Welcome to Best Practices
Spotlight on Elementary Education
Example of Historical Thinking
What was it like being a small farmer in the 1700s? Follow a tour group [...] »
Challenge students to gather evidence from multiple primary sources. Here, a [...] »
Excite students by introducing them to primary sources that answer questions [...] »
Historian Christopher Hamner visits the original Franklin D. [...] »
Historian Chandra Manning analyzes Civil War letters from black and white [...] »
Teaching in Action
An 8th-grade teacher asks: Was early 20th-century America a "melting pot" or [...] »
A 5th-grade teacher teaches historical context through roleplaying [...] »
Using Primary Sources
When visiting historical sites, sometimes you need a visual/emotional "hook [...] »
Use this guide developed by PBS and the Antiques Roadshow to teach [...] »
Teaching with Textbooks
Make the most of your textbook—engage students in close reading and analysis [...] »
Allow students to see that history as we know it is interpretation, [...] »
Turn your textbook into a conversation by scanning its language for biases [...] »
Class discussion and personal inquiry builds an interactive relationship [...] »
The language of history textbooks challenges English language learners and [...] »