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
Causation: The War of 1812 and the Star-Spangled Banner

A great way for students to learn more about the War of 1812 and our nation' [...] »

The Road to Pearl Harbor

Explore the rise of animosity between the U.S. and Japan through primary [...] »

English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
World Digital Library
World Digital Library home page

Use this tool to translate primary source material!

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Supporting Text Comprehension and Vocabulary Development Using WordSift
screen shot-wordshift home page

Help English learners understand basic concepts with this interactive tool [...] »

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Using Old Maps as Tools to Explore Our World

Maps show far more than how to go from point A to point B! Discover how to [...] »

Using Historical Ephemera in the Classroom

Ticket stubs. Report cards. Photographs. All of these things have historical [...] »

Stating Your Case: Writing Thesis Statements Effectively

Thesis statements form the backbone of history essays and DBQs.

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Concept Formation

In order to understand topics, you must first understand concepts. Learn all [...] »

Using Blogs in a History Classroom

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

Ask a Master Teacher

Slave Badges
wood engraving, The African slave-trade, 1884, LOC

Slave badges were used in Charleston to keep track of slaves. Can you build [...] »