Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Real-Life History: Looking at Our Community

For Teachers 4th - 5th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can you Prove it?

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders examine how primary source documents help authors and museum curators interpret historic events.  In this social studies lesson, 10th graders research primary source documents.  Students create a powerpoint to...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Ancient Babylon

For Students 6th - 7th
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...
Handout
Curated OER

The Impact of the Civil Rights Movement

For Students 8th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Many Passages: The Voyage of the Slave Ship Brookes

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Examine three perspectives of the slave trade - captain, sailor, and captive - through this collaborative analysis activity. Small groups study one perspective with a primary source to analyze. They discern what is a historical fact and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Railroads in Texas

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources, such as biographies from the Handbook of Texas. They analyze the effects of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, such as the railroad,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing "Do Not Tax the Colonies"

For Teachers 7th - 12th
In this primary source research worksheet, students examine a copy of "Do Not Tax the Colonies," (not included) and respond to 6 short answer questions regarding its content.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chocolate Chip Cookie Mining

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore nonrenewable energy resources. In this coal lesson, students investigate how coal is formed and how it is used as a source of energy. Students mine for "coal" using toothpicks and chocolate chip cookies.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Car Races: Build and retrofit for speed

For Teachers 6th - 9th
If you have solar car kits for your junior high schoolers, they can experiment with photovoltaic cell angle, light intensity, and aerodynamic design to discover what makes their car move more quickly. This is a classic activity to use...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Examining Jesus' Teachings

For Students 5th - 10th
Simplify your study of Christianity with this "back to the basics" activity. Scholars examine a primary source excerpt from the Gospel according to Luke and consider Jesus' teachings. They assess which other belief system has similar...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Revolution of 1848 - Alexis de Tocqueville

For Students 7th - 9th
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...
PPT
Curated OER

Legacy of the Dust Bowl: Dust Storm Media 1930s

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Some learners might not realize that the term dust bowl was not figurative. Show the reality of 1930s America with eight primary source photographs. Slides depict images of dust storms or their aftermath. 
PPT
Curated OER

The Dust Bowl: Images

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Introduce learners to the hardships that followed the onset of the Dust Bowl. There is a quote taken from The Dust Bowl, Men,  Dirt and Depression by Paul Bonnifield followed by 10 primary-source images. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Letter from Leonardo da Vinci to Sforza

For Students 9th - 12th
Expose your class to words directly from Leonardo da Vinci with this primary source document. Learners analyze the document, a letter from Leonardo da Vinci to Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, and respond to 3 short answer questions....
Worksheet
Curated OER

Written Document Analysis Worksheet

For Students 7th - 8th
Investigate different types of documents with your middle schoolers. They look at newspapers, letters, maps, reports, etc. and answer a list of questions provided. Introduce them to different primary sources!
Lesson Plan
Newseum

Can I Trust the Creators?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
It's easy to find information at the click of a mouse, but is it trustworthy? Pupils learn about the E.S.C.A.P.E. acronym for evaluating sources. Next, learners read a news story and evaluate its sources to determine credibility. Last,...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Researching Digital Sources, Part 1: Guided WebQuest

For Teachers 6th Standards
We are living in a technical world. Scholars learn how to examine digital resources for their research on DDT. They explore a list of websites using a Digital Resources on DDT sheet. Learners examine their research notebook to...
Lesson Plan
Friends of Fort McHenry

Privateers in the War of 1812: Soldiers or Thieves?

For Teachers 8th Standards
Do governments have the right to authorize individuals to perform illegal acts during times of war? Did the US government really employ pirates? Use the War of 1812 as your vessel to answering these questions through class discussion and...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Sitting Bull: Spiritual Leader and Military Leader

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Sitting Bull was not expected to be a great warrior. Yet, he led the Lakota people and other tribes to several pivotal victories against the United States government when federal troops threatened their land. Using primary sources, such...
Lesson Plan
Friends of Fort McHenry

Was the War of 1812 Our Second War of Independence?

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Though it occurred almost 40 years later, could the United States have been fighting for their independence again in the War of 1812? Using appropriate primary source material from each of the two wars, compare and contrast the situation...
Lesson Plan
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NPR

Chinese American Women Lesson Plan

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The National Women's History Museum provides a plan designed to accompany their online CyberExhibit, Chinese American Women; a History of Resilience and Resistance. After examining a series of primary and secondary source documents,...
Lesson Plan
1
1
PBS

Civil War: Blacks on the Battlefield

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine a war being fought to free slaves, with slaves on the front line. Scholars use primary documents, videos, and research in the second installment of a three-part series to guide their analysis of the first African-Americans on the...
Interactive
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University

Ratification of the Constitution

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
How difficult was it to get everyone to agree on the contents of the Constitution? Historians analyze the task of the Founding Fathers in creating the United States Constitution. They research a directory of video clips, primary sources,...
Lesson Plan
1
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

From Ben’s Pen to Our Lives

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What would Ben do? Jumping off from the pseudonymous letters Ben Franklin fooled his older brother into publishing when he was still a teenager, young literary lovers dive into acting, writing, and addressing a local issue with wit and...

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