CPS Social Studies Resources
This collection of links was specifically aligned to the Chicago Public Schools Social Science 3.0 Content Framework for grades K-10.
Kindergarten
K, Q1 – Me, Myself and Others
K, Q2 – School And Me: Democratic Principles In Everyday Life
- Kindergarten primary source collection
- Abraham Lincoln & Me Primary Source Activity Book
- Children’s early literature collection
K, Q3 – People: The Same and Different
- Children: primary source images
- When They Were Young: A Photographic Retrospective of Childhood
- The Water-Babies: Illustrations by Jessie Willcox Smith
- Children’s early literature collection
K, Q4 – People Working Together to Make Their Community Work
- Children & community: primary source images
- Children’s early literature collection
- Mexican American Migrations and Communities primary source set
1st Grade
G1, Q1 – Family Roles in Families the Same and Different
G1, Q2 – Family and Cultural Traditions
- Exploring Cultural Rituals
- Pictorial Americana: Holidays
- Looking Into Holidays Past
- Mother’s Day
- Independence Day
- Thanksgiving resources
- Christmas & Santa primary source collection
G1, Q2 – Families Around the World
- Family images: China
- Family images: England
- Family images: France
- Family images: India
- Family images: Israel
- Family images: Japan
- Family images: Lebanon
- Family images: Mexico
- Family images: Puerto Rico
- Family images: Russia
- Immigrants: primary source images
- The Immigrant Experience: Down the Rabbit Hole
G1, Q4: Families Then & Now
2nd Grade
G2, Q1: My Community
- Learning from the Source: The Star Spangled Banner (K-2)
- Exploring Community Through Local History: Oral Stories, Landmarks, Traditions
- Come Celebrate
G2, Q2: People in My Community
G2, Q4: Different Communities
- Local Legacies: Celebrating Community Roots
- America Eats
- Pictorial Americana: Holidays
- Looking Into Holidays Past
- Thanksgiving Resources
- America at Work, America at Leisure: Films, 1894-1915
- Bound for Glory: America in Color, 1939-1943 (Interactive)
- Bound for Glory: America in Color, 1939-1943 (HTML)
- Mexican American Migrations and Communities primary source set
3rd Grade
G3, Q1 – Before Chicago
- Early Illinois primary source set (1724-1819)
- Early Chicago maps (1836-1870)
- Early Chicago images (1850-1870)
G3, Q2 – How Chicago Came to Be
Chicago primary source collections
- Great Chicago Fire
- Architect Daniel Burnham
- Frank Lloyd Wright
- Jane Addams & Hull House
- Anarchist Emma Goldman
- First American Automobile Race
- Nuclear Fission
- Featured Image: The Red Flag or the Anarchists of Chicago
- Featured Image: 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition
- Featured Image: School Strike
- Chicago Eagle newspaper, 1892-1920
- The Day Book newspaper, 1911-1917
Chicago primary source sets
- Chicago books & articles
- Chicago related legislation
- Chicago maps
- Chicago sheet music
- “Chicago” (song recording)
- “Chicago, We’re True to You” (song recording)
- Chicago films
- Chicago image set
- Chicago Posters: WPA Poster Collection
- Popular Graphic Arts: Chicago
- Chicago: American Landscape and Architectural Design, 1850-1920
- Chicago: Black-and-White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945
- Chicago: Color Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1939-1945
- Illinois (mostly Chicago) Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1940
- Chicago: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera
- Chicago Cubs: Baseball Cards (to 1914)
- Chicago Maroons: Baseball Cards (to 1914)
- Chicago White Sox: Baseball Cards (to 1914)
- Chicago White Stockings: Baseball Cards (to 1914)
More Chicago primary sources & teaching resources
G3, Q4 – Chicago & Other Global Cities
- Panoramic Photographs: Cityscapes
- Photographs from the World’s Transportation Commission, 1894-1896
- Cities & Towns primary sources sets
4th Grade
G4, Q1 – History of Illinois Illinois primary sources (excluding Chicago)
- Illinois stories from America’s Library
- Illinois primary source set
- Illinois images
- Illinois maps
- Illinois sheet music
- WPA Life Histories from Illinois
- Illinois (song recording)
- Illinois books & articles
- Illinois newspapers
- Illinois: Three Centuries of Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera
- The Appeal newspaper (upper midwest) 1889-1922
G4 Q2 – Illinois Today
- Digital Stories of Our Heroes Project
- Illinois local legacies
- Illinois web archives
- Illinois legislation
- Illinois Guide to Law Online
G4, Q3 – U.S. Regional Movement & Culture
- Primary Source Set: Dustbowl Migration
- The Migrant Experience
- Voices from the Dustbowl
- Voices from the Dust Bowl: Teaching Ideas
- Out of the Dust: Visions of Dust Bowl History Lesson Plan
- The African-American Mosaic: Western Migration & Homesteading
- Chicago: Destination for the Great Migration
G4, Q4 – Illinois and the World
- Presidents from Illinois [world map related to President Barack Obama]
- Reports related to Illinois, 2000 to present
