Primary Sources, Student Activities, Teacher Reference Materials, Other Education Materials

Document-Based Inquiry: Carve the Mountain and They Will Come

Grade Level:
Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
Subject:
Social Studies
State Standards:
5.H.3.1, 5.H.5.1, 5.G.1.2, 5.G.2.1, 6.H.5.3 6.E.4.3

Document-based inquiry lessons put primary source documents into the hands of students, allowing them to investigate and explore history for themselves. This student-driven lesson plan will allow students to have an interactive experience with the history of Mount Rushmore without being physically present at the memorial. With historical images, newspaper articles, letters, telegrams and maps, students will dive into the history of Mount Rushmore, explore the motivating factors for creating a large-scale sculpture in the Black Hills, and consider how the choices of South Dakotans in the past continue to impact the lives of South Dakotans today.

Materials

Download Document-based Inquiry: Carve It and They Will Come Lesson Plan

Download Document-based Inquiry Worksheet

Download Phase 1 Documents and Images

Download Phase 2 Documents and Images

Download Phase 3 Documents and Images

Last updated: March 11, 2021