The Delaware Public Archives is proud to present this new online collection of lesson plans for Delaware teachers to use in their classrooms. Sponsored by the Friends of the Delaware Archives, this project provides teachers with ready-to-use, standards-based lessons that engage students with a range of primary and secondary sources. In creating this new set of lesson plans the Archives’ partnered closely with Delaware’s education community, including the University of Delaware, Wesley College and the Delaware Department of Education. Delaware teachers created the lessons with careful attention to Delaware’s social studies standards and formatting used in the Delaware Recommended Curriculum. We encourage you to review the lessons and discover what can be used in your classroom!

Special Thanks to the Friends of the Delaware Archives for sponsoring this education project. For more on the Friends (FODA), please see this page.


 

Formative Assessments

 

These formative assessments will focus on primary sources to gauge the level of understanding for the students.

The instructional videos include information on two warm-up activities and one exit ticket. These can be used “on their own” or with the appropriate lesson plan found on this web page.

 

Women’s Rights:

● “Are We Ready for Equality”

DE History Standard 1a and 2a

● “Annual Report of the Delaware Council for Women”

DE Civics Standard 2b and 4b

 

Civil Defense:

● Basic Principles of the Federal Civil Defense Advisory Council

DE Geography Standard 1a and Civics Standard 4b

● Basic Principles of the Delaware Civil Defense Plan

DE Civics Standard 2b and 3a

● Brigadier General Moore’s Address to Religious Leaders

DE Civics Standard 1a and CCSS.ELA-Literacy. RH.11-12.2 and 3

● Highway Evacuation Plan 1951

DE Geography Standard 1a and 1b

 

 

The Great Depression:

• Delaware Relief Commission

DE Economics Standard 2a

• Federal Emergency Relief Administration

DE Economics Standard 3a

 


 

Additional Videos & Archives Resources

 

Teacher Instructional Videos:

Opening Activity – “Duck and Cover School Drill” (Civil Defense)

DE History Standard 2a and CCSS ELA-Literacy.RH.12.2 and 3

Opening Activity – “New Deal Criticisms” (The Great Depression)

DE History Standard 2a and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7

Exit Ticket – “New Deal Criticisms” (The Great Depression)

DE History Standard 2a and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.7

 

 

Films and Audio Recordings:

For information about our motion pictures and audio holdings, please email us at archives@delaware.gov or (302)744-5000


Click here for an audio sample   |   Click here for a video sample

 


 

Lesson Plans

 

Continental vs. British Soldiers

Grade Level: 4-5

Battle of LexingtonIn this lesson, students will compare the British and American Armies using “The battle of Lexington” published by John H. Daniels & Son, and Percy Moran’s “Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga.” Students will also view and analyze a letter written by an Army officer from Delaware to the President (Governor) of Delaware during the American Revolution to understand the challenges the Continental Army faced.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

The Battle of Lexington

Burgoyne’s Surrender at Saratoga

Handouts 1 & 2

Transcription Source: Military Archives Vol. 1 p.126-127

 

 

 


Property

Grade Level: 4-5

 

Burtons InventoryIn this lesson, students will view and analyze the 1785 Inventory of Robert Burton (Sussex County), draw conclusions of how the principle of property has changed over time by comparing the inventory of Robert Burton to a post-civil war inventory.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Handouts 1 & 2

1785 Robert Burton Inventory Transcription

Robert Burton’s Inventory

 

 

 

 

 

 


Why is Delaware called The First State

Grade Level: 4-5

photo of documentsIn this lesson, students will learn about Delaware and problems Delaware faced under the Articles of Confederation. Students will learn why Delaware is called the first state and Delaware’s ratification process. Students will create a chronology of
events leading to Delaware’s ratification of the United States Constitution and will identify cause and effect relationships between the events.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Handout # 1

Handout #s 2 and 3

Petition Document

Petition Transcript

Ratification Document

Ratification Transcript

 

 


Let’s Put DE on the Map

Grade Level: 4-5

In this lesson students will analyze and compare a map of Delaware in 1819 to a map of Delaware in 2008. Students will identify what has stayed the same and what has changed on the map. Students will also construct a logical response as to why these changes occurred.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Map Handout

1819 Map from DPA State Map Collection

2008 DELDOT Transportation Map

2017 DELDOT Transportation Map

 

