History “Clue” Game
Concept
This activity is a fun way to incorporate primary sources into your instruction using a
game board that many students have played. This activity can be designed to
encourage critical thinking, analysis, and problem solving among your students.
Skills
Differentiate fact from opinion
Draw conclusions and make connections
Investigate, interpret, and analyze multiple historical and contemporary sources and
viewpoints
Interpret history through artifacts
Time Frame
Two/three class periods for students to work in pairs or groups to complete each room’s
activity.
Activity: Step by Step
Teachers should begin with a historical question that requires students to investigate
primary sources and come to a conclusion. (backed by historical evidence)
Example: Who bears responsibility for the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire?
Why America was not the land of golden opportunity for immigrants
during the late 1800’s?
Choose primary sources for each of the rooms on the clue game board. Teachers may
choose between sound recordings, video/film, first- hand accounts (ex. diaries, letters),
documents (ex. Amendments, Congressional Acts), artifacts, charts, graphs, maps,
visuals (ex. photographs, posters). All primary sources selected should relate back to
the question in some way. A suggestion would be to choose sources that show
conflicting viewpoints. Place the primary sources in envelopes. If using sound
recordings, have a computer station set up in the room for students to easily access.
Teachers may choose to create graphic organizers or a set of questions that go with
each primary source. Students should spend time with each document or picture in
order to gather evidence needed to answer the question.
Place students in pairs or groups. Explain that they may choose an envelope from the
game board. They may start anywhere on the game board. They should complete the
activity in each envelope before moving to the next room. After all the rooms have
been explored, ask student to write an answer to the guiding question. They must back
it up citing evidence they collected along the way.
Instruct the students to look carefully at all the evidence, interpret the evidence, and
make a hypothesis. Encourage them to be creative! Discussion afterward is important
way to debrief. Challenge the groups to come together and see if they can all agree on
an answer. Remember historians do not always agree.
Suggestions
 Do not use this activity without working with your students beforehand in how to
analyze a primary source.
 Teachers may use document based questions. At the conclusion of the activity
have students write a DBQ essay.
 Have students discuss the connections between all of the primary sources and
which one led them to their conclusion?
 Teachers could turn this into a research activity by having students locate
primary sources that help answer the historical question posed.
 Teachers may choose to use the textbook for one of the rooms. Examples would
be short reading passages, visuals (such as charts, graphs, maps) that support
the question.
 This activity can be easily adapted for differentiation. Choose your primary
sources carefully. You may need to modify the text of the document and/or
change the graphic organizer or set of questions asked.
Notes
This activity can easily be adapted for an interactive whiteboard. A suggestion would
be to link each primary source to the room on the game board. Students may use
laptops and click the link to pull up the primary source.
Assessment
This activity is considered to be formal assessment. It is suggested that students be
assessed on using a rubric.
Common Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6 – 12:*
Key Idea and Details
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source.
Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation
best accords with textual evidence.
Craft and Structure
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.
Describe how a text presents information.
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose.
Evaluate author’s differing points of view on the same historical event or issue.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Integrate visual information with other information in print and digital texts.
Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary
sources.
Range of reading and Level of text Complexity
Read and comprehend complex literacy and informational texts independently and
proficiently.
*http://www.corestandards.org/assets/CCSSI_ELA%20Standards.pdf