United States Resources
General | Literature | Apps | Games & Simulations | Videos | Exploration & Colonization | Am. Revolution | Lewis & Clark | West. Expansion | Immigration & Ethnic Exp. | Native Americans | African-Americans | Asian Pacific-Americans | Hispanic-Americans | Slavery to Reconstruction | Industrial Rev. | World War I | 1920's | The Depression | World War II | Civil Rights Era | Cold War |
General
Investigations * Lessons * Online Debates * Photographs * Timeline Tools
*Graphic Organizers * Maps
Book: Teaching U.S. History Beyond the Textbook uses a mystery approach to history, highlighting six powerful strategies that tap into your kids natural curiosity and investigative instincts. Each unit turn students into history detectives, improving critical thinking skills through primary and secondary source analysis. Strategies include using a traffic intersection as a metaphor for exploring historical turning points, mock trials of Supreme Court cases, examining evidence to solve historical “cold cases,” and using ESP (economic, social, and political) to predict historical outcomes.
ClassroomScreen The Swiss Army Knife for the classroom . Click on Learn more for tutorial
- Language – Choose to display text in a large range of languages-Random Name/Dice – Enter the names of students and choose one at random. -Sound Level – Monitor classroom noise levels using the microphone on your device.-QR Code – Enter a link and a QR code is automatically generated.- Drawing – There are two sizes available where you can free draw.- Text – A simple tool to write instructions, reminders, learning goals and so on.- Work Symbols – Display one of four options: work together, ask a neighbor, whisper, and silence.- Traffic Light – Display a red, amber, or green light to provide a visual reminder of when to move around, begin a task, pack up etc.- Timer – Count up or count down, record “laps”, and more. You can customise the tone that rings when the time is up.-Clock – Shows the time as a 12 or 24 hour clock. Also shows a calendar.
Library of Congress
This robust collection presents a new approach to digital media for U.S. History classrooms, with attention to amplifying diverse perspectives that foster civic identity and a more complex, nuanced, and accurate understanding of the past. Browsable by eras in U.S. History and historical thinking skills, this collection highlights how the past is relevant to students’ lives today and supports critical analysis of traditional historical narratives.
New American History is a site with lots of history resources, including a separate section sharing well thought out lesson plans.
Animations of Historical Movements and PatternsUse maps to analyze data and identify patterns in history. Mapping History, produced by the University of Oregon, features numerous animated maps illustrating problems, patterns, and events throughout history. Mapping History is essentially a digital atlas of American, European, Latin American, and African history. Each section is divided into modules based on historical themes and eras. www.freetech4teachers.com
Google Practice Sets "With practice sets, in Google Classroom, educators are able to use content they already have, or come up with brand new questions from scratch, to build an assessment activity. Google's artificial intelligence then scans the questions and determines the learning skills being addressed, and finds helpful hints and resources to go along with each question in case the students need assistance".Introduction video | Details
New American History is a site with numerous history resources, including a separate section sharing well thought out lesson plans.
Multimedia United States History CollectionGBH, a public broadcasting media platform in Boston, has launched a collection of free digital resources to support teachers covering US history. The new US History Collection, housed on the PBS LearningMedia platform, capitalizes on GBH’s portfolio of acclaimed historical documentaries--AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, FRONTLINE, and GBH WORLD—to help middle school and high school students develop critical thinking skills when learning about and interpreting history.The US History Collection is distinctive in its media focus, its organization by era and historical thinking skills, and its presentation of history from diverse perspectives. Working with both student and teacher advisers, GBH integrated the work of seven other public media contributors. The US History Collection features original videos, such as the seven-episode “Why It Matters” series, interactive lessons, maps, images and timelines, and a variety of independent student activities.
How Do We Teach With Primary Sources When So Many Voices Are Missing?
Digital Book Series Bringing the Pages of History to Life World of Characters: Revolutions & Industrialization ( free) is a digital experience in the History Adventures series that presents a fresh approach to history education.This interactive, multimodal learning experience covers the period from 1750 to 1900 through the lens of five amazing people living through complex flashpoints in time. The characters include Agent 355, an enslaved woman—and an American Revolutionary War spy; Jiemba, an indigenous Australian at Botany Bay when the British convict ships arrived; Fei Hong, a Chinese family man surviving the Opium Wars; Khari, a native rebel resisting Belgian oppression during the misleadingly titled Congo Free State; and Thomas Brown, a muckraking reporter working to expose the gross malpractice of the Chicago meatpacking industry. The app, available for iOS and Android devices, features immersive 3D environments; animated interactive infographics; enhanced original historical documents; “Choose Your Own Adventure” experiences; animated illustrations and dynamic text; an AP World History curriculum; and media-rich interactive assessments.
PBS Learning Media US History Collection (pbslearningmedia.org/collection/us-history-collection)The PBS Learning Media US History Collection enables teachers and students of U.S. History (Grades 6–12) to use media to teach and learn the topics and themes covered in most standard middle and high school U.S. history classes, and spans 16 eras of U.S. history, from Pre-Colonial America to the 21st century.
An Interactive Land Use Map on Land Use WorldCover Viewer is a new interactive land use map produced by the European Space Agency. The map lets visitors see how land is used worldwide and in specific places. Visitors can pan and zoom to see land use for an area or use the statistics explorer tools built into the map to see land use statistics for a country, state, or province. Views of the map and associated data can be downloaded from the WorldCover Viewer. video overview of WorldCover Viewer, www.freetech4teachers.com
Harm & Distrust This lesson gives your students the opportunity to grapple with this complex topic by assigning Harm & Distrust,was created byCheckologyHosted by Natalie Moore, a reporter who covers segregation and inequality for WBEZ in Chicago, “Harm & Distrust” explores how mainstream news organizations have failed to represent all communities accurately and equitably, and what some legacy media outlets are doing to address these failures today.
