The short version
Introducing a website that may be useful to preservice/inservice, history/SS teachers in Texas
Reading Facebook groups and seeing the challenges social studies and history teachers face, I asked myself, “What if there was a History Learning Center that educators could use?” To begin my exploration, I started with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). They are due for a change, which is quite controversial. You can see the timeline in the Resources section of this blog.
Here’s a quick preview:
Standards update · Checked September 29, 2026
The State Board of Education (SBOE) adopted major social studies revisions in 2026. Adoption and classroom implementation happen on different schedules. Continue planning with the standards applicable to your grade, course, and school year while preparing for the transition.
This guide uses the 2022-adopted Social Studies TEKS implemented in 2024–2025 for its current content connections and the 2024-adopted ELPS implemented in 2026–2027 for language connections.
In June, 2026, the Texas State Board of Educator Certification (SBOE) adopted the new elementary and middle school standards and several high school courses. They just finished making changes this month (09/2026). Changes aren’t due to take effect until 2030.
Exploring a Resource - The History Learning Center (HLC)
Explore the History Learning Center (HLC). For science, its companion Science Learning Center (SLC) offers visual challenges and evidence-based investigations for grades 6–8.
If you’re a classroom teacher, finding resource ideas can be tough. That’s why I hope the History Learning Center will be useful. In addition to offering simple printables and lesson ideas, it suggests a daily activity you can use with your students. In fact, the idea of the daily opener is one I loved when I was teaching writing and needed a daily quickwrite prompt. Some days you use it, some days it inspires another idea.
A Look at the Daily Calendar Activity
I love those little flipbook calendars you run across on people’s desk. I tend to pass those out as Christmas gifts (people get a chuckle and treasure the ones with inappropriate sayings about their work, doesn’t matter what work they do). That’s what I had in mind when I prompted Gen AI to assemble the flipbook calendar you see below:
You get a specific calendar entry for each day, depending on the grade band. What’s more, you can project it on the screen (using projector mode) for easy reading by students or for a group (small/whole) activity:
Give These a Try
If you teach history or Social Studies, give these activities a try. You may also find this infographic helpful:
