In these Tennessee districts, most students have demonstrated low achievement in social studies and U.S. history, and the history teachers do not have access to content-related professional development. Each year of the project, teachers will participate in four mini-institutes that provide historical thinking themes, such as perspective and sequencing. One of the institutes will feature a keynote presentation on different strategies, including using film or art in teaching. Teachers will attend a 2-day institute that includes visits to local sites and focus groups on various strategies, such as technology, use of student achievement data and National History Day. Hands-on learning experiences will be provided through summer institutes in Boston, Washington, D.C., and additional locations. The teachers will be paired in cohorts of 4th/8th grades and 5th/11th grades. The teachers will learn about founding documents, primary sources, local history resources, technology tools, National History Day and other research-based teaching strategies. A Web site will host the project's products, including videos of historian presentations using integrated hands-on activities, footage of teachers modeling proven teaching strategies and teacher-created materials, such as piloted lesson plans and primary source document readers organized by themes, eras and grade levels.