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 GradeQuestion: Why do we celebrate Independence Day?
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Thinking Through Timelines: Creating the Constitution
A Short Activity for Third GradeQuestion: Why do we celebrate Constitution Day?
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Guidance on Government: State Edition
A Short Activity for Fourth GradeQuestion: How does the Florida Constitution organize the government?
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Guidance on Government: Federal Edition
A Short Activity for Fifth GradeQuestion: 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?
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?
Intentions for Independence, Celebrate Freedom Week Part II
A Short Activity for High School and Middle School
Question: How do the political cartoons illustrate big civics ideas?
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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?
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?
Anyone Home?
A Short Activity for High School and Middle School
Question: How does this political cartoon illustrate the lawmaking process?
Big Civics Ideas Through Political Cartoons
A Short Activity for High School and Middle School
Question: How do the political cartoons illustrate big civics ideas??
Suiting Up
A Short Activity for High School and Middle School
Question: How does this political cartoon illustrate the concept of checks and balances?
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
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?
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?
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?
Thinking Through Timelines: World War I
A Short Activity for the U.S. History Course
Question: How do the political cartoons depict the United States’ involvement in World War I?
Big Civics Ideas Through Political Cartoons
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.