Welcome to Best Practices
Spotlight on Elementary Education
Example of Historical Thinking
What do the contents of pockets say about their owners? TAH teachers model [...] »
What does an 1853 daguerreotype have to say? Plenty, says Frank Goodyear, [...] »
Smithsonian Barbara Clark Smith looks at what a colonial newspaper article [...] »
Analyzing a source requires context for a more complete understanding.
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Historian Chandra Manning analyzes Civil War letters from black and white [...] »
Teaching in Action
A 4th-grade teacher shows strategies for encouraging and supporting student [...] »
Watch 4th-graders analyze cartoons about Virginia and Brown v. Board of [...] »
Using Primary Sources
National Park Service lesson plans, teaching materials, and vibrant images [...] »
So you don't live near Gettysburg or the Alamo—can you still teach with [...] »
Teaching with Textbooks
The language of history textbooks challenges English language learners and [...] »
Make the most of your textbook—engage students in close reading and analysis [...] »
Class discussion and personal inquiry builds an interactive relationship [...] »
Turn your textbook into a conversation by scanning its language for biases [...] »
Help students identify with the past via children who lived through the [...] »