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.
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.
We the People: Expanding the Teaching of the US Founding
This 5-7 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question "How do we reckon with a history full of complexities and contradictions?"
Angel Island Immigration Station: Exploring Borders and Belonging in US History
This 5-7 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question “How does the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station help us understand how borders are erected, enforced, and challenged?”
In Pursuit of Democracy and Freedom: A US History Inquiry
This 5–7 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question, “How can we make real the ideals of democracy and freedom?”
The Pursuit of Educational Justice in Boston
This 7–9 day C3-aligned inquiry explores the compelling question, “What can we learn from Boston’s past about what it takes to make progress toward educational justice today?”
Head, Heart, Conscience
This strategy uses reflection prompts to help students consider a complex or emotional topic through the lenses of head, heart, and ethics.
Think Aloud
Model for students how proficient readers make meaning of a text by verbalizing your thinking as you read.
Sketch to Stretch
Ask students to visualize a passage of text and interpret it through drawing with this reading comprehension strategy.
Connect, Extend, Challenge
Deepen students' understanding of a topic by having them connect to their prior knowledge.
Connect, Extend, Challenge (UK)
Deepen students' understanding of a topic by having them connect to their prior knowledge.
Say Something
Encourage students to stop and engage with a text as they read with this comprehension strategy.
Toolbox for Care
This teaching strategy invites students to think about the “tools” they have access to that can help them take care of themselves and their community in the wake of traumatic news.
Connecting the Past to the Present Using Oral History
This strategy helps students engage with oral histories in order to deepen their understanding of how past events impacted individuals and communities, and to gain new perspectives on the present.
K-W-L Charts
Use K-W-L charts to help students assess what they already know about a topic and what they want to learn.
Tableaux SVA
Aidez les élèves à évaluer ce qu’ils savent déjà sur un sujet et ce qu’ils veulent apprendre.
Learning to Infer
Educators will Introduce students to the concept of inferencing and then help them develop their inferencing skills.
3-2-1 (UK)
Gauge students’ understanding and interest in a topic by asking them to write down takeaways, questions, and something they enjoyed about a text, film, or lesson.
Alphabet Brainstorm
This brainstorming exercise is a quick way to generate students’ thoughts, measure prior knowledge, or check learning.
Analyzing Images
Lead students in a critical analysis of an image that enhances their observational, interpretive, and critical thinking skills.
Annotating and Paraphrasing Sources
Teach students to carefully read material by having them underline key words, write margin notes, and summarize main ideas.
Anticipation Guides
Get students thinking about the ideas and themes that they’ll encounter in a unit or a text.
Anticipation Guides (UK)
Get students thinking about the ideas and themes that they’ll encounter in a unit or a text.
Barometer: Taking a Stand on Controversial Issues
Structure an active class discussion in which students express their opinions by standing along a continuum.
Barometer: Taking a Stand on Controversial Issues (UK)
Structure an active class discussion in which students express their opinions by standing along a continuum.
Big Paper: Building a Silent Conversation
Students have a written conversation with peers and use silence as a tool to explore a topic in depth.
Grand Papier –Conversation silencieuse
Les élèves ont une conversation écrite avec leurs pairs et utilisent le silence comme outil pour explorer un sujet en profondeur.
Bio-poem: Connecting Identity and Poetry
Students clarify aspects of their identity or the identity of a historical or literary figure by writing poems that focus on deeper elements of personal makeup like experiences, relationships, hopes, and interests.
Character Charts
Provide students with a graphic tool to record and organize information about characters in a text.
Character Maps
Help students engage with a fictional or historical character by creating an annotated illustration.
Character Maps (UK)
Help students engage with a fictional or historical character by creating an annotated illustration.
Chunking
Chunking helps students approach challenging texts by breaking down content into manageable pieces.
Close Reading Protocol
Ensure students’ reading comprehension by emphasizing a purposeful reading and rereading of a text.
Close Viewing Protocol
Teach your students to become critical viewers of film with this four-step procedure.
Color, Symbol, Image
Invite students to nonverbally communicate something they have read or watched, using a color, a symbol, and an image.
Introducing a New Book
Spark students’ interest in a book before reading it by having them make predictions and ask questions about its contents.
Found Poems
Students compose poems using only words, phrases, or quotations from a text that they find meaningful.
Four Corners
Get all students involved by asking them to show their stance on a statement through their positioning around the room.
Gallery Walk
A gallery walk activity gets students moving as they explore a range of documents, images, or student work displayed around the classroom.
Iceberg Diagrams
Encourage students to recognize the multiple causal factors behind an event from history, the present, or literature, using the visual of an iceberg.
Café Conversations
Students practice perspective-taking by representing the point of view of an assigned personality in a small-group discussion.
Café Conversations (UK)
Students practice perspective-taking by representing the point of view of an assigned personality in a small-group discussion.
Assigning Roles for Group Work
Make your students’ group work more effective by giving each member a specific role to fill.
Identity Charts
Use identity charts to help students consider the many factors that shape their own identity and that of groups, nations, and historical and literary figures.
Give One, Get One
Students seek out and share ideas and information with classmates through this cooperative learning strategy.
Graffiti Boards
Help students process their thoughts and emotions on a topic by engaging them in a written conversation with their classmates.
Learn to Listen, Listen to Learn
Educators will structure a discussion that uses journaling and group work to strengthen students’ listening skills.
Life Road Maps
Educators will enrich students’ understanding of a historical or literary figure by having students draw the figure’s life journey.