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
The Debate in the United States over the League of Nations

Documents and audio files explain the range of early political viewpoints on [...] »

New Jersey's Quakers and the American Revolution

Did you know the Quakers were pre-Revolution abolitionists?...

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English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Talking History

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

Reframing English Language Development
The storming of Chapu[ltepec] Sept. 13th [1847]

Discover how to teach English learners history and historical thinking.

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Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
What Is an "Inquiry Lesson"?

Hypothesize, test, and acknowledge how sources form different "pictures of [...] »

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

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

Rethinking "Westward Expansion": A Guide for Preservice Teachers

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

Using Historical Ephemera in the Classroom

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

Stop Action and Assess Alternatives

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

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Ask a Master Teacher

Data on Students' Knowledge of American History
Colored professional students and graduates in 1896-97, New York Public Library

Finding solid data on student learning in history can be a challenge. Here [...] »

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