California History Blog
History, ideas, resources, and classroom connections for California educators.
Explore California History
Discover California history through teaching resources, historic places, primary sources, classroom activities, and stories from across the state. Choose a topic below and start exploring.
California Missions Resources for Teachers
Explore resources, primary sources, classroom activities, and multiple perspectives for teaching the California Missions with greater depth.
READ THE ARTICLE →California Missions
Teaching the California Missions: History, Indigenous Perspectives & Classroom Connections
Explore the Mission Period through history, Indigenous perspectives, and meaningful classroom connections.
READ MORE →Make Your Own Adobe Bricks: A California Missions STEAM Activity
Connect California history with hands-on learning through a Mission-era adobe brick activity.
READ MORE →Mission San Juan Capistrano: The Jewel of the California Missions
Visit one of California's best-known missions through its history, historic setting, and classroom connections.
READ MORE →Gold Rush & California History
California Gold Rush Resources for Teachers: Start at Coloma
Start where the Gold Rush began and discover resources for bringing this transformative era into the classroom.
READ MORE →Exploring California's Mother Lode: Gold Rush History for Educators
Explore the communities and landscapes of California's Mother Lode and their connections to Gold Rush history.
READ MORE →J.S. Holliday: The Historian Behind SOC 917 California: Reflecting America
Learn about historian J.S. Holliday and his connection to the study of California history.
READ MORE →The Portolá Cross: Searching for Monterey
Explore an episode of early California exploration and the search for Monterey.
READ MORE →Los Angeles & Learning Through Place
Exploring Historic Los Angeles: History, Biography & Classroom Connections
Explore Los Angeles through the people, places, and stories that shaped the city's history.
READ MORE →Teaching Historic Los Angeles: Resources & Classroom Connections
Find resources and classroom connections for incorporating the history of Los Angeles into instruction.
READ MORE →Learning Through Travel: Bringing California History to Life
Discover how historic places and travel can deepen understanding of California history.
READ MORE →Beyond the Classroom: Why Field Trips Matter
Consider how field trips, historic sites, and place-based learning can make history more meaningful.
READ MORE →Japanese American History & Primary Sources
Japanese American Incarceration: Teaching a Difficult Chapter of American History
Explore resources and approaches for teaching Japanese American incarceration with historical context and care.
READ MORE →California's 2020 Apology to Japanese Americans
Examine California's formal apology and its connections to incarceration, civil liberties, and historical memory.
READ MORE →Teaching With Primary Sources: Bringing History to Life in SOC 984
See how primary sources can strengthen historical thinking and bring history to life for students.
READ MORE →Library of Congress for Teachers: Free Primary Sources & Classroom Resources
Discover free primary sources and classroom materials available through the Library of Congress.
READ MORE →What Educators Are Saying About SOC 984
Read reflections from educators about their experiences with SOC 984.
READ MORE →Teaching History & Social Studies
Empowering Social Studies and History Educators
Explore ideas for strengthening history and social studies instruction and supporting educators.
READ MORE →Go Beyond the Blog
Explore online California history continuing education courses designed for educators through Teacher's Learning Connection.
EXPLORE COURSES →Use code WINTER45 to save $15 on your next course.
Teacher's Learning Connection • California History • Ideas • Resources for Educators