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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Creating Historians: Send Them Out

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Get teenagers out of the classroom in the pursuit of history; part three of a series on approaching social studies as a group of historians.
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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
Curated OER

Fill in the Blanks

For Teachers 8th
Archaeologists, historians, and scientists all work together to create a timeline of our past. Engages learners in a series of activities that all filter through the NOVA video, "Mysteries of the First Americans." Each activity is...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

The Tools to Persuade

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
After reviewing persuasion techniques, young historians examine how a specific technique was used in the pro- or anti-suffrage messages. They then examine how that same technique is used in modern-day media messages.
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Website
University of North Carolina

History

For Students 9th - 12th
The past helps to inform the present and the future—that's why the study of history is so important. The handout describes what historians do and why their jobs are meaningful. Readers learn about what to expect in a college-level...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Historians Know: Investigating a Midwife's Life

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students view "A Midwife's Tale" to explain the methods historians use to study the past. They complete worksheets to identify what historians look for.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go for the Gold!

For Teachers 5th - 12th
The options are vast with this Ancient Greece and Olympics research project! Using Scholastic online resources, historians have interactive and educational supports to guide them through researching and writing about the 2004 Olympics in...
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Handout
Stanford University

What Is History?

For Students 5th - 10th Standards
Five important tenets of any social studies class are available for young historians with a poster that defines history as an account of the past. It encourages learners to question reliability of an author's perspective, as well as to...
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Handout
2
2
Tutankhamun

Pharaohs, Pyramids and the World of the Gods

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Your young historians will learn all about the pharaohs, pyramids, and gods of ancient Egypt with these informational text worksheets, each of which are accompanied by hands-on, follow-up activities.
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Handout
Stanford University

Sourcing

For Students 5th - 10th
What questions do historians ask when sourcing a document? Here's a poster that models these questions.
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Worksheet
3
3
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Excerpt from the Diary of Union Soldier Samuel Cormany

For Students 8th - 11th Standards
Young historians read and analyze a soldier's direct account of his participation in the battle of Gettysburg, as well as consider the overall strategy and tactics taken by the Union and Confederate troops.
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PPT
Curated OER

Ancient Israelites Part 1

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
Young historians are given a thorough introduction to ancient Middle East geography and the patriarchs of ancient Israel with a PowerPoint presentation and supplemental worksheets. Topics covered include Abraham as the first patriarch,...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
K12 Reader

Slavery in the Constitution

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Your young historians will read excerpts from three parts of the United States Constitution—Article One, the Thirteenth Amendment, and the Fourteenth Amendment—and discuss how they each address the issue of slavery. 
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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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Activity
Historica-Dominion Institute

Artifact Creation Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Navigating with the Kamal

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Historians have proven that as early as 1497 skilled navigators were using a kamal to sail across oceans. Scholars learn about navigation tools and astronomy before building their own kamals. They then learn how to use it to determine...
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Handout
PBS

Democracy in Action: Freedom Riders

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
This is a must-have resource for every social studies teacher covering the civil rights movement. Through an engaging video and detailed viewing guide, young historians learn about the Freedom Riders, and discover how everyday...
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Activity
Sharp School

The Bill of Rights and Supreme Court Cases Project

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Social media and United States history combine as your young historians design a Facebook page for two major defendants of landmark Supreme Court cases. The resource includes a detailed rubric for research and page design, as well as a...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Smithsonian Institution

Changing Gender Roles on the Home Front

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Many historians discuss how gender roles changed because of World War II, but how did this come to be? An informative resource challenges scholars to do some digging and research the information for themselves. They research how...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do We Learn About the Past?

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students examine archaeological discoveries. For this learning about the past lesson, students view a "Magic School Bus" video, discuss the role of an archeologist, and complete a graphic organizer. Students discuss a variety of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time of Slavery

For Teachers 5th
Young historians learn about abolitionists, The Civil War, Frederick Douglas, and so many more details about slavery in this highly engaging presentation. Teachers could use this as a whole class review and discussion tool.
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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,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Landscape Long Ago and Today

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Combine a fantastic review of primary source analysis with a study of Captain John Smith's influence on the Chesapeake Bay region in the seventeenth century. Your young historians will use images, a primary source excerpt, and maps...
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Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Analyzing Artifacts

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
If only a mask could talk! Using the interactive tool along with historical thinking skills, pupils uncover the meaning behind the various materials the resource presents. History becomes more relevant as the artifacts tell their stories...