Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Constitution Day Resources

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A selection of online resources from THOMAS that have to do with the US Constitution.
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: Slavery: A Crisis in the Making [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th
This lesson looks at the issue of slavery and the role it played in the American Revolution and the founding of the new Republic. Includes background information for the teacher. Students participate in performing a reader's theater...
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: Causes of American Revolution: Soldiers and Civilians at War

For Teachers 5th
In this lesson, 5th graders look at causes and consequences of the American Revolution, at nations and individuals that impacted the outcome, at the roles women played, and at how the war affected families, economics, and the...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Baseball, Race, and Ethnicity: Rounding the Bases

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Using primary documents as resources, students examine the connection between America's favorite pastime, baseball, and race.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: German Immigrants: Their Contributions to the Upper Midwest

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Why did Germans immigrate to the Upper Midwest in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century? What contributions did they make to the region's cultural heritage? Students use American Memory photographs and documents to answer these...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Civil War Photographs: The Mathew Brady Bunch

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students browse a collection of over one thousand Civil War photos, and then choose one to examine in-depth. The resulting assignment is a news article based on the photo's events and subject matter.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: After Reconstruction: Problems of African Americans

For Teachers 9th - 10th
After reading a collection of primary texts, students will identify problems facing African Americans in the South following Reconstruction and propose solutions to those problems. In addition to providing guidelines for teachers leading...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Civil War Photojournalism: A Record of War

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This instructional activity will analyze Civil War photographs and explore how and why the American Civil War was photographed.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Found Poetry With Primary Sources: The Great Depression

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Students explore poetry using American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940 collection of American Memory, which covers personal stories collected by the Works Progress Administration. In particular,...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Slavery in the United States: Primary Sources

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson introduces students to primary sources- what they are, their great variety, and how they can be analyzed. The lesson begins with an activity that helps students understand the historical record. Students then learn techniques...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: The Immigrant Experience: Down the Rabbit Hole

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Through a series of six activities, students read about, connect to, and draw conclusions about the immigrant experience, via personal experience and a collection of resources, including Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," oral...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Political Cartoons: Finding Point of View

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
A careful analysis of political cartoons can provide a glimpse into key moments of U.S. political history. In this activity, students will closely examine political cartoons about the Stamp Act; make inferences about the political,...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Migration During the Great Depression: Living History

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Most people in Central Florida came from somewhere else. Students first analyze life histories from American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1940 to learn oral history techniques. They then interview...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: The Conservation Movement at a Crossroads

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The debate over damming the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park marked a crossroads in the American conservation movement. Until this debate, conservationists seemed fairly united in their aims. San Francisco's need for a...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: America at the Centennial

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson plan requiring student to analyze primary documents from the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. Students interpret what these historical artifacts say "about the lives and values of Americans in 1876" among other things.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teaching With Primary Sources: Hispanic Exploration in America [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This is a great lesson plan from the Library of Congress that shows how to use primary sources in the examination of the Spanish Conquistadors in America. The lesson plan offers many possible activities for learners to use with the...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Women P Ioneers in American Memory

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This is an online resource from the Library of Congress discussing Women Pioneers. Includes some audio and internal links for more information.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Presidential Election of 1960

For Teachers 9th - 10th
What made the election of 1960 so different? Some political analysts call this election a turning point in American politics. Here's a brief overview of the election and questions to answer.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Immigration: Our Changing Voices

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Through dialogue, documentation, research, and interviews, learners understand their role in society. This unit provides a background to students' family histories and gives them an opportunity to listen to the voices of immigrants of...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Primary Sources and Personal Artifacts

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
This lesson plan introduces the practice of using primary sources; where to find primary sources, what they are, how to examine them, and how to construct a context to tell more of the story.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: How Transportation Transformed America: Going to Market

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This project investigates and examines the impact transportation has had on peoples' lives. We chose to compare and contrast the turn of the centuries. This lesson introduces primary documents, specifically visuals. We intend for this...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Local History: Mapping My Spot

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students often think of history as tattered documents, worn photographs, and musty books, all of which have little or no relevance to their lives. Maps provide an often-overlooked source of information and a new and compelling...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Local History: Mapping My Spot in History

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Through interpreting and investigating historical maps, students gain new perspective not only of their local communities but also of their own homes. Student activities include collecting data about their homes, reporting on the...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: American Lives in Two Centuries: What Is an American?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In 1782 Jean de Crevecoeur published Letters from an American Farmer in which he defined an American as a "descendent of Europeans" who, if he were "honest, sober and industrious," prospered in a welcoming land of opportunity which gave...