Teaching Materials

Students learn more about the larger than life figure of Theodore Roosevelt through sources related to the presidential …

Students learn about John F. Kennedy and his ideas about service as a prompt to explore what service means in their …

Students learn about the sixteenth president’s relationship with Jewish Americans and his policy of religious tolerance.

Help students make connections between religion, technology, and American culture in this teaching module.

What pushes and pulls people into new ways of life? In this lesson, students use artifacts, documents, and photographs …

Introduce students to the importance of oral history while simultaneously teaching them about 20th-century labor unions.

Even the recent past was very different from the present. Students analyze photos from the 1960s and 1970s to identify …

History is imbedded in the smallest objects. In this lesson, students examine how a simple farming tool connects to the …

Students examine primary sources related to the life of an immigrant girl and her family to discover what life might …

In this lesson, students will organize photographs both chronologically and conceptually in order to construct a …

Teach your students about causality with this useful activity.

Through the lens of documents concerning the Iran-Contra Affair, this lesson enables students to examine how audience …

Explore the rise of animosity between the U.S. and Japan through primary source documents and related classroom …

Help students understand wartime propaganda with this excellent lesson plan.

Take a variety of perspectives into account before moving past the first Thanksgiving.

This creative lesson transforms language into a historic artifact and enables students to analyze how language changes …

Young students locate themselves on a map and explore spatial relationships among geographic features.

Use this essay on Jewish immigration to flesh out a unit on the Civil War or immigration.

Allow students to explore historical events through multiple perspectives with this lesson.

A great way for students to learn more about the War of 1812 and our nation’s emblem: the Star-Spangled Banner.

An interactive exploration of the decisions Abraham Lincoln had to make during his presidency.

Analysis of photographs of Civil War artillery broadens students understanding of the American Industrial period.

Use the Triangle Shirtwaist fire to examine the benefits and costs of industrialization.

Only 60 settlers out of 600 survived the winter of 1609–1610 in Jamestown Virginia. Was “the Starving Time” due to …

To make something real, make it personal. Abstract concepts can best be understood when applied to individual …

Did you know the Quakers were pre-Revolution abolitionists?…

To indict or not to indict? Watergate raised complicated questions concerning Constitutional interpretation.

Cutting through New York from the ocean to the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal changed lives.

Relive the dream of the women’s vote through roleplay or interfacing with primary documents.

Explore the ins and outs of turn-of-the-century labor law, business, housing, and immigration.

Did Revere’s ride really look like that? Use historical documents to analyze flights of artistic fancy.

You’re a Union general on the eve of Antietam. You know Lee’s plans. What will you do?

Very few of us have ancestors who were not immigrants. Bring the topic of immigration to life.

Help students think about where evidence for history comes from.

Elementary students investigate the first presidential assassination and debate whether it was avoidable.

Learn about the experiences of immigrants detained at Angel Island and how this impacted their opinion of the US.

Did the Chinese discover America before Columbus? How would or does this impact our understanding of European explorers …

Examine the role of African Americans in the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.

Constitutional or not? Read about this 1803 landmark court case deciding issues of judicial review.

Examining changes in early American homes helps interpret the past. It reflects the transitions that occurred in that …

Documents and audio files explain the range of early political viewpoints on the League of Nations.

Check out this lesson on arguments surrounding the 1830 forced removal of the Cherokee peoples from their homeland.

What were the consequences of and motivations for Japanese American removal during World War II?

This lesson leads students to see how Lincoln’s life in Springfield influenced important national issues.

How did the final version of the Declaration differ from Jefferson’s draft?

The textbook is examined as one source among many, rather than a final authority.

How geography influenced interactions among Lewis, Clark, & Native Americans.

How to identify the author, audience, date, and message of historical posters.

Analyze letters written by America’s presidents to learn more about these men.

This guide consists of curated primary and secondary sources to help students connect environmental history to broader …

This guide consists of curated primary and secondary sources to help students connect environmental history to broader …

Help students understand the different types of universities and colleges in the U.S. by examining and analyzing a wide …

Help students understand recent immigration history by exploring photographs of Asian immigrant communities in the U.S.

Help students understand the events of 9/11 and how such events are commemorated via informal and formal memorials.

Help students understand the how policy and structural forces have shaped how people in the U.S. access housing.

Help students reflect on the purpose of learning history and of education in general by using Library of Congress …

Using primary sources from the Library of Congress, help students reconsider the standard narrative around women’s …

Help students better understand the history behind the term “Manifest Destiny” by exploring the history of the Comanche …

Help students reconsider the how the expansion of the United States from 1865 to 1890 was perceived by Native peoples in …

Primary sources from the Library of Congress help students explore a fascinating episode from U.S. history: the campaign …

Teachers guide students to create interactive digital maps detailing the migration of Mormons using Library of Congress …

Engaging Library of Congress primary sources that connect religion and organized labor.