History Travels is a mashup of map tech and Wikipedia. Type in an address, and it will show you a list of (and links to) “historical” sites within whatever radius you choose. There are some non-historical sites in the mix – the search engine isn’t that precise – but it’s still pretty interesting.
The OER Project The OER Project is a coalition of historians and educators whose goal is to promote social studies education through a number of curricular materials and courses. The OER Project offers two interesting courses titled Big History Project and World History Project. The Big History Project is 'a social studies course that spans 13.8 billion years. It weaves insights from many disciplines to form a single story that helps us better understand people, civilizations, and how we are connected to everything around us.' As for World History project, this is a course designed with history teachers in mind. It offers three versions: Origins to the Present, 1200 to the Present, and 1750 to the Present.
National History but its website seems like a useful resource for history teachers. It’s more like a year-long program, and offers free curriculum resources and a website creation feature,
Metroverse is an urban economy navigator built at the Growth Lab at Harvard University. It is based on over a decade of research on how economies grow and diversify and offers a detailed look into the specialization patterns of cities. As a dynamic resource, the tool is continually evolving with new data and features to help answer questions such as What is the economic composition of my city?How does my city compare to cities around the globe? Which cities look most like mine? What are the technological capabilities that underpin my city’s current economy? Which growth and diversification paths does that suggest for the future?
History Discussion Prompts for All 50 States a collection of video clips and "bell ringers" for every state in the United States. Bell Ringers are short video clips that are accompanied by discussion questions to start a lesson. the clips and bell ringers cover a wide array of topics related to each state. For example, the collection of Maine resources includes a video of top policy issues according to former governor Paul LePage, the Missouri Compromise, and the removal of a dam on the Kennebec River. The collection of resources about Iowa includes a bell ringer about the history of the Iowa caucuses, a bell ringer about African American migration to Iowa, and a lesson plan about the Louisiana Purchase. www.freetech4teachers.com
Naraview is a site on which you can create challenges for you students to connect topics through Wikipedia. The idea is that you give your students two topics and they have to click through Wikipedia articles to make the connections between the two topics. As the teacher, I can see the paths that students take to get from the starting article to the ending article. Here's an example of how Naraview works. www.freetech4teachers.com
Ideas That Changed The World is an interesting site on Google Arts and Culture.
Sites To See “Photos That Changed The World”: Some of the links are not active, but there a numerous ones that are fine that make the site worthwhile.
Juxtapose JS is a free visual tool that can help people make comparisons between images. Having a tool like Juxtapose can help us visualize the spatial organization and relationship between spaces and buildings over time. This can raise interesting questions about why something changed or stayed the same. How do spatial patterns influence a person’s or a community’s interactions with the landscape and with other communities?
The History Engine
The History Engine is 'a collection of thousands of historical “episodes” that paints a wide-ranging portrait of the past that is freely available to scholars, teachers, and the general public. Students from a variety of college and universities write these episodes. Creating an episode for the History Engine gives them the opportunity to learn history by doing the work—researching, writing, and publishing—of a historian'.
History Matters
'Designed for high school and college teachers and students of U.S. history survey courses, this site serves as a gateway to web resources and offers unique teaching materials, first-person primary documents, and guides to analyzing historical evidence.'
Poptential - Free curriculum that pairs pop culture media with engaging digital storytelling for effective dynamic learning in American History, World History, US Government, and Economics.
Point In History shows boundaries around the world and throughout history.
Caption This! Using photos and text to analyze primary sources
Ten Topics in Teaching History With Technology www.freetechteachers.com
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Offers professional development resources for social studies teachers in the form of online conferences and webinars.There are also materials to help with inquiry and teaching using primary resources. The Publications and Resources section features NCSS journals, books, bulletins, podcasts, on-demand library, and more. NCSS SmartBrief is another excellent resource for social studies teachers. This is basically a '3x-weekly snapshot of news on best practices, curriculum, and professional development for social studies educators
Discovery Education Discovery Education is another good social studies resource to use with your students. It provides a wide variety of content, tools, and resources to engage students and track their performance. Content in Discovery Education covers various topics and subjects including podcasts, interactives, virtual field trips, videos, and more. The site also provides teachers with formative assessment tools to check students understanding.
Memory of The World is a new resource on Google Arts & Culture. UNESCO organized it, and it features key documents from world history that they have brought together ” to tell their stories and highlight key moments in history that have left the world changed forever.” It includes lesson plans on how to use them in the classroom.
The National Jukebox - 16,000+ Early Music Recordings The Library of Congress
Digitally Writing New Histories” Unit Plans. (gr. 3 - 12) With a shift towards disciplinary, digital, and critical literacies, with historical documents and artifacts — as well as images, social media posts, and videos created with contemporary technologies — all serve as primary sources for inquiry-based, learning.
Interpreting Troubled Times Digital Interactive Telling the Story of Racial Terror in America As part of its work to change the narrative about race in America, the Equal Justice Institute (EJI) extensively researched the period between the Civil War and World War II, when more than 4,000 African Americans were lynched in this country. EJI published its findings in the report Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror . With support from Google, EJI has created Lynching in America , a free digital interactive experience inspired by the original report.
