Students Investigating Primary Sources

Students Investigating Primary Sources (or SIPS) is a K-12 collection of brief introductory mini-lessons centered on particular topics and primary sources. We will be adding additional grade level materials as they are developed.

Elementary

Thinking Through Timelines: Inching Toward Independence

A Short Activity for Second Grade

Question: Why do we celebrate Independence Day?

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Thinking Through Timelines: Creating the Constitution

A Short Activity for Third Grade

Question: Why do we celebrate Constitution Day?

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Guidance on Government: State Edition

A Short Activity for Fourth Grade

Question: How does the Florida Constitution organize the government?

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Guidance on Government: Federal Edition

A Short Activity for Fifth Grade

Question: How does the U.S. Constitution organize the government?

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Middle

Presenting Political Parties

A Short Activity for Middle School Civics

Question: What is the impact of political parties?

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Big Civics Ideas Through Political Cartoons

A Short Activity for Middle School Civics

Question: How do the political cartoons illustrate big civics ideas?

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Middle and High

Decoding the Declaration, Celebrate Freedom Week Part I

A Short Activity for High School and Middle School

Question: What did declaring independence say about the importance of rights?

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Intentions for Independence, Celebrate Freedom Week Part II

A Short Activity for High School and Middle School

Question: Were the colonists justified in declaring independence?

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Rhetoric of Revolution, Celebrate Freedom Week Part III

A Short Activity for High School and Middle School

Question: How does language intensify the message of the Declaration of Independence?

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Forward to the Future, Celebrate Freedom Week Part IV

A Short Activity for High School and Middle School

Question: How are the ideas from the Declaration of Independence connected to our government today?

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Anyone Home?

A Short Activity for High School and Middle School

Question: How does this political cartoon illustrate the lawmaking process?

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Picturing Separation of Powers

A Short Activity for High School and Middle School

Question: How do the political cartoons relate to the concept of separation of powers?

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Suiting Up

A Short Activity for High School and Middle School

Question: How does this political cartoon illustrate the concept of checks and balances?

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High

Arguing Arkansas: Analyzing the Impact of Eisenhower’s Little Rock Speech

A short activity for High School U.S. History and U.S. Government Courses

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Immigration Inquiry

A Short Activity for High School U.S. History

Question: How did the U.S. treatment toward Chinese immigrants compare with treatment toward European immigrants?

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Pestering With a Purpose: Arguing Women’s Right to Vote

A Short Activity for the U.S. Government Course

Question: How is this document an illustration of civic and political participation?

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Suffering Through Suffrage: Arguing Women’s Right to Vote

A Short Activity for the U.S. History Course

Question: Why do the authors oppose woman suffrage?

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Thinking Through Timelines: World War I

A Short Activity for High School U.S. History

Question: How do the political cartoons depict the United States’ involvement in World War I?

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Big U.S. History Ideas Through Political Cartoons: 1898-1940

A Super-Sized Activity for High School U.S. History

Question: How do the political cartoons illustrate big ideas in U.S. History?

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Representing Congress: An E-Book from the National Archives

Representing Congress: Clifford K. Berryman’s Political Cartoons (English)

This e-book was created by the staff at the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives.

Representando al Congreso: Caricaturas Políticas de Clifford K. Berryman (Español)

El eBook fue creado por el personal del Centro de Archivos Legislativo, una parte de los Archivos Nacionales.