Welcome to Teaching Materials

Photography, Schenectady, New York., June 1943, Philip Bonn, LOC

Engrain the APPARTS strategy into young students, and they'll be well on their way to AP-level performance.

APPARTS Strategy: Origins and Implementation
In Ask a Master Teacher

This guide explores the relationship between secrecy and the First Amendment by exploring two interrelated legal problems: the rights of leakers and the press to publish secret information; and the bureaucratic process by which information is classified as secret in the first place. These issues are at the heart of recent conflicts about whistleblowers and classified information – individuals like Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden have faced jail time for sharing secrets with the public.

Free Speech Teaching Guide 3: The Problem of National Security Secrets
In Teaching Guides
Photo, "Reading is Fun," John-Morgan, May 14, 2009, Flickr

Should I just try to jazz up our textbook or can you suggest places to look to find documents that my kids can decipher?

Using Document Based Questions with Struggling Readers
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
My Piece of History

Even the recent past was very different from the present. Students analyze [...] »

Building the Erie Canal

Cutting through New York from the ocean to the Great Lakes, the Erie Canal [...] »

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English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
The Struggle for Time: Using Persuasive Essays to Teach Elementary History

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

Talking History

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

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Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Free Speech Teaching Guide 1: The Birth of the Modern First Amendment and How Oliver Wendell Holmes Changed His Mind

This guide focuses on the history of free speech in one crucial year ( [...] »

Well-behaved Women [and Men] Seldom Make History

Help your elementary school students get more out of historical biographies [...] »

Document-Based Whole-Class Discussion

Classroom discussions need not be argumentative and unproductive. Discover a [...] »

Teaching with Timelines
Image, Squared Circles-Clocks, 25 Oct 2006, Leo Reynolds, Flickr CC

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

Incorporating 20th Century US Environmental History in the 6-12 Classroom

This guide consists of curated primary and secondary sources to help [...] »

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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 [...] »

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