G5, Q 1 – The Americas Before People and Early Migrations
G5, Q2 – Development of Central America and South America
- The Cultures and History of the Americas
- Exploring the Early Americas
- Latin America and the Caribbean collection, 500 CE – 1499 CE
- Waldseemüller’s Map of the World, 1507
- The Huexotzinco Codex (lesson plan)
- Waldseemüller’s Map of the World (lesson plan)
- Drake’s West Indian Voyage, 1588-1589 (lesson plan)
- Encounters in America
- United States and Brazil: Expanding Frontiers, Comparing Cultures
G5, Q3 – Development of North America
- The Cultures and History of the Americas
- Exploring the Early Americas
- North America collection, 500 CE – 1499 CE (World Digital Library)
- Waldseemüller’s Map: World, 1507
- Waldseemüller’s Map of the World (lesson plan)
- Native American resources
G5, Q4 – Beginning of European Migration
- Hispanic Exploration in America primary source set & teaching guide
- 1492: An Ongoing Voyage
- Christopher Columbus primary source collection
- North America collection, 1500 CE – 1699 CE (World Digital Library)
- Parallel Histories: Spain, the United States, and the American Frontier
- New Mexico primary source collection
- Settlement primary source set
- Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America
- Lewis & Clark primary source collection
6th Grade
G6, Q1, Unit 1 – Intro to Geography and Cultures
- World Digital Library
- Primary Source Set: World Cultures
- Primary Source Set: Maps From The World Digital Library
- Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection: Travel and World Geography
- Photographs from the World’s Transportation Commission, 1894-1896
- Country Studies
- Nations: Government Resources from the Library Guide to Law Online
- Earth as Art: A Landsat Perspective
G6, Q1, Unit 2 – Everything Out of Africa
- Africa collection from the World Digital Library
- Africana Collections: Illustrated Guide
- Maps of Liberia, 1830-1870
- Abdul-Hamid II Collection: Photographs from the Ottoman Empire 1880-1893
- Ancient Manuscripts: From the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu
- Islamic Manuscripts from Mali: Traditional Landscape
- Timbuktu – an Islamic Cultural Center
- Timbuktu in Space and Time – Maps
G6, Q2, Units 3 & 4 – Development of Eastern & Western Mediterranean
- Middle East & North Africa collection from the World Digital Library
- Near East Collections: Illustrated Guide
- Hebraic Collections: Illustrated Guide
G6, Q4, Units 5 & 6 – Development of Western Europe & the Spread of Ideas
- Europe collection from the World Digital Library
- European Collections: Illustrated Guide
- Creating French Culture: Treasures from the Bibliothèque Nationale
- France In America
- The Atlantic World: America and the Netherlands
- Dresden: Treasures from the Saxon State Library
- Rome Reborn: The Vatican Library and Renaissance Culture
- Central & South Asia collection from the World Digital Library
- East Asia collection from the World Digital Library
- Southeast Asia collection from the World Digital Library
- Oceania & the Pacific collection from the World Digital Library
- Asian Reading Room
G6, Q4, Unit 8 – The Highway to Globalization
- Maps of Discovery & Exploration
- Hispanic Exploration in America primary source set & teaching guide
- Exploring the Early Americas
- 1492: An Ongoing Voyage
- Christopher Columbus primary source collection
- Waldseemüller’s Map: World, 1507
- Waldseemüller’s Map of the World (lesson plan)
- Drake’s West Indian Voyage, 1588-1589 (lesson plan)
7th Grade
G7, Q1, Unit 1 – Worlds Meet: Conflict, Challenges and Change
- The Atlantic World: America and the Netherlands
- The Kraus Collection of Sir Francis Drake
- Settlement primary source collections
- Settlement primary source set & learning activity
G7, Q1, Unit 2 – Early Colonial America
- The Atlantic World: America and the Netherlands
- The Kraus Collection of Sir Francis Drake
- Settlement primary source collections
- Settlement primary source set & learning activity
G7, Q2, Unit 3 – The Meaning of Liberty
- Revolutionary era primary source collections
- American Revolution primary source set & learning activity
- Guide to the American Revolution
- Battle of Bunker Hill
- Words & Deeds in American History
- The Rochambeau Map Collection
- The American Revolution and Its Era: Maps and Charts
- Stories about the Revolutionary Period
- Madison’s Treasures
- Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents
- The James Madison Papers
- George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799
G7, Q2, Unit 4 – Confederation or Nation
- Early republic era primary source collections
- Young Nation primary source set & learning activity
- Stories about the New Nation
- Words & Deeds in American History
- Documents from the Continental Congress & Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789
- A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1875
- Today in History: U.S. Constitution
- Primary Source Learning: U.S. Constitution
- Temple of Liberty: Building the Capitol for a New Nation
