Albert Shanker Institute
Who Was Bayard Rustin?
Who was Bayard Rustin? Pupils analyze a series of primary source documents to learn about this important figure in the civil rights movement. The activity contains a short film to watch along with guiding questions and other resources...
National Constitution Center
Explore Rights Around the World
How has the American Bill of Rights influenced the rest of the world? An interactive web activity helps individuals see the similarities between countries' bills of rights. A text-to-text tool compares the American Bill of Rights to...
Curated OER
Labor Unions and Working Conditions:United We Stand
Students examine primary documents about the establishment of labor unions. In this organized labor lesson, students research the working conditions that contributed to the growth of the labor union movement. Students make classroom...
Curated OER
Signature History
Students review the meaning and application of primary and secondary sources in research. They determine how researchers locate primary source documents before looking at signatures as a validating factor on many primary sources....
Curated OER
Adapting Documents for the Classroom: Equity and Access
Students examine primary sources to gain historical perspectives. In this historical analysis instructional activity, students analyze documents that their instructors have adapted to make more user-friendly. Example adapted primary...
Curated OER
Twentieth Century Entertainment: When Work is Done
Students determine how Americans enjoy leisure time. In this 20th century America lesson, students research primary sources to study how Americans gained leisure time during the century and what they did with it.
Curated OER
Immigration in America
Students use primary sources to study immigration. In this immigration lesson, students analyze photographs, posters, letters, and documents from Ellis Island. Students complete analysis worksheets as they evaluate the primary sources.
Curated OER
Differing Expectations
Young scholars examine the expectations that colonists had for lives prior to the revolution. In this colonial America lesson, students read primary documents that feature the perceptions of white men and minorities during the time...
Curated OER
Cartoons in the Classroom: Cartoon Analysis Worksheet
In this current events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons of their choosing and respond to 12 analysis questions about the cartoons
Friends of Fort McHenry
Citizens For and Against the War of 1812
Use this exceptional resource to examine the discourse and debate that occurred at the start of the War of 1812 with your class. Learners will first consider their own position on the war in a silent journal writing activity. Then after...
Curated OER
History In the House
Students analyze primary sources. In this historical analysis lesson, students will closely examine the household objects that most impact their lives. Students will use research, analysis, and class discussion to draw parallels between...
Curated OER
Propaganda, WWII, Ghetto‘s, and Analysis of Primary Resources
Students consider the implications of anti-Semitism. For this World War II lesson, students examine selected documents and images featuring the propaganda that promoted Jewish persecution. Students write essays that highlight how the...
Curated OER
The Civil War: On the Homefront
Eighth graders examine the role of Indiana soldiers in the Civil War. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders listen to a lecture about the involvement of Indiana soldiers in the war and then analyze letters written home by the...
Curated OER
Civilizations: Rise To Power
High schoolers discover details about the rise of civilizations. In this Roman history instructional activity, students watch "Civilizations: Rise to Power," and read primary sources from different periods of the empire's history. High...
Curated OER
Revolution of 1848 - Alexis de Tocqueville
Document-based questions are a great way to increase understanding of a primary source document or prepare learners for a class discussion. Here, they'll read an excerpt from Alexis de Tocqueville's speech regarding the revolution of...
Curated OER
Ancient Babylon
Authenticate an ancient civilizations study by having historians analyze primary source artifacts. After examining an image of a Babylonian king votive statue, pupils read a short background context. They then answer 3 questions based on...
Curated OER
The Impact of the Civil Rights Movement
Deepen understanding of the Civil Rights Movement with this collection of primary documents. This resource contains 22 video transcripts about desegregation, voting rights, black power, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and more. You might...
Historical Thinking Matters
Rosa Parks: 3 Day Lesson
How can evidence and perspective challenge even the most well-known of stories? Through primary and secondary source analysis, think-alouds, and discussion, young historians evaluate the historical narrative of Rosa Parks across multiple...
Middle Tennessee State University
The Invention of the Telephone
All of the people in your class would agree that life would be different without the invention of the telephone! Study Alexander Graham Bell's most famous and influential invention through the primary source document of his...
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: August 2013
While the United States is now one of the strongest countries in the world, at its founding, it was plagued by controversies over the ratification of the Constitution, the Louisiana Purchase, and the expansion of slavery. Using a...
K20 LEARN
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: The Journey to Revolution
The words of "Common Sense" and Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech ring throughout history. Scholars explore the nuances of each patriot's argument using excerpts from the famous pamphlet and speech and a recorded...
Freedom Archives
Special St. Augustine Issue
The articles and images in the June 1964 edition of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Newsletter detail the events in St. Augustine that were instrumental in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The stirring...
American Battlefield Trust
1861: The Country Goes to War
What was it like to know the Civil War was coming? Using a graphic timeline activity and excerpts of speeches from Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, learners consider the early days of the conflict. The resource includes prompts for...
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...