Best Practices | TeachingHistory.org

Welcome to Best Practices

The National History Day’s guidelines for defining and locating primary sources.

Primary Sources: What Are They?

In Using Primary Sources

Sixth graders in Prince William County film their interpretations of the First Battle of Manassas.

Of the Student, For the Student, By the Student

In Teaching in Action

Potato chip marketing—how a luxury item became an everyday U.S. food.

Creative Memo on Lay's Products

In Examples of Historical Thinking

Spotlight on Elementary Education

Oral histories and interviews are a unique form of historical documentation. This guide by Linda Shopes offers an overview of the various ways oral history can be integrated into classroom discussions. Though some of the techniques will have to be adapted for elementary students, the ideas Shopes presents are extremely useful. FIND OUT MORE »

Example of Historical Thinking

Scholars, students, and teachers model historical thinking

Women's Rights: Sarah Bagley Letters

What do these letters from a women's rights activist reveal about social [...] »

Watch Smithsonian curator Barbara Clark Smith discuss John Smith’s Map of [...] »

World War II Memorial

What meanings does the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, have? [...] »

Intertextual Reading of Two Primary Documents

A student demonstrates thinking aloud reading two documents.

My Lai Massacre Political Cartoon

Professor Meredith Lair examines a 1971 political cartoon and what it says [...] »

Teaching in Action

Teachers demonstrate promising teaching practices

Foundations of American History: John Brown Song

How did people in the North feel about John Brown after his raid on Harpers [...] »

FDR's Fireside Chats

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

Using Primary Sources

Strategies for analyzing primary sources

Making Sense of Oral History

Work with oral history interviews as historical evidence.

Secondary Sources: What Are They?

National History Day identifies secondary sources along with [...] »

Teaching with Textbooks

Techniques for promoting historical inquiry

Learning Menus: Textbooks a la Carte

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

Building a Conversation between Textbooks, Students, and Teachers

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

The Grammar of History Textbooks, Part I: Language Analysis

The language of history textbooks challenges English language learners and [...] »

Opening Up the Textbook

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

The Grammar of History Textbooks Part II: Questioning the Text

Turn your textbook into a conversation by scanning its language for biases [...] »