+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Smithson to Smithsonian: Who Was James Smithson?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers evaluate and examine primary and secondary source material as they relate to the life of James Smithson.In this "From Smithson to Smithsonian" lesson, students analyze documents looking for clues to the identity of James...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Brutal British

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students read and predict the outcome of a story set during the Civil War, then map the story. To prepare for the activity, students determine why it is important to look at historical events from all angles by using primary and...
+
Lesson Plan
Syracuse University

American Industrial Revolution

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
While the Industrial Revolution may have fueled America's rise to the top of world markets, the child laborers often faced dangerous conditions. Using primary source images and other information, scholars consider what these children...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Center for History and New Media

The Daily Experience of the Laurel Grove School, 1925

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What was daily life like for those attending segregated schools in 1925? Modern learners fill out a KWHL chart as they explore historical background and primary source documents about the Laurel Grove School in Fairfax County, Virginia....
+
Workbook
Los Angeles Unified School District

World History Medieval and Early Modern Times

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
A slew of graphic organizers, worksheets, and student activities are packaged here for your world history pupils. From comparing and contrasting the Qur'an and Sunnah, studying cultural diffusion across eastern nations, or examining the...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Center for History and New Media

Growing Up in a Segregated Society, 1880s–1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What did segregation look like in the beginning of the 20th century? Middle and high schoolers view images of segregated areas, read passages by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, and come to conclusions about how the influence of...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mission Possible: Energy Trade-offs

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Teams of electrical engineers work together to develop plans for increasing electricity to a fictitious, but growing community. They consider different sources of electricity, both renewable and nonrenewable, the cost of building and...
+
Lesson Plan
University of Wisconsin

Why Did the Triangle Fire Occur?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
An investigation of the 1911 New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire leads class members to examine primary and secondary source materials related to the event and apply what they learn about the working conditions at the time to...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Where Is Angel Island? An Introductory Geography Lesson

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Prepare young historians for a study of Angel Island Immigration Station with a lesson examining primary and secondary source materials, maps, and websites. Using what they have learned, individuals create a map of Angel Island, labeling...
+
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Harriet Jacobs and Elizabeth Keckly: The Material and Emotional Realities of Childhood in Slavery

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Young historians learn how to make generalizations based on primary sources in a lesson that uses the autobiographies of two women born into slavery. The class watches a historical re-enactment of scenes from the lives of Harriet Jacobs...
+
Unit Plan
C3 Teachers

Civil Rights: What Made Nonviolent Protest Effective during the Civil Rights Movement?

For Teachers 11th Standards
Sit-ins and boycotts, marches and speeches, songs and demonstrations were hallmarks of nonviolent protest of the civil rights movement. Young scholars research primary and secondary source documents to determine what made nonviolent...
+
Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Dolores Huerta: The Life and Work of a 20th Century Activist

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Extra! Extra! High schoolers read about Dolores Huerta, the social activist who helped organize the United Farm Workers. Researchers read primary and secondary sources about Huerta's work and craft a headline, supported by three pieces...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do You Know?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
What is the difference between primary and secondary sources? Help your middle schoolers develop a knowledge of appropriate sources to use when doing accurate research. They develop unique ways to incorporate literature in historical...
+
Lesson Plan
New York State Education Department

TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 11

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You'll C-E-R a difference in classroom achievement after using a helpful lesson. Designed for economics, civics, government, and US history classes, participants practice using the CER model to craft arguments about primary and secondary...
+
Lesson Plan
4
4
University of California

Roots of the Cold War

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
When and how did the Cold War begin? To answer this question, you will not find a better-organized, in-depth, activity- and inquiry-based resource than this! Executing best teaching practices throughout, each portion of this inquiry...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Primary and Secondary Documents for Colonial Times

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students investigate the Colonial Era by completing a template on their computers.  In this U.S. History lesson, students discuss the differences between primary and secondary sources and identify several different sources as one or the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Primary Source? What is That?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the use of primary sources. They read and discuss excerpts from the "Diary of Anne Frank," write journal entries, identify examples of altruism from the book, write an essay, and complete a worksheet.
+
Activity
Big History Project

Human Migration Patterns

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Humans have been on the move for millennia. Using an article from The Smithsonian, pupils chart human movement before written history on a world map. In addition, they examine the modes of transportation used by different waves of human...
+
Lesson Plan
Syracuse University

Erie Canal

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
While canals are not the way to travel today, in the first half of the nineteenth century, they were sometimes the best way to move goods and people. Scholars examine primary sources, including maps and pictures, to investigate the role...
+
Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

A Teacher's Guide to 1776 by David McCullough

For Teachers 9th - 12th
David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, 1776, is the focus of a 28-page teacher's guide. The guide includes pre-reading questions, background information about key British and American figures, and chapter-by-chapter lessons.
+
Unit Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Barn Again! Celebrating an American Icon

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
How do barns serve as a window to a community's past? Here are a series of lessons on the symbolism and historical context of barns throughout American history. Topics include community-building, in-depth primary and secondary source...
+
Unit Plan
Virginia Department of Education

World History and Geography to 1500 A.D.

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Here's a great resource for your curriculum library. The 240-page packet, organized into units by topics, includes sample lesson plans, links to primary and secondary source documents, worksheets, activities, and sample assessments.
+
Lesson Plan
PBS

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Orator, Author, and Activist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Have you ever felt like your opinion doesn't count? Scholars research and analyze the impact Elizabeth Cady Stanton had on women's rights. Primary and secondary sources as well as video clips give individuals a clear picture of Stanton's...
+
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Speaking Up and Speaking Out: Exploring the Lives of Black Women During the 19th Century

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians investigate the often-hidden history of free and enslaved African American women before the Civil War. Using a collection of primary and secondary sources, including speeches, diaries, and poems, they evaluate the often...

Other popular searches