Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Primary Source Investigation

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Choose from a list of photos from the Civil War, Reform, Harlem Renaissance, and Campaign to study and record observations.
Article
Columbia University

Leaks Necessary to News Reporting

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Anonymous sources are a troubling fact of life for journalists and news consumers, according to this article that quotes some of the profession's heavy hitters.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Using Primary Sources

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
The Library of Congress provides teachers with a framework that will help integrate primary sources into all areas of the curriculum. Sections include "Why to Use Primary Sources," "Citing Primary Sources," and "Finding Primary Sources."
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Creating a Primary Source Archive: All History Is Local

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
A lesson plan where students collect local primary documents and examine the interplay between national, state, local, and personal history.
Website
Google

Google News Archive

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Access thousands of primary sources documenting historic events with this Google news archive tool.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: An Intro to the Study of History: The Four Questions [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
How does one study history? Find four basic questions that historians use to examine events in an effort to explain them and put them in historical context. By examining the Battle of Lexington and Concord, students can practice using...
Website
Digital History

Digital History: Social Class in Colonial America [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
By examining primary sources such as diaries and tax records, and a chapter from a secondary source, learn about the social classes apparent in colonlial America. Suggested student exercises guide crtitical thinking assessment of the...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Immigration History Firsthand

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Immigration History Firsthand has been designed to provide elementary children with experiences which enable them to begin understanding primary sources. Students move from personal artifacts to the vast Library of Congress online...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Primary Sources and Personal Artifacts

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
This lesson plan introduces the practice of using primary sources; where to find primary sources, what they are, how to examine them, and how to construct a context to tell more of the story.
Unit Plan
Indiana University

The Center on Congress: An Introduction to Primary Sources

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Discover the difference between primary and secondary sources, then take a quiz to test your knowledge.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Colonial Broadsides: A Student Created Play

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
In this lesson plan, students will consider "Colonial Broadsides: A Student-Created Play." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
Activity
University of Michigan

News Bias Explored: The Art of Reading the News

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Real-life examples, interactive headline and image games and brief explanations make this an attractive site for learning to recognize media bias.
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Economic Connections [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
"Economic Connections" is a one-page nonfiction passage about the economics of importing and exporting goods among countries to get what people need. It is followed by an open-ended question that requires students to provide evidence...
Lesson Plan
Other

George W. Bush Presidential Library: Teaching Primary and Secondary Sources

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This comprehensive lesson plan provides a fact sheet, reusable worksheets, source scenarios, and assessments.
Handout
Other

Encyber Pedia

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
An encyclopedia online. Just look for your topic to find information that you need. Provides information on a wide range of topics.
Handout
Other

English Global Village: Glossary of Journalism Concepts

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This page contains definitions for words related to journalism.
Article
Other

Historic Newspapers: Brief History of Newspapers

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Site gives information on the origin of the newspaper in America and its development through the Industrial Revolution.
Lesson Plan
Other

Minnesota Historical Society: Minnesota Communities: Lesson: Primary Sources

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Lesson plan with necessary documents attached in PDF format where middle schoolers read three eye-witness accounts of a car accident and compare them to the secondary source insurance report. Then students read three eye-witness accounts...
Website
Other

The Center for Public Integrity: Home Page

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Excellent site for journalists and others who feel that it is their beat to keep a watchful eye on the political culture of the country through investigations and analyses of public service.
Unit Plan
Other

University of Idaho: Information Literacy

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This learning module focuses on Information Literacy including internet basics, locating, evaluating, sharing, and documenting information.
Handout
Grammarly

Grammarly Handbook: Good or Bad Resource?

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This page focuses on how to evaluate resources; it establishes criteria for determining good and bad resources. Primary resources are always good, but secondary and tertiary ones need to be evaluated more closely.
Primary
PBS

Pbs: Interview With Geneva Overholser

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site is provided for by PBS. An interview with Geneva Overholser, former editor of The Des Moines Register, who led the paper to a Pulitzer Prize for public service. Frank discussion about the state of the profession, using...
Activity
Other

Do History: Using Primary Sources

For Students 2nd - 8th Standards
This site explains the difference between a primary and secondary source. It also provides students with questions to ask when gathering evidence about a primary source document.
Activity
Library and Archives Canada

Nlc: Defining Primary and Secondary Sources

For Students 2nd - 9th Standards
Libraries and archives hold documents and books that can be used for your research projects. Learn how to divide and identify them into primary and secondary sources in this tutorial.