Welcome to Best Practices
Spotlight on Elementary Education
Example of Historical Thinking
One institution, two very different perspectives. An expert contrasts [...] »
A student demonstrates thinking aloud reading two documents.
[...] »
What can a photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 reveal? Donald A. [...] »
How can you get teachers thinking about monuments and memorials as secondary [...] »
Close observation and an inquisitive mind are all the tools you need to [...] »
Teaching in Action
How did people in the North feel about John Brown after his raid on Harpers [...] »
A 4th-grade teacher shows strategies for encouraging and supporting student [...] »
Using Primary Sources
Check out these sites for primary sources grouped into sets by topic, grade- [...] »
Textbook illustrations are often overlooked as historical evidence.
[...] »Teaching with Textbooks
Turn your students into 'master chefs' by using learning menus that allow [...] »
The language of history textbooks challenges English language learners and [...] »
Class discussion and personal inquiry builds an interactive relationship [...] »
Turn your textbook into a conversation by scanning its language for biases [...] »
Make the most of your textbook—engage students in close reading and analysis [...] »