Everything is a Primary Source

Use the free-to-download Primary Source Analysis form to dissect the front cover and page 2 of this 1922 Metropolitan Life Insurance Company leaflet, or otherwise integrate it into your teaching routines, assignments and assessments. Perfect for US History, Civics, and Government classrooms.

This quick class starter involves clippings from the January 19, 1906 Boston Evening Transcript which were found inside a book of engraved portraits of George Washington from the same year. While one side of the clipping details the sale of rare Washington portraits (hence its inclusion in the book), the other covers world and national events of the day. Students should look at and consider both sides of the clippings and to discuss the great irony of such stories sharing the same newspape

This newspaper clipping about Abraham Lincoln's birthday was discovered completely out of context. As a classroom starter, have students use clues from the written piece as well as the pieces of advertisements on the back to determine where and when this was published. This can be done verbally or in a brief writing assignment.

These four Western Union telegrams not only give glimpses into the lives of the Dewey family of Cooperstown, NY post-Civil War, but communication practices, capabilities, and etiquette of the era as well. Use with the EPS Primary Source Analysis form or your own primary source dissection practices. Also perfect for a creative writing activity prompt. The actual telegrams can be borrowed as part of an EPS To Go! primary source kit.

Use portions of two page from the December 9th, 1941 edition of The Boston Globe to inspire historical fiction storytelling. This exercise can be used with any grade level who is studying World War II and has proven very effective as a way to immerse students in the time period. The complete section of the newspaper can be borrowed by visiting everything-history.com/epstogo.

Dissect a direct account of how Tammany Hall--the political machine that dominated New York governing for much of the 19th century--used its influence to dominate municipal offices. Students will be guided through a series of steps that will require research and making connections, culminating with either a creative product or classwide thesis creation, depending on the level and strengths of the class. The complete guide of 1860 New York City from which this page comes from is able to be borro

Using the free-to-download Primary Source Analysis form and the secondary source-supported prompts, students will analyze documents related to food from throughout the Great Depression era, and then jigsaw to compare results with one another. This set of primary sources are just a small sampling of a larger collection that you can borrow from.

Assess competency of Second Industrial Revolution as well as students' history literacy skills with a set of four advertisements from various sources. Great for diversifying quizzes and tests or having students reassess. These and countless other authentic primary sources spanning the last 200 years, can be borrowed as part of the EPS To Go! artifact rental service.

This packet of four primary sources from 1900 to 1921 comes equipped with an inquiry question and a walk through of the necessary steps to develop a claim based on analysis. Organized so that students can work with the materials independently or in groups, as one assignment or broken into parts, and on their devices or using paper, the inquiry activity will enhance your teaching on the early 20th Century, allow students to apply their content knowledge, and encourage deep classroom discussion. T

Assess competency of the post-World War I era and students' history literacy skills with a pair of advertisements from a 1921 National Geographic. Great for diversifying quizzes and tests or having students reassess. The complete National Geographic, and countless other authentic primary sources of this and other eras, can be borrowed as part of the EPS To Go! artifact rental service.

The cover of August 23, 1894's Public Opinion magazine is fascinating as it depicts critical time for a multitude of national and global events that would soon spell out modern history. Perfect for (but not exclusive to) APUSH classes transitioning from Period 6 to 7, this activity asks students to sort the stories and features to select a topic for which they will use outside research to contextualize, elaborate on, and follow into the modern era. The complete Public Opinion magazine is avail

This packet of four primary sources from the 1920s comes equipped with an inquiry question and a walk through of the necessary steps to develop a claim based on analysis. Organized so that students can work with the materials independently or in groups, as one assignment or broken into parts, on their devices or using paper, the inquiry activity will bolster your unit on the interwar years, allow students to apply their content knowledge, and encourage deep classroom discussion. Each of the arti

Curated from the extensive Everything is a Primary Source collection of authentic artifacts of everyday life is a set of advertisements from the early 1920s centered around children and childhood. This activity calls for students to compare and contrast these primary sources with those they find using the Library of Congress's search engine, and then make decisions about how and why aspects are similar and different. Each primary source is connected to a Venn diagram with tips on how to loc

Pulling from the extensive Everything is a Primary Source collection of authentic artifacts of everyday life, here are four invoices from various New England wholesalers for purchases made by two different East Berkshire, Vermont businesses throughout 1916. While they may appear simple and scant of substantial content to work with, each receipt actually has quite a bit to say when inspected closer. The Primary Source Analysis form may be used with each receipt to yield usable results, but f

The Secondary Source Evaluation form has students build history literacy skills and practice active-learning when reading passages, viewing documentaries, studying maps, working through charts or graphs, and anything else that qualifies as a secondary source. Visit the Classroom section of everything-history.com to watch an in-depth tutorial on how to use the SSE form.

The Everything is a Primary Source Primary Source Analysis form encourages deep, critical thinking as it can be applied to any subject, big or small, usual or irregular. Students complete this form for all primary source study periods, completing the questions on the left to draw conclusions about what is being studied on the right side. The claims made then migrate to the EPS Homework form. Visit the Classroom section of everything-history.com to watch an in-depth tutorial on how to use the

This inquiry-based homework form requires students to use at least three sources, both secondary and primary, to respond to the question at hand. It is valuable to teachers as a formative competency check and essential to students as it acts as an important piece to larger projects, such as essays or presentations. Please download the Primary Source Analysis form as well as the Secondary Source Evaluation form as they feed this Homework sheet. Visit the Classroom section of everything-history.