 

 

 

 


Maysville Road (1832)  

Grade Level: High School

Maysville Rd MapIn this lesson, students will study/research the debate over the Maysville Road Veto by Andrew Jackson to establish historical context.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Resources: 

Resource 1 – Henry Clay, “Defense of the American System” (1832)

Resource 2 – Jackson v. Clay & Calhoun 

Resource 3 – Alabama Document

Resource 4 – Delaware Document

Resource 5 – Maysville Rd Map (shown at right) 

 

 

 

 

 


The Civil War

Grade Level: 11

The Civil War

Students will gain/review a general chronology of key events leading to the outbreak of
the Civil War to examine the causes of the conflict. They will then examine primary sources to write their own historical interpretation to determine how likely it was that Delaware would support the Confederacy in the Civil War.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

US Map Before the Civil War

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Reconstruction

Grade Level: 11

ReconstructionStudents will brainstorm various measures of success for evaluating Reconstruction. They will then utilize their criteria to analyze sources about Reconstruction to evaluate its effectiveness. This lesson allows students to examine several documents at a time to emphasize the importance of analyzing multiple sources in evaluating historical events while also noting the importance of sourcing documents for facts and interpretations.

 

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Coming To America

Grade Level: 11

Coming to America LessonIn this lesson students will analyze the reasons for the increasing foreign born population in the state of Delaware. They will identify the trend of foreign born population using Delaware Census Data. They will then examine three primary sources to identify how they influenced the trend on the table. Finally, students will practice making a historical claim and supporting it with evidence.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 


Becoming An American

Grade Level: 11

Students will examine five documents from the 1920s and the 1950s to identify continuities and changes in the naturalization experience for immigrants to the United States. They will then support their claims using document evidence as support.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Industrial Development

Grade Level: 11

Students will read a secondary source about the growth of the DuPont Company between 1900 and 1930. They will then pair share and jigsaw two primary sources about the growth of infrastructure. Students will identify changes in these sources and account for the reason for those changes.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Whipping Post

Grade Level: 11

In this lesson students will examine the State of Delaware’s official use of the whipping post as a form of punishment until the mid-20th century. Students will analyze the use of the whipping post through correspondence between a Delaware Governor and a resident of Smyrna. Students will determine if the interpretation of “cruel and unusual punishment” in the Constitution has changed over time.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 


Drafting America

Drafting America

In this lesson students will examine the conscription of Americans through three conflicts – the Civil War, World War I, and the Vietnam War. Using videos and primary sources, students will analyze how the draft changed and evolved over the course of American history.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 


WWI (1914-1918)

Grade Level: 9-11

This is a series of lessons or strategies to help students understand how the U.S. Government mobilized consensus and war preparedness during World War I.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Resources: 

SOAPS-Tone Documents:

SOAPS Doc A

SOAPS Doc B

SOAPS Doc C

SOAPS Doc D

 

Poster Analysis:

Posters  |  Poster Analysis

 

 

More Resources:

Wilson Speech  |  DPA Survey  |  Assessment

 


Spanish Flu (1918)

Grade Level: 6-8

Students will analyze the response of the State of Delaware to the 1918 flu epidemic by examining primary and secondary sources describing the impact of the epidemic on the state of Delaware.

 

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Presentation:  click here for the Spanish Flu Presentation

Resources: 

Document: Synthesis and Simulation

Document A

Document B

Document C

Document D

Document E

Document F

Document G

Documents Appendix

Photographs:

Photo 1 | Photo 2

 


Suffrage

Grade Level: 11

SuffrageStudents will begin the lesson by analyzing a cartoon from 1920 showing a father overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for the children while their mother leaves to vote in order to gain context for reasons why some were opposed the women’s suffrage. After setting that context, students will learn about the ratification debate in Delaware for the 19th amendment to understand the way that women’s changing status at the turn of the 20th century illustrated an example of both the dynamic nature of the Constitution and the balance of power in place to preserve traditions.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 


The New Deal Comes to Delaware

Grade Level: 11

Students will evaluate several sources about the New Deal, nationally and in Delaware, to examine if the New Deal resulted in significant change for Americans. They will then answer this essential question with supporting evidence from primary sources.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

More: 

A Photo Essay on the Great Depression

 

 

