Potential Projects and Classroom Materials

How To Use This Page

On this page, you will find a curated collection of ideas on how projects and assessments could be integrated into an Iowa history course. Learners will find information on projects and activities as well as further reflection on the work of archivists and historians.

Think Like a Historian

In this video, state government records archivist Kelsey Berryhill discusses the work of an archivist and how librarians and archivists think about their work in relationship to other historians and history professionals.

National History Day Projects

National History Day Ⓡ is a year-long academic enrichment program that challenges students to take ownership of the past by conducting original historical research about topics of their choosing and presenting their findings in creative research projects. The semester project for the Iowa Learning Central course is to develop a National History Day project. 

Students can complete projects as individuals or groups and may compete in the categories of exhibit, documentary, website, performance, or papers (individual only). Each category and suggested project elements are available on the National History Day Projects page of our website. Each project has its own evaluation criteria and rubrics that will be used in competition and could be used in the classroom as well. 

Question Formulation Technique

The Question Formulation Technique, or QFT, is a structured approach for creating and enhancing questions that was created by the Right Question Institute. It reduces complex varieties of divergent, convergent, and metacognitive thinking into a straightforward, approachable, and repeatable technique. Guides are available for 6th-8th classrooms and 9th-12th classrooms.

Gallery Walk

A gallery walk is a strategy where students can explore multiple sources of information. This protocol involves a five-step process:

1. Develop Compelling Question and Select Photographs/Texts
2. Create Questions
3. Display Photographs around the Classroom
4. Explore Photographs/Texts
5. Debrief the Gallery Walk 

Classroom guides are available for 6th-8th classrooms and 9th-12th classrooms.

Analyze That!

Analyzing primary sources is the key to successful inquiry in the classroom. Analyze That! is a collection of worksheets and questions to help guide students through this process. This protocol pairs especially well with the objects, documents, and photographs that are featured in each unit and with the History in Your Hands Kits. To begin, we suggest teachers follow these three steps:

1. Choose at least two or three primary sources that support the learning objectives and are accessible to students.
2. Consider how students can compare these items to other primary and secondary sources.
3. Identify an analysis tool or text-dependent (guiding) questions that students will use to analyze the primary sources. A question developed through a QFT would work well with any Analyze That!      worksheet.

Classroom guides are available for 6th-8th classrooms and 9th-12th classrooms.

History in Your Hands Kits

Check out one of the State Historical Society of Iowa's History in Your Hands Kits to help students explore Iowa history. Kits contain a curated collection of artifacts and replicas that allow students to touch history, think about how objects might have been used, and witness changes over time. 

• Early Iowa Kit (Units 1-4): 19th century toys, flags, fossil replicas, and more.
• Nineteenth-Century Iowa Kit (Units 5-7): railroad maps, flags, candle sticks, and more.
• World War I and Great Depression Kit (Units 9-10): service banners, Hoover campaign buttons, Depression scrip, and more.
• WWII and Cold War Kit (Units 11-12): rotary phones, flags, mess kits, and more.
• Farm Crisis and Modern Era (Units 13-14): floppy disks, cordless phones, face masks, and more. 

Traveling Classroom Exhibits

Bring a professionally curated traveling exhibit to your classroom. The State Historical Society of Iowa offers classroom exhibits that feature content from the Museum's award-winning Iowa's People and Places exhibit. The exhibit covers all eras of Iowa history and is designed to have connections to any unit being taught. Exhibits can be placed in classrooms, school libraries, or other spaces.

Teachers can find more information about making reservations or the specifications of these displays on our traveling exhibits page.

Visit the Museum

The State Historical Society offers professionally guided programs tied to the Iowa Social Studies Standards and to this Iowa History Course. Programs included docent and staff guided exhibit tours, staff-led History Mystery programs, and a brand-new Iowa History Escape Room experience.

For the most recent information on these experiences, please visit our Field Trips page.