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Teach and Learn Wisconsin History | Wisconsin Historical Society

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!

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A desk with a laptop showing the Wiscosin History Website, surrounded by a notebook, mug, file shelf, and some Wisconsin themed art.
National History Day 2024. Turning Points in History. 50 Year anniversary of NHD.

National 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.

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Teachers' Lounge

A light bulb is lit up on solid background.

Inquiry based framework that empowers students' curiosity as they do the real work of history.

A human being is framed by a landscape background in a frame.

Biographies created for students exploring the lives of significant figures from Wisconsin's past.

A timeline graphic, that shows a series of points and bubbles about them.

Easy to use essays exploring a dynamic 14,000 years of human history in Wisconsin.

A scroll revealing a series of checked items certified by the Wisconsin Government.

See how the Wisconsin Historical Society programs align with state standards for education materials.

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 Today
Wisconsin Our State Our Story Second Edition Book Cover
Covid-19 Journal Project, collecting history as it happens. Learn More here!

Covid-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.

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Educators' Book Picks

Wisconsin Our State, Our Story Second Edition

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.

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Classroom Must Haves

Sport Ship Dog of the Great Lakes

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

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Cover of Seeds in Soil book with several photos of garden produce and children.

Empower 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

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Picture of Cindy Bentley: Spirit of a Champion

Meet 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

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Picture of Cris Plata: From Fields to Stage / Del Campo al Escenario

In this dual-language biography, explore a Wisconsin musician’s story of farming, family, and schooling amid the uncertainties of migrant life.

Grades 3-5

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Picture of Great Ships on the Great Lakes: A Maritime History

Explore 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

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Mai Ya's Long Journey

Follow 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

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Picture of Mountain Wolf Woman: A Ho-Chunk Girlhood

Discover 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

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Picture of Native People of Wisconsin: Revised and Expanded Edition

Introduce 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

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Picture of Indian Nations of Wisconsin: Histories of Endurance and Renewal (Revised 2nd Edition)

High 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

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Somos Latinas

Witness 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

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Modern Jungles book cover featuring bold yellow title and blue, purple, and green trees in background

Learn 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

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We Will Always Be Here: A Guide to Exploring and Understanding the History of LGBTQ+ Activism in Wisconsin

Explore 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

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How to Order for Schools

Learn more about how you can purchase the Wisconins Historical Society Press books for your classroom!

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