Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Interactives: Historical and Cultural Contexts
This interesting interactive website explains kinds of primary sources and gives you the chance to identify them in some games.
Duke University
Duke University Libraries: Finding Primary Sources
Finding primary sources can be difficult and confusing at times. This site provides a list of history databases, rare books and manuscripts, and research guides for those looking for primary resources such as diaries, letters,...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Summarize Informational/expository Text
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] You will learn how to summarize main ideas, supporting details, and relationships among ideas within expository text.
Other
Project Vote Smart: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Project Vote Smart provides a detailed guide to the process of making a bill become a law. Content also includes links for more explanation on certain topics.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Reconstruction
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each text is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see the...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Egyptian Social Structure
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Empowering the Black Power Movement
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
Department of Defense
Do Dea: English 4; Wealth and Poverty
A learning module asking students to analyze different types of texts, learn literary terms, write a satirical essay and a mock newspaper article, and work with vocabulary skills all within themes related to wealth and poverty.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Libraries: Library & Archival Exhibitions on the Web
This index of links offers the opportunity to explore important and interesting topics. Visiting links on the desired topic is most likely to provide primary sources or at least point students in the right direction.
US National Archives
National Archives: The Legislative Process
Students will follow the legislative process for how a bill becomes a law by analyzing primary source documents. Included are worksheets that include a chart to be filled out in small groups, worksheets, materials, and an answer key....
Indiana University
Center on Congress: Learn About Congress
Learn about the role of the US Congress, how it works, its history, and the principles behind its creation and operation. Wonderful set of resources including FAQs, short articles and video clips, "interactive learning modules" (i.e., a...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Judicial Branch: The Power of the Federal Courts
An explanation of the power the federal courts hold in the American judicial branch of government. Find a quiz to test understanding.
iCivics
I Civics: Legislative Branch
Learners will learn about the structure, function, and powers of the legislative branch of government. They will explore the legislative process, as well as the influence of citizens and political parties. Register for a free account to...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: News and Media Literacy
This collection, which includes videos, blog articles, student handouts, lesson plans, and tip sheets for families, helps students identify, analyze, and investigate the news and information they get from online sources. Media literacy...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: News and Media Literacy Collection
This collection, which includes videos, blog articles, student handouts, lesson plans, and tip sheets for families, helps students identify, analyze, and investigate the news and information they get from online sources. Media literacy...
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Democratic Processes
In this activity, students write informative/explanatory texts describing various aspects of the political process in the United States. This self-paced module is aligned to College and Career Ready Standards for Literacy in Social...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Little Legislatures
This site from the University of Groningen clearly defines the role of committees in the legislative process, as well as a brief historical perspective on congressional committees. Essays, text and biography links related to American...
Library of Congress
Loc: The u.s. Constitution: Governing of the u.s.
This unit includes four lessons using primary sources to examine continuity and change in the governing of the United States. Lessons one and two are focused on a study of the Constitution and Bill of Rights and provide access to primary...
Digital History
Digital History: Drafting the Constitution
Those writing the Constitution had many issues to deal with in forming a document to govern the country. One thorny issue was the status of the states in regard to representation in the federal legislature. Read about the Virginia Plan...
Digital History
Digital History: Challenges Facing the Nation
The new United States had no blueprint to follow in establishing a new democratic government. Read about the challenges facing the new nation, and how it dealt with ways to make the government work.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Power Notes
Power Notes is a strategy that teaches students an efficient form of organizing information from assigned text. This technique provides students a systematic way to look for relationships within material they are reading. Power Notes...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Use Easy Nonfiction to Build Background Knowledge
A Texas librarian shares his strategy of using nonfiction picture books to introduce new concepts to struggling adolescent readers and to build their background knowledge. Once students have been exposed to academic content in easy...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Content Area Literacy: History
The ability to read historical documents including contemporary explications about societal, economic and political issues provides a direct link to literacy as preparation for citizenship. As in the other disciplines, schools are unique...