Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Colony is Born : Lesson 11 - Group Presentations and Summatives

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders give presentations on colonial research. The others take notes on the presentations. They play a card game which helps them review content. They take a summative assessment and present their research notebooks.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 2: Maine's Merchant Marines

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students simulate the quarters aboard a ship. They write a letter to Joanna Colcord or Alice Drinkwater that shows an understanding of the experience of being aboard ship, and asks further historical questions about the experience.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving/Coast Guard Station

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students complete a variety of activities that go along with the study of and possible field trip to the Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving/Coast Guard Station on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Saugus Iron Works

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students investigate the 17th century Saugus Iron Works. They role-play archaeologists, research local industries and write a report, and explore various websites regarding the Industrial Revolution and the Saugus Iron Works.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The shop is important

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars consider where food comes from and how it gets to them. They identify where shops are found and visit one to investigate how it operates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students examine the difference between the Cold War and the "hot" wars and contrast the benefits of solid and liquid fuel ballistic missile systems of the era. The impact of the Cold War upon their communities is explored.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Birthplace of John F. Kennedy: Home of the Boy Who Would Be President

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore the upbringing of John Kennedy and how it effected his culture, character and personality. They investigate their own family traditions, values, and interests.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Schools

For Teachers 1st
First graders complete a unit of lessons on school and how schools have changed. They read a Laura Ingalls Wilder excerpt, view and discuss a Norman Rockwell painting, conduct an interview, construct a school map, and create an ABC book...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Structure of Earth

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders study and make a model of the significant formations of the ocean floor. They examine images and illustration and apply their imagination while creating the model. They are challenged to complete further research as an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interviewing A Parent

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct an interview with a family member to research their family history. They prepare a list of questions, conduct the interview, and determine which house to visit for an artifact search.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Presidential Eligibility

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students examine what requirements determine who can and can't run for president.
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: Using Primary Sources in the Classroom [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson provides guidelines for teaching students how to use primary sources such as images, text, or statistics (e.g., maps, census). Includes a document analysis worksheet.
Professional Doc
Library of Congress

Loc: For Teachers: Classroom Materials Using Primary Sources

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
This excellent teacher resource features lessons that use primary source documents in an engaging way. Included are lesson plans created by teachers, themed resources, primary source sets, presentations and activities, and collections...
Activity
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Medieval Sourcebook: History Through Primary Sources

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site from the Medieval Sourcebook answers the question: Why Study History Through Primary Sources? It provides complete information, a list of review questions, and bibliography information.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Using Primary Sources

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
The Library of Congress provides teachers with a framework that will help integrate primary sources into all areas of the curriculum. Sections include "Why to Use Primary Sources," "Citing Primary Sources," and "Finding Primary Sources."
Unit Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: For Teachers: Analyzing Primary Source Documents

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
These student worksheets and activities help students analyze many different types of primary source documents. Life histories, objects, and photographs are all used to engage students.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Personal Stories and Primary Sources

For Teachers 2nd - 8th Standards
Students will explore the value of personal stories and first-hand accounts when exploring history, in this case, the events of the early twentieth century, which included World War I and the Great Depression. Through this five-unit...
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian: Engaging Students With Primary Sources

For Teachers 1st - 9th Standards
This reference guide is designed to highlight the benefits of using primary source materials in any classroom and to provide the teacher with practical suggestions and examples of how to do this. It includes a bibliography and links to...
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Stanford History Education Group: The Black Death in Florence

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Website with "reading like a historian" lessons about the Black Death in Florence for teachers using primary resources in the classroom.
Handout
University of California

Cal Heritage Collection: Using Primary Sources

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
This resource covers what primary sources are, where we can find them, and how we can assess them in the classroom.
Unknown Type
University of California

Uc Irvine: Distinguishing Between Primary & Secondary Sources

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site has an online quiz to test your knowledge of primary and secondary sources.
Activity
Library and Archives Canada

Nlc: Defining Primary and Secondary Sources

For Students 2nd - 9th Standards
Libraries and archives hold documents and books that can be used for your research projects. Learn how to divide and identify them into primary and secondary sources in this tutorial.
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Abraham Lincoln Primary Source Set

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Library of Congress presents Abraham Lincoln's Primary Source Set. Provides numerous examples of primary documents such as handwritten letters to Mary Todd Lincoln, drafts of speeches, and auditory examples of Lincoln's speech at...
Lesson Plan
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Sti Les. 8: Using Rock as Primary Source Material

For Teachers 9th - 10th
I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die-Rag' by Country Joe McDonald has been played with great success in classrooms for over twenty years. While it conveys literary elements such as theme, point of view, and irony, it also functions as an...