Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Oral History and Social History

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This instructional activity presents social history content and topics through the voices of ordinary people. It draws on primary sources from the collection, American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project,...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: 1900 America: Primary Sources and Epic Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
To better understand the United States at the end of the nineteenth century, this interdisciplinary lesson integrates analyzing historical primary resources with literary analysis. Students work in groups and express themselves...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Mark Twain's Hannibal

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Primary texts, such as music, photographs, and maps, allow students to examine how Mark Twain's life in Hannibal, Missouri, influenced his popular written works, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer."
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Explorations in American Environmental History

For Teachers 9th - 10th
These lessons introduce students to historical perspectives of nature and the environment, drawing on the American Memory collections, other digital resources, readings, and writing exercises. Students examine materials in a variety of...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 5th - 8th
What was the World War II experience like for the thousands of Japanese Americans living on the West Coast? The activities in this lesson plan are designed to provide a window into the war years. Using primary sources, students will...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Women's Suffrage: Their Rights and Nothing Less

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Primary sources reveal the true resistance suffragists faced as they fought for women's right to vote. Through this collection of lessons, students will "understand the societal role of women from 1840 to 1920" and explore the history of...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: New Deal Programs: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Photographs and life histories aid students in examining the lives of real people during the Great Depression, specifically those impacted by the New Deal programs and agencies. The culminating student products of this lesson plan will...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: A Russian Settlement in Alaska

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In the early 19th century, most of the land that is now Alaska was claimed by the Russian empire, and its most significant community was Novo-Arkhangelsk, which today is called Sitka. From 1808 until the sale of Alaska to the United...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Waldseemuller's Map: World 1507

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The 1507 World Map by Martin Waldseemuller is one of the world's most important maps. For the first time, this map labels America and shows the continent as a separate land mass. It is often referred to as America's Birth Certificate....
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Immigration and Oral History

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The primary goal of this activity is to give learners the genuine experience of oral history in order to appreciate the process of historiography. We identified immigrants in our community who reflect the ethnic diversity of our student...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Nineteenth Century Women: Struggle and Triumph Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Journals, letters, and narratives reveal a part of America's history not revealed in textbooks, the story of women, namely the women of the 1800s. With this activity, students gain understanding of women and history through various...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: World War I: What Are We Fighting for Over There?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The Great War of 1914-1918 significantly shaped the course of the twentieth century, both at home and abroad. How can this pivotal event be personalized and brought to life for learners in the new millennium? Unfortunately, increasingly...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Family Customs Past and Present: Exploring Cultural Rituals

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this activity, students will use photos, documents, and music from the Library's digital collection. Then they will students investigate rituals and customs of various cultures.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Interviews With Today's Immigrants

For Teachers 9th - 10th
What does it feel like to move from your home and travel to live in a new country? Even in modern times, the experience is frightening. Read these interviews from the new immigrants to hear firsthand about their experiences.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Twentieth Century Entertainment: When Work Is Done

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Through a photograph investigation, students examine leisure activities of the twentieth century and answer a list of questions.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Mexican Immigration

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Excellent site that examines the Mexican immigrant group beginning with early settlement in New Mexico in 1598 through to present times. The history as well as the intricate multiculturalism of this immigrant group is addressed.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Primary Source Set: Westward Expansion Teacher's Guide [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
As the United States expanded westward, many cultural groups came into contact with one another, such as Native American tribes, Chinese, and various Europeans. For this set of exercises, students use primary source documents to explore...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Suffragists and Their Tactics Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Young scholars work with two document collections, "Votes for Women: Suffrage Pictures: 1850-1920" and "Votes for Women: 1848-1921", to understand how the suffragists changed the requirements for voting in America.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Civil War Through a Child's Eye

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Historical fiction and primary texts provide pupils with new perspectives on the Civil War era, specifically through the eyes of a child who lived during this time.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Labor Unions and Working Conditions: United We Stand

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Think about your work environment. Are you allowed to rest periodically? Do you earn a decent wage? Can you voice your concerns without losing your job? There was a time when workers in the United States did not have basic rights such as...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Geography and Its Impact on Colonial Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
European settlement patterns were influenced by geographic conditions such as access to water, harbors, natural protection, arable land, natural resources and adequate growing season and rainfall. Examine a variety of primary sources to...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Geography and Its Impact on Colonial Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Beginning with a discussion on how people adapt to or relocate to environments, this lesson encourages learners to explore why the Colonists settled in specific regions. In groups, students examine primary documents, analyzing Colonists'...
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Classroom Materials: Who's That Lady?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This site was designed as a video conference with the national First Ladies Library. It is an entire lesson that culminates in a competition where students try to identify recent first ladies based on their research.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Journeys West

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A series of lessons utilizing primary texts, including narratives, photographs, and maps, through which students explore the following question: "What motivated thousands of people to journey west during the 1800s?"