Help students understand the how religious beliefs shaped Americans’ understanding of the Civil War using sheet music …

Discover the resources you need to “globalize” your U.S. history lesson plans!

Use this four-step learning routine to deeply explore visual primary sources.

Teach your students to read like a historian with this guided four-step reading process for primary documents.

Classroom discussions need not be argumentative and unproductive. Discover a way to facilitate healthy discussion in …

Research papers are not an archaic form of assessment. Learn how to help your students with the research paper …

Searching for new, exciting ways to engage your students in the classroom? Why not make them internet detectives?

In order to understand topics, you must first understand concepts. Learn all about conceptualization here!

Ticket stubs. Report cards. Photographs. All of these things have historical meaning.

Teach students to explore contingency with this great lesson plan idea.

Construct an ongoing, shared classroom timeline in middle and elementary classrooms, and help students tackle the …

Using the premise of a mystery, elementary students act as history detectives as they explore a historical question and …

Engage your students in preserving local history! Use this teacher’s successful service learning activity to guide you.

Hypothesize, test, and acknowledge how sources form different “pictures of the past”.

Maps show far more than how to go from point A to point B! Discover how to incorporate maps into your classroom.

Leave your students with intellectually and emotionally significant memories of their own experiences with history.

Documents are riddled with difficult vocabulary. Don’t be afraid to adapt texts.

A pen or pencil in your student’s hand is an excellent tool for teaching historical analysis.

Go forth, and contextualize! Give students the opportunity for solo connection to historical places.

Looking for ways to use fiction in your elementary history curriculum? Read on for suggestions!

Setting up and maintaining a blog for your classroom is easy (and typically free)!

Thesis statements form the backbone of history essays and DBQs.

Help your elementary school students get more out of historical biographies.

To engage with a source, ask, “What do I know, what do I want to know, and what have I learned?”

Political cartoons are often conceptually complex, but offer valuable insights into history.

Are classroom discussions about winning the argument or about understanding alternative positions?

Educators are all too familiar with the unfortunate truth that what is tested drives a teacher’s instructional focus, …

Introduction Classroom discussions provide important learning opportunities for students in history classrooms, helping …

Academic language is used in specific ways in history textbooks. A lot of complex information is often packed within a …

The classes at the urban San Diego charter school where I teach are not tracked. As a result, 100% of the juniors on …

One of the difficulties of teaching history to English language learners is that their thinking is very often far ahead …

Google Translate is a web based tool which allows its users to instantly translate between 57 different languages. The …

Overview

Integrating English Language Development (ELD) standards and objectives into your lesson planning can strengthen both …

Summarizing and paraphrasing is a useful practice for English Language Learners (ELLs) who struggle with understanding …

Teaching history to English Language Learners poses special challenges owing to its conceptual density and assumed …

As we ask students to become more sophisticated in their historical thinking, we expect them to move from reporting …

The qualities that make a piece of history writing “good” or “effective” vary, depending on the purpose and genre. For …

SQ3R is an effective note-taking system that helps English Language Learners self-monitor their comprehension before, …

Quick Overview This tried and true lesson, a blend of history and civics, guides students through a process of …

We history teachers who teach English language learners face a dilemma: how can we teach our students a rigorous history …

The Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History project offers teaching resources and guidance for conducting …

The Bracero History Archive—a collaborative project of George Mason University, the Smithsonian, Brown University, and …

Hispano Music & Culture of the Northern Rio Grande, housed at the Library of Congress’s digital archive America Memory, …

The Electronic Schoolhouse / La Escuela Electrónica is a bilingual educational resource of historical resources …

America’s Heritage: An Adventure in Liberty is a curriculum designed to teach students about the roots of our heritage …

The World Digital Library, a collaborative project of the Library of Congress, UNESCO, and other partners, is a …

Graphic organizers can be effective scaffolds for all history students, but they can be especially helpful for students …

Finding creative ways to include English Language Learners in classroom activities can be challenging regardless of the …

Historical Thinking Matters contains sets of primary documents in both English and Spanish that can be used to create …

Make the Lewis and Clark expedition and life on the Oregon Trail come alive with these suggestions!

Can iPads open an exciting new world filled with digital textbooks and sources?

Students are often disconnected from the past. Why not immerse them in historic study by building off things they …

How can we help our 5th-grade ELL students build background and make connections with our social studies curriculum?

Can you suggest any literature covering World War I to World War II that my 10th-grade world history class can read?

Discover resources that will enable you to examine this unique area of American History.

Creating the perfect rubric is an impossible task. Creating a usable, easily adaptable rubric, however, is within your …

Have a specific topic you desperately need to locate primary sources for? We’re here to help.

Not sure how to go about devising World History lesson plans and activities? We’re here to help.

