For educators who are now teaching remotely and homeschooling parents, we have several resources for online teaching and learning at the National Archives.
Lessons & Online Activities
DocsTeach
DocsTeach is the online tool for teaching with documents from the National Archives. Teachers can access primary source-based learning activities and assign them to students to complete online. Students can complete activities and research primary sources on a variety of topics spanning American history.
- Learn more at: www.docsteach.org/resources/getting-started
- Access primary source sets and teaching activities about select topics like the Civil War, WWI and WWII, women’s rights, rights in America on our Popular Topics page.
- Students can complete activities on computers or tablets, or in the DocsTeach app for iPad.
Educational Resources from the Center for Legislative Archives
Find resources for teaching about representative democracy, how Congress works, and the important role Congress has played throughout American history.
Curriculum Resources from the Presidential Libraries
- Herbert Hoover Library
- Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
- Harry S. Truman Library
- John F. Kennedy Library
- Jimmy Carter Library
- The Carter Center
- Ronald Reagan Library
- William J. Clinton Library
- George W. Bush Library
Resources for Learning at Home from the Civics Renewal Network
The Civics Renewal Network brings together resources from partner organizations such as the National Archives, iCivics, National Constitution Center, the Center for Civic Education, and more.
ONLINE LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS
Connect directly with an educator from the National Archives. Our free, interactive programs feature primary sources from our holdings. Each program aligns with National Social Studies Standards and Common Core State Standards. We also provide teacher guides with pre- and post-program lessons.
Teacher Professional Development
Our free interactive webinars for educators feature historical documents, images, maps, posters, and other primary sources — as well as resources and strategies for bringing primary sources into your classroom.
Webinars Available By Request – Connect your school or district with the National Archives for one of our by-request professional development webinars! Select An Introduction to DocsTeach or Teaching the Charters of Freedom: The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
Sites for Student Exploration and Research
America’s Founding Documents on archives.gov
Learn about America’s founding documents from the National Archives, the home of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
Google Arts & Culture
View online exhibits on a variety of topics and visit the Presidential Libraries of the National Archives.
Founders Online
Through Founders Online, you can read and search through thousands of documents to and from George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison and see firsthand the growth of democracy and the birth of the Republic.
eBooks
Access eBooks on the Constitution, Emancipation Proclamation, baseball, the Chinese Exclusion Act, political cartoons, and more.
This post was updated on February 3, 2021.
Hi I am 52 years old and I like to know if there is any kind of educational at home program for myself so I can get smarter on things
Hi Jennifer! Sure — our online exhibits from the National Archives and Presidential Libraries, and eBooks are great for self-paced learning for any age.