- Thomas Jefferson
- The Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress
G7, Q3, Unit 5 – Challenges of Expansion
- Expansion & Reform PSN primary source collections
- Expansion & Reform primary source set & learning activity
- Key documents related to territorial expansion & reform
- Stories about Western expansion & reform
- First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820
- Pioneering the Upper Midwest: Books from MI, MN, & WI
G7, Q3, Unit 6 – War or Rebellion
- Slavery primary source collections
- More related primary source collections
- American Treasures of the Library of Congress: Abolition
- Words & Deeds in American History
- The African-American Mosaic
- The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship
- Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860
- Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories
- African American Perspectives: Pamphlets 1818-1907
- Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1864
- From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1824-1909
- Photos & Perspectives of the Civil War
- Civil War themed link set
- Civil War primary source collections & learning activities
G7, Q4, Units 7 & 8 – The Promise of Reconstruction & A Dream Deferred
- Civil War & Reconstruction primary source set & learning activity
- Stories about Reconstruction
- After Reconstruction: Problems of African Americans in the South
- Jim Crow in America
- Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938
- The African-American Mosaic
- Frederick Douglass primary source collection
- Booker T. Washington primary source collection
8th Grade
G8, Q1, Unit 1 – Progress at What Cost?
- Western expansion primary source collections
- American Treasures of the Library of Congress
- Frontier Life in South Dakota & Wyoming
- Western Nevada & Northern California settlement
- First-Person Narratives of California’s Early Years
- Nebraska Photographs & Family Letters
G8, Q1, Unit 2 – The Changing Face of America
- Primary Source Learning: Immigration teaching resources
- Primary Source Spotlight: Immigration primary source collections
- Immigration Challenges for New Americans primary source set with teacher guide
G8, Q2, Unit 3 – Introduction of Modernity
- Progressive era primary source collections
- Progressive era primary source set & learning activity
- Words & Deeds in American History
- American Treasures of the Library of Congress
- The Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920
- Theodore Roosevelt: His Life and Times on Film
- Films of McKinley and the Pan-American Exposition, 1901
- Mapping the National Parks
- Miller NAWSA Suffrage Scrapbooks, 1897-1911
- National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, 1848-1921
- “Votes for Women” Suffrage Pictures, 1850-1920
- Photographs from the Records of the National Woman’s Party
G8, Q2, Unit 4 – America: Emerging Power
- The Industrial Revolution in the United States primary source set
- Spanish-American War primary source collections
- Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War
- Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age
- Learning from the Source: Close Reading in Service of a Cause
- Panoramic Maps
- Panoramic Photographs 1880-1930
- Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920
- Detroit Publishing Company 1885-1930
- Collection connections activity ideas (search for photos using link above)
- America at Work, America at Leisure: Films, 1894-1915
G8, Q3, Unit 5 – World at War: Lasting Legacy
- World War I themed link set
- World War I primary source collections
- World War II themed link set
- World War II primary source collections
- The Cold War
- For European Recovery: The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Marshall Plan
- Revelations from the Russian Archives
- Edmund Valtman: The Cartoonist Who Came in from the Cold
- Mission Italy: On the Front Line of the Cold War Webcast
G8, Q4, Unit 7 – The Rise of America in the Modern World
- Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection
- End of the Cold War (webcast)
- National Security – Unchecked Presidential Power and the Reynolds Case (webcast)
- More Government & World Affairs Webcasts
- Humor’s Edge: Cartoons by Ann Telnaes
- Oliphant’s Anthem: Cartoons by Pat Oliphant
- Enduring Outrage: Editorial Cartoons by HERBLOCK
- Political, Propaganda & Social Issue Printed Ephemera
- Related PSN primary source sets
G8, Q4, Unit 8 – Changing Face of the World
- September 11, 2001 primary source collections
- Afghanistan country profile
- Afghanistan country study
- Afghanistan maps
- Afghanistan legislation
- Afghanistan Guide to Law Online
- Voices from Afghanistan (online exhibition)
- Stories from Afghanistan (webcast)
- Afghanistan & Iraq wars veteran oral histories
- Iraq country profile
- Iraq country study
- Iraq maps
- Iraq legislation
- Iraq Guide to Law Online
- The Iraqi Revolution: Why is it Relevant to Modern Iraq? (webcast)
- The New Iraq: Memory and National Identity (webcast part 1 and part 2)
