Welcome to Teaching Materials

Digital image, black and white, Spy Shadow, 2010

Paring down a larger idea to answer one specific question.

Researching for a Research Topic
In Ask a Master Teacher

English Language Learners often have difficulty contributing to class discussions. Discover ways to help.

Increasing Participation in Whole-Class Discussions
In English Language Learners

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

What Really Happened? Comparing Stories of the First Thanksgiving
In Lesson Plan Reviews

Spotlight on Elementary Education

In this Lesson Plan Review, students analyze primary and secondary sources describing an encounter between the Lewis and Clark expedition and a Native American tribe. The lesson overall is a great way to encourage students to work collaboratively to analyze this important historical interaction from multiple perspectives.

FIND OUT MORE »

Lesson Plan Reviews

Evaluate key elements of effective teaching Watch the INTRODUCTORY VIDEO
Tenement Life

Students examine primary sources related to the life of an immigrant girl [...] »

Discovering Angel Island: The Story Behind the Poems

Learn about the experiences of immigrants detained at Angel Island and how [...] »

View All »

English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History
Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History

Explore mysteries in Canadian history in both French and English.

[...] »
Using Non-Linguistic Representations to Strengthen Historical Thinking

Discover alternatives to writing based student activities. Why not encourage [...] »

View All »

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Students Working in Local Historic Preservation

Engage your students in preserving local history! Use this teacher's [...] »

What Is an "Inquiry Lesson"?

Hypothesize, test, and acknowledge how sources form different "pictures of [...] »

Historical Agency in History Book Sets (HBS)

Looking for ways to use fiction in your elementary history curriculum? Read [...] »

Well-behaved Women [and Men] Seldom Make History

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

Webquest, Inquiry, and Lincoln’s Views on Technology

Searching for new, exciting ways to engage your students in the classroom? [...] »

View All »

Ask a Master Teacher

Building Background Knowledge for English Language Learners
Photography, foreign language books at martin luther king memorial library in wa

How can we help our 5th-grade ELL students build background and make [...] »

Browse Questions »