Investigate the authentic journal of Alex Van Valen, a man who set sail in 1849 to stake his claim in the California gold fields, to discover what life was like during the gold rush. This dynamic project from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History includes student questions to help

This lesson plan outlines topics for short research projects and classroom performances related to the Mexican War. Have students select individuals connected to the Mexican War, perform research, and then interview each other to showcase the disparate views on the motivations behind the War and

In this classroom activity, students will research to gather information in order to create a radio broadcast about the five court cases that made up Brown v. Board of Education, and tell the stories of the African Americans from different walks of like who demanded better educational opportuniti

Historical research starts with a question about the past. However, piecing together an accurate answer to these questions is not as straightforward as it may seem. Primary sources can—and often do—conflict with one another, as do secondary sources.  That said, sources can also

Learning to use primary and secondary sources correctly takes practice. In this classroom activity, students will understand the difference between primary and secondary sources. After class discussion and a written assignment based on primary sources, students will also be able to explain the im

This historical investigation is aligned with the C3 Framework and is from C3teachers.org. This fifth-grade annotated inquiry asks why countries declare their independence. As an integral ea

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

Encourage your students to examine objects for historical information, ask historical questions, research answers to historical questions, and present their findings. Take a close look at the Star-Spangled Banner using an interactive Web site, then dive deeper into symbolism, the War of 1812, and

In support of the traveling exhibition of Girlhood (It's complicated), the Smithsonian has developed a set of curricular materials and platforms to create meaningful learning opportunities for girls (and all students) in your learning network connected to this content.

In the classroom activity, students will be able to explain the difference between primary and secondary sources, and explain how the value of using primary sources is important to history. By using primary sources to answer a series of questions, they will see that, much like detectives, histori