A research project is only as good as the credibility of its sources. Teach elementary learners to evaluate their sources by identifying author, time of publication, and area where the source was published, among other details.

Students investigate and distinguish between primary and secondary sources when analyzing works of literature. They present their information on transparencies that are displayed to the class.

Learners see how to use primary and secondary sources to investigate history. Whether it is a photograph, book, map, letter, postcard, newspaper, or official document, students can use sources to reconstruct and relive history.

Students review the meaning and application of primary and secondary sources in research. They determine how researchers locate primary source documents before looking at signatures as a validating factor on many primary sources....

Even in a world in which dozens of participants and curious onlookers record every controversial event, the basic facts of what happened are often in dispute. Revolution '67, Lesson 2 explores 1967 Newark, New Jersey using an examination...

Students examine their own family heritage and share family stories with the class. They differentiate between primary and secondary sources, and bring in and write about three artifacts from their family. They conduct an interview...

Primary and secondary sources are the focus of a lesson that showcases the important role women played during the American Revolution. Pairs review sources and discuss their findings. A close-reading of an informational text leads the...

Fourth graders write about the forced Potawatomi migration. In this primary source lesson students are read journal entries from an emigrating party of Potawatomi Indians. Students reflect on the items the Indians might have taken with...

Develop an online newspaper covering the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The class publishes their newspaper on the school's Web site and analyze both primary and secondary sources.

Your learners will take a trip through history as they peruse through historic digitalized newspapers, reading real articles from such historical periods in the United States as the Temperance movement...

Teams of electrical engineers work together to develop plans for increasing electricity to a fictitious, but growing community. They consider different sources of electricity, both renewable and nonrenewable, the cost of building and...

Students examine the difference between primary and secondary sources by examining the journal of Cabeza de Vaca and creating a poster about the Coahuitecan Indian groups. They portray a scene of the groups in 16th Century south Texas.

“Sometimes things are lawful yet are actually wrong.” Researchers examine primary and secondary source materials as they study five legal cases involving civil rights attorney William Kunstler in which he attempted to use the legal...

Ninth graders examine the lifestyle and culture of First Nations people. They investigate and analyze primary and secondary source documents.

Students research the conflicts over different uses of the Nisqually River resources and role play as mediators between Chief Leschi and other interested parties. They cite and interpret relevant artifacts and primary and secondary...

Students analyze primary and secondary sources to explore slavery and emancipation, and write letter or diary entry from point of view of slave Hannah Harris or plantation owner Robert Carter. Students then dramatize their creative...

How did the struggle for Civil Rights during the 1950s transform American society and politics? Why are American schools integrated today? Class members explore these essential questions by examining a series of primary and secondary...

Students describe the pros and cons of different energy sources. In this earth science lesson, students respond to survey questions and discuss each other's opinion about the issue. They research an energy source of their choice and...

Fourth graders read about Harriet Tubman and develop vocabulary lists.  In this Underground Railroad lesson, 4th graders find similarities and differences in primary and secondary sources, create a timeline and recognize important...

Students review information from a previous lesson about JFK and his assassination. As a class, they identify sources they believe historians use and describe the difference between a primary and secondary source. In groups, they...

Students engage in a lesson to investigate the concept of all men being equal. The concept has a historical context during the time of the American Revolution. They use primary and secondary sources in order to discover the concept of...

Eleventh graders consider the impact of the Underground Railroad. In this slavery activity, 11th graders examine primary documents as they conduct independent research to explore the role of the Underground Railroad during the fight for...

Pupils brainstorm the ways we use energy sources in our daily lives and what our lives would be like without it. They answer questions based on sections from the Human Activity and the Environment 2004, "Energy in Canada" article.

Eighth graders investigate the events that led to World War II. In this Holocaust lesson, 8th graders research primary and secondary sources about the events that led to the war. Students create PowerPoint presentations that provide...