The basics of this lesson can be used with students at different levels, helping them to identify what they already know and to build interest in and curiosity for the inquiry work to come. It also guides them to develop questions about things they are curious about and want to know before they begin the research process. In this activity, the…

That primary source documents have the power to bring the past alive is no news to social studies teachers. What is new in the last 10 years is the number of digitized documents available online that teachers can download and use in their classrooms. Encouraging teachers to utilize this ever-increasing treasure trove of resources was the goal of…

In this activity high school students read and discuss a letter written by a fugitive slave in England asking Britons not to be misled by a statement made by a clergyman claiming that the American federal government was not responsible for slavery, that it was the individual states that were at fault. (RM)

Much of history is interpreted from an adult point of view. But in Karen Hesse's Newbery Award-winning "Out of the Dust," the Great Depression's Dust Bowl is seen through the eyes of a child. By using the novel, this lesson plan gives students the opportunity to identify with the personal experiences of youth in the 1930s. In addition,…

In the summer of 1998, education specialists at the National Archives received a grant from the Department of Education to hire nine outstanding classroom teachers to develop lessons and activities based on historical documents that had been digitized by the agency and were available online. Discussion includes exploring the National Archives web…

Briefly reviews the history surrounding the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Presents a facsimile of Delaware's 200 year-old ratification document and suggests six activities for its use with secondary level students. (JDH)

Writers are influenced by their environment including family, community, lifestyle, or location. One such writer was Mark Twain. With this lesson plan the learner will become familiar with and analyze life around Mark Twain's hometown, Hannibal, Missouri, during the latter half of the 19th century by using various online and print resources to…

Illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of oral histories through an oral history assignment that helps students understand the impact of the Vietnam War on the "Vietnam generation." Suggests introductory materials and lists exemplar interview questions for students to use in interviewing soldiers who were on active duty and those who…

American Memory is a Web site created by the Library of Congress which provides public access to more than 7 million historical items, presented in over 100 thematic collections through the World Wide Web. These items reflect the collective American memory, its history and culture, and include unique and rare documents, photographs, films, and…

This teaching unit, "Civil Rights Movement," is the tenth in a series of 10 units about Alabama state history, part of a project designed to help teachers integrate the use of primary source materials into their classrooms. Although the units are designed to augment the study of Alabama, they are useful in the study of U.S. history,…

Christopher Columbus remains one of the most studied yet the least known of major historical figures. In this lesson, students read excerpts from Columbus's letters and journals, as well as recent considerations of his achievements so that they can reflect on the motivations behind Columbus's explorations, his reactions to what he found, and the…

This lesson plan asks students to use documents from "California As I Saw It: First Person Narratives, 1849-1900," in the American Memory Project to create a script depicting the motivations, expectations, fears, and realizations of immigrants who settled California between 1849 and 1900. According to the lesson plan, "California As…

During the summer of 1777 the British undertook an ambitious campaign to isolate New England from the rest of the colonies. For two months General John Burgoyne led his army down the Lake Champlain-Hudson River toward Albany (New York) with apparent ease, but he then found he needed provisions, wagons, cattle, and horses for his army. He sent an…

Richard Harris questions common assumptions about differentiation. In particular, he encourages teachers to avoid accepting too readily the view that pupils of different abilities must be given different resources or activities. Instead he builds a more complex and inclusive model based on deliberate teacher decisions about where to place the…

In this lesson, students will explore daily life in the 13 original British colonies and its influences in the late 1700s for two families in different colonies--Delaware and Massachusetts. The lesson asks students to become historical detectives and learn to gather information from artifacts and make inferences about the lives and time they…