Mission US is a role-playing game (RPG). In each mission you’ll step into the shoes of a young person during an important time period in US history. While your character and many of the characters in the game are fictional, they are based on the experiences of real people. (You will also encounter some actual historical figures and witness historical events in the game!) In this simularion, it’s 1907. You are Lena Brodsky, a 14-year-old Jewish immigrant from Russia. How will you start a new life in America?

In this lesson students analyze a single photograph from the Library of Congress collection Civil War Glass Negatives and Related Prints. Using the skills developed, students then find and analyze other images. Conclusions reached will allow students develop links between the Civil War and American industrialization.

Students compare military recruitment posters for African Americans used for both the Union and Confederate armies. They analyze how the language reflects differences is attitude and perspective.

In small groups, students analyze the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th amendment, and General Order #3 in terms of tone, audience, and message, focusing on similarities and differences.

In this activity (which is appropriate for introducing the Constitution) students match primary source documents to clauses from Article 1 of the Constitution. Students find six pairs, which reveal the powers of Congress. Online resource.

They met in Philadelphia in May 1787. Fifty-five men from 12 different states gathered, intending to revise the Articles of Confederation... Thus began the Constitutional Convention – the four-month process of secret argument, debate and compromise that produced a document that would soon be known in all corners of the globe: the Constitution of the United States. This primary source set includes documents and images. A teacher guide is included to assist educators in utilizing the primary sources in their instruction.

In this debates and mock election lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades 3 through 5, students use BrainPOP resources to explore the differences between the Democratic and Republican political parties. Students then create a presidential race within their school and perform the parts of a formal debate.

C3. Inquiry based lesson plan that includes several links and additional resources. Students evaluate why immigrants came to the U.S. and their experiences once they arrived at Ellis Island. Includes links to virtual tours of Ellis Island, primary sources (photographs), a poem to analyze, and an interactive resource that details immigrants' experiences. Excellent extension offered that connects wtih immigrants in present day.

In this activity, students analyze various primary documents related to presidential decisions. After examining the documents, they determine which president was involved and place the document on a map. They decide if decisions made were part of domestic or foreign policy. Through discussion and analysis, students are led to understand that the decisions a president makes are part of his legacy. Requires a basic knowledge of key historical events. Online resource, includes discussion questions. Complex.

Students will investigate a series of maps depicting a voyage by Sir Francis Drake which involved attacks on the Spanish settlements off the coast of Africa (Santiago), Caribbean (Santo Domingo), South America (Cartagena), and North America (St. Augustine). Students will then examine a map of the entire voyage. Students will look closely at the details of each of these depictions and draw conclusions about the individual events as well as the entire voyage.

In this EL Content Companion, ELs will learn about the causes of the Great Depression using scaffolds. The lesson contains a language objective, social-emotional learning objectives, and focused vocabulary instruction.

This lesson begins with an overview of the national women’s suffrage movement through a picture book read-aloud: Miss Paul and the President: The Creative Campaign for Women’s Right to Vote (or through an alternative voting simulation. Then, students will analyze primary source documents and suffrage memorabilia to identify arguments made by the anti-suffrage and pro-suffrage sides. Students will create their own pro- or anti-suffrage items.Students will consider how they can personally affect change and improve their communities. Teachers may choose to extend the lesson by staging a women’s suffrage debate or rally.

Solve and create American history and civics challenges to explore Library of Congress primary sources—and look closer.
Eagle Eye Citizen is a freely available resource designed to help middle and high school students think critically about civic participation, Congress, and American history using primary sources from the Library of Congress.

Students will examine how human actions and population changes can affect the environment. Students will examine a series of photographs that compare famous landmarks (Times Square, the Saltair Pavilion in Utah, Laguna Beach, and Niagara Falls) across time, and then they will identify human-generated changes in the physical environment, such as the addition of bridges and roads. Students will also examine U.S. Census Bureau population and housing data to see how population changes can contribute to changes in the physical environment. In addition, students will describe the impact of these changes on the environment.

In this one-minute video, students learn about the executive branch of the United States government. A host explains the qualifications and expressed powers of the presidency, and students consider what informal powers the president has.

Why do we have the First Amendment, and what freedoms does it guarantee? In this one-minute video, students learn about the five freedoms outlined in the amendment. A host explains each of them and identifies some of their limitations.

George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen consists of three lessons examining George Washington's leadership in the French and Indian War, at the Federal Convention, and as chief executive. They are based on primary source documents from George Washington Papers. The documents from Washington's Letterbooks include focus questions that may be used in Socratic seminars, cooperative learning, individual and group work.

Primary sources are the raw materials of history — original documents and objects that were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts that retell, analyze, or interpret events, usually at a distance of time or place. This webpage will help educators teach students using primary sources and engage them in analyzes these sources.

To introduce demographic characteristics to students, teachers will help them create a population pyramid. Then, students will use an online tool called QuickFacts to find census data on demographic characteristics for a county in 2022. They will compare it to older data from the same county to find changes and trends over time. They will then use QuickFacts to examine data about their school’s county. Students will use this information to help them understand how business owners and community leaders use data on demographic characteristics to make decisions.

A Short Activity for Fifth Grade
Question: How does the U.S. Constitution organize the government?
Note: The "Guidance on Government: Federal Edition" Powerpoint, also available in eMedia, was created to accompany this lesson plan.