Smithsonian Learning Lab's Canvas tool lets you build collections of Smithsonian digitized artifacts and arrange the display of those artifacts however you like. The Canvas tool will work with new collections that you create in your Smithsonian Learning Lab account and it will work with your existing collections. In both cases you can select the layout for the collection, the size of the images, and the color scheme of the notes in your collection. You can also share your Canvas so that your students can view it. Complete directions for using the new Smithsonian Learning Lab Canvas can be found here. Directions for creating collections can be seen here. www.freetech4teachers.com
Connect Extend Challenge is a thinking routine that helps kids make connections between new ideas and content to what they already know and to what makes sense to them. So it’s a perfect way for your students to begin thinking about primary sources and how they can be applied to your direct instruction, a video clip, a piece of literature, or something they learned last year. Site includes template
A Good Source of U.S. History Lesson Starters Starting classroom conversations about a new topic or unit is a way to give students an interesting image or a short primary source document to review and ask questions about. A great place to find those conversation starters is the National Archive's Today's Document website. Every day Today's Document features a new image or document from the archives. The documents and images are from that day in history. Each one is accompanied by some additional research links and lesson plan resources. This short video I provides an overview of Today's Document and the related resources that it provides for U.S. History teachers. www.freetech4teachers.com
The Best Videos For Learning Why It’s Important To Study History:
Learning for Justice has plenty of online articles, videos, and other resources for teaching social studies in an inclusive and informed way.
Social Studies Inquiry Kits give you access to great questions and powerful primary sources. Each kit contains three guiding questions, five primary sources, and one secondary source. The Inquiry Kits are designed specifically to help as you plan your instruction.
What So Proudly We Hail This is a literary-based e-curriculum for history and civics.demonstrate how short stories, speeches, and songs can be used to enhance civic education and how a pedagogical approach that stresses learning through inquiry can make primary sources come alive for students of all ages.Anti-Social Studies High School American History podcasts along with teaching materials, sample essays, and two very handy planning documents that are excellent. You get both face to face and online teaching tools and strategies, ideas for direct and indirect instruction, and assorted other best practices.
21 Lessons From America’s Worst Moments.
A New Guide To Help Teachers Integrate Google Arts & Culture in Their Classroom Teaching Google Arts & Culture released today a new Teacher Guide packed full of educational resources and learning materials to help teachers make the best of Arts & Culture in their curricula. I spent some time sifting through the content of this guide and found it really helpful. The guide includes "ready-to-use handouts and customizable activity templates, and compliments other popular experiences on Google Arts & Culture that were designed with educators in mind. The guide is divided into three main sections: Get Started, Discover Content, and Activities for Students. In the Get Started section, you will learn about what Arts & Culture is, how to navigate your way around, and how to use it with your students. In the Discover Content part, you will learn more about the content shared on Arts & Culture including the three main groupings: Collections, Themes, and Experiments.
Roadside America
The Library of Congress houses the John Margolies Roadside America Photograph Archive. That archive contains nearly 12,000 photographs of interesting roadside attractions all over the United States and eastern Canada. The collection includes pictures of things like gas stations shaped like a dinosaur, windmills that serve as ice cream stands, funky miniature golf courses, and lots of neon signs for motels and restaurants. freetech4teachers,com
Unleashing Sorrow and Joy: Writing Poetry from History and Literature Explore different ways to incorporate poetry into history or literature classes in this teaching activity.
Untold America is from the BBC, and shares stories that are probably new to many of us about Americans.
Zooniverse is an amazing site where scholars put up projects that require “people-powered research” – for example, attempting to decode formerly secret Civil War telegrams.
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching the Colonization of the Americas
Side-by-Side Comparisons
Comparea.org offers a simple way to compare the size of countries, states, provinces, and cities. To make a comparison just choose two places from the drop-down menus on the right hand side of the screen. Along with the visuals your students can find links to World Factbook and Wikipedia entries about their chosen places. www.freetech4teachers.com
JuxtaposeJS is a free tool for making and hosting side-by-side comparisons of images. The tool was designed to help people see before and after views of a location, a building, a person, or anything else that changes appearance over time. JuxtaposeJS will let you put the images into a slider frame that you can embed into a webpage where viewers can use the slider to reveal more or less of one of the images. JuxtaposeJS can be a great little tool for students to use to create comparisons of a place before and after a weather event. For example, a comparison of a beach before and after a major storm. Or students could use it to make comparisons of how a famous building like Fenway Park has been remodeled. www.freetech4teachers.com
History Mysteries: Historical Inquiry for Elementary Classrooms is a site created with Library of Congress / Teaching with Primary Sources money. Two teachers, Kelley Brown and Laurie Risler, partnered to develop Google Slides, student materials, and teacher guides that all focus on historical thinking skills and the use of primary sources.
Summary tool for basic content? Somebody Wanted But So and Then.Yes, Race and Politics Belong in the Classroom Education Week Commentary Last year's presidential-election season and the subsequent presidency of Donald Trump have recentered serious issues of gender, race, immigration, and social class for people in the United States and beyond its borders. Even my own young daughters are musing about these extremely difficult issue
Circle-Based Visuals with Circly Circly is a free web-based tool that allows you to create simpler ways of looking at complex topics. The teacher or students
can drag-and-drop circles anywhere on the screen to create connections between ideas or topics. The tool is extremely colorful and fun to use.
The Core Knowledge free PDFs They cover many of the key elements of any World History or U.S. History curriculum. Each PDF includes both teacher lessons and the student book. However, the teacher lessons are in portrait view but the student book isn’t – you would have to go to something like the free PDF go to “rotate” the student pages so they wouldn’t have to bend their heads to read them online
Digital Archive: International History Declassified Is a resource where students, researchers and specialists can access once-secret documents from governments and organizations all over the world. Constructed and maintained by the Wilson Center’s History and Public Policy Program, the Digital Archive contains newly declassified historical materials from archives around the world—much of it in translation and including diplomatic cables, high level correspondence, meeting minutes and more. The historical documents presented in the ever-expanding Digital Archive provide fresh, unprecedented insights into recent international history.
Talking About Race” tools and guidance from the National Museum of African American History and Culture to “empower your journey and inspire conversation.” You’ll find there a section specifically for educators.
