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Continue your learning at The People's House! 

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Continue your learning at The People's House! 

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We invite your students to join you in the pursuit of White House History at the White House Historical Association's new educational center in the heart of Washington, DC, The People's House: A White House Experience!

The People’s House is pleased to welcome K-12 school groups, homeschool groups, and extracurricular groups for on-site visits. Book your field trip today!

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The People’s House: A White House Experience is pleased to welcome K-12 school groups, homeschool groups, and extracurricular groups for on-site visits. There are two ways to experience The Pe…

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In this program connected to "Brief the Chief," an educational game produced in collaboration between the White House Historical Association and iCivics, Dr. Matthew Costello, Chief Education Officer for the White House Historical Association, is joined by two real-life presidential advisors, Anita McBride and Tina Tchen. Anita and Tina discuss their time working in the White House and in public service as a whole, while taking questions from middle school students.

Anita McBride previously served as an assistant to President George W. Bush and chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush. She is an executive-in-residence at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, where she leads the First Ladies Initiative and established the First Ladies Association for Research and Education.

Tina Tchen previously served as an assistant to President Barack Obama and chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama. She is now Executive Vice President, and Chief Strategy and Impact Officer for the Obama Foundation. Both Anita and Tina also served on the Board of Directors for the White House Historical Association.

Learn more about "Brief the Chief" and play here: https://www.icivics.org/games/brief-chief

Explore more of the White House Historical Association's free educational resources here: https://www.whitehousehistory.org/education

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The White House Historical Association is proud to work alongside iCivics, founded by Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. iCivics is the nation’s premier non-profit civic education provider to more than 9.5 million students across America. Their games have been played over 142.5 million times since launching in 2009.

Brief the Chief is a new game that allows players to explore American history and the presidency by serving as a presidential advisor during critical moments in history. By playing Brief the Chief, players will engage in conversations with historical characters to learn different perspectives and gather evidence for recommendations they could provide to the president. The player determines how much to engage others on these issues, but their choices will impact the quality of their notes, and ultimately their recommendation. The game is accompanied by extension pack activities and other support resources for teachers.

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Should LBJ run for a second term? How might President Lincoln respond to the situation at Ft. Sumter? What can President Jefferson do about the Port of New Orleans?

You will take on the job of advising the president through historical events and challenges by talking to people in and around the White House. Consult with confidants within the White House and use evidence-based reasoning to provide a presidential briefing.

Can you advise Presidents Jefferson, Lincoln, and Johnson on landmark events and important historical decisions that defined their presidencies?

In Brief the Chief, you will:

Select from three presidencies: Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Lyndon B. Johnson

Choose from 6 historical challenges

Interview stakeholders and collect notes

Make an informed position and present it for consideration

Discover the historical outcomes of each challenge

For English Language Learners: This game offers a support tool, Spanish translation, voiceover, and glossary.

Made in partnership with The White House Historical Association

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Can your students use evidence-based reasoning to advise Presidents Jefferson, Lincoln, and Johnson on landmark events and important historical decisions that defined their presidencies?

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Have questions for us or want to communicate with other educators working on the White House History Classroom? Join the WHHC Discord and say hi!

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Join the White House History Classroom Discord Server!

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Check out the White House History Classroom community on Discord - hang out with 2 other members and enjoy free voice and text chat.

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Resource Highlight: White House 360 Tour

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Resource Highlight: White House 360 Tour

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Another option for exploring the interior of the White House with your students is the White House 360 Tour, accompanied by our Digital Notebook. This immersive experience brings students inside the halls of the White House and provides information about the fine arts and culture on display on the Ground Corridor and State Floor of the White House. The Digital Notebook is an accompanying tool to help students critically engage with the visual and material culture of the White House.

View the Digital Notebook on Google Slides

Download the Digital Notebook PowerPoint

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Welcome to the White House 360 Virtual Tour! This immersive experience will bring you inside the halls of the White House and provide access to all the public rooms on the...

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How does Pat Riccards present the connection between untold histories, social studies education, and American democracy? Do you agree or disagree?

How are you already teaching with primary sources? What are the challenges and opportunities you face?

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Did you find yourself more intrigued by presentations on working in the White House or on First Families? Why?

Is ‘insider information’ about the White House compelling to you and your students? Why? Is the history of life in the White House relevant or important to the larger American story?

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How does examination of enslaved White House workers’ lives contribute to a broader understanding of the Executive Branch and American history at large? How might the relative availability of primary sources affect this research?

Are there any further questions you would suggest for study as part of the Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood research initiative?

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How can examining the way objects have been used revise assumptions on who creates history or makes historical meaning? Please use examples from the visual and material culture presentation, 4-object workshop, or student curators presentation.

