The history of the northern states' involvement in the slave trade is not widely known. This resource uses the PBS documentary, Traces of the Trade, and the nonfiction book, Children of the New England Slave Trade, to examine this aspect...

Students examine their own family heritage and share family stories with the class. They differentiate between primary and secondary sources, and bring in and write about three artifacts from their family. They conduct an interview...

What is an oral history interview? What goes into the planning and what should be said? Why is it important that we know and learn from oral history? This is an excellent worksheet to support your young historians as they conduct...

Students explore genealogy by reading a family history book in class. In this family tree lesson, students read the story Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney and discuss their own family history. Students identify what the term...

Students develop family genealogy charts in search of noticeable genetic relationships between relatives. They research their family and write a reflection on the genetic relationships between individuals on the chart.

Students determine that their lifetime shows just a small piece of history. They determine how two or more accounts of the same event can be different. They write an account of the same event from two perspectives.

Students compare and contrast family life today with family life in the 1830s. They conduct research on Old Sturbridge Village, read primary source documents, and develop a list of generalizations comparing/contrasting families of the...

Students consider how we learn about the past and discuss how the framing of history is always done by the person who is telling it. They construct a personal and class timelines, compare two or more accounts of the same event and record...

Students analyze their family history and traditions. In this family history lesson, students identify family members to research and interview their family about the people. Students write their family histories and traditions. Students...

Fourth graders open the lines of communication between family members and to gain a historical understanding about family history. They research and interview their grandparents and parents and create a research paper.

Students examine different family traditions to further explain social patterns. They complete a graphic organizer using educational software.

Students identify national origin and population movement across U.S. of ancestors and/or community residents, explain historical development of major local industries, identify local social patterns/economic development as provided by...

Pupils listen to Picnic In October and Memory Coat to explore the concept of memoirs. They interview a family member and write a personal memoir that reflects their own family history.

Students research and assemble their own pedigrees using star patterns for each family member and coloring in various dominant traits. They arrange these patterns on long strips of paper making large, colorful family pedigrees.

Students interview a family member. In this interviewing instructional activity, students choose a family member to interview and write about. Students create a PowerPoint about the person including a timeline, photographs, and a...

Students focus on the origins of the families that make up their community by exploring their family's origins through themselves, parents, and grandparents. Students create a map marked with family origins for the class.

Students investigate their cultural heritage and make observations on how much influence their past has on their current values and lifestyle. They brainstorm a list of things that represent a certain country or cultural heritage and...

Students conduct an interview with a family member to research their family history. They prepare a list of questions, conduct the interview, and determine which house to visit for an artifact search.

Did you know that "in the largest refugee crisis since World War II, more the 64 million people have been forced from their homes"? The Anti-Defamation League presents an activity that asks class members to examine a series of artworks...

Students examine and explore cultural traditions that make their own families unique. In groups, they discuss traditions, write about the similarities and differences in the group, and interview other students.

Help your middle schoolers identify personal experience narratives in their own lives through telling stories themselves and from family members or other adults. They study personal experience narratives in Swapping Stories and compare...

Students examine the relationship between Native Americans and those who settled the Iowa territory. For this Iowa history lesson, students investigate the process for settling the territory and how intercultural relationships developed...

Eighth graders examine the history of South Carolina's mental institutions. In this South Carolina history activity, 8th graders discover details about asylums built in the state in the 1800's. Students analyze primary sources about...

The Civil War is undoubtedly a part of America's history, but could it be part of your pupils' history as well? Middle schoolers conduct research to discover a connection between their ancestors and the American Civil War. Whether...