Welcome to Teaching Materials

English Language Learners often have difficulty contributing to class discussions. Discover ways to help.

Increasing Participation in Whole-Class Discussions
In English Language Learners

Learn about the experiences of immigrants detained at Angel Island and how this impacted their opinion of the US.

Discovering Angel Island: The Story Behind the Poems
In Lesson Plan Reviews
Photography, foreign language books at martin luther king memorial library in wa

How can we help our 5th-grade ELL students build background and make connections with our social studies curriculum?

Building Background Knowledge for English Language Learners
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
Civil Rights and Incarceration

What were the consequences of and motivations for Japanese American removal [...] »

Lewis and Clark: Same Place, Different Perspectives

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

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English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Google Translate
Screen shot, Languages supported by google translate, 1 april 2011

Looking to translate documents or text? Google Translate can help.

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Targeting Content and English Language Objectives
Photo, English club First meeting Dover Library, Sept. 13, 2010, RTLibrary

Build your students' language skills and historical understanding by using [...] »

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Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Interpreting Political Cartoons in the History Classroom

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

Rethinking "Westward Expansion": A Guide for Preservice Teachers

Help students reconsider the how the expansion of the United States from [...] »

Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students

Using the premise of a mystery, elementary students act as history [...] »

Native Women and Suffrage - Beyond the 19th Amendment: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers

Using primary sources from the Library of Congress, help students reconsider [...] »

Stop Action and Assess Alternatives

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

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Ask a Master Teacher

Teaching World History: An Idea Guide

Not sure how to go about devising World History lesson plans and activities [...] »

Browse Questions »