The National Archives

When searching for primary source information to compliment lesson plans on U.S. history and government, the National Archives website serves as a valuable resource. This website is maintained by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, and it is a government sponsored website. This lends support to the fact that information found on this website is credible. Among the countless amount of material on the National Archive website, you can find information like U.S. laws, government documents and treaties, family genealogies, census information, photographs, presidential papers, etc... The website also links you to other credible sites that would be helpful for researching and gathering information. In the site's subject index, I found links to Presidential libraries across the country, state archives, government department records, and links specific to subjects like The Holocaust.

The National Archive website also provides a section devoted to educators and students.
I would strongly advise any prospective teacher to check out this link. Included in this educator section is a guide for planning lessons using materials from the archive. Lesson plan guides are grouped by eras in American history. For instance, the first era is titled Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820's). Within this era, you will find another set of links that provide background information on the topic, primary source documents that relate to it, and potential teaching activities that could incorporate this information. Worksheet templates are also provided by the National Archive that students can use to analyze documents.

I briefly browsed the content and complexity of some of the primary documents, as well as the background information provided by the archive. It reminded me of material I was exposed to in AP US History during the 11th grade. I think mid to high achieving students 10-12 grade would be the most appropriate grade range for having students read and comprehend such documents. However, a teacher in the 6-10 grade range would still find this website to be very useful. Teachers at lower grade levels can pick and choose parts of documents to incorporate into lessons. They might also consider using photographic material found on the archive website.

I would strongly advise any prospective teacher to check out the National Archive website.
http://www.archives.gov/