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DocsTeachThe online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives National Archives Foundation National Archives

Analyzing Einstein's Citizenship Application

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Analyzing Einstein

About this Activity

  • Created by:National Archives Education Team
  • Historical Era:The Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945)
  • Thinking Skill:Historical Analysis & Interpretation
  • Bloom's Taxonomy:Analyzing
  • Grade Level:Middle School
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Please use a tablet or desktop computer to use this activity.
Students will examine and interpret information from a Declaration of Intention document to discover the individual applying for citizenship in the United States: Albert Einstein.
https://docsteach.org/activities/student/guess-who

Suggested Teaching Instructions

Use this activity during a unit of study on immigration, citizenship, or World War II. For grades 4-8. It's best used as a full-class activity since you can click on View Entire Document and see the parts that are obscured. 

Use “who, what, when, where, why” questions to prompt students to analyze the document and understand it in a historical context. Ask students to identify the date(s) of the document, the audience for whom it was written, and what evidence helps to identify why it was written.

Ask students to list three things the author said that they think are important to figuring out the author of the document? Finally, ask students to make an educated guess about the person featured in this document whose identity has been concealed.

Documents in this activity

  • Declaration of Intention for Albert Einstein

CC0
To the extent possible under law, National Archives Education Team has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to "Analyzing Einstein's Citizenship Application".

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DocsTeach is a product of the National Archives education division. Our mission is to engage, educate, and inspire all learners to discover and explore the records of the American people preserved by the National Archives.

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