Lesson Plan
Pulitzer Center

The Paradise Papers: A Lesson in Investigative Journalism

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed Standards
The Paradise Papers, a year-long research project from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) exposed how political leaders, business people, and wealthy individuals used offshore entities to avoid taxes and hide...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Straight to the Source

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Research famous figures from history through the primary sources they created! Explore how these types of documents can enrich our study of the past with your middle and high school learners. They create picture books to illustrate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze documents, cartoons, speeches and articles about Joseph McCarthy and his crusade against "Un-American" activities. They guide their research with a worksheet and participate in class discussions about their findings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Neighborhood or Slum? Snapshots of Five Points: 1827-1867

For Teachers 9th - 11th
How has your local neighborhood changed throughout recent history? Young researchers evaluate census data, images, and primary source descriptions describing the living situation in the antebellum Five Points neighborhood. They consider...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slavery: Acts of Resistance

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Historical accounts of various events have proven to differ depending on the point of view of the person documenting the event. Learners read and analyze two first person accounts of acts of slave resistance seen at a southern...
Lesson Plan
National Museum of the American Indian

Lone Dog's Winter Count: Keeping History Alive

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
What is oral tradition, and what unique tool did the Native Americans of the Northern Great Plains use to help them remember their complex histories? Through pictograph analysis, discussion, research, and an engaging hands-on activity,...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Jobs and Professions Quiz

For Students 6th - 7th
This is your basic recall quiz, but it's a great way to assess your class's currently vocabulary level! After teaching vocabulary related to jobs and professions, give them this two-page document. They complete four exercises, two of...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Building Background Knowledge: Colonial Craftspeople

For Teachers 4th Standards
In the first lesson plan of this unit on colonial trade, fourth graders gain background knowledge of different jobs performed by early colonists. The class begins with a slide show presentation that includes a variety of great...
Lesson Plan
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Center for Civic Education

The Power of Nonviolence: Rosa Parks: A Quest for Equal Protection Under the Law

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Teach young historians about the historical legacy of Rosa Parks with a multi-faceted lesson plan. Pupils follow stations and use journals to explore prominent events, analyze primary resource documents, and engage in interesting...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photographs as Documents

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze photographs of Maine's history. They discuss the character of Maine and read a photograph. They analyze photos in pairs and complete an analysis sheet for each one. They evaluate their photos and rank them for qualities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Latinos and the Fourteenth Amendment: A Primary Document Activity

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explore Latinos and the Fourteenth Amendment. In this government and law instructional activity, students analyze the ruling in Hernandez v. Texas. Students predict how the United States would be different if the court had made...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Convention, 1875: Photographs as Historical Documents

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders compare and contrast the two photographs.
Lesson Plan
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Center for History and New Media

The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Soviet Espionage in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The war against Communism and Joseph McCarthy’s place in it are the focus of a series of three lessons examining postwar America from 1945-1950. This first lesson asks groups to read an introduction that describes the Verona Project and...
Interactive
DocsTeach

How Effective were the Efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau?

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Effective or ineffective? As part of a study of post Civil War America, young historians analyze a series of primary sources to evaluate the effectiveness of the Freedmen's Bureau in addressing the challenges faced by the slaves freed by...
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...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Ratifying the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Ratifying the Constitution was no simple task. Using primary sources, such as classic writings from the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, young scholars examine the arguments for and against the Constitution. They then decide: Would they...
Interactive
DocsTeach

A Revolution, a Reaction and a Reform: Getting Ready for National History Day

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Get ready for National History Day! A thought-provoking activity focuses on a hypothetical project for National History Day (NHD). Academics review three primary sources to determine if they would meet the criteria for a NHD project....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Rebecca Riots

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the history of England as they research the Rebecca riots.  In this England history lesson, students discover how English men dressed as women in order to surprise attack another group in the 1800's....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Primary Sources

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Materials provided by The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, located in New York City, offer researchers an opportunity to examine primary sources and use these sources to understand the past. Class groups analyze different documents to...
Worksheet
Polk Bros Foundation

Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address

For Students 9th - 12th
Thursday, November 19, 1863. The dedication of the Soldier’s National Cemetery in Gettysburg, PA. The Gettysburg Address. The full text of Lincoln’s famous speech is here for your class members to examine, to research, or to replicate....
Lesson Plan
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Google

Intermediate 1: Picking the Right Search Terms

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
A search can be strengthened by unique terms. With the activities and presentation included here, show your class how to target their searches with unique terms and context terms. They can then practice their search skills with...
Lesson Plan
Google

Intermediate 3: Narrowing a Search to Get the Best Results

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Examine advanced filters and operators in depth. Class members try out even more filtering tools than they did in the beginning lesson and practice with operators, special symbols or words that affect search results, recognized by...
Lesson Plan
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Google

Intermediate 4: Searching for Evidence for Research Tasks

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Online resources take many forms: blogs, search engines, news websites, documents, wikis. In order to conduct effective research, pupils should become familiar with different formats so that they can more easily choose suitable sites for...

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