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.
Glenn Ligon, Untitled - Four Etchings [C]
In this black-on-black etching, Glenn Ligon uses Ralph Ellison's quote from the prologue of his novel, Invisible Man (1952): "I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus side-shows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only themselves, or figments of their imagina-"
![Black on Black etching that says, "“I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms. I am a man of substance, of flesh and bone, fiber and liquids—and I might even be said to possess a mind. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me.”](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/D11337_Medium_res_0.jpg?h=c978a40d&itok=rRnW4TXY)
Political Polarization in the United States
This Explainer defines the term political polarization and provides information on how it impacts US politics and society.
![Abstract red, white, and blue painting with thick brush strokes.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/PoliticalPolarization_full-res.jpg?h=5eef411c&itok=dyNgzenB)
Civil Rights Historical Investigations
Use this resource to help students study three major moments in the development of the civil rights movement in the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s.
![African-American protesters picketing against Boston school segregation in 1963.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/neu_111423.jpeg?h=3884fb6d&itok=IyOyFLKA)
Fostering Civil Discourse: How Do We Talk About Issues That Matter?
The ideas and tools in this guide will help you prepare students to engage in reflective conversations on topics that matter.
![Student art on the topic of "we choose"](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/we_chose_ctp_344330005_o.jpg?h=c6d0d1c4&itok=r8HMDWBE)
David M. Kennedy: "Twoness”
In this film clip from American Creed, historian David Kennedy discusses the complexity of American identity.
![](/sites/default/files/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_1344.jpg)
Big Paper Example
In a Big Paper activity, students respond silently to a text excerpt or image by writing their comments on a shared paper.
![A text quotation taped on a large piece of paper with student feedback written in markers.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-08/Big_Paper_Example.jpg?h=481317ef&itok=oivQYEYv)
Taking Down the Confederate Flag
Learn about the recent debate over the Confederate flag in South Carolina following the murders at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in 2015.
![Southeast view of the South Carolina State House with Strom Thurmond statue in the foreground.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/South_Carolina_State_House%2C_Columbia%2C_Southeast_view_with_Strom_Thurmond_Statue_FH2170671.jpeg?h=773321b5&itok=phpSrnZx)
Apartheid Policies
Read the National Party’s 1948 statement in support of apartheid, which justifies separation as a way to preserve the white European race.
![The Reservation of Separate Amenities Act (passed in 1953) led to signs such as the one shown above. The Act prohibited people of different races from using the same public amenities.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-05/Apartheid_Era_Sign.jpg?h=77e8015d&itok=b86oNSyE)
Twilight, Los Angeles Study Guide
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Use this guide to the documentary film Twilight to help students investigate the trial of the Los Angeles police officers indicted for the beating of Rodney King.
![Twilight, Los Angeles Study Guide Cover](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/twilight_LA_Page_01.jpg?h=50887407&itok=mJwjRzde)
Teaching Current Events: Educator Guide
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This guide includes tools and strategies for organizing discussions about current events in your classroom.
![Photo of students seated in a classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/140_Bully_Summit%2C_2012%2C_LA%2C_142_for_Web_or_Office_Use.jpg?h=7fb2964e&itok=TfALDZt7)
Eboo Patel on Collaborating across Differences
Interfaith leader Eboo Patel talks about what it takes to build a healthy, religiously diverse democracy.
![](/sites/default/files/brightcove/videos/images/posters/image_1987.jpg)