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Do you feel a sense of ownership over the White House? Do your students? Taking into consideration the ways in which the White House has changed over time, both as a physical structure and national symbol, does the designation “The People’s House” feel fair and accurate? Why or why not?

Why might advocacy groups choose to bring their grievances to the White House rather than the Capitol building? Using examples from Clint and Colleen’s presentations, consider the relative political pros and cons to petitioning the president rather than Congress.

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Please take this short survey to confirm your completion of the White House History Classroom!

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White House History Classroom Exit Ticket - 2025

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Thank you so much for working with the White House Historical Association’s White House History Classroom! We would love to hear more about your experience with this virtual professional development program and would appreciate your filling out this short survey. If you are interested in receiving a PD certificate, the number of hours awarded will ultimately be determined by your responses to the below reflection questions, both in quantity and quality. We will follow up on any requests for a certificate within two weeks. If you are not looking for a certificate, we would still appreciate your feedback - no need to complete the reflection questions! If you have any questions, please reach out to education@whha.org.

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Welcome to the White House History Classroom! This virtual professional development includes a collection of digital resources pulled from virtual White House History Teacher Institute programming from 2020-2023. These resources include talks given by White House Historical Association staff, presidential historians, former White House staffers, and Master Teachers from around the country. Each presentation touches on a different aspect of White House history, whether it’s historical content itself or a lesson on incorporating it into your classroom.

It is not necessary to do the units in order. Each unit is organized around a central theme, but contains a collection of resources from varying years. Many of the video recordings include accompanying resources and activities for further exploration. The video recordings by themselves total roughly 11 hours and 20 minutes of content.

Each unit also contains reflection questions that will be included in an exit ticket survey for the PD. These questions must be completed in order to receive a certificate of professional development hours for completing this PD. If you are taking some time between units, it may be helpful to jot down some notes on the questions to keep your thoughts fresh.

After you have worked through the White House History Classroom, or as much of it as you are interested in completing, please complete the exit ticket form in the Outro section to confirm that you have completed the PD and request your certificate of completion.

The remainder of this section contains documents outlining the resources that can be found in each unit.

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2021 | 34 mins.

William (Bill) Allman presents on his experience as White House Curator. This presentation took place in July 2021 as part of the White House Historical Association’s Virtual White House History Teacher Institute.

William G. Allman (Bill) was the White House Curator from 2002 to 2017, having been an Assistant Curatorial Assistant and then an Assistant Curator since 1976. The Office of the Curator is charged with the preservation and study of the collection of art, furniture and decorative objects used to furnish both the public and private rooms of the White House as an official residence and as an accredited historic house museum. It also maintains a wide variety of historical records about the building and its occupants for use in replying to the great number of inquiries received from scholars, the press, and the public.

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: Guest Speaker: Bill Allman, White House Curator

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2020 | 41 minutes

Master Teacher Dave Kendrick demonstrates use of the White House Experience app to take students on a scavenger hunt throughout the White House for historical facts and artworks.

Accompanying Resource:

Dave's slideshow

White House Experience App

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: White House Scavenger Hunt

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Student Curators: Creating an Online Museum

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Student Curators: Creating an Online Museum

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2020 | 29 mins.

Master Teacher Rachael Yaden presents an inquiry-based lesson plan on using the White House Collection to create a curated museum display showcasing American ideals.

Accompanying Resources:

Object Sheets & Rachael's slideshow

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: Student Curators - Creating an Online Museum

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2023 | 30 mins.

Historian Sarah Fling and Resource Specialist Rebecca Kaliff trace the history of the White House's construction.

Accompanying Resources:

Sarah and Becca's slideshow

White House 360 & Video Tours

Digital Notebook (also available in PowerPoint form)

Designing the White House: 1792 to 1830 Classroom Resource Packet

Changes to the White House: 1830 to 1952 Classroom Resource Packet

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: White House History 101

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2021 | 1 hour

Samantha Hunter-Gibbs, Director of Education, Ken O'Regan, Assistant Director of Education, and Sheila Mehta, Education Specialist at the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum, present stories of past White House pets and different strategies for incorporating this history into classrooms.

Accompanying Resources:

Sam, Ken, and Sheila's slides

First Pets Classroom Resource Packet

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2022 | 31 mins.

Master Teacher Rachael Yaden presents an inquiry-based lesson on exploring the lives of presidential children through place.

Accompanying Resources:

First Kids Inquiry Resources

First Kids Classroom Resource Packet

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Slavery & Freedom in the President's Neighborhood

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Slavery & Freedom in the President's Neighborhood

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Before slavery ended in Washington, D.C. through the Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862, many presidents and first families held enslaved people in bondage. Enslaved African-American workers were a critical part of the community surrounding the White House. This unit explores resources exploring the entwined histories of enslavement and the American presidency, as well as African-American freedom and democracy.

