Welcome to Teaching Materials

Teaching Public Issues in the Classroom
In Ask a Master Teacher

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
Prequel to Independence

Teach your students about causality with this useful activity.

[...] »
The Short-Handled Hoe

History is imbedded in the smallest objects. In this lesson, students [...] »

English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Bracero History Archive
Bracero History Archive

Explore resources on the Bracero guest worker program from the mid-20th [...] »

Reframing English Language Development
The storming of Chapu[ltepec] Sept. 13th [1847]

Discover how to teach English learners history and historical thinking.

[...] »

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Structured Academic Controversy (SAC)

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

Applying KWL Guides to Sources with Elementary Students

To engage with a source, ask, "What do I know, what do I want [...] »

Religion and the Civil War: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers

Help students understand the how religious beliefs shaped Americans' [...] »

Immigration from Asia Post-1970: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers

Help students understand recent immigration history by exploring photographs [...] »

Crop It

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

Ask a Master Teacher

Tall Tales: The West as Legend
Lithograph, ...Jesse James, Donaldson Lith. Co., 188-?, Library of Congress

Wrestling bears, surly cowboys, vultures circling lone travelers. . . Find [...] »