Making Meaning from the Past

How much does the environment affect how and what man creates? Children explore the effect of the environment on primitive man as they research raw materials from a specific location. They use their findings to write a short essay about...

What would future archeologists learn from your scholars' personal belongings? Have them bring in a box of "primary sources" from their home. Discuss the difference between observations and inference, using some of your own items to...

From Clara Barton and Harriet Beecher Stowe to Ulysses S. Grant and George Washington Carver, this research project will allow learners to gain an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of everyday heroes of the nineteenth century in...

What a fun way to mix up your traditional multiple-choice quiz on the Renaissance! After completing a worksheet reviewing significant Renaissance artists and events, your learners will have the opportunity see if tiles that correspond to...

Here is a fantastic lesson on the Supreme Court's role as interpreters of the Constitution. Class members review past cases involving the Eighth and Fifth Amendment and evaluate as a group whether they would consider those situations as...

What makes a good life? What makes life hard? Get your class thinking about the global picture with this extensive packet. They read quotes from around the world, analyze statistical data from every continent, then read and answer...

Debates are a key part of presidential campaigns, and high school historians get a chance to analyze debates from the past and present: first, the debate between Nixon and Kennedy, and then a recent debate of their choosing. Also...

Skeletons may not be able to speak, but they can still tell us a lot. High schoolers watch a short video about the ways biological anthropologists can use a skeleton's bone structure to determine age, gender, place of birth, and social...

The story of Christopher Columbus has fascinated young historians for centuries; use this vocabulary-in-context strategy to dive into Kimberly Weinberger's picture book about this classic explorer. Begin by introducing the new words:...

Fifth graders analyze prints featuring ancient civilizations and create a postcard.  In this postcards from the past lesson, 5th graders analyze a variety of pictures, identify primary and secondary sources, choose which civilization and...