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History, Civics & Social Studies · Grade 11

An Independent US History Investigation

The capstone of Grade 11. Learners design and carry out an independent investigation of a US history question: they write a proposal, search archives and digitized collections using period vocabulary, build an annotated bibliography, position a thesis among historians' interpretations, outline with counterarguments, and write a cited investigation that acknowledges its limits. A worked model on the Chicago Defender and the Great Migration shows each stage.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 160 minutes
  • Investigation skills check: 9 questions
  • Ways to answer: fill in the blanks, choose an answer, estimate, highlight a text, match pairs and put in order
See plans Included with Family, Teacher and School plans. Open in PlayOwl

What learners will discover

  • Design a focused, arguable and researchable US history question with a realistic plan.
  • Locate primary sources in archives and digitized collections and write evaluative annotated bibliography entries.
  • Develop a thesis positioned among existing interpretations, with an outline that addresses counterarguments.
  • Write a cited historical investigation that integrates and analyzes evidence and acknowledges limits.

Lessons

  1. Designing the investigation 5 steps4 practiceabout 38 min
  2. Finding and annotating sources 5 steps3 practiceabout 40 min
  3. Thesis, interpretations and outline 5 steps4 practiceabout 40 min
  4. Writing the investigation 5 steps3 practiceabout 42 min
  5. Investigation skills check 9 questions at the end

Keep exploring

More 11th grade social studies

Guide for grown-ups