Welcome to Best Practices
Spotlight on Elementary Education
Example of Historical Thinking
Take a look at artifacts from the past—what might they be? Teachers model [...] »
What meanings does the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC, have? [...] »
Analyzing a source requires context for a more complete understanding.
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How did the women's suffrage movement use the rise of journalism to its [...] »
Ford's Theatre Society's Sarah Jencks leads teachers through Abraham Lincoln [...] »
Teaching in Action
Watch 4th-graders analyze cartoons about Virginia and Brown v. Board of [...] »
An 8th-grade class analyzes letters about the Emancipation Proclamation.
[...] »Using Primary Sources
This website by the Smithsonian Portrait Gallery will help students [...] »
Looking for new ideas on how to teach with the historic places in your [...] »
Teaching with Textbooks
Allow students to see that history as we know it is interpretation, [...] »
Make the most of your textbook—engage students in close reading and analysis [...] »
Show your students how to challenge the authority gap between the textbook [...] »
Turn your students into 'master chefs' by using learning menus that allow [...] »
Help students identify with the past via children who lived through the [...] »