Welcome to Teaching Materials

Spotlight on Elementary Education

History is made by those who are unafraid to push the envelope and redefine the society in which they live. Encourage your students to examine the men and women who worked to make America what it is today with this creative activity. FIND OUT MORE »

Lesson Plan Reviews

Evaluate key elements of effective teaching Watch the INTRODUCTORY VIDEO
Divining America: Religion in American History

Use this essay on Jewish immigration to flesh out a unit on the Civil War or [...] »

Lewis and Clark: Same Place, Different Perspectives

How geography influenced interactions among Lewis, Clark, & Native [...] »

English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Historical Thinking Matters
Historical Thinking Matters

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

Talking History

Students shy or hesitant to speak up? Check out these tips to get students [...] »

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Stop Action and Assess Alternatives

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

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The Research Paper: Developing Historical Questions

Research papers are not an archaic form of assessment. Learn how to help [...] »

Crop It

Use this four-step learning routine to deeply explore visual primary sources [...] »

Structured Academic Controversy (SAC)

Are classroom discussions about winning the argument or about understanding [...] »

Concept Formation

In order to understand topics, you must first understand concepts. Learn all [...] »

Ask a Master Teacher

Two-Year High School U.S. History Programs
Photo, Boys in classroom_1093, hoyasmeg, May 3, 2007, Flickr

What are the benefits and detriments of implementing a two-year U.S. history [...] »