Unit 2 features four sessions from the 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 White House Historical Association Virtual Teacher Institutes, along with accompanying resources. Videos total 2 hours and 42 minutes.

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Presidents are far from the only residents of the White House. The resources in this unit explore more about what it’s like to live or make a living in the White House – for everyone from presidential staff to First Kids to pets.

Unit 4 features five sessions from the 2020 and 2022 White House Historical Association Virtual Teacher Institutes, along with accompanying resources. Videos total 3 hours and 9 minutes.

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Using History for Civics & Further Exploration

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Using History for Civics & Further Exploration

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The resources in this unit step outside of the White House and provide a broader lens for teaching history and civics in the classroom.

Unit 5 features 2 sessions from the 2023 White House Historical Association Virtual Teacher Institute, along with accompanying resources. Videos total 1 hour and 31 minutes.

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This unit explores the history of the White House through a material culture lens. Learn more about how you can utilize the visual history of the house and its occupants, as well as its status as a national symbol and functioning museum, in your classroom.

Unit 3 features five sessions from the 2020, 2021, and 2023 White House Historical Association Virtual Teacher Institutes, along with accompanying resources. Videos total 2 hours and 20 minutes.

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Americans have been coming to the White House to make their voices heard at the president’s door since construction was completed in 1800. This unit features an introductory session on White House history, information on the White House Historical Association’s digital educational resources, and sessions on different forms of protest and their relationship to the American presidency.

Unit 1 features four sessions from the 2020 and 2023 White House Historical Association Virtual Teacher Institutes, along with accompanying resources. Videos total 1 hour and 39 minutes.

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Dr. Colleen Shogan: Women's Suffrage & the White House

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Dr. Colleen Shogan: Women's Suffrage & the White House

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2020 | 31 mins.

Dr. Colleen Shogan gives an overview of the women's suffrage movement of the 1910s and '20s and its relationship to the White House.

Dr. Colleen Shogan, former Senior Vice President and Director of the David M. Rubenstein Center at the White House Historical Association, currently serves as the 11th Archivist of the United States. She previously worked in the United States Senate and as a senior executive at the Library of Congress. Dr. Shogan was the Vice Chair of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission and the Chair of the Board of Directors at the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation. She taught at Georgetown University in the Government Department and moderated seminars for the Aspen Institute. She is the previous President of the National Capital Area Political Science Association and served on the American Political Science Association Council, the governing body of the organization. Her research focuses on the American Presidency, Presidential rhetoric, women in politics, and Congress.

Accompanying Resources:

Dr. Shogan's slideshow

Women's Rights Protests and Lafayette Park

Picketing the White House

Women & the White House Collection

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: Women’s Suffrage & the White House

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Presidential Foodways: Diplomacy and Soft Power in the White House Kitchen

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Presidential Foodways: Diplomacy and Soft Power in the White House Kitchen

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2021 | 28 mins.

Former Winterthur Fellow Laura Ochoa Rincon traces the way food and state dinners have been used as agents of soft power throughout White House History.

Accompanying Resources:

Laura's Bibliography

Diplomacy and the White House Classroom Resource Packet

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: Presidential Foodways: Diplomacy and Soft Power in the White House Kitchen

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History of the Decatur House Slave Quarters

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History of the Decatur House Slave Quarters

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2020 | 16 mins.

Whitney Hayne, former Director of K-12 Education, presents on the history of the slave quarters at historic Decatur House, the headquarters of the White House Historical Association.

Accompanying Resources:

Whitney's slideshow

The White House Neighborhood Classroom Resource Packet

The Decatur House Slave Quarters

The Historic Decatur House

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: History of the Decatur House Slave Quarters

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In Conversation with the Decatur House Advisory Council

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In Conversation with the Decatur House Advisory Council

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2022 | 1 hour 27 mins.

The Decatur House Advisory Council includes Nancy Syphax descendant and historian Stephen E. Hammond, curator at Henry Clay’s Ashland estate Eric Brooks, and historical archaeologist Julianna Jackson. This conversation is moderated by Dr. Colleen Shogan, Senior Vice President and Director of the David M. Rubenstein National Center for White House History at the White House Historical Association, and questions from the audience are from 30 K-12 educators from across the United States attending the White House History Teacher Institute.

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In Conversation with the Decatur House Advisory Council

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Recorded Live on July 26, 2022 at the White House Historical Association in Washington D.C. The Decatur House Advisory Council includes Nancy Syphax descendent and historian Stephen E. Hammond, curator at...

