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Help students reflect on the purpose of learning history and of education in general by using Library of Congress primary sources to better understand the history of education of Indigenous people in the United States. 

History of Education and Indigenous Americans: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers
In Teaching Guides
Print, Paul Revere's Ride, 1913, New York Public Library

When unit planning is daunting, look to exceptional examples online.

Resources for Units on Early American Government
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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

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 [...] »

Watergate and the Constitution

To indict or not to indict? Watergate raised complicated questions [...] »

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English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Using Primary Sources with English Language Learners

Primary source analysis activities can help include English Language [...] »

The Struggle for Time: Using Persuasive Essays to Teach Elementary History

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

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Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Document-Based Whole-Class Discussion

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

Stop Action and Assess Alternatives

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

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9/11 and Commemoration: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers

Help students understand the events of 9/11 and how such events are [...] »

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 ( [...] »

Using Blogs in a History Classroom

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

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Ask a Master Teacher

Picking Civics Textbooks

Textbooks may be fantastic, but curriculum is even better.


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