Welcome to Teaching Materials

Tennessee's Social Studies Curriculum
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Building Background Knowledge for English Language Learners
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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 Cost of Industrialization

Use the Triangle Shirtwaist fire to examine the benefits and costs of [...] »

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
Historical Thinking Matters
Historical Thinking Matters

Primary sources in both English and Spanish on the Spanish American War, [...] »

Using Primary Sources with English Language Learners

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

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Using Historical Ephemera in the Classroom

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

Concept Formation

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

Incorporating 20th Century US Environmental History in the K-5 Classroom

This guide consists of curated primary and secondary sources to help [...] »

Religion and the Civil War: A Guide for Pre-Service Teachers

Help students understand the how religious beliefs shaped Americans' [...] »

What Is an "Inquiry Lesson"?

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

Ask a Master Teacher

Bridging the Gap Between Ancient and Modern Democracies
Photo, Toga, November 10, 2007, Olga Díez (Caliope), Flickr, creative commons

To most students, "histories" are entirely separate—different civilizations [...] »