 

 

 

 


Petitioning The Government

Grade Level: 11

petitioning-the-governmnetStudents begin the lesson by brainstorming events in history where citizens have worked to alter the law based on changing social values. They then use a graphic organizer to analyze four documents from citizens petitioning the government. Finally, students will research another example of a time when citizens petitioned the government to find similarities and differences across instances and evaluate the extent of change over time in petitioning the government.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


American Persuasion

Grade Level: 11

american-persuasionStudents will analyze the use of propaganda during America’s conflicts dating back to the Spanish-American War. Students will then focus on propaganda posters of the World War II era and will determine the effectiveness of these posters along with examining the truth versus the propaganda that is displayed in each of these posters.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 


Rationing to win the War

Grade Level: 11

Rationing to win the WarUsing primary sources and several different case scenarios, students will explore the idea of government sanctioned rationing. The students will then examine the effectiveness of government rationing that took place during World War II.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


School Integration

Grade Level: 11

In this lesson students will examine the integration of schools in Delaware through a case study of the Milford desegregation crisis of 1954. Through videos and primary sources, students will analyze the background of the Supreme Court’s decision of Brown v. Board and what happened when the Milford School District attempted to integrate its high school four months after this landmark case.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Shirley Bulah Story: From Runaround to Remedy (1951)

Grade Level: 7-8

Hockessin SchoolIn this lesson, students will read and hear about events in the life of the Bulah family of Hockessin, Delaware as context for analyzing change over time, and understanding how civil rights help protect American citizens and secure our freedom.

 

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Presentation: click here for the PowerPoint presentation

Virtual Field Trip

Resources: 

Resource 1

Resource 2

Resource 3

Resource 4

Resource 5

Resource 6

Resource 7

Resource 8

 

 

 

 


Broadcasting Through The Iron Curtain

Grade Level: 11

Broadcasting through the Iron CurtainIn this lesson, students will focus on a variety of communication tools that may have been available during the Cold War era. They will also explore the Cold War from the Soviet perspective. Using primary sources and videos, the students will create a brief radio broadcast based on the information they have gathered.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 


Protesting the Vietnam War

Grade Level: 11

In this lesson students will examine different methods of protest and counter-protest that took place during the Vietnam War. Using videos along with letters to the Governor concerning the war, students will analyze the accuracy of the information provided in the protests and the effectiveness of the method of protest.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Document and Historical Background

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


DPA Vietnam Mailbag Lesson (1968-1972)

Grade Level: 9-12

mailbagIn this lesson, students will read letters written by Delaware soldiers to Nancy E. Lynch’s Vietnam Mailbag newspaper column, which appeared in the Wilmington Morning News, expressing different views on the Vietnam War. Students will understand that a historian’s choice of sources will impact his/her conclusion.

 

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Presentation:  click here for the Vietnam Mailbag Presentation

Resources: 

Resource 1 (worksheet)

Resource 2 (worksheet)

Resource 3 (worksheet)

Resource 4 (additional letters)

Resource 5 (worksheet)

The entire Vietnam Mailbag collection is available to view here.

 

 

 

 


Wilmington Race Riots (1968)

Grade Level: 11

In this lesson, students will compare different perspectives about the presence of the National Guard in Wilmington and identify why they believe the National Guard stayed in Wilmington for over nine months.

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Presentation:  click here for the Race Riots Presentation

 

Resources:

Source 1

Source 2

Source 3

Source 4

Source 5

All Sources

 

 

 

 

 

Worksheets: 

Document Worksheet | Video Worksheet 

 


To Bus or Not To Bus? (Segregation) (1956-1978)

Grade Level: 11

In this lesson, students will read letters written by Delaware residents to the Governor to express their opposition to busing mandated by a federal court. Students will evaluate the arguments presented in these sources. There is an AP and non-AP version of the lesson.

 

Teacher’s Plan: click here for the Lesson Plan

Presentation:  click here for the Segregation Presentation  

AP Teacher’s Plan: click here for the AP Lesson Plan

Resources: 

Resource 1

Resource 2 (worksheet)

Resource 3 (worksheet)

Resource 4

Resource 5 (worksheet)

 

 


If you would like to contact us about suggestions, issues, corrections and/or for additional materials such as answer keys, please contact us at archives@delaware.gov