Welcome to Best Practices
Spotlight on Elementary Education
Example of Historical Thinking

On the website Historical Thinking Matters, a student reads aloud a [...] »

Analyzing a massive primary source? Divide it up! Teachers at the [...] »

One institution, two very different perspectives. An expert contrasts [...] »

Take a look at artifacts from the past—what might they be? Teachers model [...] »

Close observation and an inquisitive mind are all the tools you need to [...] »
Teaching in Action

High school teacher Joe Jelen combines roleplaying and critical analysis—by [...] »

A 3rd-grade teacher leads her students through analysis of child labor [...] »
Using Primary Sources

National Park Service lesson plans, teaching materials, and vibrant images [...] »

These worksheets from the Library of Congress help students analyze primary [...] »
Teaching with Textbooks

Show your students how to challenge the authority gap between the textbook [...] »

Make the most of your textbook—engage students in close reading and analysis [...] »

Class discussion and personal inquiry builds an interactive relationship [...] »

Allow students to see that history as we know it is interpretation, [...] »

Turn your students into 'master chefs' by using learning menus that allow [...] »