Curated OER
Primary and Secondary Sources - 7th
A link to a beautiful Animoto presentation is included, giving examples of primary sources that a student might want to contact when doing research. Using the Topaz Internment Camp in Utah as a sample topic, middle schoolers view a slide...
Houston Independent School District
Creating a Successful Project
Guide your learners step by step through the process of designing an original, independent student project. This resource includes a wealth of worksheets and materials, including student project checklists, timelines, primary and...
Briscoe Center for American History
Applying the SOAPS Method of Analyzing Historical Documents
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...
Briscoe Center for American History
Mary Maverick and Texas History - Part 1
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.
Briscoe Center for American History
Mary Maverick and Texas History - Part 2
To conclude their investigation of the life of Mary Maverick and to demonstrate their ability to analyze primary source documents, groups use the SOAPS questioning method to examine Maverick's account of events in early Texas history.
Curated OER
Queen Anne's War and Its Impact on Deerfield
Class members read a series of primary and secondary source materials to examine the effects of Queen Anne's War, also know as the War of Spanish Succession, on the Pocumtucks and other Native Americans in the area of Deerfield, MA.
University of California
Containing Communism Abroad
Learn more about the policy of the United States to contain communism during the Cold War. The fifth installment of an eight-part series looks at primary and secondary materials about a challenging time in history. After analyzing the...
Curated OER
My Secret War: Lesson 3
Fifth graders read My Secret War. In this social studies lesson, 5th graders discuss how United States citizens worked together to ensure success in the war. Students discuss primary and secondary sources. Students paraphrase.
Harry S. Truman Library & Museum
Marshall Plan: Convince the American People
This is an excellent resource for US history classes, especially AP history. After learning some background on the Marshall Plan, the class, divided into two groups, researches opposing positions on this aid program. Groups read and...
Curated OER
The Zabbaleen, Cairo's Garbage Workers
Here is a fascinating human geography study of the Zabbaleen. They are a sub-class of people who work as garbage collectors in Cairo, Egypt. I can't say enough good things about this resource in my limited space here. It is fabulous! If...
Crabtree Publishing
The Genius of the Ancients
It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. Fifth graders prove this with help from three lessons that examine how ancient cultures used their needs to drive innovations. In lesson one, pupils identify main ideas and supporting...
University of Arkansas
Promises Denied
"Promises Denied," the second instructional activity in a unit that asks learners to consider the responsibilities individuals have to uphold human rights, looks at documents that illustrate the difficulty the US has had trying to live...
National History Day
Reporting on World War I
Throughout history, newspapers have reported the events of the day as they unfolded. Using primary and secondary sources from World War I, scholars uncover how the American people learned of the events of the War to End All Wars. History...
Historica-Dominion Institute
Artifact Creation Activity
Creating an artifact that is representative of a specific time period provides an opportunity for amateur historians to understand the importance of primary sources. This resource describes the process for students to explore original or...
Channel Islands Film
Once Upon a Time (Sa Hi Pa Ca): Lesson Plan 3
What was the most significant tool used by the Chumash? How did the environment make the tool possible? What group behaviors allowed the Chumash be be successful for thousands of years? After watching West of the West's documentary Once...
Curated OER
Sam Houston for President...Again
Fourth graders discover the political career of Sam Houston. In this Texas history lesson, 4th graders research primary resources and create a modern-day version of Sam Houston's political campaign of the 1840s.
Curated OER
Ft. St. Louis: A Do-It-Yourself History
Seventh graders explore Fort St. Louis. In this Texas history lesson, 7th graders research Internet and print sources regarding the history of fort and the settlement. Students use their research findings to create illustrated books...
Albert Shanker Institute
Dream Under Development
As part of their study of the 1963 March on Washington, class members do a side-by-side comparison of the original text of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" with a transcript of the speech he delivered. The take away from the...
Curated OER
Mildred Brown: "Community Treasure" Hunt
Fourth graders delve into a hunt for information on an African American activist from the state of Nebraska. Primary and secondary sources of data are utilized in this search.
Curated OER
African Americans Seen Through the Eyes of the Newsreel Cameraman
Fifth graders become familiar with the role of African Americans during WWII. In this WWII instructional activity, 5th graders watch a newsreel and discuss its use as a primary source. Students answer questions about the...
Curated OER
George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this George Washington lesson, students research the details of Washington's military successes, his role at the Constitutional Convention, and his...
Curated OER
Site and Situation: Right Place at the Right Time
Middle schoolers put their geography skills to work. In this geography skills lesson, students research maps and other primary and secondary sources to simulate the site selection process for the Pennsylvania Railroad Shops post World...
Curated OER
Secession: A Southern Perspective
Eighth graders determine how secession impacted South Carolina as well as the United States. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders examine selected primary and secondary sources in order to study the state's sovereignty and the...
Curated OER
Critically Examining, Analyzing and Evaluating Picture Books on Aboriginal Canada
Students combat pervasive stereotypes. In this Critical Analysis lesson plan, students examine and evaluate the stereotypes of Aboriginal groups, as depicted in a picture book. Students will use primary and secondary sources to compose...