Teachinghistory.org is designed to help K–12 history teachers find resources and materials to improve U.S. history education.
The website homepage offers five introductory videos. What Is Historical Thinking? explains methods of thinking historically:
- multiple accounts and perspectives,
- analysis of primary sources,
- understanding historical context, and
- claim-evidence connection.
Four more videos introduce history teaching in elementary, middle school and high school classrooms, and the use of digital technology in the classroom. Quick Links take teachers directly to elementary, middle school and high school resources and classroom toolkits and spotlight annual historical holidays.
Teaching Materials include lesson plan reviews, instructional strategies and resources for English language learners, teaching guides, and an Ask a Master Teacher Q&A. A lesson plan gateway facilitates Internet searches by keyword and state standards.
Under History Content teachers will find website reviews, resources other than textbooks, federal teaching resources, quizzes that test knowledge and skills, and an Ask a Historian Q&A. teachers can search for museums and historical sites by keyword and state.
A Best Practices section has videos with scholars, students, and teachers modeling historical thinking, teachers demonstrating teaching practices, and text discussing strategies for analyzing primary sources. Teaching with Textbooks suggests techniques for promoting historical inquiry.
The Digital Classroom reviews and links to online digital classroom tools (search engines, learning management, printing tools that remove ads, media tools, learning games, and a lot more) and presents videos of teachers demonstrating digital tools in the classroom. Ask A Digital Historian provides answers to teacher questions.