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.
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.
![Student writes in a classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/SanFrancisco_Classroom_2017_FH152732.jpg?h=f2fcf546&itok=vql3K3i_)
Think Aloud
Model for students how proficient readers make meaning of a text by verbalizing your thinking as you read.
![A teacher hands out papers to students at a table.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Chicago_Classroom_2018_FH151335.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=sjJpQmho)
Connect, Extend, Challenge
Deepen students' understanding of a topic by having them connect to their prior knowledge.
![Students write at their desks.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-07/Chicago_Classroom_2019_FH2101681.jpeg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=pItuRsH2)
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.
![K-W-L Chart template that can be printed out and used in the classroom.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-10/KWL%20Chart%20Teaching%20Strategy%20%20%281900%20%C3%97%201414%20px%29.png?h=d3d13267&itok=waUHntVd)
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.
![A student in a grey sweatshirt looks down at a paper with a pencil in hand.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/LA_ClassroomImage_2018_FH287141.jpg?h=f2fcf546&itok=N4wCjNyS)
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.
![Student speaking](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-07/SL_190522_0675.jpg?h=0f4230fa&itok=3-vI66f_)
Café Conversations
Students practice perspective-taking by representing the point of view of an assigned personality in a small-group discussion.
![Five students sit around a table in discussion](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Chicago_Classroom_2019_%20FH2101461.jpg?h=0f4230fa&itok=UwjT0kqz)
Assigning Roles for Group Work
Make your students’ group work more effective by giving each member a specific role to fill.
![Four students at their desks, working in a group.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-07/Chicago_Classroom_2019_FH2101383.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=spLBW7yj)
Think-Pair-Share
Think-Pair-Share activities facilitate thoughtful group discussions by having students first reflect individually and discuss their ideas with a partner.
![Two students talking in a classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Chicago_Classroom_2018_%20FH151324.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=VDhPgu6s)
Two-Column Note-Taking
Use this teaching strategy to help students learn how to take notes by identifying "key ideas" in one column and their "responses" in another column.
![Two students writing in a classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Chicago_Classroom_2019_FH2101676.jpg?h=c11c9c1d&itok=TlOy-GAQ)