Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Reading Primary Source Documents: Historical Content Lesson PlanReading Primary Source Documents: Historical Content Lesson Plan
Publisher
Curated OER
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Lesson Plan

Reading Primary Source Documents: Historical Content

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Why do we read primary source documents? What can they give us that other writings cannot? Provide your learners with any of the primary sources attached here (there are seven), and have them complete the graphic organizer (which opens with Adobe Reader). A great introduction to primary sources!

73 Views 222 Downloads
Concepts

primary source analysis, primary sources

Additional Tags

primary source documents, english language arts
Show More Show Less

Resource Details

Grade
1st - 12th
Subjects
English Language Arts
5 more...
Resource Type
Lesson Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Instructional Strategy
Research

See similar resources:

Lesson Plan

Developing Reading Fluency: Beginning the End of Unit 2 Assessment

EngageNY
Third graders continue to develop their reading fluency in preparation for their assessment in the tenth lesson plan of this unit. Young readers are provided with a short passage on Helen Keller, which they use while working in pairs...
3rd English Language Arts
CCSS: Designed
Activity

Personal Morals vs. Political Moves Document Based Essay

Thomas Jefferson Foundation
Was Thomas Jefferson a hypocrite? Tackle this question with primary source analysis and an essay. The packet includes historical background, a writing prompt, a combined outline and checklist, and ten primary documents paired with...
6th - 8th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Sourcing a Document: The First Thanksgiving

TPS Journal
How reliable is a painting of the first Thanksgiving if it was created 300 years after the fact? Learners assess the validity of a primary source image to determine what it can actually reveal about this event. 
3rd - 7th Social Studies & History
CCSS: Designed
Lesson Plan

Teaching Primary and Secondary Sources

George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum
What makes a source primary or secondary? Middle schoolers read a definition of each term before exploring different examples and applying their knowledge to a research project.
6th - 8th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Study Guide

A Reading Guide to A Wrinkle in Time

Scholastic
Accompany a reading of Madeleine L'Engle's classic tale, A Wrinkle in Time, with a detailed guide equipped with 15 informative and useful chapters. Scholars discover who the author is, why she wrote the book, and crucial story elements...
4th - 8th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Worksheet

Reading Readiness

Curated OER
Develop the reading and vocabulary skills of young learners with this simple fill-in-the-blank instructional activity. Using the provided word bank, children read and complete a series of five sentences by writing in the...
Pre-K - 1st English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Straight to the Source

Curated OER
Research famous figures from history through the primary sources they created! Explore how these types of documents can enrich our study of the past with your middle and high school learners. They create picture books to illustrate...
6th - 12th Social Studies & History
Lesson Plan

Using Primary Sources: Wide Open Town

PBS
A picture speaks a thousand words, no matter how old! Scholars use political cartoons from the era of Prohibition and the Temperance Movement to analyze what, a primary document (in this case, a bootlegger's notebook) is telling them...
6th - 12th English Language Arts
CCSS: Designed
Lesson Plan

Founding Documents

Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Teach the class about the predecessor to Declaration of Independence—the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Using the foundational documents, scholars examine the two writings to consider how they are similar and how they are different. A...
3rd - 5th English Language Arts
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Active Reading with American History

Curated OER
Explore connections within and between informational texts with this lesson about encyclopedia articles. Middle schoolers write encyclopedia articles focusing on topics in American history. They discuss how to determine credibility...
5th - 12th English Language Arts
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use