Developed as a one-shot archival lesson for 10th graders, Following the Paper Trail introduces students to primary-source research using census records, tracing families across several decades to bring history to life. The goal is simple: teach students how to read and interpret archival sources and show them how those sources connect directly to what they’re already learning in the classroom. It’s the kind of lesson that makes history feel less like something that happened and more like something you can actually touch.