Teach and Learn Wisconsin History
Learn With the Wisconsin Historical Society
Welcome to the Wisconsin Historical Society online education experience. Below you’ll find resources that will empower curiosity by creating spaces for listening to different voices, sharing ideas, and exploring our past, present, and future.
Field Trip with Us!
Sensory-rich, wonder-filled, on-site Field Trips at our historic sites and museums.
Each program delivers standard-aligned content, wrapped in play, creativity, critical thinking, and storytelling. Programs are desiged for different grade levels and we also offer programs that come to you in your classroom!
Explore Field TripsNational History Day
Turning Points in History
National History Day is an exciting academic enrichment program that helps students learn about historical issues, ideas, people, and events. It is more than a day; it is a process, a creative outlet, and a confidence-building experience. This is an opportunity to think beyond the textbook in your social studies classroom and develop a memorable project.
Learn MoreTeachers' Lounge
Primary School Lesson Plans
Secondary School Lesson Plans
Teacher Professional Development Grades 3-5
Professional development sessions based on Wisconsin: Our State; Our Story and other Wisconsin Historical Society resources for educators. Each in-person or virtual session provides tips and ideas for pacing, activities, and extensions available from the Wisconsin Historical Society education team.
2-3-hours, in your classroom. Offered year-round. Max Capacity: 15 teachers.
$150 per session
Mileage costs may apply
The first training is FREE and included with classroom textbook sales!
Register TodayCovid-19 Journal Project
Your story is the future of history. Your voice, your ideas, your experiences can be what connects a student 100 years from now to what life is like at this moment. We are actively documenting the impact of COVID-19 on Wisconsin, and the world. In 1861, we collected journals of Union Soldiers so that the Civil War could be understood from their point of view. Today, your stories of quarantine and COVID-19 can be a bridge to how our stories will be seen, heard, and understood. You are the Future of History. Click on the link below to see how classrooms and teachers can participate in this project.
Learn MoreEducators' Book Picks
Essential Textbook
Wisconsin: Our State, Our Story
Core content for grades 3–5
Discover the fascinating people and events that shaped our past—from the retreat of the glaciers to the diverse state we are today—through the primary sources left behind.
2nd Edition
English and Español versions available in print and digital format.
Explore TextbookOrder the Textbook
Classroom Must Haves
Learn Great Lakes maritime history through the beautifully illustrated, real-life adventures of a rescued pup who served on a lighthouse tender ship.
Grades K–2 | Classroom Materials
Order for School Learn MoreEmpower young readers to plant a garden and dig into science and history in this “soil to supper” book designed for kids and adults to use together.
Grades 3-5 | Classroom Materials
Order for School Learn MoreMeet the Milwaukee champion who didn’t let being born with fetal alcohol syndrome stop her from winning gold, advocating for the disabled, and serving as a Global Messenger for Special Olympics International.
Grades 3-5
Order for School Learn MoreIn this dual-language biography, explore a Wisconsin musician’s story of farming, family, and schooling amid the uncertainties of migrant life.
Grades 3-5
Order for School Learn MoreExplore the history of rivers, lakes, and the Midwest’s inland seas—and the people and ships who navigated them—in this history of Great Lakes ships and shipping.
Grades 3-5
Order for School Learn MoreFollow the story of Mai Ya Vue, a Hmong girl who experienced childhood in a refugee camp after fleeing from the war in Laos. This story illustrates the struggles and triumphs of resettling in Wisconsin.
Grades 3-5
Order for School Learn MoreDiscover what it was like to be a Ho-Chunk girl in the late 1800s by following the story of Xehaćiwiŋga, known as Mountain Wolf Woman, as her family is forced to move west before eventually returning to Wisconsin.
Grades 3-5
Order for School Learn MoreIntroduce upper elementary students to the history, culture, and contemporary society of each of Wisconsin’s 12 Indian nations in this approachable work by Patty Loew.
Grades 3-8 | Classroom Materials
Order for School Learn MoreHigh school readers explore in depth the history, culture, and contemporary society of Wisconsin’s 12 Indian nations, including the cross-cultural lives of urban Indians, Wisconsin’s largest Native population.
Grades 6-12 | Classroom Materials
Order for School Learn MoreWitness the contributions of Wisconsin’s Latina activists—from demonstrators to collaborative community-builders—in this first-of-its-kind history of powerful Latinx women.
Grades 6–12 | Classroom Materials
Order for School Learn MoreLearn about the Hmong refugee experience from fleeing war in Laos to settling and growing up in Wisconsin through Pao Lor’s powerful memoir.
Grades 9-12
Order for School Learn MoreExplore Wisconsin's LGBTQ+ history and meet individuals across a wide spectrum of identities who have helped make a positive change in the world.
Grades 9-12
Order for School Learn MoreHow to Order for Schools
Learn more about how you can purchase the Wisconins Historical Society Press books for your classroom!
Order For the Classroom