9th Grade
G9, Q1: Introduction to Geography & The Roots of Humankind
- Beginnings (of the world)
- Primary Source Set: Maps From The World Digital Library
- Geography & Maps: An Illustrated Guide
- Geography & Maps Resources
- Online Map Collections: 1500-Present
- Travel and World Geography
- Earth as Art: A Landsat Perspective
- Primary Source Set: World Cultures
- The Cultures and History of the Americas
- Parallel Histories: Spain, the United States, and the American Frontier
- North America collection, World Digital Library
- Africa collection, World Digital Library
- Middle East & North Africa collection, World Digital Library
- Europe collection, World Digital Library
- Central & South Asia collection from the World Digital Library
- Country Studies
- Nations: Government Resources from the Library Guide to Law Online
G9, Q2: Defining & Interrogating Power
- The Spanish-American War in Motion Pictures
- Puerto Rico at Dawn of Modern Age: 19th- and Early-20th-Century Perspectives
- Learning from the Source: Perspectives on U.S. Expansion
- World War I themed link set
- World War II themed link set
- Churchill and the Great Republic
- Cold War themed link set
G9, Q3: Why Is There No Peace? & Current Events
- Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection: Travel and World Geography
- Yanker Poster Collection: Politics, Propaganda, Social Issues
- Voices from Afghanistan
- Webcast (streaming) – Stories from Afghanistan
- Webcast (streaming) – The Iraqi Revolution: Why is it Relevant to Modern Iraq?
- Webcast (streaming) – Islam, Science and Cultural Values
- Webcast (streaming) – Moral Conscience of the World: United Nations & Palestine in 1947
- United Nations Structure
- United Nations: Photographs from the Library Collections
- Peace: Songs related to Peace from the Library Collections
- “Great Compromise” Saves the Convention
- Compromise of 1850
- Missouri Compromise
- For European Recovery: The Fiftieth Anniversary of the Marshall Plan
- Revelations from the Russian Archives: Internal Records of Soviet Rule
- Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection
- Witness and Response: September 11
G9, Q4: Facing Justice & Agents of Change
- Materials Related to Genocide from the Congressional Record
- Congressional Bills Related to Genocide
- Atrocities Images
- Historic Armenian Images
- Webcast (streaming) – Killing Neighbors: Webs of Violence in Rwanda
- Webcast (streaming) – UNESCO’s Role in Building Bridges to Cultural Peace: Case Studies of Somalia, Burundi and Ethiopia
- After the Day of Infamy: “Man-on-the-Street” Interviews Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor
- “Suffering Under a Great Injustice”: Ansel Adams’s Photographs of Japanese-American Internment at Manzanar
- Primary Source Set: Japanese American Internment During World War II
- Primary Source Set: Assimilation Through Education
G10, Q1: An American Mosaic & the Emerging Identity of America
- Colonial America themed link set
- American Revolution themed link set
- Early Republic themed link set
- Territorial Expansion & Manifest Destiny themed link set
- The Monroe Doctrine primary source set
G10, Q2: Defining & Interrogating American Power
- Mayflower Compact primary source set
- Common Sense by Thomas Paine (1776)
- “The American crisis (No. 1)” by Thomas Paine (1776)
- “The way to wealth, and a plan by which every man may pay his taxes” by Benjamin Franklin (1785)
- Industrial Revolution in the United States primary source set with teacher’s guide
- Haymarket Affair Digital Collection Chicago History Museum
(collection connections: primary source learning activities) search for items using link above - Learning from the Source: Indian Territory Resettlement lesson plan
- Andrew Carnegie primary source sets
- Learning from the Source: Perspectives on U.S. Expansion lesson plan
G10, Q3: Defining & Interrogating American Ideals
- Primary Source Spotlight: U.S. Constitution
- Primary Source Spotlight: African American History & Culture
- Jim Crow in America primary source set & teacher’s guide
- Primary Source Spotlight: Women’s History Resources
- Henry David Thoreau primary source set
- American Leaders Speak: Recordings from World War I and the 1920 Election
- American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1940
- Japanese American Internment During World War II primary source set & teacher’s guide
- The NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom primary source set & teacher’s guide
- Civil rights primary source sets
- Oral book report (A Raisin in the Sun) with 14 year old black female, New Haven, Connecticut (written transcript)
G10, Q4: Defending American Ideals & the Future of America
- Speeches by Calvin Coolidge
- After the Day of Infamy: “Man-on-the-Street” Interviews Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor
- Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training
- John F. Kennedy primary source set
- Richard Nixon primary source set
- American English Dialect Recordings
- Primary Source Spotlight: 9/11