Nonfiction texts are great sources for learning about historical events and figures. However, do fictional accounts also …

In order for students to grasp the importance of American civic republicanism, they must first understand its origins.

Curious to discover how to introduce young learners to primary and secondary sources? Click here now!

Are you caught between academic advisors and classroom teachers? Feel like you’re being pulled in opposite directions? …

Students get more out of historical photographs when they take the time to explore who took them, where, and why.

Incorporating technology is an excellent way to engage students and deepen their understanding.

Unsure how to construct a curriculum that focuses on the history of your area? Click here to alleviate your confusion!

NHD is a great way to get students to interact with history. KY teachers check this out!

What’s in a brain? Quite a lot actually! Discover how brain research relates to the history classroom.

Searching for home schooling solutions? Look no more!

Graphic organizers can be tricky. Check out these tips on how to keep them simple!

Slave badges were used in Charleston to keep track of slaves. Can you build a lesson for 4th graders around them?

Textbooks may be fantastic, but curriculum is even better.

Need to understand the theory behind maps as a history education tool? Look no further.

Have you always wanted to use maps in your classroom, but been unsure how to do so?

To most students, “histories” are entirely separate—different civilizations, taught at different grade levels.

Whichever lesson you pick, make sure it meets your learning goals.

Engrain the APPARTS strategy into young students, and they’ll be well on their way to AP-level performance.

Be a creative teacher—use scrapbooks in YOUR history classroom!

Learn more about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Whether you are writing a paper or just curious, here are some great resources on the Mexican American War.

Whether you use the telephone or Skype, there are a number of ways to contact modern historians.

Develop an engaging unit on American Imperialism that streamlines State Standards and Performance Objectives.

Use these resources to integrate timelines into lesson plans!

What are kindergartners expected to know coming out of Head Start? Find out!

Unsure how to properly critique sources? Check out these guidelines.

Want to know both sides of an issue? Check out these debate websites!

So you know you love teaching history, but do you know the history behind teaching history?

Looking for a creative way to teach the American Revolution to struggling readers? Check this out!

Looking for a way to spice up your lesson plans? Try incorporating folk music!

Do you want to introduce a child to the wonders of world history? Find out how!

Provides a comprehensive list of websites and strategies to creatively introduce students to Progressive Era topics.

How do you teach the effects of WWI on art and literature? Transforming a content standard into a solid lesson plan.

The socio-cultural impact of historic events or time periods and the interpretation through various forms of media.

Create scaffolding and careful preparation of documents to promote student understanding of primary sources.

Paring down a larger idea to answer one specific question.

What is contingency? What does it have to do with K-12 historical thinking?

Regularly assess student understanding, and revise your lesson plans to match the needs of lower level learners.

Remember that any historical story, of the U.S. or otherwise, can be useful as long as it’s taken with a grain of salt.

From Chinese immigrants to the Golden Spike, explore the history of the transcontinental railroad.

Case studies grab attention, but how can you be sure you’re also teaching the big picture?

Museums, colleges, and tribes are invaluable for gathering course-building materials on Native American history.

Race, ethics, stereotyping—all are thorny issues integral to our history. How can you encourage empathy?

In the Montessori philosophy, which prioritizes creativity, how can you best present history?

Traditional concepts of knowledge and pedagogy view the student as a “fact sponge.”

For when your students need a healthy dose of participation to liven up the classroom.

What are the benefits and detriments of implementing a two-year U.S. history course?

Upgrade to “school 2.0” through making the most of technological resources.

When unit planning is daunting, look to exceptional examples online.

Simply pondering “multiperspectivity” (a European term for “multiple perspectives”) introduces the concept.

You don’t have to wait until middle school to teach military history.

Teach your students to learn, care, and think internationally.

Standardization is a fairly new concept in education.

Wrestling bears, surly cowboys, vultures circling lone travelers. . . Find resources on American myth.

When you want your students to think, rather than just remember.

When you just can’t get your students to care what the Founders, or anyone else, wrote.

When the resources readily available to you are just not comprehensive enough.

Looking for history right where you are. You’d be surprised how inspiring local history can be.

Finding resources to teach local history in elementary classrooms.

Where to begin your search to find reliable online history textbooks.

Finding solid data on student learning in history can be a challenge. Here are some places to start.

Is the Declaration of Independence challenging for your students? Check out these ideas to make this text more …

Look for school districts and teachers’ shared lists.

In the last 10 years, some major changes in history teaching have taken place.

Vocabulary legends, guiding questions, and teamwork are all good solutions.

Teaching the homebound or hospitalized student offers a chance to explore teaching with technology.

Using a variety of instructional strategies in your classroom makes good sense.

Explore tips on challenging gifted high school students, including resources and strategies.

Should I just try to jazz up our textbook or can you suggest places to look to find documents that my kids can decipher?