Teacher Toolbox

Curriculum Resources & Lesson Plan Databases:

1. The History Project; University of California, Irvine
a. The History Project at UCI is a regional branch of the California History and
Social Science Project. This website includes curriculum and teaching resources,
professional learning opportunities, resources to teach writing, and historian
presentations.
2. UC Berkeley History Social Science Project; University of California, Berkeley
a. This is a regional branch of the California History and Social Science Project.
This website includes curriculum development resource, a lesson plan database,
explanations of upcoming programs, planning templates and more.
3. Stanford History Education Group; Stanford University
a. The Stanford History Education Group website includes US History and World
History lesson plans developed through the Reading Like a Historian program.
Also included are links to other innovative educational resources to assist teachers
who are creating curriculum and assessments.
4. Historical Thinking Matters
a. Historical Thinking Matters is website focused on key topics in U.S. history, that
is designed to teach students how to critically read primary sources and how to
critique and construct historical narratives. The site includes Four investigations
of central topics from post-civil war U.S. history, with activities that foster
historical thinking and encourage students to form reasoned conclusions about the
past.1
i. Spanish American War
ii. Scopes Trial
iii. Social Security
iv. Rosa Parks
5. Discovery Education
a. The Discovery Education site includes comprehensive standards-based content,
formative assessments, and more.
6. Center for History and New Media: History Matters
a. The Center for History and New Media produces historical works in new media,
tests their effectiveness in the classroom, and reflects critically on the success of
new media in historical practice. CHNMs resources include a list of best web
sites, links to syllabi and lesson plans, essays on history and new media, and
more. This link takes you to their excellent History Matters web site for U.S.
History. Go to the Digital Blackboard section for lesson ideas that integrate the
Internet. Resources are designed to benefit professional historians, high school
teachers, and students of history.2
7. Teaching American History
a. This is a wonderful collection of thoughtful and thorough lesson plans and other
resources on teaching American history. Each project was created by teachers in
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Description copied from the Historical Thinking Matters website.

Source found and description copied from the besthistorysites.net website.

Virginia at a Center for History and New Media workshop. All projects include a
variety of lesson plans and resources, and some even offer instructional videos on
source analysis. The lesson plans cover a range of topics in American history and
utilize interesting and engaging sources, activities, discussion questions, and
assessments. Take your time browsingthere are many to choose from.3
8. The Library of Congress: Teachers
a. The new Library of Congress Teachers page provides tools and resources for
using Library of Congress primary source documents in the classroom and
include excellent lesson plans, document analysis tools, online and offline
activities, timelines, presentations and professional development resources. The
Library of Congress American Memory in particular is an outstanding resource
for American history and general studies. Included are multimedia collections of
photographs, recorded sound, moving pictures, and digitized text. Use the
Teachers section to explore primary set collections and themed resources.
Teachers can get updates on new tools, professional development opportunities,
and Library programs, events and services.4
9. PBS Teacher Source
a. PBS is a great source for information on a myriad of historical events and
personalities. PBSs assorted and diverse web exhibits supplement specific
individual television series and generally include a summary of each episode,
interviews (often with sound bites), a timeline, a glossary, photos, and links to
relevant sites. Go to the PBS Teacher Source for lessons and activities
arranged by topic and grade level and sign up for their newsletter. Categories
include American History, World History, History on Television, and Biographies.
Some lesson plans require viewing PBS video, but many do not.5
Classroom Management Resources:
1. Remind.com
a. Helps keep students stay engaged and on track through the communication
platform that does not require an exchange of any personal information. Also
allows effective collaboration with parents.
2. Relationship Building Through Culturally Responsive Classroom Management,
Edutopia, Todd Finley (2014)
a. Hone skills like curiosity, listening, cultural sensitivity, and humor to build
rapport and provide all students with equitable opportunities for learning.6
3. 20 Tips for Creating a Safe Learning Environment, Edutopia, Rebecca Alber (Updated
2015)
a. Alber provides strategies for creating a safe, open, and community-centered
classroom environment.7
4. Strategies for Helping Students Motivate Themselves, Edutopia, Larry Ferlazzo (2015)
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Source found and description copied from the besthistorysites.net website.

Source found and description copied from the besthistorysites.net website.
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Source found and description copied from the besthistorysites.net website.
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Description copied from the Edutopia website Research Roundup
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Description copied from the Edutopia website Research Roundup
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a. Motivating students is a critical part of establishing classroom routines. Ferlazzo

explains how using autonomy, competence, relatedness, and relevance as practical
classroom strategies can help reinforce the intrinsic motivation that students need
for making the most of their learning.8
Research Resources:
1. Diigo, Google Chrome Extension
a. This extension allows students to save and tag online resources, annotate those
resources, organize links and references, and share research.
2. NoodleTools
a. Noodle Tools is a suite of interactive tools designed to aid students and
professionals with online research. Among its free tools are NoodleQuest,
designed to develop the optimum Web-based search strategy for your research
topic. Fill in the short form and NoodleTools will suggest a research direction.
Furthermore, Choose the Best Search provides helpful search strategies based
on an analysis of your topic. In table format, it provides concise but detailed
information literacy search strategies. Other free tools include NoodleBib
Starter, a free and simplified MLA version for students grades 1-5, ESL, and
NoodleLinks, a way to browse bibliographies written by researchers around the
world on hundreds of topics.9
General Resources:
1. EdTechTeacher, Best of History Sites
a. This site is essential a teacher toolbox for history teachers on steroids. This sites
has link to lesson plans, curriculum databases, research sites, and many more.
2. Teachinghistory.org, National History Education Clearinghouse
a. This site contains resources and materials for history teachers to improve US
history education in the classroom.

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Description copied from the Edutopia website Research Roundup

Resource found and description copied from the besthistorysites.net website.