Professional Development Webinars
Visit the National Archives without leaving your school or home! Our interactive webinars for educators feature historical documents, images, maps, posters, and other primary sources — as well as resources and strategies for bringing primary sources into your classroom. All webinars are free of charge.
Advance registration required. Questions? Please contact us at distancelearning@nara.gov.
Live captioning is available by request. Please include a request for live captioning services in your registration for the event and submit your registration at least two weeks in advance of the webinar.
By Request
DocsTeach On Demand
Register and select your preferred dates
Connect your school or district with the National Archives for an on-demand webinar exploring DocsTeach, the online tool for teaching with documents from the National Archives. Prior to the webinar, a National Archives educator will work with you to determine what the webinar will cover. Topics may include:
- An introduction to DocsTeach
- Finding primary sources for the classroom
- Creating DocsTeach activities
- And more depending on your preferences!
Additional program details:
- Minimum of 10 participants
- Maximum of 99 individual connections per webinar
- Available by request Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM-6:00 PM ET
- Program duration is flexible — we recommend 20-60 minutes, depending on the preferred content
- Please submit requests at least one month in advance of desired date
- All requests subject to availability
Upcoming Webinars
NEW Native American Resources from the National Archives
Wednesday, February 20, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Incorporate records of Native Communities throughout U.S. History into your curriculum, guide student research at the National Archives, and help make National Archives primary sources more accessible to everyone.
This webinar is part of our Native American professional development series. Each program features new resources for locating and using Federal records related to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
An Introduction to DocsTeach
Thursday, February 28, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Join us for an introduction to DocsTeach.org, the online tool for teaching with documents from the National Archives. Discover how to find primary sources for teaching history and civics topics. Explore the 12 different document-based activity tools and learn how, with a free DocsTeach account, you can create your own activities or modify existing activities to share with your students. This webinar is suitable for all educators.
Petitions, Protest, and Persuasion: Women’s Voices in the Records of the National Archives
Thursday, March 28, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
In conjunction with the new Rightfully Hers exhibition at the National Archives in Washington, DC, explore stories of women participating in the political process through petitions, protest, and more in the decades leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Discover primary sources and teaching activities for bringing these voices into the classroom. This webinar is suitable for all educators.
Explore primary sources and teaching activities on the DocsTeach Women's Rights page.
Teaching with the Records of Congress
Thursday, April 18, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Join the Center for Legislative Archives for a special webinar highlighting resources for teaching about Congress. Explore DocsTeach activities, lesson plans, eBooks, and more featuring historical documents that can be used to teach about representative democracy, how Congress works, and the important role Congress has played.
Explore primary sources and teaching activities on the DocsTeach Records of Congress page.
The Making of Indian Treaties
Wednesday, April 24, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Join us for an overview of the new treaties digitization project, including related educational materials and resources, and classroom application related to these important documents and their history.
This webinar is part of our Native American professional development series. Each program features new resources for locating and using Federal records related to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
America and the World: Foreign Affairs in Political Cartoons, 1898–1940
"The Winner" by cartoonist Clifford Berryman, 7/16/1912
Thursday, May 30, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Explore political cartoons for engaging students in a discussion of American foreign policy from the Spanish American War to the eve of World War II. The Clifford K. Berryman cartoon collection at the Center for Legislative Archives provides insights into the institutions, issues, and events that shaped a critical period of American history. Learn about additional resources for bringing these cartoons into your classroom. This webinar is designed for high school educators.
Beyond the Bureau of Indian Affairs: Accessing American Indian Records from the National Archives
Wednesday, June 5, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Explore different types of American Indian documents across multiple record groups and discover different ways of incorporating these important primary sources into your classroom.
This webinar is part of our Native American professional development series. Each program features new resources for locating and using Federal records related to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Penpals from the Past: American Indian Schools in the United States
Wednesday, September 25, 2019, 7 p.m. ET
Schools for Native American children and youth have existed since the before the Revolutionary War. Although encouraged by the U.S. Government, schools between 1776 and 1879 were primarily run by religious institutions and, as a result, are not usually represented in National Archives holdings. In this webinar, we will learn about Indian Boarding and Day School records created primarily after 1879 by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and see some examples of class schedules and student work from then until today.
This webinar is part of our Native American professional development series. Each program features new resources for locating and using Federal records related to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Professional Development for Educators YouTube Channel
View previously recorded webinars and National History Day Workshops featuring primary sources and teaching strategies.
Recently added:
- Teaching the Constitution with Political Cartoons
- WWI Resources for the Classroom: The Remembering WWI App and DocsTeach.org
- Remembering Vietnam: the Road to War-Webinar for Educators
- Remembering Vietnam: The Road Through War-Webinar for Educators
National History Day Workshops
Learn about resources for projects and primary source research from the National Archives and our partner organizations, the theme and categories, using primary and secondary sources effectively, and teaching tools for NHD.
Request a program today!
Register online using the registration link for the particular program you are interested in above. If you prefer, fill out and return our PDF form to distancelearning@nara.gov.