Students begin the lesson by writing what they know about Fairfax County in their journals. Using primary source documents, they identify ten interesting facts about the area and watch a video. They complete a Venn Diagram comparing...

Students examine the time period of the Great Depression. Using primary source documents, they read excerpts of interviews done by author Studs Terkel for one of his books. They practice interviewing their partner in front of the class...

Students compose essays on nuclear policies. In this North Korea lesson, students examine political cartoons and primary documents regarding nuclear build-up by North Korea. Students write essays about North Korea's military goals and...

What happened on the fifth of November that has prompted an annual, national commemoration in Great Britain? Young historians look at a traditional English rhyme and folk tale from the seventeenth century that...

Students examine the role of African-Americans in the Civil War. Using primary sources, they analyze the material and formulate their own opinions about the past. They write journal entries to share their opinions on photographs from the...

Students take an in depth look at different aspects of the Civil War. Using primary source documents, they discover that people who lived during the war are not so different from them. They read about the experience of a Confederate...

Young writers of any grade level research a historical topic of their choice about their local community. Using primary sources, they examine the historical significance of their area. They participate in activities such as going on a...

Students examine African life during slavery on the Internet. In this slavery lesson, students use the Internet to research slavery and create a scrapbook. Students review pictures of slavery and label them as primary or secondary sources.

Students examine the Great Depression. In this oral and social histories instructional activity, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the America in the 1930's.

High schoolers explore the use of martial law at the Battle of New Orleans. In this Andrew Jackson lesson, students analyze primary documents pertaining to the move by Jackson to use martial law in the battle. High schoolers then...

Students analyze primary source documents to learn about World War II. In this world history lesson, students use cheese and bread rationing coupons issued during the second World War to gather information about the documents and the...

Pupils analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of the anti-lynching...

To compare how the Spanish, French, and English approached the exploration of North America, class groups examine primary source documents and become experts on one of four explorers: Francisco Coronado, Robert LaSalle, Samuel de...

Who knew that one poster about George Washington could have so many learning possibilities attached to it? Here you'll find an attractive learning display on the first president of the United States, as well as worksheets and...

The resource, a standalone, shows how news coverage of John Brown's Raid began when the event happened and how that reporting shaped perception in West Virginia history. The resource includes interesting anticipatory discussion...

Can a negative perception of a president's foreign policy harm his or her historical legacy? A project that winds the clock back to the date of Theodore Roosevelt's death puts students at the editorial desk of a fictional newspaper....