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 Short-Handled Hoe

History is imbedded in the smallest objects. In this lesson, students [...] »

What Really Happened? Comparing Stories of the First Thanksgiving

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

English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Using Visuals to Build Interest and Understanding

Using primary source images to help English Language Learners build [...] »

Why Did It Happen? Making Claims about Cause and Effect

A shift in writing is required, often using new language tools, when making [...] »

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Internationalizing History

Discover the resources you need to "globalize" your U.S. history lesson [...] »

Free Speech Teaching Guide 2: Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969): Defining and Arguing Hate Speech

This teaching guide includes a structured guide to explaining the case [...] »

History of Higher Education: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers

Help students understand the different types of universities and colleges in [...] »

Teaching with Timelines
Image, Squared Circles-Clocks, 25 Oct 2006, Leo Reynolds, Flickr CC

Construct an ongoing, shared classroom timeline in middle and elementary [...] »

Four Reads: Learning to Read Primary Documents

Teach your students to read like a historian with this guided four-step [...] »

Ask a Master Teacher

Tips and Tricks for Using Graphic Organizers
graphic, Six-Set Edwards-Venn diagram, 11 Sept 2007, Flickr CC

Graphic organizers can be tricky. Check out these tips on how to keep them [...] »