New & Noteworthy

Free Historical Thinking Poster for your Classroom!

Request your free Historical Thinking Poster today! One side is designed for elementary school students and the other side for secondary. Display it in your class to help teach historical thinking skills. Email info@teachinghistory.org with your name and address. One poster per request.

Elementary

Ask a Historian: Is the Story of “George Washington and the Colt” True?

I realize that the story about George Washington cutting down his father's favorite cherry tree is fictional. However, what about the story of young George and the colt? Historians have not put much credence in the sorrel colt story...Read the answer here.

Middle

Using Primary Sources: Reading Like a Historian

The Stanford History Education Group produced these lessons and materials as part of the Reading Like a Historian (RLH) curriculum. Lessons draw upon real-life situations to help students understand historical thinking and prepare them to do inquiry using primary and secondary sources. Read more here.

High

Research Brief: Is Narrative an American Approach?

Keith Barton, a professor at Indiana University, looked at how children in different countries learn history to study the effects of teaching through narrative. He interviewed 121 students (ages 6–12) in Northern Ireland asking how and why life had changed over time. Learn what he found here.

Primary Sources

Tech for Teachers

Our Documents

This website presents 100% milestone documents in American history. The first document is the Richard Henry Lee Resolution of June 7, 1776, proposing independence for the American colonies. The last is the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Other documents include the 1794 cotton gin patent, the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling, and the Child Labor Act of 1916. Read more here.

Weebly

Weebly enables you to create free websites and related blogs. The special educator account allows teachers to create classroom websites that include related student websites and projects with linked blogs. It is advertisement-free, no downloads are required, and all work and editing occurs online. Explore here.