Resource Library
Find compelling classroom resources, learn new teaching methods, meet standards, and make a difference in the lives of your students.
We are grateful to The Hammer Family Foundation for supporting the development of our on-demand learning and teaching resources.
![A group of high school students sit at desks in conversation.](/sites/default/files/styles/scale_480/public/2023-10/AdobeStock_254378868.jpg?itok=f6YAphey)
Introducing Our US History Curriculum Collection
Draw from this flexible curriculum collection as you plan any middle or high school US history course. Featuring units, C3-style inquiries, and case studies, the collection will help you explore themes of democracy and freedom with your students throughout the year.
Supporting Question 4: Memory of the Founding
Students explore the supporting question "How should we remember the nation’s founding?"
![Washington DC, Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Building Southwest Pavilion. The Library has had an ongoing exhibition entitled "Thomas Jefferson's Library", which presents the Library's efforts to completely recreate Thomas Jefferson's personal library. The exhibit is located on the Building's second floor in the Southwest Pavilion, called the Pavilion of the Discoverers due to the paintings and bas-reliefs that adorn the space.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/2F36F1J.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=uc3dLkqF)
Supporting Question 1: The Nation’s Founding Ideals
Students explore the supporting question "What does the Declaration of Independence state about the nation’s founding ideals?"
![United States Declaration of Independence](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/master-rbc-rbc0001-2004-2004pe76546-001%20%281%29.jpg?h=4ec2df74&itok=6j3UL0rd)
Supporting Question 2: Founding Ideals Versus Realities
Students explore the supporting question "What contradictions existed between the ideals and the reality of the founding of the United States?"
![Photo shows a group of African American slaves posed around a horse-drawn cart, with a building in the background, at the Cassina Point plantation of James Hopkinson on Edisto Island, South Carolina.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/service-pnp-ppmsca-39500-39590v.jpg?h=fd5c1401&itok=K1ckwjtu)
Analyzing “Aha” Moments
Students identify pivotal moments when a central character learns something important about themselves, others, and their real or fictional world.
![Two students sitting at a table.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SL_190523_0632.jpg?h=c11c9c1d&itok=qOwAMWt3)
Asking Compelling Questions
Students engage in meaningful discussions with their peers about a text while using text-based evidence to support their thinking and making real-life connections to what they're reading.
![Two students sitting in a classroom with one student talking and gesturing](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Chicago_Classroom_2018_%20FH151349.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=DKqBQANg)
Create a Textual Lineage
Students consider the profound impact that the spoken and written word (as well as art and sound) can have on an individual’s identity and sense of self.
![A wide angle of a male student writing.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/facing-history-sf-drew-bird-a-056.jpg?h=f2fcf546&itok=cW2M4Jti)
Exploring Identity in Literature and Life
Students explore the complexity and fluidity of identity, both in the world of the text and in their own lives.
![Two female students engage in classroom discussion.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-10/San_Francisco_California_Classroom_2017_%20FH152796.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=hd8COz_6)
Exploring the Moral Universe of Setting
Students explore the concept of "moral universe" and consider how time and place influence our identities, sense of belonging, and moral decision-making processes.
![Black male teacher assists student in classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-10/Somerville_Classroom_2017_%20FH256547.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=I2Ope0Bp)
Making Contemporary Connections to Literature
Students draw connections between social issues that the author explores in the text and their impact on our world today.
![Two female students work together at their desks.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-07/Somerville_Massachusetts_Classroom_2017_%20FH256803.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=74WEpHMh)
Map the Internal World of a Character
Students practice using evidence from the text and their own understanding of the world to analyze a character’s thoughts, feelings, motivations, and sense of belonging.
![Male students discuss in a classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-10/Chicago_Classroom_2019_FH2101403.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=eyJfZlt7)
Playing with Perspective
Students reflect on the concept of perspective and consider the importance and limitations of our ability to see things from another’s perspective.
![Female students engage in classroom discussion.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-10/Chicago_Classroom_2019_FH2101399.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=bEMoBUXd)