Center for History Education
Road to Revolution: How did Actions and Responses Lead to an Independent United States?
Using primary sources, maps, and an interactive M&M game, young historians examine the American revolution as if they were detectives trying to solve a crime. Resource includes graphic organizers and a final writing prompt to aid...
Center for History Education
The Tobacco Economy: How did the Geography of the Chesapeake Region Influence its Development?
Explore the relationship between geography and economy using primary sources. After examining wills, advertisements, and other primary sources, individuals consider how the Chesapeake Region came to be home first to indentured servants,...
Center for History Education
The Iran Hostage Crisis
While the Iranian Hostage Crisis was a watershed moment, few history classes take on the complex series of events leading up to it. Using declassified documents, including a hostage's diary, young historians create their own reports to...
Center for History Education
Debating Social Security: Understanding and Evaluating the Social Security Act of 1935
With throngs of Americans out of work and hungry, Franklin D. Roosevelt made the bold move to establish a social safety net with programs such as Social Security. The move was—and still is—controversial. Using documents from the 1930s,...
Center for History Education
The Freedmen's Bureau: Success or Failure?
What is freedom? The United States grappled with the question at the end of the Civil War after four million enslaved people were freed. Using circulars and images from the Reconstruction period, individuals examine how successful the...
Center for History Education
Daily Lives of Slaves - What Really Happened?
The stories of enslaved people are preserved forever thanks to the Great Depression. Budding historians explore slave narratives gathered by a federal government initiative to discover what life was actually like for enslaved people....
Stanford University
King Philip's War
King Philip's War was the crescendo of a violent period between the Pequot and English colonists. Using documents from English settlers, including a contemporary report on the conflict, learners explore the little-known period. They then...
Stanford University
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a propaganda victory for those protesting British rule over the American colonies. By using images from Patriots, as well as the testimony of witnesses, scholars consider what may have happened on that fateful day...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?
Drawn by promises of fertile land, thousands of settlers poured West because of the Homestead Act of 1862. By examining images of the ads that drew them westward, learners consider the motivations for movement. They also consider how the...
Curriculum Development Institute
Reconstruction and Development in Japan after WWII
After World War II, Japan faced the task of rebuilding—under the watchful eyes of the Allies. Using a dice game and creative discussion strategies, class members consider the challenges facing Japan and changes the country underwent...
iCivics
DBQuest: The Nashville Sit-In Movement
What was it like to be a part of the sit-ins during the Civil Rights Movement? Learners consider the question and whether the protests were effective using an online documents-based investigation. The program allows for virtual...
Urbana School District
Knocking Down Fences
After reading The Other Side and guiding children through a picture walk, third graders investigate evidence of the civil rights movement. In the mini unit, 3rd graders analyze photographs of the past and make connections between...
Curated OER
The Dust Bowl: Out of the Dust
Is your class going to read the novel, Out of the Dust? If so, you can prep them with a presentation that provides both images of the Dust Bowl and quotes from the book. Tip: Have learners use the images to compose descriptive...
Curated OER
The Dust Bowl: Images
Introduce learners to the hardships that followed the onset of the Dust Bowl. There is a quote taken from The Dust Bowl, Men, Dirt and Depression by Paul Bonnifield followed by 10 primary-source images.
Curated OER
Legacy of the Dust Bowl: Dust Storm Media 1930s
Some learners might not realize that the term dust bowl was not figurative. Show the reality of 1930s America with eight primary source photographs. Slides depict images of dust storms or their aftermath.
Curated OER
Ancient Babylon
Authenticate an ancient civilizations study by having historians analyze primary source artifacts. After examining an image of a Babylonian king votive statue, pupils read a short background context. They then answer 3 questions based on...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
B. Franklin, Printer and the Public Eye
Students explore U.S. history by researching famous Americans. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson plan, students read portions of a biography about Franklin and identify his position within U.S. politics and as a leader in the battle for...