Moving Forward Together, The Connecticut Department of Education has compiled a list of resources to provide teachers, students, and parents with insights and strategies to help engage in a dialogue about racism, hate, violence, and other tragic events that children may hear about or see on the news.
The Best Resources I’ve Used In Lessons About Race & Racism
Children's Books About Race
Tools and Guidance for Sparking Meaningful Change 158 resources chronicling the history of anti-Black violence and inequality in the United States within a narrative that explains and contextualizes them. The resources include articles, websites, podcasts, and videos on topics related to historical context, systemic inequality, anti-Black violence, protest, intersectionality (interconnections between social categories leading to discrimination or disadvantage), and education.
Media History and Lesson Plans The Media History Digital Library is a huge archive of books and magazines about the history film, television, and radio. In scanned books and magazines you will find reviews and critiques of movies, radio programs, and television shows. You will also discover many periodicals about the movie, television, and radio industries in general. Your search can be refined according to date, language, and publication type. You can also browse through collections curated by MHDL. Applications for Education A resource for students studying the history and development of media. MHDL has a set of model lesson plans that can incorporate artifacts located through MHDL Lantern. The lesson plans were written for college courses so you'll need to modify them for high school use. Through MHDL's Lantern you could find some good examples of how to write a critique to share with your students. Your students could use those as models for writing their own critiques of movies or even of books. www.freetech4techers.comRoadmap This is a simple tool that gives you the ability to plan projects by simply dragging and dropping, providing flexibility when your plan change. It is also a powerful scheduling tool that brings your entire team’s schedule into one timeline, giving you a grand overview of everyone’s work. Roadmap is integrated with your favorite tools (Slack, Trello, Jira, etc) to help get everyone together in one place.
Teaching with Tolerance Educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy. Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioner,. to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants. The program emphasizes social justice and anti-bias.
The Digital Public Library of America Includes Primary Source Sets organized according to themes, eras, and events in United States history. The DPLA primary source sets include documents, drawings, maps, photographs, and film clips. Each set is accompanied by a teaching guide. All of the sets can be shared directly to Google Classroom. And each artifact that students view in the sets is accompanied by some questions or points to ponder while reviewing that artifact. www.freetech4teachers,com
Big Ideas About Studying History
Search and Read Old Newspapers Studying a primary source like a newspaper published at the time of a major event in history is a great tool for student learning. And the US News Map can help. With access via a strong search engine to more than 15 million newspaper pages published between 1789 and 1964, this is a treasure trove of information. You can search by topics (like slavery or statehood) or by year. Once you hit return, your search results show up as dots on a US map, allowing you to click into the ones you might be interested in. As you drill down, the newspaper pages are in PDF format and appear just as they did when they were published. Your search term is highlighted in pink. Click on any of the markers on the map and you'll be shown a list of newspaper articles related to your search term. Click on a listed article to read it on the Library of Congress
History Mysteries: Historical Inquiry for Elementary Classrooms is a site created with Library of Congress / Teaching with Primary Sources money. Two teachers, Kelley Brown and Laurie Risler, partnered to develop Google Slides, student materials, and teacher guides that all focus on historical thinking skills and the use of primary sources.
Immigration - The Changing Face of America Grade 6 to 12
The American Memory Collection at the Library of Congress does it again with this survey of the waves of immigration that have swept the American shores. While this site has a number of incomplete "exhibit" areas, the associated lesson plans are there, and well worth a look for those whose curricula include immigration. It may take some trial and error to find those resources that fit best.
The Best Sites For Learning About Immigration In The United States
The Best Places Where Students Can Tell Their – And/Or Their Families – Immigration Story
Library of Congress iBooks six free iBooks that can be quickly downloaded and are useful for having students interact with primary source evidence. The six titles are The Constitution, The Dust Bowl, The Harlem Renaissance, Immigration, Symbols of the United States, and Understanding the Cosmos.
500+ Political Cartoons & 100+ Editorial Cartoon Lesson Plans The Library of Congress hosts an online collection of more than 500 political cartoons and caricatures from U.S. History. You can search the collection by keyword and image type. Along with the images you will find links to related resources from the Library of Congress. You could use these public domain works to help students understand the political perspectives surrounding significant political events in U.S. History. A good model for political cartoon-based lesson plans can be found on Cartoons for the Classroom.
Primary Source Learning
This site, created by practicing educators, "assists teachers and students in using Library of Congress primary source materials" and includes lessons that target the best instructional practices
Chinese in California Grade 8 to 12
The American Memory Project at the Library of Congress offers this collection of documents on the experiences of Chinese immigrants in California. Though they faced severe discrimination, the Chinese were an invaluable source of labor, especially for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The collection includes many archival photos.
U.S. History Inquiry KitsExplore this collection of sixty inquiry kits that let students study historical topics that excite them. Each kit has primary and secondary sources to analyze. Study everything from early American colonies to modern politics. Inquiry kits examine social studies themes. Go to U.S. History Inquiry Kits
Free Digital US History Textbook The Bill of Rights Institute (BRI) is helping teachers plan for the upcoming academic year with free, engaging resources and programs. On July 6, in partnership with Rice University’s Open Stax, BRI will launch Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness, an open educational resource for high school US history. With contributions from nearly 100 scholars, this resource invites students to investigate the central themes and ideas of American history. The entire resource will be hosted on OpenStax’s Tutor platform, which allows for adaptive learning at no cost to a district. Educators can request preview access, which will let them review the content and assessment questions, and experiment with course planning tools. A preview account will allow teachers to view the course from their students’ perspective and will automatically give them full access when the resource is released on July 6, 2020.
