In this lesson students do a close reading of “Learning to Read,” a poem by Francis Watkins Harper about an elderly former slave which conveys the value of literacy to blacks during and after slavery. The activities also prompt students to examine the nature of literacy in the 21st century and the value they put upon it.

This lesson discusses the Great Fire of London in 1666 and its causes as well as its repercussions long after.

In this lesson, students learn firsthand about the childhoods of Jacobs and Keckly from reading excerpts from their autobiographies. They practice reading for both factual information and making inferences from these two primary sources.

The focus of this lesson is on the use of hieroglyphs as a form of communication, record keeping, and as a means for preserving and passing down history. Students will learn basic information about the alphabet, common Egyptian words, and how to read hieroglyphic messages. Students will also practice using hieroglyphs to create messages of their own.

In this lesson, students compare and contrast a Winslow Homer's painting with a Civil War photograph from Gettysburg in order to better imagine what a returned Civil War veteran might think and remember as he tends his wheat fields back home.

About a century has passed since the events at the center of this lesson-the Haymarket Affair, the Homestead Strike, and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. In this lesson, students use primary historical sources to explore some of the questions raised by these events, questions that continue to be relevant in debates about American society: Where do we draw the line between acceptable business practices and unacceptable working conditions? Can an industrial-and indeed a post-industrial-economy succeed without taking advantage of those who do the work?

Drawing on the 'Character Stories' section of this Web site, students perform a role playing exercise to examine the motives, beliefs and values of the men and women who made Athens the center of the Greek world. The "Site Index" link on this page will provide more relevant links for each character: http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/htmlver/ The video references to the documentary are not necessary.

Students will read passages from texts and write answers to questions about the passages in order to compare them. This resource supports English language development for English language learners.

This resource supports English language development for English language learners. This lesson plan guides English Language Learners through the process of analyzing primary sources. This lesson includes Civil War Photographs from the National Archives, however the activity can be used with any topic of study. The lesson includes links to PDF handouts.

What was life like for women in the first half of the 19th century in America? What influence did women have in shaping the attitudes towards slavery? Towards women's suffrage?

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.

This resource is a primary source of a letter from Abigail Smith to John Adams.