Welcome to Teaching Materials

Not sure how to go about devising World History lesson plans and activities? We're here to help.

Teaching World History: An Idea Guide
In Ask a Master Teacher
screen shot-wordshift home page

Help English learners understand basic concepts with this interactive tool from Stanford University.

Supporting Text Comprehension and Vocabulary Development Using WordSift
In English Language Learners

Discover alternatives to writing based student activities. Why not encourage your students to make a graphic organizer or physical model to demonstrate understanding?

Using Non-Linguistic Representations to Strengthen Historical Thinking
In English Language Learners

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
A Look at Slavery through Posters and Broadsides

How to identify the author, audience, date, and message of historical [...] »

My History at School

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

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English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Responding to English Learners’ Writing with the 3 P’s
Middle school student, VA

Use the three P’s (Preparation, Purpose, and Proficiency) to provide [...] »

Using Non-Linguistic Representations to Strengthen Historical Thinking

Discover alternatives to writing based student activities. Why not encourage [...] »

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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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Using Blogs in a History Classroom

Setting up and maintaining a blog for your classroom is easy (and typically [...] »

Interpreting Political Cartoons in the History Classroom

Political cartoons are often conceptually complex, but offer valuable [...] »

Concept Formation

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

Students Working in Local Historic Preservation

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

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Ask a Master Teacher

Head Start Expectations
Photography, The Life Vision Academy, 8 June 2009, Dhillan Chandramowli, Flickr

What are kindergartners expected to know coming out of Head Start? Find out [...] »

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