Teachers

Teachers' Links

These websites have lesson plans, training opportunities, and other content to help you excel at teaching the archeology and history of Texas and beyond! Check out the TBH Kids' Cool Links page for kid-oriented websites. Have a website to recommend to your fellow educators? Email us at emccuistion@utexas.edu or slblack@utexas.edu and let us know!

1. Texas Historical Commission Learn about Texas history, historical sites and preservation, and other history-related content areas through the THC's free, downloadable resources for K-12 students and teachers. Check out Texas History at Home, Learning Resources, and Webinars and Workshops.
2. The Portal to Texas History The Portal to Texas History offers students and lifelong learners a digital gateway to the rich collections held in Texas libraries, museums, archives, historical societies, and private collections. The Texas History for Teachers site offers K-12 lesson plans for teaching Texas history correlated to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
3. Texas Archeological Society Become a member and learn how to do archeology at one of the TAS field schools held annually at important sites across the state, or learn about a topic of interest at one of the shorter Academies. You can also find a list of active regional archeological societies here.
4. Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) The CHAPS Program is a consortium of University of Texas Rio Grande Valley faculty, lecturers, and staff who have embraced the teacher/scholar model wherein scholarly enquiry is intertwined with K-17 education and community engagement. Today it the program includes the disciplines of anthropology, biology, communication, education, geology, and history. CHAPS offers K-12 professional development workshops, classroom activities and lessons, a book, and an interactive 3D projectile point poster, and virtual tours and podcasts as part of their Ancient Landscapes of South Texas project. Also, discover the Rio Grande Civil War Trail through their community-based virtual "tour" of the history of the Civil War in South Texas!



5. Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center Here is a chance to visit and learn about rock art right here in Texas! Shumla offers day-long treks around the Del Rio-Comstock area to promote engagement and public education in support of their mission to preserve the ancient rock art of the Lower Pecos. They will share their latest discoveries and show you how modern science is helping us to understand the complex worldview and fantastically rich culture of the native people who created these masterworks. If you cannot join them for a Shumla Trek, their Coloring with Shumla series will teach you more about the ancient rock art of the Lower Pecos. These coloring pages highlight several motifs, or design patterns, and show you how they think the paint was applied based on our research as well as other fun facts about the art.
6. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The TPWD Education page has teaching resources, including lesson plans, and resources for finding parks, historic sites, and living history programs in Texas state parks. Kids' pages features "Learn about Texas Indians" and downloadable coloring pages.
7. Texas Children in Nature Network and Nature Rocks Texas.org TCiNN is a grassroots network of over 600 partner organizations and individuals who are working together to connect children and families with nature in Texas. These two website have lots of ideas for getting kids' outside, and includes resources like recorded webinars and workshops. While these sites are not archeology and history specific, learning about the natural world goes hand-in-hand with learning about archeology.
8. Council of Texas Archeologists The Council of Texas Archeologists is a nonprofit voluntary organization which promotes the goals of professional archeology in the State of Texas. Site includes good information on guidelines and regulations for archeologists as well as links to many archeology-related websites.
9. Texas Indians This was once the best privately maintained site available on Texas Indians. Web master R. E. Moore did a wonderful job compiling information for this very useful site, which is now outdated. Nonetheless, you will find many articles on individual Indian tribes, teacher resources and more.
10. Society for American Archaeology A wealth of information for teachers, from the basics of what archeology is and why its important to teach, to lesson plans and kids activities, teacher training opportunities, and more links to websites for teaching archeology.



11. National Park Service A wealth of information, the National Park Service has a page dedicated to Archeology For Teachers, including lesson plans, and tons of information, inspiration, and training opportunities on their Discover History page.
12. Bureau of Land Management BLM education programs and materials help teachers and students understand resource areas, multiple-use land management, and how citizens can affect land use decisions. Scout leaders, BLM staff, and others who work with students also find the materials useful. Check out their many educational resources, including lesson plans and professional development opportunities.
13. The Archaeological Conservancy The Archaeological Conservancy is a non-profit organization established in 1980 to acquire and preserve America's most important archaeological sites, including several in Texas (eg., parts of the Wilson-Leonard and Gault sites). Their website provides ideas on ways to be involved in these efforts.
14. The Archaeology Channel This site features streaming video of archeological investigations from around the world, from Greece to Kentucky. It also offers teacher resources, including lessons, student activities, and other useful links.
15. Smithsonian Museum of American History This site features a ton of good teaching resouces, from historical archeology to learning from primary source artifacts.
16. National History Club The National History Club Inc. (NHC) inspires students and teachers to start history club chapters at high schools, middle schools, and within other student and community programs. You'll find everything you need to get started and become part of a larger community of teachers and students who love history.