Free social studies lessons based on student inquiry. The Inquiry Design Model (IDM) is an instructional research-based framework including: questions to help students frame their inquiry, summative and formative performance tasks, and subject matter-specific texts.The IDMs are a tool for building well-rounded citizens in classrooms. Students are able to analyze and articulate how their ideas and perspectives change as their inquiry unfolds. I’ve used this tool as a formative assessment to help me understand my students’ progress toward meeting our state’s (Kentucky’s) draft social studies standards. Differentiated reading supports may be needed, since some students will have trouble accessing these complex texts and won’t be able to use the resource as-is.
How to Engage Students in Historical Thinking Using Everyday Objects Asking students to examine their own possessions from the perspective of a historian in the future helps them sharpen their analytical skills.
Tips and Resources on Using Music to Teach History
Using Google Books in History Classes. www.freetech4teachers.com
Zoom In is a free, Web-based platform that helps students build literacy and historical thinking skills through “deep dives” into primary and secondary sources. Zoom In’s online learning environment features 18 content-rich U.S. history units that supplement your regular instruction and help you use technology to support students’ mastery of both content and skills required by the new, higher standards
Model Diplomacy Students become foreign policy experts in this real-world simulationThis impressive program has ready-to-use and expert-vetted content that'll help advanced students engage meaningfully with foreign policy issues and processes.
Bunk History is a non-profit supported by the University of Richmond that collects what it considers to be interesting articles related to U.S. History that teachers can organize into “collections.”
RealClearHistory You get article aggregation from a variety of places in a variety of topics. RealClearHistory is a place to find interesting resources and insight. To take full advantage, be sure to use the search feature in the top right to find articles, resources, and maps.Along the left hand side of RealClearHistory, you’ll find a section titled The Map Room that lists some of their most recent map related articles. For some reason, I’ve had trouble getting the Map Room link to work, so don’t be afraid to use the search feature if this is happening to you. You might try this link of map related search results to start.
Freckle It’s an “adaptive” platform where teachers can set up free virtual classrooms (it looks like it’s free to individual teachers, but schools and districts can pay for more features) and is supposed to differentiate in English, Math and Social Studies content. "Freckle empowers teachers to differentiate instruction across Math, ELA, Social Studies and Science."
article, “‘I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier:’ Ideas and Strategies for Using Music from the National Jukebox to Teach Difficult Topics in History,” provides ideas and resources for incorporating sheet music and sound recordings to encourage student inquiry.
Teaching While White about the anxiety white teachers often feel while trying to teach about those difficult topics, especially to students of color.
Digital Public Library of America and World Digital Library Massive list of primary sources searchable by keyword and visual map. Be sure to not miss the Black Women’s Suffrage Digital Collection.
Zooniverse is an amazing site where scholars put up projects that require “people-powered research” – for example, attempting to decode formerly secret Civil War telegrams It has many projects in multiple subject areas, along with very cool online tools for students to use when doing the research. The site also has lesson plans for teachers to use when introducing students to the site
The Best Resources For Teaching “What If?” History Lessons.
Paths to Perspective: How the Past Connects to Our Present Each person is an amalgamation of the people and events that came before them. These people and events include the nature of their birth, the lives of their parents, the experiences of their grandparents, the creation of the printing press, etc. The idea behind this lesson is to expose students to milestones in black history, and to use that rich history to challenge them to look into their past to see how they connect to larger events that came before them. This lesson is especially crafted for Black History Month (though of course it can be used at other times) to have students from multiple ethnic backgrounds try to find a connection to the African American Experience in the United States. It removes students from an ethnic vacuum and asks them to see how the journey of others not like them has an impact on their, their family's and their country's history.
Using Objects to Teach History
American Social History Project (ASHP) in the Center for Media Literacy at City University of New York produces a variety of websites to discover the past. The subjects range from revolutionary France to twenty-first century America. ASHP has developed archives of primary documents and oral histories, as well as teaching tools and 3D recreations that help users explore such places in the past. ASHP continues to develop new web projects that showcase the latest historical thinking, rich archival resources, and the best new digital tools available. For example, Picturing United States History, a digital project based on the belief that visual materials are vital to understanding the American past, provides online essays, lectures, and reflective classroom lessons to help teachers incorporate visual evidence into their classrooms. Zoom In, created in partnership with Education Development Center, features 18 skill-focused, document-rich lessons on social history topics that address every era of US history.
Diamond Diagrams, the strategy asks kids to make sense of an event by prioritizing statements, ideas, or documents from most to least important.
Digital Project-based Social Studies Curriculum
Students of History offers a social studies curriculum that includes units with activities to help students in grades 7–10 understand key concepts in US history, world history, civics, and American government. The units are based on state and national social studies standards and include project-based learning (PBL), digital activities, primary sources, and more. Students can type directly on their pages, insert images, and drag and drop information for a variety of interactive activities. The curricula also include Interactive Notebooks, with graphic organizers, creative foldables, timelines, and more. In addition, each unit provides several primary source activities, secondary source readings, and worksheets for in-class activities or homework. The units also offer a variety of engaging projects in which students work together in groups or individually. These include history simulations and station activities to get students up and moving around the room. An in-depth Project-Based Learning packet includes everything teachers need to bring PBL assessments to any unit in their curriculum. Editable PowerPoints with Guided Notes are filled with images, and printable guided notes pages or graphic organizers help students to focus on key concepts. Teachers can sign up on the website to receive a free sample pack with more than 30 pages of resources.
How to Find Historical Comics and Create Lessons With Them creating history lessons that incorporate historical comics. That email sent me to Docs Teach where there is a small collection of historical comics. Since Docs Teach is a project of the U.S. National Archives all of the comics have a record locator that can be clicked to take you into the National Archives' online catalog. It was there that I started to dig into browsing through hundreds of records containing comics and comic books. In the following video I demonstrate how to use the National Archives' online catalog to locate historical comics. www.freetech4teachers.com
American Rhetoric is dedicated to archiving American speeches, lectures, sermons, interviews and “other important media events.” Its “Online Speech Bank” contains full text, audio and video for more than 5,000 speeches.
