RAW HISTORY: USING PRIMARY SOURCES

Young historians trace the roots of African slavery and learn about the causes and effects of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade through a PowerPoint presentation and by reading and discussing excerpts from the book Copper Sun.

Explore the Economienda System common in Latin America during the 1700s. The class will read the included text, answer 3 critical-thinking questions, and fill out a pie chart showing the demographics of the time. They will learn about...

Take young scholars on a trip through history with this unit on the mathematics and architecture of the Mayan civilization. Starting with a introduction to their base twenty number system and the symbols they used, this eight-lesson unit...

A very interesting presentation on the Underground Railroad used by slaves who were seeking freedom. Learners consider photographs of safe houses, devices used to hide from capture, maps of routes used, and pictures of white people who...

Pose the question to your historians: who really freed the slaves? They critically assess various arguments, using primary sources as evidence. In small groups, scholars jigsaw 5 primary source documents (linked), and fill out an...

In order to understand the complicated nature of slave laws during the Civil War, learners compare and contrast an abolitionist poster and a runaway slave ad. They use an attached worksheet to consider each primary source document, then...

North and South: two opposite directions and two opposite economic and social systems in time of the Civil War. Pupils peruse census websites and primary source photographs to understand what life was like for the everyday person before...

Look critically at the slave laws instated in Colonial New York. Your class examines primary source documents, slave laws, a narrative account from a slave's perspective, and Slave Codes. They write diary or journal entries in response...

Today's teens love technology! Draw them into this instructional activity by finding out what they know about GPS. Use it as a starting point for introducing them to GIS (geographic information systems). Using yarn, your class outlines...

Students examine critical role that slaves, freemen, and plebeians played in the Roman Empire. They complete creative writing that addresses how the Roman class system and the use of slavery contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire.