Washington

American goldfinch

OER Project is the right fit for Washington schools in more ways than one:

World History Project (WHP) 1200 to the Present is ideal for ninth- and tenth-grade students taking world history, and it’s aligned to the vast majority of Washington’s ninth- and tenth-grade Social Studies Learning Standards. While Washington’s world history course starts in 1450, the WHP 1200 provides a bit more context with which to understand the world changes that occurred around 1450.
Big History Project is an excellent fit for Washington sixth-grade students, and it supports the rigor and standards of the C3 Framework.

Explore the courses mentioned above at your own pace, and once you’re ready to dive into planning, check out the Washington-specific resources below to get started!

Which best describes you?

I’m new to OER Project and about to start using the courses and materials.
I’m a returning OER Project user in Washington looking to see what’s new.

New to OER Project checklist

Getting started with WHP 1200 or Big History Project is a piece of cake! We recommend following the onboarding checklists below so that you’re equipped with all the information you need to get started:

	World History Project (1200)	Big History Project
Professional development opportunities	Explore the WHP 1200 course. You can also find our WHP 1200 course guide here. Attend a live WHP 1200 introductory PD session. Register for a session today! Take our free, online PD course, Teaching World History (TWH) 1200.	Explore the Big History Project course. You can also find our BHP course guide here. Attend a live BHP introductory PD session. Register for a session today! Take our free, online PD course, Teaching Big History.
Standards alignment materials	Read our WHP 1200 Washington standards-alignment document. Read our WHP 1200 course plan, generated by a Washington teacher, which includes a pacing guide. You can find other Washington course plans on our OER Project and Standards Alignment blog.	Read our BHP Washington standards-alignment document. Read our sample BHP year-long and semester-long course plans, which include pacing guides.
Talk to a real person!	Connect with other Washington teachers in the OER Project Online Teacher Community—ask questions, share stories, and seek support! Still have questions? Email an OER Project outreach coordinator for support! You can either email them or find a time on their calendar for a meeting.

"I see students putting much more effort into the content and skills development of OER Project curriculum compared to “regular” social studies because it helps them connect their learning to so much more than just one class. The text, video, audio, and hands-on activities are curated in one free, online space. The skills spiral, which makes showing student growth on TPEP easy. And most of all, the curriculum is rigorous, and kids still want to do it!" — Donnetta, sixth-grade teacher, Walla Walla, WA

Returning to OER Project checklist

So you’ve taught with OER Project materials in Washington before. Welcome back! We update our courses and materials each year, so let’s catch you up on what’s new. To prepare for a new term or semester, we recommend checking off the following items:

	World History Project (1200)	Big History Project
Professional development opportunities	Attend a live WHP 1200 introductory PD session, or attend an advanced training tailored for veterans. Register for a session today! If you haven’t already, take our free, online PD course, Teaching World History (TWH) 1200.	Attend a live BHP introductory PD session, or attend an advanced training tailored for veterans. Register for a session today! If you haven’t already, take our free, online PD course, Teaching Big History.
Standards alignment materials	Read our WHP 1200 course plan, generated by a Washington teacher, which includes a pacing guide. You can find other Washington course plans on our OER Project and Standards Alignment blog.	Read our sample year-long and semester-long BHP course plans, which include pacing guides.
Talk to a real person!	Connect with other Washington teachers in the OER Project Online Teacher Community—ask questions, share stories, and seek support! Still have questions? Email an OER Project outreach coordinator for support! You can either email them or find a time on their calendar for a meeting.

What Washington Teachers are Saying

Big History Project has been an amazing course to teach and is loved by all of my students! Writing activities like the scale and evolution of theories investigations are scaffolded to help students become better writers. They learn how to write claims, gather evidence, and build an argument through the writing activities that the project has created. The project-based learning also gives students the opportunity to work in groups and demonstrate their knowledge in unique ways.

— Lynsey, ninth-grade history teacher, Snoqualmie, WA

Cover image: The American goldfinch in summer plumage. It is the state bird of Washington. © Danita Delimont / Gallo Images / Getty Images Plus