Curated OER
The Grapes of Wrath: Voices from the Great Depression
Students research the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the plight of migrant farm workers during the Great Depression as they read Steinbeck's The...
Curated OER
Propaganda in the 1900's
Students examine primary sources to discover information about life in the 20th century. In this propaganda lesson, students analyze posters from the time period and present their findings to their classmates.
Curated OER
Latinos and the Fourteenth Amendment: A Primary Source Document Activity
Eighth graders explore the effect of the Fourteenth Amendment. In this US History lesson, 8th graders read and analyze primary source documents. Students write a three minute paper demonstrating their understanding of the...
Curated OER
American Civil War: Conflicting Newspaper Reports
Students examine the happenings at the Battle of Antietam from all sides. In this American Civil War lesson, students analyze newspapers accounts from different perspectives regarding the battle and then write their own accounts of the...
Curated OER
Voices of the American Revolution - Primary Documents
Learners use primary documents to examine the attitudes and positions of several factions leading up to the American Revolutionary War. They read documents, debate differing perspectives and write an essay exploring the reasons for revolt.
Curated OER
A Letter Read 'Round the World
Students examine primary document to examine the concept of free assembly, and analyze Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's letter to the clergy to explain the rationale for this tactic to advance civil rights.
Los Angeles Unified School District
World History Medieval and Early Modern Times
A slew of graphic organizers, worksheets, and student activities are packaged here for your world history pupils. From comparing and contrasting the Qur'an and Sunnah, studying cultural diffusion across eastern nations, or examining...
Maryland Department of Education
Our Children Can Soar
Amazing efforts of African American leaders are celebrated in a lesson on civil participation. The engaging resource focuses on primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of African American leaders such as Ella Fitzgerald....
University of Wisconsin
Why Did the Triangle Fire Occur?
An investigation of the 1911 New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire leads class members to examine primary and secondary source materials related to the event and apply what they learn about the working conditions at the time to...
Virginia Department of Education
Geometry and Volume
The history of math is fascinating! Utilize a woodcut primary source image from 1492 and posters from the 1930s to help geometers apply their volume-calculation skills to real-life questions.
Concordia College Archives
Introduction and Student Inquiry
Introduce young musicians to the history of and different styles of music with an inquiry-based learning activity that asks them to play detectives to determine the similarities and differences among the sheet music found at a series of...
Museum of the American Revolution
Historical Analysis: Objects Tell Stories
Dig this! Young archeologists discover what objects teach us about the past. The activity uses an image of a Revolutionary War artifact to help historians practice analyzing the past. Scholars study the object and complete a worksheet to...
West Virginia Department of Education
The Debate - John Brown: Martyr or Madman?
Did he die for a cause, or was he crazy? Although the resource discusses John Brown and West Virginia history, many historical figures have the same reputation. Teach learners about different perspectives and highlight the importance of...
PBS
Evaluating Conflicting Evidence: Sultana
What sunk the Sultana? Scholars become investigators to uncover the facts behind the 1865 sinking just after the end of the Civil War. Through group work, videos, and primary documents, they research and analyze why 1,800 men died....
Center for History Education
Helping to Move On? An Analysis of the Reconstruction Amendments
Reconstruction amendments: a helping hand or another form of slavery? An inquisitive lesson compares the Reconstruction legislation that ended slavery, granted citizenship, and protected voting right for African American men. Scholars...
Carolina K-12
The End of World War II: Pearl Harbor, Japanese Internment Camps, and the Atomic Bomb
The end of World War II saw major events that would forever change the global landscape and international relations. Using a fantastic PowerPoint presentation and several primary source documents, your learners will discuss the...
Curated OER
Excerpt from E.D. Morel's The Black Man's Burden (1920)
The included excerpt would be a perfect contrary follow-up to reading, Rudyard Kipling's White Man's Burden. Journalist E.D. Morel composed the statement against imperialism in 1920. Black Man's Burden is a wonderful primary source...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
African American Life After the Civil War - Sharecropping
What is the sharecropping system? What role did it play in the post-Civil War economy of the South? Who were the sharecroppers? Who employed them? How were they paid? To answer these questions, kids examine a series of sharecropper...
Curated OER
Chain Across the Hudson Lesson Plan A - Locating the Chain
Students read a letter from George Washington requesting them to identify on a map a location that would stop the advance of British warships. They choose a location and justify their choice.
Center for History Education
Road to Revolution: How did Actions and Responses Lead to an Independent United States?
Using primary sources, maps, and an interactive M&M game, young historians examine the American revolution as if they were detectives trying to solve a crime. Resource includes graphic organizers and a final writing prompt to aid...
Curated OER
Geography and Its Impact on Colonial Life
Young scholars interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this colonial America lesson plan, students conduct research to determine how geographic conditions dictated settlement...
Curated OER
Baseball, Race and Ethnicity: Rounding the Bases
Students consider Race and Ethnicity in baseball. In this American history instructional activity, students examine primary source images of American baseball. They then develop an original argument, pose historical questions and conduct...
Curated OER
North Platte Canteen and World War II
Young scholars employ primary resources to investigate the rise and decline of a canteen in World War II. The significance of volunteerism and the use of the railroad for troop transportation are examined.
Curated OER
A House Divided: Slavery in the United States
Students explore the history of the United States and slavery. In this slavery lesson plan, students view primary sources, complete journal writing, view videos, and answer short answer questions.