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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Early English Settlements History Detectives

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Young historians play the role of history detectives as they investigate some primary source texts and images related to the early colonization of America, The Jamestown Settlement, and the Mayflower Compact. 
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Think Like a Historian: A Viewing Guide

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Calling all junior detectives! Scholars use the tools of investigation to determine the causes and impacts of the American Civil War. Using viewing guides, videos, group research, and written resources, they discover what it takes to...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

Historical Detective: Edward Alexander Bouchet and the Washington-Du Bois Debate over African-American Education

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Young scientists meet Edward Alexander Bouchet who, in 1876, was the first African American to receive a PhD in Physics. This two-part lesson first looks at the debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois about the type of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historians Interpret Sources

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students read excerpts from the historian Conover Hunt writing about John F. Kennedy and from primary source documents using the handout: Historical Sources and Historians. Students discuss and identify source types, evaluate sources,...
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Activity
PBS

Document This

For Students 6th - 12th
Being a historian requires serious sleuthing. They examine primary source documents and look for evidence, for clues that reveal who wrote the document, when, and why. After watching two historians model the process, young history...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

The Sixties: Hitsville USA

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
James Jamerson. You probably heard him but may not have heard of him. But fans of Motown Records will certainly recognize his contributions to the sound that desegregated popular music during the 1960s. Challenge young history detectives...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

African American History: Honored as Heroes

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
To gain an understanding of the treatment of African American soldiers during World War I, class members watch an excerpt from the History Detectives film, Our Colored Heroes, and then examine three recruitment posters from that time...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

African American History: Climbing the Wall

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine the challenge of trying to trace your family genealogy if no records were kept of births and deaths. Where would you look for information? What types of documents could provide you with the information you seek? History...
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Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Polar Detectives: Using Ice Core Data to Decode Past Climate Mysteries

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How does examining an ice core tell us about weather? Learners set up and explore fake ice cores made of sugar, salt, and ash to represent historical snowfall and volcanic eruptions. From their setups, scholars determine what caused the...
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Activity
PBS

Before We Travel, We Research

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Context is key when it comes to historical research. Prior to field research, class members learn as much as they can about the site they are going to visit. Groups investigate and prepare presentations about the history of the site, the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clara Barton's House: Home of the American Red Cross

For Teachers 6th - 8th
A fabulous lesson on the life of Clara Barton awaits your class. They describe how Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross, and the role it played in organizing help for those in need. Additionally, young historians explain how...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

The Sixties: Notes from the Ho Chi Minh Trail

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Young historians research the rationales for fighting the Vietnam War, and the controversies surrounding it. They watch film clips, examine photographs, and read Lyndon B. Johnson's message to Congress to gather information for a...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Myth of the West: The Battle of the Washita

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Go West, young man! Scholars use PBS video clips, slide shows, and interactive materials to create a picture of Manifest Destiny in the American West. Using a variety of primary and secondary sources, young historians learn about the...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

African American History: Lunch Counter Closed

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians investigate and evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies the Civil Rights Movement used to end segregation in the United States. After watching an video interview with Carl Matthews and Bill Stevens who participated...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Using Primary Sources: Nazi Spy Ring Busted

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Spy games are not just for professionals anymore! Scholars use short video clips, primary documents, and photographs to investigate Nazi spies in America during World War II.  The young detectives analyze the paranoia warfare can create...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Using Primary Sources: Wide Open Town

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A picture speaks a thousand words, no matter how old! Scholars use political cartoons from the era of Prohibition and the Temperance Movement to analyze what, a primary document (in this case, a bootlegger's notebook) is telling them...
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Unit Plan
Foreign Policy Research Institute

Exploring Korea

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A thorough and fun lesson on Korea! In groups of four (Social Chair, Historian, Translator, Travel Agent) class members research North and South Korea to determine a good location for an overseas institute for studying abroad. Once this...
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Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Sarah Green Probate Record

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The proof is in the probate record. Much can be learned about history by investigating old, primary source documents. Class members hone their detective skills by examing the 1759 probate record of Sarah Green. Who was this lady? Was she...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History Detectives

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate aspects of the Civil War. In this history lesson, 5th graders complete several tasks involving the economy, culture, and geography of the Civil War. First, students are divided into groups to study primary...
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Challenger Explosion Photograph Analysis

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young historians turn into detectives in a thought-provoking activity on the Challenger Explosion. The activity uses an image of President Reagan watching the Challenger explode on live TV to help academics practice historical analysis....
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Interactive
DocsTeach

Exploring America's Diversity: Motel Garber (Beginner)

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Young detectives delve into the past in an exciting series exploring immigration. The activity uses primary sources to teach elementary scholars historical analysis. Academics read records to understand the life of Motel Garber, from...
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Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Who Fired the Shot Heard Round the World?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Take a closer look. Young academics become detectives in an engaging lesson on the American Revolution. Scholars work in groups to analyze documents to uncover whether the American colonists or British soldiers fired the first shot at...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Detectives of the Past: Dr. Archaeology Travels Back in Time

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students watch a video and complete a webquest to gain a better understanding of the historical significance of the first known civilization, Mesopotamia.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History Detectives

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate the significant events in America's history. Students listen to a variety of books based on significant historical events in America. Students divide into 6 groups, each of which is responsible for researching...