Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing The Maryland Gazette,October 10, 1765

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Can you access a copy of The Maryland Gazette dated October 10, 1765? Although no link to the document is provided in this lesson, the questions on the worksheet do lead researchers through the steps necessary to form an analysis of a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Many Passages: The Voyage of the Slave Ship Brookes

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Examine three perspectives of the slave trade - captain, sailor, and captive - through this collaborative analysis activity. Small groups study one perspective with a primary source to analyze. They discern what is a historical fact and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing "Do Not Tax the Colonies"

For Teachers 7th - 12th
In this primary source research worksheet, students examine a copy of "Do Not Tax the Colonies," (not included) and respond to 6 short answer questions regarding its content.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Letter from Leonardo da Vinci to Sforza

For Students 9th - 12th
Expose your class to words directly from Leonardo da Vinci with this primary source document. Learners analyze the document, a letter from Leonardo da Vinci to Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, and respond to 3 short answer questions....
Worksheet
Curated OER

Examining Jesus' Teachings

For Students 5th - 10th
Simplify your study of Christianity with this "back to the basics" worksheet. Scholars examine a primary source excerpt from the Gospel according to Luke and consider Jesus' teachings. They assess which other belief system has similar...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Revolution of 1848 - Alexis de Tocqueville

For Students 7th - 9th
Document-based questions are a great way to increase understanding of a primary source document or prepare learners for a class discussion. Here, they'll read an excerpt from Alexis de Tocqueville's speech regarding the revolution of...
PPT
Curated OER

Legacy of the Dust Bowl: Dust Storm Media 1930s

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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. 
PPT
Curated OER

The Dust Bowl: Images

For Teachers 7th - 12th
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. 
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

A Debate Against Slavery

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Slavery is a serious topic that can be challenging for middle schoolers to study. Young scholars can see firsthand through primary sources what occurred during that time period in the United States. The third of five lessons provides...
Lesson Plan
Friends of Fort McHenry

Privateers in the War of 1812: Soldiers or Thieves?

For Teachers 8th Standards
Do governments have the right to authorize individuals to perform illegal acts during times of war? Did the US government really employ pirates? Use the War of 1812 as your vessel to answering these questions through class discussion and...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Sitting Bull: Spiritual Leader and Military Leader

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Sitting Bull was not expected to be a great warrior. Yet, he led the Lakota people and other tribes to several pivotal victories against the United States government when federal troops threatened their land. Using primary sources, such...
Lesson Plan
University of California

Impact of the California Missions on Native Americans

For Teachers 4th Standards
While the Spanish claimed to bring civilization to California indigenous peoples, in reality, they also brought violence and forced assimilation to European values. Primary sources, such as the reports of Catholic priests and Europeans...
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Women's Lives Before the Civil War

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Women's lifestyles before the Civil War made a huge impact as a point of causation. Give middle schoolers the opportunity to view firsthand the lives of women before the Civil War. They analyze primary source documents, view photographs,...
Lesson Plan
Friends of Fort McHenry

Was the War of 1812 Our Second War of Independence?

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Though it occurred almost 40 years later, could the United States have been fighting for their independence again in the War of 1812? Using appropriate primary source material from each of the two wars, compare and contrast the situation...
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Letter from George Washington to the Cabinet

For Students 8th - 11th Standards
Analyze the significance of George Washington's letter to his cabinet in which he sets forth a tradition of neutrality in wartime for the United States.
Lesson Plan
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PBS

Civil War: Blacks on the Battlefield

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine a war being fought to free slaves, with slaves on the front line. Scholars use primary documents, videos, and research in the second installment of a three-part series to guide their analysis of the first African-Americans on the...
Worksheet
Reading Through History

The Emancipation Proclamation

For Students 8th Standards
The Emancipation Proclamation: one of the most important primary sources for studying American history! An interdisciplinary resource includes a reading of Abraham Lincoln's seminal speech quoted directly. Following the reading, pupils...
Interactive
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University

Ratification of the Constitution

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
How difficult was it to get everyone to agree on the contents of the Constitution? Historians analyze the task of the Founding Fathers in creating the United States Constitution. They research a directory of video clips, primary sources,...
Lesson Plan
Briscoe Center for American History

Applying the SOAPS Method of Analyzing Historical Documents

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Young historians use the SOAPS (Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject) method of questioning to determine the historical value of primary source documents. The third in a series of five lessons that model for learners how...
Lesson Plan
Briscoe Center for American History

Mary Maverick and Texas History - Part 1

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Can We Learn From the Past?

For Teachers 7th - 11th
What would future archeologists learn from your scholars' personal belongings? Have them bring in a box of "primary sources" from their home. Discuss the difference between observations and inference, using some of your own items to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Gatsby: Primary Sources from the Roaring Twenties

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research the Roaring Twenties. In this 1920's America lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of lifestyles and values of the era as they read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A set of 14 primary sources provides background for a study of Lorraine Hansberry's drama, A Raisin in the Sun. Featured are images from stage productions of the play, white supremacy protests, a clip from a television interview, and...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The Poetry of Emily Dickinson

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Are you contemplating a poetry study featuring Emily Dickinson? Finding good primary sources to accompany the study can be a challenge—never fear, help is here! Check out this primary source set that includes manuscripts of several of...

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