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
Messages of Houses and Their Contents, 1780-1820

Examining changes in early American homes helps interpret the past. It [...] »

Tenement Life

Students examine primary sources related to the life of an immigrant girl [...] »

English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Hispano Music & Culture of the Northern Rio Grande
Hispano Music & Culture of the Northern Rio Grande

Explore the music of Spanish-speaking residents of rural Northern New Mexico [...] »

Talking History

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

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Concept Formation

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

Using Historical Ephemera in the Classroom

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

Using Blogs in a History Classroom

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

Document-Based Whole-Class Discussion

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

Structured Academic Controversy (SAC)

Are classroom discussions about winning the argument or about understanding [...] »

Ask a Master Teacher

Setting the Tone: Introducing Students to World War II
Photo, Flowers for soldier in a tank, 1945, Nationaal Archief, Flickr Commons

Whichever lesson you pick, make sure it meets your learning goals.


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