Get your students engaged into Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (or any other primary source document) by using a word cloud of the primary source and the spiral question technique (aka the Detective Analogy).  Watch this one-minute video…pause it as you see each prompt and think about how students could respond to these questions before they would [...]

In honor of the soldiers who have so bravely sacrificed their lives  for our country, we are proud to share a lesson that focuses on a case study for their courage: Vietnam. In a moving opening to this lesson, students view placards as if they were at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC and read [...]

The following Slide Share was used for the TCI webinar on flipping your classroom.  What other strategies, tips, and sites do you like to use for flipped instruction?   Three ways to flip from Brian Thomas

In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re sharing this free lesson that challenges students to uncover the identity of some famous women throughout U.S. history. Students work in small groups identifying individuals and analyzing their impact on Americans. This lesson is also a great way to bring primary sources into class.   Women's History Lesson [...]

Stipple, like many other similar sites, allows users to annotate their images and then share them.  In Stipple, users can embed links, maps, and even YouTube videos which help others understand more about the picture’s subject matter.  Here you can see an example of one of my favorite spots in the world…looking across the Ohio [...]

Many social studies teachers ask their students to watch the State of the Union address. It is an important civic function that, unfortunately, many do not exercise. TCI would like to encourage students to become active listeners during President Obama’s speech to the nation on February 12th. To help, teachers can use this activity sheet.  [...]

Why do we celebrate Presidential inaugurations?  In an Experiential Exercise, students assume the roles of party goers attending an inaugural ball. Each student is armed with one interesting detail or fact regarding Presidential inaugurations. In a reception, students mingle and share their facts while learning from others.  Try this free lesson out to deepen your [...]

My favorite new TCI lesson is found in the 4th grade program Social Studies Alive! Florida and Its People.  If you aren’t from Florida, keep reading because you can adapt this lesson for your state. This lesson uses primary sources to introduce students to Florida’s past, while they discover the event’s that shaped their state.   [...]

Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page and recorded webinars here and here on primary sources all this month!

This is the slideshow that I used to go along with our webinar on 11.7.2012  working with primary sources.   Primary sources 10 ideas 3 sources from Brian Thomas