Students have the chance to play the role of an historian for a day with this self-paced, interactive lesson.  Students examine primary source media—specifically, news footage carried on Boston television channels over the last five decades. Like historians who analyze documents, photographs, and other primary sources to learn more about the people, issues, and events of the past, students watch news footage on subjects including the 1979 oil crisis, the 1974 Boston school desegregation controversy, and affirmative action. 

They will practice three steps — observation, interpretation and questioning — while analyzing documents, photographs and other primary sources to learn more about the people, issues and events of the past.  In addition to this PBS LearningMedia self-paced interactive lesson, you’ll find teacher materials that include a guide and more as well as standards.