New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: June 2013
How successful has American foreign policy been in the past? Pupils consider the question as part of a state examination in American history. Other prompts include a document analysis and essay of important civil rights cases decided by...
American Battlefield Trust
United States Colored Troops
The debate over slavery contributed to the Civil War, but it didn't stop African Americans from joining the military. Academics complete a series of worksheets, read original letters, and analyze a photo of an African American soldier to...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
George Washington: General, President, Slave Owner
Times change; behaviors that were once considered acceptable can be seen in a very different light. Middle schoolers revisit the legacy of George Washington in a three-day lesson plan that uses primary sources to reveal Washington as a...
Briscoe Center for American History
Mary Maverick and Texas History - Part 1
What's the difference between a diary and a memoir? Young historians explore the ramifications of this question as they learn how to use primary source materials to gain an understanding of life on the Texas frontier.
Curated OER
Implementing Reader's Workshop in the Primary Classroom
Basic guidelines and lesson ideas for introducing this reading strategy.
Curated OER
How Ecosystems Change
In this ecosystems learning exercise, students will look at 4 diagrams and determine if either primary or secondary succession would occur after that particular event happened. Then students will determine the limiting factor for 4...
Crafting Freedom
Creating Original Historical Fiction Using Henry "Box" Brown's Narrative and Runaway Slave Ads
Young historians discover the experiences of runaway slaves after reading the brief biography and narrative excerpt of Henry "Box" Brown, who escaped slavery by having himself shipped away in a crate and popularized his flight in a...
Cheryl L. Mason and William G. Thomas
Southern Patriotism
Patriotism in the South and notions of patriotic sentiments are examined through primary document analysis. Learners read articles and letters written in the pre-war South to determine the role patriotism played in spurring on the war....
Briscoe Center for American History
Mary Maverick and Texas History - Part 2
To conclude their investigation of the life of Mary Maverick and to demonstrate their ability to analyze primary source documents, groups use the SOAPS questioning method to examine Maverick's account of events in early Texas history.
Humanities Texas
A President's Vision: Abraham Lincoln
Invite your learners to take a close look at Abraham Lincoln's presidency through analysis worksheets of several images and primary documents, presented on an educational poster entirely dedicated to this great United States president.
Curated OER
Making the Most of Primary Sources: The Successful Interview
In this interviewing skills worksheet, students read a 2-page outline of tips for conducting interviews as part of the research process and then use the tips to interview someone.
Curated OER
A "CCC Youth Refuses to Fan Flies Off Officer"
In this primary source analysis activity, students analyze a historical article about a CCC youth who was dishonorably discharged. Students then respond to 3 short answer questions about the photograph.
Curated OER
A Bracero Remembers Working Near Chicago
In this primary source analysis instructional activity, students analyze an interview with a bracero who describes his memories of working near Chicago. Students respond to 3 short answer questions based on the interview.
Curated OER
Adding to the Picture: The 1963 March on Washington
Who do your scholars imagine when they think about the civil rights movement? If only a few faces come to mind, this lesson will expand their concepts of the movement's leaders. Learners examine an image of the 1963 March on Washington,...
Stanford University
Public Housing
The Fair Deal was meant to give Americans after World War II a basic standard of living. Those in public housing often found that promise fell short. Learners consider whether the effort was successful by evaluating images, testimonies,...
US National Archives
WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – D-Day
D-Day, also known as the Normandy Invasion, was a true turning point for the Allied forces and one of the most successful campaigns of World War II. After researching the factors that contributed to the campaign's success, high schoolers...
American Battlefield Trust
Emancipation 1861 to 1863
Academics read newspaper articles from 1861 to 1863 regarding Emancipation and answer questions to understand how public opinion changed over time and why. The activity provides scholars with good historical context and the vocabulary...
Curated OER
Queen Anne's War and Its Impact on Deerfield
Class members read a series of primary and secondary source materials to examine the effects of Queen Anne's War, also know as the War of Spanish Succession, on the Pocumtucks and other Native Americans in the area of Deerfield, MA.
Scholastic
Study Jams! Changes in Ecosystems
Our scholarly friends head to the lake to go fishing and are unpleasantly surprised by the algae filling the water. They talk about primary and secondary succession as different ways that ecosystems are changed. Show the short video,...
Curated OER
Successful Traits of Mentors
Learners create student-friendly definition for "mentor," identify traits of success that a mentor displays, and describe how to be a mentor to a primary Book Buddy.
Curated OER
Primary Source Adventures: Texas Annexation: United We Stand? Lesson Plan
Seventh graders study the national effect that the annexation of Texas had on the 1844 Presidential election using primary source documents which they access through web based sources. They examine slavery in Texas during the 1840's and...
Curated OER
Socratic Seminar on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail
Key in the struggle to gain the rights of democratic citizenship was the April 1963 arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil disobedience. To deepen their knowledge and understanding of events during the civil rights movement,...
Curated OER
Visual Art: Primary Colors
First graders identify primary colors and consider their use in works by Henri Mattise and Mary Cassatt. They conduct an experiment with food coloring and then draw a color tree differentiating between warm and cool colors.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Ending the War, 1783
The various peace proposals, made by both sides, to end the Revolutionary War come under scrutiny in this final lesson of a three-part series on the war. Class members read primary source documents and compare them with military...