Using Primary Sources: Letters from the Presidents

Scholars study a historical photograph to make predictions of what happened right after the picture was taken. They research a variety of different topics and use primary sources to answer questions about common food, fashion trends, and...

By reviewing and analyzing these nine selected points from Martin Luther's 95 Theses, your young historians will discern the major tenets of the revolutionary challenge made against the Catholic Church in the seventeenth century. This is...

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...

Students use primary documents to explore the past. They consider the source of the documents and identify and biases that the author may have held. They identify any questions about the historical event that may remain after reading the...

Learners analyze three primary source letters from 1939, each detailing the use of tobacco stringing. After thorough investigation, pupils take part in a grand conversation about the letters' purpose, accuracy, and relevance to the...

Learners explore the Gilded Age. In this Gilded Age lesson plan, students use primary sources to analyze photographs from this time period in history. Learners use National Archive tools to construct the past as historians examining the...

Can investigative journalism become too sensationalistic and accusatory, or is it vital for the survival of a democracy? Middle schoolers analyze primary source documents from early 20th-century newspapers as well as Theodore Roosevelt's...

What would be in your life's scrapbook? Scholars use short video clips, primary and secondary documents, and photos to investigate a 1909 scrapbook. They analyze and uncover what the Rogue Book tells them about the past in Western...

Middle schoolers look at different types of primary sources. They work with partners to analyze three popular culture primary sources. They write a paragraph telling whether they think it belongs in a time capsule. They will also...

Students examine copies of primary source documents and determine the document's value to a researcher. They analyze and evaluate the document for bias or contradiction. They know the difference between a primary and secondary source.