Individual primary source adventures will contain several, but not necessarily all of the following components. The exercise should:

1. Contain subject and curriculum material that is appropriate for the target grade level.
2. Correspond to multiple aspects of the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for the target grade level.
3. Provide the instructor with all background materials necessary to conduct the lesson.
4. Be structured in such a manner that each lesson can stand alone or be utilized in conjunction with other lessons.
5. Consist of visual as well as written components.
6. Utilize historical documents in a similar manner to the use of hands on experiments in science classrooms so that students can act like practitioners in the field by entering into a process of critical inquiry.
7. Introduce the concept of bias in historical documents and engage the students in critical thinking exercises by teaching them to analyze the author's motivation and assumptions, as well as the historical context of a given document.
8. Treat conceivably offensive content in a conscientious, age-appropriate manner, rather than avoid it.
9. Develop higher order thinking skills by requiring the student to interpret and juxtapose conflicting information.
10. Introduce students to the concept of history as a process of interpretation, rather than absolute knowledge about past events.
11. Create a you-are-there atmosphere through role-playing activities and the recreation of past historical events.