OpenStax (openstax.org)OpenStax offers free digital textbooks with tons of resources for teachers and students. Resources include test banks, answer guides, PowerPoint slides, downloadable PDFs and more. It also includes learning management system integrations for Canvas, Blackboard, and more.
Historical Voices is a fully searchable online database of spoken word collections spanning the 20th century.
History Engine (http://historyengine.richmond.edu), a project at the University of Richmond centered on a writing assignment for the digital age, which is called an “episode.” An episode is something like a moment in time: it is a short essay on a particular event in the past, such as a wedding in New York during the Great Depression or an 1840 slave sale in rural Mississippi. Episodes explore these historical moments as interpretive windows into the past. Rather than tackling the entire American Civil War, for example, an episode might focus on the terrifying experience of a particular soldier at the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by his surviving letters and contextualized by secondary literature. Another episode might recount the excitement felt by a woman in New Hampshire when she stepped into the voting booth for the first time in 1920, as described in her diary and supported by literature on the 19th amendment. Because they center on historical action at the local level, each episode provides a unique voice about a particular time and place that can be joined by other voices.
ActiveHistory features a wide variety of educational materials designed specifically for use in history classrooms. These include award-winning interactive simulations, decision-making games, self-marking quizzes, high-quality worksheets and detailed lesson plans". ActiveHistory also "provides materials on scores of topics from the Middle Ages to the present day, aimed at every age range between 11-18 years.
Historical Literacy page provides links to useful sites as well as instructional tools that support the use historical thinking skills.
Assessment for Evaluating Historical Thinking The Olympics Protest is a new assessment from the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) that gauges whether students can identify the historical event depicted in an iconic photograph and evaluate its historical significance.
The Big History Project - Discover this world of history so full of science information. It is multimedia at its best!
The Pop History Dig is a magazine-styled website with more than 250 stories that cover a range of topics, often focusing on the history and power of popular culture. One goal of the site is to use the visibility of popular culture—its music, film, literature, and famous personalities—to engage readers on topics ranging from civil rights history to the power of the entertainment industry.
ImagineNation Matters “virtual tour” modules are like storybooks come to life, in which upper elementary students can experience, for example, the human drama of the Underground Railroad or life as a modern Arab American. Each of the modules is in the form of a story that involves protagonists of the approximate age of student participants. As they turn the pages of their virtual storybook, students are prompted with questions to consider. Students’ comments are responded to by University of Michigan student mentors, who speak in the voices of the characters in the stories. These mentored conversations continue throughout the tour, offering students a chance to develop writing and research skills while they experience important moments in history.
Historical Thinking Skills Interactives This series of interactive activities introduces and models the Historical Thinking Skills defined by the National Center for History in the Schools. The interactives each model a specific skill or set of skills, such as analyzing historical artifacts or using primary sources to develop a thesis.
List of comics and graphics novels organized by social studies content areas.
13 history podcasts that you actually want to listen to
Circle of Viewpoints helps students to identify and consider different and diverse perspectives. While engaged in this thinking routine, students gain a greater awareness of how others are feeling and thinking.
US History Geography Kit
Map of Contemporaries is an interactive visual that chronicles the history of the world through the lifespans of famous people. It provides a biographical account of different historical figures and through them an overview of the major events that marked their era.
Issues Viewed Through the Lens of the US Presidency
The Miller Center at University of Virginia offers a free teacher- and student-friendly collection of resources that are about all of the US presidents and key public issues of each period. Each president’s page includes carefully crafted essays by experts, quick facts, presidential speeches, interviews with scholars, relevant publications, and more. Students can read detailed content about the presidents’ lives before they came into office, their campaigns, the domestic and foreign issues they faced during their administrations, and their lasting legacy on American history. For example, a 12-minute video about a current controversial issue, “Race And The Crisis of Justice,” looks at the history of race, policing, and incarceration in the United States through the lens of the presidency.
Web Projects to Enhance Historical Thinking
The American Social History Project in the Center for Media Literacy at City University produces a variety of websites where teachers, students, and the general public can discover the past. The subjects range from revolutionary France to twenty-first century America and points in between. ASHP has developed archives of primary documents and oral histories, as well as teaching tools and 3D recreations that help users explore the past. ASHP continues to develop new web projects that showcase the latest historical thinking, rich archival resources, and the best new digital tools available. For example, Picturing United States History, a digital project based on the belief that visual materials are vital to understanding the American past, provides online essays, lectures, and reflective classroom lessons to help teachers incorporate visual evidence into their classrooms. Zoom In features 18 skill-focused, document-rich lessons on social history topics that address every era of US history. These interactive inquiries engage students in reading documents closely, gathering evidence, and writing an argumentative or explanatory essay. Each lesson includes a compelling hook, slides with essential context, a variety of historical sources, carefully designed reading materials, and discussion prompts and templates for writing well-structured essays.
The Best Resources For Teaching “What If?” History Lessons
Exodus: The Climate Migration Crisis is an impressive project from the Weather Channel. It examines how climate change is forcing people around the world to leave their communities.
Hardcore History Podcast Grades 9–12 Every teacher and student knows that, while history may not have been boring, history textbooks often are. Hardcore History with Dan Carlin is aiming to change all that, with honest and dramatic looks at historical figures and events that go far outside the basic historical outline many of us learned. While Hardcore History is not released on a predictable schedule and the episodes are often very long, it brings history to life in an invaluable way. History teachers who take the time to curate clips may find that their students have a whole new interest in learning.