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Teaching With Presidential Libraries' Resources

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Teaching With Presidential Libraries' Resources

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2023 | 37 mins.

Sheila Mehta of the LBJ Presidential Library and Richard Weld of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum share educational resources from their libraries and the National Archives and Records Administration.

Accompanying Resources:

Sheila and Richard’s slideshow

For more information on teaching with primary sources, check out DocsTeach!

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: Teaching With Resources From the Presidential Libraries

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2022 | 1 hour 1 min.

Anita McBride and Tina Tchen discuss their experiences working in the White House, bipartisanship and the peaceful transfer of power, and their relationships with each other and the First Families they worked with.

Anita B. McBride directs the Legacies of America’s First Ladies Initiative at American University where she serves as executive in residence in the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies in the School of Public Affairs and is an advisor to the university’s Sine Institute for Policy and Politics. Her White House experience spans three decades and four administrations including service as assistant to President George W. Bush and chief of staff to First Lady Laura Bush. She is a founding member of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE) and is a frequent speaker and media commentator on White House history, its occupants, and presidential transitions.

Tina Tchen is an executive vice president and chief strategy and impact officer for the Obama Foundation. She is responsible for leading the development, implementation, and monitoring of the foundation’s strategy, oversees the Girls Opportunity Alliance, formalizing the senior advisor role she has played with the team over the last year, and is involved with the foundation’s work with Obama alumni. Ms. Tchen is an attorney, activist, and lifelong advocate for women and girls. She served in the Obama White House through both terms, and was an assistant to President Barack Obama, chief of staff to First Lady Michelle Obama, and executive director of the White House Council on Women and Girls.

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: A Conversation With Tina Tchen & Anita McBride

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2021 | 17 mins.

Ken O’Regan, Assistant Director of K-12 Education, hosts a workshop on how object-centered lessons can enhance historical teaching, using four objects from the White House collection.

Please note: This session was based on an activity that took place primarily in breakout rooms; feel free to pause the video and review the object info pages in the Object Workshop folder linked below. The central question to consider for each object is “What stories could this object help you tell?”

Accompanying Resources:

Object Workshop

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Untold Stories - The Driving Force Institute

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Untold Stories - The Driving Force Institute

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2023 | 20 mins.

Pat Riccards, CEO of the Driving Force Institute, explains his organization's work to promote the importance of the social studies to American democracy.

Accompanying Resources:

White House Historical Association Untold Videos

The Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: Untold Stories - The Driving Force Institute

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How Did Black Genius Build Democracy? - An Inquiry-Based Lesson

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How Did Black Genius Build Democracy? - An Inquiry-Based Lesson

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2021 | 30 mins.

Master Teacher Rachael Yaden presents a lesson on exploring Black genius and its role in shaping American democracy using educational resources from the White House Historical Association.

Accompanying Resources:

Rachael's worksheet & slideshow

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: How Did Black Genius Build Democracy?

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The Digital Library & WHHA Educational Resources

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The Digital Library & WHHA Educational Resources

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2023 | 11 mins.

Resource Specialist Rebecca Kaliff gives an overview of the White House Historical Association’s digital educational resources.

Accompanying Resources:

Becca's slideshow

The Digital Library

K-12 Education Resources and Programs

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: The Digital Library and White House Historical Association Educational Resources

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2022 | 37 mins.

Chief Education Officer and Historian Dr. Matthew Costello presents on how working at the White House has changed over time.

Accompanying Resources:

Dr. Costello's slideshow

The White House at Work Classroom Resource Packet

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: The Working White House 2022

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Speaking Up & Speaking Out: Protest at the White House

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Speaking Up & Speaking Out: Protest at the White House

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2023 | 27 mins.

Master Teacher Clint Walsh presents on the history of protest at the White House and how it can be incorporated into the classroom.

Accompanying Resources:

Clint's slideshow

Protest Documents

Protest at the People's House Collection

Protest at the White House Classroom Resource Packet

Protest at the White House Untold Video

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: Speaking Up & Speaking Out: Protest at the White House

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2023 | 30 mins.

Historian Lina Mann unpacks the history of slavery in the White House and its relationship to the American presidency.

Accompanying Resources:

Lina’s slideshow

Slavery in the President's Neighborhood Research Initiative

Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood Additional Resources

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: Slavery in the President’s Neighborhood

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2023 | 19 mins.

Historian Sarah Fling presents strategies for teaching visual and material culture through the White House Collection.

Accompanying Resources:

Sarah's slideshow

Unveiling Stories Worksheet

Fine Arts and the White House Classroom Resource Packet

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[INTERNAL] WHHC: Visual & Material Culture Presentation