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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Gettysburg Address: Abraham Lincoln's Greatest Speech

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Most Americans have heard of the Gettysburg Address, but may not know what it means and why is it so important. Following guidance and scaffolded prompts, scholars analyze the short document that left an undeniable impact on the American...
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Lesson Plan
Teaching Tolerance

Critiquing Hate Crimes Legislation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The high school lesson plan explores what hate crimes are and how the government has responded to those crimes. Academics read legislation, analyze political cartoons, and complete hands-on-activities to understand what motivates...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Day of Infamy:Analyzing FDR’s Pearl Harbor Address

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In 1941 FDR spoke out on the events at Pearl Harbor. The class will get to analyze word choice,  word meaning, author's craft and structure by analyzing an actual draft of this speech. They will look critically at the words used,...
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Worksheet
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K12 Reader

Find the Meaning: JFK's Inaugural Speech

For Students 9th - 11th Standards
Analyze a seminal speech from the 20th century with an activity focused on President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. After reading an excerpt from the address, pupils use a instructional activity to practice their...
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Invasion

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Without the benefit of history, Western Europe in the 1940's had no idea what was about to befall them. Class members use primary sources, including political cartoons, videos, and internal documents, to analyze how much of a threat...
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Handout
Stanford University

Close Reading

For Students 5th - 10th Standards
Here's a poster that highlights the skills needed for the close reading of primary source documents when gathering evidence to support historical claims.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Author’s Point of View: Immediate Aftermath Excerpt of “Comprehending the Calamity"

For Teachers 6th Standards
Analyze that! Scholars continue reading and analyzing a primary source about the immediate aftermath of the 1906 San Francisco fire and earthquake. Then, individuals use graphic organizers to identify the author's point of view.
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Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Analyzing Artifacts

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
If only a mask could talk! Using the interactive tool along with historical thinking skills, pupils uncover the meaning behind the various materials the resource presents. History becomes more relevant as the artifacts tell their stories...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Analyzing the Author’s Point of View: Relief Camps

For Teachers 6th Standards
We're halfway there ... what a relief! Scholars read an excerpt from a primary source about the relief camps associated with the1906 San Francisco earthquake. Next, they complete a mid-unit assessment, answering short-answer and...
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Interactive
US National Archives

Benjamin Franklin: Politician and Diplomat

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
A scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, politician, and the founder of a nation—and that's just one person! Learners investigate the many lives of Benjamin Franklin. Using a hands-on interactive online resource, they analyze primary...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Primary Sources from the Industrial Revolution

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders, in teams, analyze, evaluate and describe primary sources pertaining to industrialization at the turn of the century. They examine the sources and answer questions about each.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"my Dear Little Boys..." Using Wwii Primary Documents: a Letter Home From the War

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students read letters written by soldiers during World War II in order to analyze the soldier's feelings about the war. They explain how these primary sources teach appreciation for the World War II soldier's experiences.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Dear Ma and Pa" Primary Documents: Letters Home from the War

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pupils read and analyze letters written by a soldier during World War II. They discuss using letters as a primary source of historical information, complete a worksheet, and write a letter to a loved one.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Real-Life History: Looking at Our Community

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Spend several days with your class exploring local history. Learners brainstorm and categorize sources of historical information as primary or secondary; collect and present artifacts from family/community; construct a definition of...
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Activity
Curated OER

Part III: Document-Based Question

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Need a DBQ practice set? Whether or not your class is preparing for the AP exam, learners will benefit from analyzing primary source documents about economic and social change. For Part A, the short-answer questions, participants read...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The Road to the Constitutional Convention

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
After defeating the most powerful nation in the world, the United States had to deal with its own weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation. Activities in the lesson include analyzing primary sources from the Founding Fathers to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Having Fun with Primary Sources

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils analyze primary sources to determine the effects of the Great Depression on American society. They evaluate how government expanded during this time period because of New Deal legislation.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Crack the Case: History's Toughest Mysteries

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young sleuths don their trench coats, tip their fedoras, and grab their notepads to investigate one of four famous unsolved mysteries. After examining multiple primary and secondary sources related to their cold case, they propose a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hopi Tribal Council

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Focusing on the differences between traditional Hopi government and the Hopi Tribal Council, this resource is a good addition to your unit on Native American culture. Learners conduct Internet research, analyze primary source photos, and...
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Lesson Plan
Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Inside India

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
What can a Ganesh statue, hand ornament, and print block tell you about India? Introduce your learners to the geography, history, and culture of India by analyzing primary sources and using the well-designed worksheets provided in this...
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Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Life for German Youth in the 1930s: Education, Propaganda, Conformity, and Obedience

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The German youth faced an onslaught of propaganda when they went to school, thanks to the Nazi regime led by Hitler during World War II. Pupils relate their education experiences to German youth by analyzing primary source readings,...
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Lesson Plan
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

Life of a Private Lesson Plan

For Students 3rd - 12th Standards
In order to understand the challenges the Continental Army faced during the American Revolution, class members analyze primary source materials including a soldier's journal and an officer's letter, and watch a short reenactment video.
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Stars, Stripes and Symbols of America: Comparing Our Flag, Past and Present

For Teachers 1st - 2nd Standards
Your young historians will compare and contrast the details of the American flag today with an an image of the nation's flag from the post-Civil War era, and identify the flag's importance as a national symbol through analysis...
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Lesson Plan
Middle Tennessee State University

Preparing for Revolution

For Teachers 8th Standards
Class members create a timeline of actions by both the British parliament and the colonists that led to the outbreak of the American Revolution. Groups use the provided Primary Source Analysis Tool to examine and...