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.
Co-design Your Classroom with Your Students
This mini-lesson asks students to start the school year by designing their ideal learning space.
![Students move around the classroom in conversation with each other. One student looks directly into the camera with a smile on their face.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/ClassroomImage_LA_FH287162.jpg?h=a141e9ea&itok=ipY6dvE3)
Summative Performance Task & Taking Informed Action
Students culminate their arc of inquiry into the US founding by completing a C3-aligned Summative Performance Task and Taking Informed Action.
![Student works on notebook](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/SL_190522_0012.jpg?h=0f4230fa&itok=_BwxiZ4Q)
Staging the Compelling Question
Students are introduced to the themes of the compelling question by responding to a quote from James Baldwin that sparks their thinking about the complexities and contradictions within US history.
![Photo of student listening to student-led teaching session](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-11/SL_190522_0700%20%281%29.jpg?h=4362216e&itok=glf-JB3p)
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)
Transcending Single Stories
Students reflect on how stereotypes and "single stories" influence our identities, how we view others, and the choices we make.
![Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie poses for a portrait in a red shirt.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2017_ChimamandaNgoziAdichie_FH2173820.jpg?h=48bd8eff&itok=5aHBnh0R)
Understanding Identity
Students consider the question "Who am I?" and identify social and cultural factors that shape identity by reading a short story and creating personal identity charts.
![An illustration from Fred Tashlin's The Bear That Wasn't.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Bear_04_Medium_res.jpg?h=e234a08a&itok=1oJczY0C)
When Differences Matter
Students consider what happens when one aspect of our identity is privileged above others by society.
![A Black student looks up while speaking into a microphone wearing a shirt that reads, "Black History: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future."](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/2020_studentevent_FH2123247.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=hOJqWk6N)
Step 2: We and They
Students work collaboratively to create illustrated children’s stories that explore issues of conformity and belonging.
![Uniformed high school students write at their desks.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/DSC08537.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=iu11BSxz)
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)