The tapestry of events that have helped shaped American history for more than 200 years are important milestones for today’s students to learn and remember.
One of the best ways history teachers can interest students in a subject that some might consider dull and dry is to include real documents in classroom lessons. Using actual copies of the Declaration of Independence, a land map of Civil War battles or images from the Great Depression and World War II can help students visualize and learn important details about these and other historical events.
An excellent resource teachers can turn to for facts, figures and images of American history is the DocsTeach website maintained by the U.S. National Archives.
Developed for educators, the free website boasts more than 300,000 digitized primary-source documents that can enliven lesson plans to promote critical and historical thinking skills in students. All documents are categorized to comply with the National Standards for History.
A comprehensive collection
The DocsTeach archive includes a comprehensive collection of documents that span the course of United States history, starting from the Revolution and building of the nation to expansion and reform, wars, industrial development and recent history.
The materials are divided into five categories:
Charts and graphs. Election returns, voting records, census charts.
Documents. Declarations, court decisions, letters, speeches.
Images. Historical photographs, aerial and satellite images, paintings and drawings.
Maps. Topographical, political, roadway and land areas.
Multimedia. Audio and video clips, newsreels, slideshows.
Teachers of history, civics and social studies can use the material to create classroom learning activities and prompt discussion topics.
Custom learning activities
Teachers can browse through and download a multitude of ready-to-use classroom activities crafted by educators using National Archive documents. Activity plans target students in middle school and high school.
In addition, teachers can create their own custom learning activities by using DocsTeach online tools which quickly locate, download and organize specific documents.
Using the tools lets teachers create classroom activities to align with Bloom’s Taxonomy, an educational strategy that uses a hierarchy of questions to guide students through the learning process. Tools focus on:
Chronological thinking
Historical analysis
Historical comprehension
Historical issues and decision-making
Historical research
With just a few clicks, teachers can find primary sources in the archives and insert them into their custom classroom activity plans.
Extra perks
Access to the DocsTeach website and its basic content is free with no registration required. However, extra perks await teachers and others who register with the site. They include the ability to build and save an online activities portfolio, bookmark documents and access an online community to share material with others.
It’s a good idea for teachers to log on and explore the DocsTeach website often, because new and updated content is added regularly.
A live Internet connection and a desktop computer are needed to access all DocsTeach content. For iPad tablet users, a free app is available on iTunes under the name “National Archives DocsTeach.” It’s compatible with iPad tablets running iOS version 4.3 or later.
Visit the DocsTeach website.
Learn More: Click to view related resources.
"National Standards for History," National Center for History in the Schools, UCLA
Beth Lewis, "Bloom’s Taxonomy," About Education