X Degrees of Separation lets you select two works of art in the Google Arts & Culture collection and then see works that can connect them. The purpose of X Degrees of Separation appears to be to show viewers how cultures can be connected through art. Each image that appears in the connections is linked to an individual page that will include a bit of information about the work. Depending upon the work that you've selected you may not get much more information than the artist's name and the museum in which the work is displayed. (Richard Byrne)
Having students complete a project reviewing several chapters of a unit from a textbook isn’t particularly innovative, but try doing it in video form and included some reflective questions.Here are the directions and script students used.
Class Tools Hexagons Generator lets you create an online hexagonal learning activity to share with your students. To use the template just enter a topic then a minimum of five terms related to that topic.
History in Motion is a promising service that allows teachers and students to build multimedia history stories. On History in Motion you can build animated timelines that can move in conjunction with movements on a map. At each stop along your timeline and map you can include descriptions of events, display images, and display videos. Video Tutorial
The Teaching History Interactive Poster ( gr. K - 5) an overview of historical thinking skills as well as specific examples. The poster is divided into four quadrants. Hover your mouse over a quadrant to highlight it and click. When the image of that quadrant appears, click on a bullet to learn about the image and find related learning and teaching resources.
Field Trip Zoom provides you with an online service that allows you to search, order, schedule and connect to hundreds of live interactive programs. These programs provide your students with unique learning experiences that align with your courses and drive home the in-class materials. Museums, zoos and historical sites are some of the best sources of educational content specific to the curriculum. Whether it’s history, the arts, anthropology or other subject matter areas, these institutions can bring a new level of understanding to the material.
Juxtapose It can help you and your students compare two pieces of similar media, including photos and GIFs. It seems perfect for highlighting then/now stories that explain slow changes over time (growth of a city skyline, regrowth of a forest, etc.) or before/after stories that show the impact of single dramatic events (natural disasters, protests, wars, etc.).
Awesome Stories bridges stories to learning, as a gathering place of primary-source information. Its purpose to give context to stories, increasing their power and usefulness in learning.Over a hundred thousand free members and public users use Awesome Stories making over 2.2 million website unique visits each year, yet its existence is almost a secret. Librarians and media specialist members share the newsletters with teachers, teacher members share the stories with students and integrate the stories and primary sources in their lessons.
Resources for Historical Maps Also see HistoryMaps, available online or via the Android or iOS app, makes it easy to access historical maps. Additionally, the interface is available in multiple languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.Explore HistoryMaps, and you’ll find a different aspect of history represented with each period offering interactive stories, images, and videos,
DocsTeach map-based lessons. (www.freetech4teachers.com)
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World is a collection of thousands of online, interactive maps representing all kinds of data. The contents of the collection range from relatively simple displays of historical map imagery to complex, displays of data updated nearly live. For example, this map displays active hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. Another good example is this map that displays current air quality conditions around the world. www.freetech4teachers.com
Manifest Destiny - The Story of The U.S. Told in 141 Maps is a great website developed by Michael Porath. As you probably guessed from the title of this blog post, the site features 141 interactive maps chronicling the expansion of the United States from March 1789 to August 1959. When you click on any of the maps you will see the new territories acquired in that year and month. Each map is accompanied by a brief description of how the new territories were acquired. www.freetech4teachers.com
Florida's Educational Technology Clearinghouse has a collection of more than 5,000 historical maps. The maps are licensed for free download and reuse by teachers and students. The collection is organized by continent and country. The US category is further broken down and organized by state and by historical theme. (www.freetech4teachers/com)
Mapping History is a digital atlas of American, European, Latin American, and African history. Each section is divided into modules based on historical themes and eras.
Mapping History is a resource if you need a thematic map to illustrate a pattern in history.
Studs Terkel Radio Archive. This archive will feature interviews from Studs’ hour-long daily radio show, which ran from 1952 to 1997, during which he conducted more than 5,000 interviews. The subjects of his interviews span almost five decades of prominent figures, such as jazz, blues, folk, classical, and world musicians; novelists; scientists; historians; visual artists; actors; political theorists and activists; poets; dancers; filmmakers; sociologists and anthropologists; architects and urban planners; civil rights leaders; philosophers; folklorists; as well as many fascinating everyday working people.
Doing History is Like Solving a Mystery is an interactive poster for elementary school students. The poster uses images with notes to guide students through the process of developing good research questions and recording their ideas.
History is an Argument About the Past is an interactive poster for middle school and high school students. The poster walks students through identifying primary and secondary sources of information then using that information to create an argument.
Histography.io learn how history is influenced by interconnected events. Examine periods of history through images, video and text to make connections between events, inventions, social movements, ets...
Picturing America is an interactive gallery of artwork related to events, people, and themes in American history. Students can browse the gallery chronologically or by theme. They can click on any image in the gallery to learn about the artist and the artwork itself. Along with the background information for each image, Picturing America provides links to additional resources for learning about the artwork and artists. The site’s Educators Resource page contains a resource book with printable background sheets about each piece of art in the Picturing America gallery. The resource book also includes questions and activity suggestions for using each piece of art in elementary school, middle school, and high school classrooms. The resource book is available as a free download in English, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Teachers can download the resource as one file or in individual chapters. Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Download Free Resource Book
Google Cultural Institute, you can seriously get lost in here for hours. Think the largest museum you can think of, then multiply that by a very large number and you get a sense of what’s available. And I’m not even talking about the whole Institute. Just the Historic Moments and World Wonders sections. Google has partnered with hundreds of museums, cultural institutions, and archives to host the world’s cultural treasures online. Google Cultural Institute announced recently the release of an excellent tool called new Art Camera which has the potential to reveal in high resolution the invisible little minute details in the works of some greatest artists.
Historic Moments. Here you can find artworks, landmarks and world heritage sites, as well as digital exhibitions that tell the stories behind the archives of cultural institutions across the globe.
Google News Newspaper archive. In the Google News Newspaper archive you can search for a specific newspaper, search for article titles, or as demonstrated below you can search for a topic.
