September 11, 2001, began for many as an ordinary Tuesday morning throughout the United States. In some parts of the country, students were in school, some adults were at work or engaged in their daily routines, and others were still in peaceful slumber, unaware of the horrific series of events about to unfold. At about 8:45 a.m., the tragic assault on the country began. Within moments, the nation became a collective witness to and victim of a violent atrocity. Elie Wiesel has stated, “More than anything—more than hatred and torture—more than pain—do I fear the world’s indifference.”1 The…

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

The specific scaffolds and strategy instructions outlined in this article will help students engage in the complex task of historical inquiry. 

A close look at the history of African American voting rights can launch a lively classroom discussion about present-day democratic struggles.

Comparing questions from the 1920 Census and the 2020 Census can be a great jumping off point into a lesson on the importance of a national count and how Census questions reflect the prior decade.

A classroom examination of the featured historical article announcing North Carolina’s ratification of the Constitution can springboard into a lesson on federalism, the Bill of Rights, and the ratification process.

Amplify women’s voices in your classroom to honor the past, inform the present and inspire the future. Women’s stories have always been integral to American history, but they have often been marginalized or erased from K-12 education – presented as peripheral to the main story or highlighted only during Women’s History Month. Participants will be introduced to and receive a set of six teaching posters that will support teachers in integrating women’s history across the curriculum through American art and portraiture. Featured artworks link women’s stories to major themes in history and…

Whether you’re looking for innovative resources to start the new school year with ease and excitement, or to enhance your U.S. History lessons anytime throughout the year, we’ve got you covered. These resources are designed to be easy to use, easy to navigate, and easy to integrate into your existing lesson plans. The new U.S. History Collection on PBS LearningMedia features interactive lessons and interactive maps, timelines, and images designed to engage students in the content with different forms of media that center students in the learning process. As with all resources in the U.S.…

Using Material Culture to Teach Inclusive U.S. History; Empower Students to be Keepers of their own History Through Artifacts “Archives are the factories and laboratories of the historian. . . they are the warehouses from which we acquire the materials to build the history we write.” But what of the histories not captured in traditional archives? Historian Tiya Miles calls this the “conundrum of the archives–the way that written records have favored those with the means to document their lives. Such archives have skewed toward power, meaning white and male, and have largely…

Learning the stories of Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Stacey Abrams can deepen students’ understanding of the long and ongoing struggle for voting rights in the United States.