Welcome to Teaching Materials

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
Abraham Lincoln and the Jews

Students learn about the sixteenth president's relationship with Jewish [...] »

What Really Happened? Comparing Stories of the First Thanksgiving

Take a variety of perspectives into account before moving past the first [...] »

View All »

English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Reframing English Language Development
The storming of Chapu[ltepec] Sept. 13th [1847]

Discover how to teach English learners history and historical thinking.

[...] »
Using Primary Sources with English Language Learners

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

View All »

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students

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

Housing and Houselessness: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers

Help students understand the how policy and structural forces have shaped [...] »

Stop Action and Assess Alternatives

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

[...] »
Students Working in Local Historic Preservation

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

Free Speech Teaching Guide 4: Mandel v. Kleindienst (1972): Censorship via Visa

This guide traces the history of ideological visa denial to explore [...] »

View All »

Ask a Master Teacher

Brain-based Research
Photography, My Brain and My Mind, 4 Dec 2006, D. Bjorn, Flickr CC

What's in a brain? Quite a lot actually! Discover how brain research relates [...] »

Browse Questions »