Teachinghistory.org

Teachinghistory.org is the website for the National History Education Clearinghouse. It is loaded with resources for teachers to use both in the classroom and for professional development. The lesson plan section presents many U.S. history lesson plans for all grades. This includes premade worksheets and a good selection of videos and images. There is also a selection of primary source documents that correspond with the lesson plans. At the bottom of the main page for each lesson plan, there are reviews and room to post your own review of the lesson plans.

Teachinghistory.org has an awesome section called “Beyond the Textbook.” This section is meant to “supplement the standard textbook narrative with critical questions and key primary sources.” It points out the ethnocentric nature of the common textbooks used in the US public schools and provides teachers with resources to present a more multicultural approach to history.

There are also lists of website reviews and a list of national resources that redirect you to federal historical organizations. I’ve found the “Ask a Historian” section very helpful and cool! You simply submit your history question and within a few days you receive an email from an accredited historian. The blog that Teachinghistory.org provides is a great place to express concerns and share advice with other educators. Finally, the Professional Development page has helpful links such as “Tech for Teachers” where you can learn how to implement things like Skype into a social studies classroom.

Overall, I have found teachinghistory.org a very useful website for lesson planning and finding the resources I need to present history to students from multiple viewpoints.

http://teachinghistory.org/