Historical Research Lesson Plan for 10th Grade Students

Topic: Historical Research

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to develop compelling questions about United States’ history post c. 1870.
• Students will be able to identify and use helpful resources to answer their questions.
• Students will be able to consider multiple points of views represented in the resources when drawing conclusions.

Materials:

• Compelling historical questions about United States’ history post c. 1870
• Helpful resources on United States’ history post c. 1870
• Handout with guiding questions for historical research

Warm-Up

• Have students work in pairs to discuss their understanding of United States’ history post c. 1870. What events and themes are familiar to them? What questions do they have?
• As a class, create a shared understanding of the time period by brainstorming a list of events and themes.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of historical research, explaining that it is the process of finding and analyzing information about the past.
• Discuss the importance of asking questions and finding relevant sources when doing research.
• Introduce the three sources (library, museum, and online) that students will be researching their questions using.
• Demonstrate how to use each source to find information, highlighting key strategies such as using keywords and phrases, looking for links and sources, and considering multiple points of view.

Guided Practice

• Divide students into small groups and give each group a question to research.
• Have students use the three sources to find information to answer their question.
• Have students work together to analyze the information they find, considering multiple points of view and asking additional questions.
• Have students present their findings to the class, discussing the different perspectives and insights gained from their research.
• As a class, create a visual display of the different perspectives and insights found in the research, using posters and markers.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose a topic of their choice to research and write a short report on it.
• Have students use the three sources to find information to answer their chosen question.
• Have students work independently to analyze the information they find, considering multiple points of view and asking additional questions.
• Have students present their findings to the class, discussing the different perspectives and insights gained from their research.

Closure

• As a class, review the insights, perspectives, and questions that were raised during the presentations.
• Ask students to reflect on what they learned from their research and how their perspective on the topic may have changed.

Assessment

• Observe students during the independent practice and feedback during the closure.
• Collect and review the posters or presentations created during the independent practice.
• Evaluate based on display of understanding of United States’ history post c. 1870, depth of research, and ability to convey information in a compelling and effective way.