Teachinghistory.org

Welcome to Teaching Materials

Photography, Tug of War, 17 May 2009, Tom Blackwell, Flickr CC

Are you caught between academic advisors and classroom teachers? Feel like you're being pulled in opposite directions? We're here to help.

Advice for the Student Teacher

In Ask a Master Teacher

Photography, Guy Reads, 29 March 2010, Flickr CC

Nonfiction texts are great sources for learning about historical events and figures. However, do fictional accounts also have a place in the history classroom?

Historic Stories, Fictional Accounts: Achieving Multiperspectivity

In Ask a Master Teacher

Letter, Handwritten letter signed by Victor Séjour, Victor Séjour, NYPL Digital

Create scaffolding and careful preparation of documents to promote student understanding of primary sources.

Deciphering Primary Source Documents

In Ask a Master Teacher

Spotlight on Elementary Education

In this Lesson Plan Review, students analyze primary and secondary sources describing an encounter between the Lewis and Clark expedition and a Native American tribe. The lesson overall is a great way to encourage students to work collaboratively to analyze this important historical interaction from multiple perspectives.

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Lesson Plan Reviews

Evaluate key elements of effective teaching Watch the INTRODUCTORY VIDEO

My History at School

To make something real, make it personal. Abstract concepts can best be [...] »

The Debate in the United States over the League of Nations

Documents and audio files explain the range of early political viewpoints on [...] »

English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL

Historical Thinking Matters

Primary sources in both English and Spanish on the Spanish American War, [...] »

The Struggle for Time: Using Persuasive Essays to Teach Elementary History

From chanting to formal essay framing—discover creative ways to frame ELL [...] »

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches

Stop Action and Assess Alternatives

Teach students to explore contingency with this great lesson plan idea.

Students Working in Local Historic Preservation

Engage your students in preserving local history! Use this teacher's [...] »

Using Historical Ephemera in the Classroom

Ticket stubs. Report cards. Photographs. All of these things have historical [...] »

Teaching with Timelines

Construct an ongoing, shared classroom timeline in middle and elementary [...] »

Using Old Maps as Tools to Explore Our World

Maps show far more than how to go from point A to point B! Discover how to [...] »

Ask a Master Teacher

The iPad: A Digital History Gateway

Can iPads open an exciting new world filled with digital textbooks and [...] »

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