account of an unexpected event. They decide on the relevant events to include in the write up. They determine the importance of writing up accurate accounts and reports for jobs such as police officers.
Washoe County School District
Eyewitness to the Holocaust
Scholars investigate the Holocaust through the eyes of an Auschwitz survivor. They analyze and research a firsthand account of events inside the gas chambers moments before hundreds died. Using Holocaust Reading Passages and...
EngageNY
Researching: Eyewitness Accounts, Part 2
Continue on. Learners continue with the work they began in the last lesson looking for quotes to complete an eye witness interview. Pupils work in their groups to examine the texts in their research folders and The Great Earthquake and...
EngageNY
Writing Interview Questions
And now for the star witness! Scholars take a look at a model newspaper article and discuss the importance of eyewitness accounts. In groups of three, they take turns underlining text from eyewitnesses. They then regroup to talk about...
Curated OER
Life Science: DNA Whodunit?
Young scholars role play an honorary detective to assist in solving a crime committed. They investigate by a bank robbery and interview eyewitnesses using their Crime Investigation Notebook and clues from an eyewitness account from the...
Curated OER
Enrichment Lesson 2: Eyewitness Accounts
Students read first person accounts of earthquakes from 1886 to the present day and look for ways in which earthquakes affected the individuals as well as their communities.
Curated OER
What is History? Timelines and Oral Histories
Students determine that their lifetime shows just a small piece of history. They determine how two or more accounts of the same event can be different. They write an account of the same event from two perspectives.
Curated OER
Messages and Viewpoint in Media
Explore media point of view. In this literacy and current events lesson plan, pupils identify examples of first and third person point of view in media articles. They analyze examples of media, interpret the messages, and determine...
Curated OER
Who Was Anne Frank
Introduce eyewitness accounts of World War II with this presentation. It provides a very brief summary of the life of Anne Frank, along with several descriptive excerpts from her diary. While the resource appears to have been made by a...
Roald Dahl
Matilda - The Third Miracle
Magnus takes a visit to the classroom in the 20th chapter of Matilda. Or does he? After reading, learners interview the person in the hot seat to get a detailed account of what happened during this chapter. Then, they write individual...
Curated OER
Zen and the Art of Murder
Students describe the importance of citizen involvement in the judicial system. They play the role of a witness to a crime scene by watching the video clip. Students discuss how differing eyewitness accounts can affect a police...
Curated OER
Earth Science: In Depth Look at Earthquakes
Students engage in an interactive Internet lesson covering the reasons and results of earthquakes. After reading eyewitness accounts and viewing animations, they use seismograms to measure and locate the epicenters. In an ongoing study,...
Curated OER
The 1955 Flood and Its Changes
Seventh graders explore Connecticut history. In this 1955 flood lesson, 7th graders compare maps of Putnam, CT before and after the flood. Students also read eyewitness accounts in order to prepare for a debate about the Thompson Dam.
Center for History Education
The Star-Spangled Banner: Fact or Fiction?
Is the Star-Spangled Banner an actual account of a gripping battle, or is it just a catchy tune? Young scholars compare eyewitness descriptions of the War of 1812 battle that inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner." They also examine images...
Center for History Education
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire: Is Anyone to be Punished for This?
The stories of bodies falling to the pavement and girls dying in their seats echo to the present day. The New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire—which killed 147 people, mostly young women and girls—galvanized the labor movement...
Curated OER
The Black Hawk War-Reconstructing "Stillman's Run"
Eleventh graders compare several eyewitness accounts of Stillman's Run, and discuss how a historian might use them. They act as historians and try to reconstruct what happened during Stillman's Run from the eyewitness accounts.