The Blackberry is a handheld wireless Personal Data Assistant (PDA) and communication device.
Lessons & Activities

Grade Range:
6-9
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
45 minutes
Date Posted:
4/30/2010
Engage middle school students in historical document analysis with three contrasting images of the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Using a graphic organizer, students will examine three primary sources and analyze the different perspectives presented in each. After completing the analysis

Grade Range:
6-9
Resource Type(s):
Lessons & Activities, Primary Sources
Duration:
90
minutes
Date Posted:
5/3/2010
Use primary sources as the inspiration for comparing and contrasting the soldiers on either side of the Civil War. After examining uniforms and viewing two short video clips, students will develop questions and perform short research projects to uncover the motivations behind the Civil War and th

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
2/3/2011
In lesson from the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, students examine a primary source that might seem both familiar and strange: a yearbook from Rutgers in 1860, complete with farewell messages from classmates. On close study, the messages from reveal much about the

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
13 minutes
Date Posted:
4/2/2012
When John Jea joined a ship’s crew in 1806, he was not prepared for the dangerous conditions, hard work, and preparation necessary for life at sea. Listen to a dramatic reading of his narrative, and then study the supporting primary sources to answer the discussion questions. This resourc

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
9/12/2009
In this activity, one of three on the Bracero Archive website, students will discuss their thoughts on immigration, learn about the Bracero labor program, and use photographs to develop deeper understandings of the Bracero labor program.
The Smithso

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Date Posted:
3/27/2013
In this lesson, students will learn about the Jim Crow era in American history through an oral history interview with jazz legend John Levy. The resource set includes photographs and newspaper clippings in addition to the oral history excerpts, a teacher guide, and a student worksheet.

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Date Posted:
9/24/2020
In this lesson plan, students will learn how Cindy Whitehead, a skateboarding pioneer, changed the culture of skateboarding and fought for girls to have greater access to all sports. Students will examine the question: Why does gender equality in sports matter?

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities, Worksheets
Duration:
12 minutes
Date Posted:
4/2/2012
Olaudah Equiano’s first-person account recalls his terrifying journey as an 11-year-old captive aboard a slave ship from Africa to Barbados in 1756. Listen to a dramatic reading of his narrative, and then study the supporting primary sources to answer the discussion questions. This resource is

Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Primary Sources, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
90 minutes
Date Posted:
5/6/2010
Analyze museum artifacts and first-person accounts of World War I and the Vietnam War, then take on the role of soldiers and a news team to present a newscast about the experience of fighting in these two wars. This lesson plan (which includes background information and full-color primary sources
Grade Range:
6-12
Resource Type(s):
Reference Materials, Primary Sources, Interactives & Media, Lessons & Activities
Duration:
60 minutes
Date Posted:
10/14/2016
This collection teaches students about the changing role of women during World War II: their role in the workplace, increasing presence in the military, and participation in voluntary organizations that supported the war. Students should think about how these activities reinforced traditional not