Explore major questions in civics and history while building the skills needed to analyze primary sources.
DBQuest guides students through the examination of major questions in civics and history utilizing primary sources. With each document, it challenges students to dig into the text itself and find the relevant information through document-based supporting questions.
Whether you’re a social studies teacher looking for fun ways to support literacy skills or an ELA teacher interested in digital writing tools, DBQuest is for you!
Topics
Documents
Images
Video
Maps
African American History
America at War
Civics & Government
Civil Rights
Economics
Founding Documents
Human Enslavement
Native Peoples
Voting & Suffrage
Women in History
Alignments
History
Alignment to state and Common Core standards can be found on iCivics.org.
Use evidence from informational texts to support analysis and answer questions.
Identify each type of source and its purpose.
Analyze a variety of texts, images, and videos.
Draw on several sources and consider questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
Teacher Experience
Teach with DBQuest as a 1:1 assignment, or as a whole class activity.
Each module is supported with the following instructional materials: Teaching Guide & Tips, Classroom Printables, Anticipation & Reflection Activities, Evidence Guide, Overview Reading and Extensions
Student Experience
The tool takes students through the same four steps for each source:
Rate the document for usefulness and determine perspective.
Identify and analyze the text and visual elements that assist with answering the questions.
Address the supporting questions in your own words.
Summarize your findings as a response to the Big Question.
An interactive learning tool using primary sources to explore how our government works. Help students understand separation of powers, voting rights, federal budget, state’s rights, and more.
An interactive learning tool using primary sources to explore how our government works. Help students understand separation of powers, voting rights, federal budget, state’s rights, and more.
Engaging Congress teaches students the key concepts of representative government and citizenship. In each module, students focus on different civics concepts by analyzing a variety of primary sources. Each component of this learning tool, primary sources, content videos, mini-games, can be used on its own or as a part of a thematic module. The variety of primary sources (maps, charts, photos, documents) can be adjusted to meet the needs of all learners. Use Engaging Congress for in-person, hybrid, or remote learning. Students can play individually or in groups. Help prepare your students to be engaged and informed citizens.
Topics
Documents
Images
Video
African American History
America at War
Citizenship
Civics & Government
Civil Rights
Economics
Founding Documents
Human Enslavement
Journalism
Voting & Suffrage
Women in History
Alignments
NCSS Standards
C3 Framework
State and Common Core standards information at engagingcongress.org
Private i History Detectives: HISTORICAL INQUIRY FOR ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS
K-23-531+ min
Take inquiry-based learning to the next level. Students become history detectives using primary sources as evidence to solve historical mysteries.
Invite your students to become history detectives. Private i History Detectives is an inquiry-based curriculum featuring primary sources from the Library of Congress and other collections. With this curriculum, students dive into historical questions framed as mysteries to develop skills in primary source analysis and claim-based reasoning. Private i History Detectives comprehensive slideshows focus on scaffolded primary and secondary source analysis. Each unit includes printable PDFs and digitized student handouts available online through iCivics’ FREE Kami integration.
Topics
Documents
Images
Maps
African American History
America at War
Civics & Government
Civil Rights
Community & Family
First Freedoms
Founding Documents
Human Enslavement
Native Peoples
Symbols & Traditions
Women in History
Alignments
Alignment to state and Common Core standards can be found on iCivics.org.
Learning Objectives
The student will be able to:
Follow agreed-upon rules for discussion
Make observations and ask questions
Gather evidence and draw conclusions
Make logical inferences based on text evidence
Examine primary and secondary source material
Evaluate the credibility, accuracy, and relevance of a variety of sources
Teacher Experience
Materials are available as printable PDFs or digitized student handouts available online through iCivics’ FREE Kami integration.
Available materials include slide shows, handouts for students, embedded lesson plans, and resources for teachers.The slideshows are adaptable to meet your classroom needs.
Walk through the slide show and Teacher Resources first to acquaint yourself with the development of the mystery.
We recommend beginning with the "Introduction to Inquiry" mystery for your grade-band as a starting point for students
Student Experience
Students act as history detectives to solve a mystery by exploring primary and secondary sources with the Private i History Detectives Team.
All mysteries include a big mystery question, vocabulary, primary sources from the Library of Congress and other repositories, and inquiry activities.
Students will have the opportunity to activate prior knowledge, investigate, support a claim with evidence, and reflect on content learned.
Inquiry-based activities allow all students entry points to engage in higher-order thinking.
Journalism in Action is an interactive learning tool exploring the history of journalism in society using historical primary sources.
Journalism in Action is an interactive learning tool exploring the history of journalism in society using historical primary sources. Journalism in Action was designed to help middle and high school students examine the role of a free press in different moments in United States history.
Through fun, interactive activities, students inquire, ask questions, and make their own judgments using news articles, broadcast segments, political cartoons, and photographs curated from the databases of the Library of Congress.
Topics
Documents
Images
Video
America at War
Citizenship
Civics & Government
Civil Rights
First Freedoms
Journalism
Labor & Work
Women in History
Alignments
C3 Framework
Common Core ELA History
Social Study Standards
ISTE Standards
Learning Objectives
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source
Provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions
Evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data or other resources
Communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.
Teacher Experience
Explore the history of journalism in the U.S. through Library of Congress primary documents.
Employ interactive features such as historical journal annotation, magnifying tools, and turning historical documents and images into social media posts.
Make an account for students to track answers, or use without an account.
Use all or part of our ten historical case studies, which cover topics from the Revolutionary War to Immigration to Watergate.
Student Experience
Explore the history of journalism in the United States!
Learn the ways the goals and techniques of journalists have changed over the centuries.
Use fun, interactive features including making your own social media posts based on historical records.
Imagine how journalists of the past would cover the controversies of today.
