Images can be a useful component in any subject. This lesson will guide students through an analysis of an image. Students will use critical thinksing skills to interpret an image. Students will then generate a hypothesis about the source and construct questions for further investigation.

Give Civics, Law, U.S. History students practice in analyzing historical Primary Source document and connect to contemporary news. Develop writing process to incorporate claims, evidence, and reasoning.

This lesson leads students through analyzing primary source documents from the Civil War to determine if the Freedman's Bureaus was effective in assisting formerly enslaved persons.

This is an article about women during the progressive era responding to the problem of child labor.

Pursuant to a call signed by eight hundred and fifty citizens of Rhode Island, a large number of gentlemen, friendly to the immediate abolition of slavery, assembled in the High Street Congregational Meeting House in Providence on Tuesday, February 2, 1836.

In this unit students use primary and secondary sources of information to explore the early history of Michigan. They begin by examining the work of historians and the types of questions they ask. Then, they apply historical thinking skills to a study of American Indians in Michigan, exploration and early settlement. The unit provides a strong link to geography as students analyze ways in which both American Indians and settlers used, adapted to, and modified the environment. Through stories and informational text, students examine Michigan's past. Civics is naturally integrated as students explore how Michigan became a state. Throughout the unit, emphasis is placed on major historical concepts such as chronology, cause and effect, and point of view.

The unit has two parts. In each, students dive into inquiry to answer the compelling questions:

1. Who are some of our closest tribal neighbors, and what have they been their lifeways since time immemorial?
2. Why do people explore, and how does this lead to expansion?

Part 1 is focused on the examination of the northwest and some of the original inhabitants. Through these questions students will learn about the culture of some of their closest tribal neighbors, the Spokane Indians. The final project for Part 1 is a cultural investigation display, in which students will show what they know about the culture of the Spokane Tribe.

In Part 2, Students will also learn about forces that brought change to the northwest: fur trade era and exploration. Students will ultimately learn about the Corps of Discovery and the Oregon Trail and know the impact each had on the west. Students will finish Part 2 with a timeline activity that will reflect choice and build upon student strengths according to their skill set.

Finally, a lesson on a Tribe of the Columbia Plateau is offered as an extension, but it is strongly recommended that students get to experience this lesson.

Note that the emphasis here is on the Spokane Tribe as one of our closest tribal neighbors. In no way is this an exhaustive study nor should the tribal cultures be generalized to other tribes of the region. We understand that each tribe in our region and North America was and continues to be unique in its culture, practices, lifeways, and traditions.