Students examine U.S. policies regarding Native Americans. In this Native American history lesson, students analyze provided primary and secondary sources concerning Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, and the Dawes Act. Students use the provided...

Middle schoolers interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this colonial America lesson, students conduct research to determine how geographic conditions dictated settlement...

Spend several days with your class exploring local history. Learners brainstorm and categorize sources of historical information as primary or secondary; collect and present artifacts from family/community; construct a definition of...

Students explore the debate between intelligent design and Darwinism. They research both topics by accessing primary sources. Students interview school administrators to determine what its science curriculum is and the timeline for any...

Discover colonies! Young historians will listen to a primary source journal entry read aloud with a backdrop of wave sounds. They discuss the entry, add historical facts to a chart and personal insights to another. Then they listen to...

Although our connections to those who personally witnessed the Holocaust are dwindling, this lesson focuses on conducting an interview and getting some primary source material. There is a list of resources your high schoolers can...

Role play as a person living in the 1830s working in a Lowell factory. The class will take on the role of factory owner, girl on strike, talk show host, and girl not wanting to strike. Each group will analyze and research their character...

What is liberty rhetoric? Examine how people have used it in four different time periods and situations. High schoolers investigate original source documents and compare them with the Declaration of Independence to decide how liberty...

Eighth graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Louisiana history lesson, 8th graders research their parish history using the LOUISiana Digital Library resources. Students create multimedia...

Outcome + available resources  +  schedule + timeline + steps to complete project = Action Plan! The second lesson plan in the "Service Learning" module outlines for scholars the steps to take when designing an action plan for...

Young historians study primary and secondary source materials to try and separate the true story of Pocahontas from the myths, fictional tales, and conflicting accounts of her life.

Young scholars sort documents into primary and secondary sources and analyze their reliability. In this history research lesson, the teacher gathers a selection of document images, then discusses primary and secondary sources and their...

Young explorers, all aboard the shallop to discover how early European explorers would navigate the American coastline to find resources, map terrain, and trade with Native American tribes.

Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. For this Lewis and Clark lesson, students conduct research about the expedition and present their findings to their classmates.

Eleventh graders consider the impact of the Underground Railroad. In this slavery instructional activity, 11th graders examine primary documents as they conduct independent research to explore the role of the Underground Railroad during...

Students evaluate and examine primary and secondary source material as they relate to the life of James Smithson.In this "From Smithson to Smithsonian" lesson plan, students analyze documents looking for clues to the identity of James...

Students identify and evaluate primary and secondary sources relating to James Smithson and his gift to the United States. In this Smithson to Smithsonian lesson, students also examine the debate surrounding how to use the gift from...

Fifth graders discover how reconstruction had an impact on racial issues in the United States. In this Reconstruction lesson, 5th graders are introduced to primary vs. secondary resources and then rotate through stations to view...

Students effectively research using the internet, encylopedias, magazines and newspapers. They desegregate into needed and un-needed information based on their research findings. Pupils recognize and appropriately site sources using a...

How did the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act contribute to the growing tensions that led to the Civil war? To better understand the events that led to the Civil War, young historians engage in a...

Can history be rewritten? Or, more precisely, is history documented accurately? High school juniors and seniors compare primary source material with secondary sources. For example, they compare President Roosevelt's December 29, 1940...

Pupils may not be familiar with Bernardo de Gálvez or Juan Seguín, but these Latinx patriots played important roles in American history. Using biographies of the Revolutionary War hero and Texan politician, historians consider how Latinx...

Third graders examine the contributions of Francis Marion and Nathaneal Greene. In this Revolutionary War lesson, 3rd graders use primary and secondary sources to research Marion and Greene and the accomplishments of their men during the...

Students explore the Muslim-Hindu conflict in India. For this religion and ethics lesson, students collaborate to research the history of the Muslim-Hindu conflict in India. Students examine primary and secondary sources and...