Educator Resources
Discover ways to share Iowa's rich history with students of all ages through the following educator resources. And make sure to sign up for history education updates to get the latest resources and professional development opportunities from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.
Iowa Inquiry Hub
The Iowa Inquiry Hub is a webpage full of resources to help your practice of teaching with primary sources and inquiry in social studies classrooms. This Hub was made in partnership with the Library of Congress’ Teaching with Primary Sources Grant.
Digital Education Catalog
The State Historical Museum of Iowa has been hard at work over the past few years creating and developing new digital education materials. To help educators find digital content on the website, the museum education team has developed a new Digital Education Catalog to organize, collect, and connect our digital programs and materials in a centralized location. The new guide lists digital materials by historical event and educational topics connected to the Iowa Core Standards for Social Studies and Literacy.
Primary Source Sets
Through a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program, the State Historical Society of Iowa developed Primary Source Sets to help educators meet the Iowa history standards within the Iowa Core in Social Studies. These Primary Source Sets address national and international history as well as Iowa’s history within each set.
Primary Source Set Toolkit
Are you new to using primary sources or unsure of how to use primary sources with your students? Download the Primary Source Set Toolkit to learn how primary sources can bring history to life. The toolkit has information for teaching students of all ages, kindergarten through 12th grade and older. This toolkit can be used with Primary Source Sets or any primary source you bring to the classroom.
Read Iowa History
Read Iowa History are free and downloadable lessons for K-5 educators that provide easy-to-follow instruction to integrate Primary Source Sets and the Iowa Core Standards for Social Studies and Literacy. The Read Iowa History lessons were developed by the State Historical Society of Iowa and created with a Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) grant from the Library of Congress. Additional Read Iowa History lessons will be available soon for each of the K-5 Primary Source Sets.
Goldie's History Kits
The Goldie's History Kits were developed for K-5 educators to meet the Iowa Core Standards for Social Studies and Literacy and to help students develop deeper connections to Iowa's history. Now available in physical kits that can be checked out from each of the Iowa AEAs. The following educational tools are included in each kit: Read Iowa History lessons, read aloud books, high-resolution photographs and videos of related objects from the State Historical Museum of Iowa collections and Think Like… cards. Educators are encouraged to use the tools in the Goldie's History Kit as they are integrated; however, each tool can be used as a stand alone activity.
Educator Videos
Iowa history plays an important role in the state’s Social Studies standards. The following videos can be used by educators to prepare for curriculum or in the classroom with students.Educational Videos Related to Iowa History
For Educators
- Advise the President - Hoover and the Great Depression
- From Ralph to Varnum: The Development of Iowans Civil Rights through Key Laws and Legal Battles
- Iowa and World War I
- Iowa History: You Make the Decision and You Take the Heat
- It's Not American History without Native History and Current Issues
For Students
State Historical Society Digital Collections
Are you looking for other digital resources to use with students? Numerous indexes, records and publications in the collections are available online. Through partnerships with various organizations you can enjoy digitized maps, publications, newspapers and vital records.
Group Visit Information
The State Historical Museum of Iowa offers you the opportunity to visit the museum with your group of students or adults. Use the Field Trip Guide for more information about visit policies, arrival information, and fun activities for students.
Iowa Culture Website and Mobile App
Iowa Culture is a fun and interactive way to discover historic destinations and information about Iowa. Explore places by category and location, browse featured tours and save favorites to visit in person.