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
What Really Happened? Comparing Stories of the First Thanksgiving

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

Evaluating the Validity of Information

Did the Chinese discover America before Columbus? How would or does this [...] »

English Language Learners

Instructional strategies and resources for ELL
Using Non-Linguistic Representations to Strengthen Historical Thinking

Discover alternatives to writing based student activities. Why not encourage [...] »

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 [...] »

Teaching Guides

Explore new teaching methods and approaches
Students Working in Local Historic Preservation

Engage your students in preserving local history! Use this teacher's [...] »

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

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

Document-Based Whole-Class Discussion

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

Writing to Learn History: Annotations and Mini-Writes

A pen or pencil in your student's hand is an excellent tool for teaching [...] »

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 [...] »

Ask a Master Teacher

A Larger Global or Interregional Story
Gelatin silver print, Grass seed plants being examined, 1960, Flickr Commons

Case studies grab attention, but how can you be sure you're also teaching [...] »