Perspectives from the Present

Use primary sources to delve into seven different perspectives of the Boston Massacre. Here, historians read and examine images taken from the Boston Massacre's witnesses and participants. Then, they answer questions dissecting each...

Confederate soldiers saw the Civil War much differently than their Union counterparts. Scholars analyze the perspective of the Civil War from the viewpoint of various key figures in the fourth installment of an eight-part series. By...

Explore the Declaration of Independence in this US History lesson. Middle schoolers compare and contrast viewpoints of the Loyalists and the Patriots as they discuss the issue of colonial independence from Britain. They present support...

With resource links, a detailed procedure, embedded primary source documents, and a Readers Theater script, you're ready to teach! Re-enact historical events in order to boost historical perspective, discern main ideas, and draw...

As part of a case study of U.S. immigration during the first part of the 20th century, class members examine a variety of primary sources that present multiple perspectives of the responses of those in favor of immigration and those...

Address conflicting arguments with middle schoolers. They interpret different viewpoints for the Iraq War. After expressing their ideas about the Iraq War, they defend their viewpoint and participate in a persuasive argument for their...

Explore events prior to World War II. Learners view replicas of authentic photographs and hand written documents representing the viewpoints of Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain. They discuss alternate viewpoints, consider historical...

We all know that things change over time, but is it something we can see socially or politically? Learners examine Samurai warrior codes from the Kamakura, Muromachi, and Edo periods as they analyze a literary and visual arts piece that...

Students examine different perspectives of slavery. They write a personal account of slavery as a slave trader, a plantation owner, and fugitives and working slaves. They role-play these roles for the class.

Students read excerpts from Peter Hessler's River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze and discuss his difficulties in learning the language, cultural clashes and how cultural perceptions shape our understanding of the world.