When teachers create lessons that include historical sources, it’s important to pay attention to source choice and source attribution. 

In this local history project, students in Turkey learned about global history and current events while exploring centuries-old trees still living in their urban environment.

DSM-Smithsonian/PBS Follow a select group of individuals determined to bring Egypt back from the brink: to discover more of the country’s history, keep its heritage safe and persuade tourists to visit the country again. There's a description of the program at http://www.dsp.tv/productions/egypts-treasure-guardians View the fun photos (great for middle school eyes) of artifacts and archaeologists (men and women; Egyptian, British, and Americans) crawling under huge rocks, working in the lab, bringing a new find into the sunlight for the first time, etc.) at http://www.natgeotv.com/uk/egypts-…

The following articles have been selected from our three main journals for K-12 teachers: Social Education, Middle Level Learning, and Social Studies and the Young Learner. These articles are grouped by topic for easy reference. Also included are recent current event responses that address racism and call for human rights education. NCSS Current Events Responses (2020)Teaching about Race and Racism in the ClassroomThe African American Struggle for Civil RightsSlavery and Its LegacyRacism and Discrimination against Black, Indigenous, and People of ColorHuman Rights EducationMiddle Level…

Immigration from Central America and the President's family separation policies are front and center in today's headlines, but the historical roots of migration to the United States are too often unknown or unexplored.Teaching for Change developed a series of four lessons with the country of El Salvador as a case study to provide important historical context for contemporary immigration issues.  The lessons were developed for use in conjunction with the website When We Were Young There Was a War. Students learn about and discuss: What factors were responsible for the waves of migration from…

Join NOVA to defrost the ultimate time capsule—5,000-year-old Otzi, the mummified corpse pulled from a glacier in the Alps. Through an autopsy like none other, scientists will attempt to unravel the details of his death and an entire way of life. Learn more at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/iceman-murder-mystery.html

In this series, a Victorian tenement in the heart of London's East End has been painstakingly brought back to life. A group of 21st century people move in to experience the tough living and working conditions of the Victorian poor in each decade, 1860s through 1900s. To see trailers and episode descriptions, visit http://www.pbs.org/show/victorian-slum-house/. Is this "recreation for television" a useful exercise in understanding the past, or a visual gimmick? Would clips from this series be useful in your classroom teaching? Send your critique to NCSS's newsletter at tssp@ncss.org and we'll…

Part 2 of 2 Become inspired to synthesize content with literacy theory for the purpose of developing your own classroom-ready curricula, including meaningful readings.  Learn how to create an engaging and beneficial curriculum around the concept of narrative and connections, in which students can bridge together the short excerpts, aka "dots", provided to read intently in class in order to see and understand the bigger picture. Textbooks are compiled, not written and this creates a problem for teachers who are trying to implement the new Common Core literacy standards.…

Part 1 of 2 Become inspired to synthesize content with literacy theory for the purpose of developing your own classroom-ready curricula, including meaningful readings. Learn how to create an engaging and beneficial curriculum around the concept of narrative and connections, in which students can bridge together the short excerpts, aka "dots", provided to read intently in class in order to see and understand the bigger picture. Textbooks are compiled, not written and this creates a problem for teachers who are trying to implement the new Common Core literacy standards.…