Listen Current provides access to audio clips from National Public Radio and other public networks from around the world that cover both current events and historical topics. The clips are short and easy to use with students. But that’s not all that the site can do for you.
They offer a series of powerful lesson plans that are Common Core from the ground up – aligned to standards and ready to use.
Zoom In designed specifically to train secondary students to solve a historical problem by analyzing and collecting evidence, organizing research, and creating a rough draft communicating the solution. Get a sense of the tool at their YouTube channel.
Educade Start browsing for hundreds of lesson plans and teaching tools right now.
Educade revolutionizes the way students learn by integrating fun and interactive learning methods with cutting-edge 21st century tools, such as apps, games and maker kits. The site celebrates teachers’ expertise and first-hand knowledge of students, and equips them with the tools and community support to maximize their impact on student learning.
Infographic: “Continental Shift: The World’s Most Populous Countries
World Population History is an interactive map and timeline of the world's population growth from 1 C.E. to today. The timeline at the bottom of the map features little placemarks that feature developments in science, trade, and major political events. Students can click on the markers in the timeline to learn more about each development.The combination of the map with the timeline can help students see the correlation between scientific advancements and changes in population growth.
Data.Census.gov you can find, read, and analyze data sets. Beyond that you can filter data sets and even create custom maps of the data sets. I lost at least an hour of my day messing about with the mapping tool. Watch this short video
The United States Census Bureau has released “Statistics in Schools,” a free K–12 curriculum that features 20 lessons to help students understand why being counted in 2020 is important. The curriculum includes “Let’s Get the Count Right,” a 40-minute activity for K–2 that helps students learn how to count up to 100, make number comparisons, and understand the concept of populations; “Population Change over Time,” a 35-minute unit for grades 3 and 4 that helps students identify trends in data and make predictions based on data; “Diversity: Languages Spoken in the United States,” a 45-minute lesson for grades 5 and 6 to help students learn how to calculate percentages based on data and understand the concept of diversity; “Appointment,” a 35-minute study for grades 7 and 8 on how to use, analyze, and interpret data; and “Make Data Speak,” a 40-minute unit for grades 9–12 on how to collect and interpret data, and display the information in a visually creative way. Nearly every lesson concludes with objectives that help students connect the census count to distribution of resources within communities.
Our World in Data - Resource Link - Over 3,000 charts on topics including poverty, disease, hunger, climate change, war, existential risks, inequality, and more, with supporting research, data, and conclusions.
12 Good Places to Find Historical Images to Spark Inquiry www.freetech4teacers.com
Internet Archive Book Images features over 2 millions historical pictures on Flickr. This tremendous work has been done by Kalev Leetaru from Georgetown University. The pictures and drawings included in this resource are extracted from over 600 million library book pages scanned in by the Internet Archive organization.
Picturing United States History: An Interactive Resource for Teaching with Visual Evidence
Talking History is an oral history website produced by SUNY Albany for the purpose of sharing history lessons and audio artifacts. Every week Talking History publishes two audio segments about various historical topics. One of the segments features historians talking about an event or theme in history. The other segment features an audio artifact about an event or theme. Past shows are archived.
WhatWasThere is an excellent web tool and mobile app that uses Google Maps technologies to provide users with an interactive experience through which they get to learn how different places looked in the past. It’s like a virtual time machine that takes you in a journey in space and time. When you install WhatWasThere app on your iPad or iPhone and once it is launched, the app will detect the geographical location where you are and will provide you with any historic photographs that were captured nearby plotted on a map! You can also switch into Camera view to get an augmented reality experience of the history that surrounds you.
Fake SMS Generator The Classtools Fake SMS Generator is free to use and does not require students to register to use it. The video demonstrates how to create a fictitious text message exchange between historical characters.
ContextU and its purpose is to help students see the greater context for significant events in history. The first iteration of ContextU is focused on the American Civil War. More to come after 2014 On ContextU students select from a table of contents an event, piece of legislation, or theme to see it in the context of other events, pieces of legislation, and themes leading to the start of the Civil War. Through timelines, Google Maps, diagrams, flow charts, timelines, and text ContextU provides context for each chosen event, piece of legislation, or theme. Students can jump from event to event or from theme to theme by following the hyperlinks within each diagram.
Nuskool This is a site that uses pop culture as teaching moments for students. Tailored to grades 6th-12th students learn a variety of subjects such as: Math, Science, English, etc through educational lessons based on the different elements of pop culture (video games, sports, films, etc.).
Historical Newspapers good for historical thinking with primary sources.
Chronicling America: Historical Newspapers to discover the language used at the time. This activity can help students understand attitudes toward specific groups at the time the newspaper was published.
Historical Thinking Matters is a good resource for U.S. History teachers. Includes a good interactive presentation titled Why Historical Thinking Matters. The ten part presentation starts out by explaining why historical thinking isn't just memorization of facts. The presentation walks viewers through a model of how to think and study like a historian who analyzes and compares
Teaching History provides a wide variety of materials and resources to improve history education in the classroom. Teaching History, which is funded by the American Department of Education, is designed specifically for k-12 history teachers to help them access teaching materials such as lesson plan reviews, videos, and teaching guides. The content of Teaching History is organized into three main categories: Teaching Materials: this is where you can browse through an array of lesson plans, and teaching guides to use in the teaching of history to your K-12 students. History Content: this is where you can locate quality historical resources and reliable content from across the web. Best Practices: this one introduces teachers to different strategies and approaches to engage students discussion of primary sources and encourage them to exercise historical thinking.
There are two interactive posters available. The poster for elementary school is called Doing History is Like Solving a Mystery. The poster for high school students is called History is an Argument About the Past. Both posters include images of primary sources. Clicking on the images in the posters opens a series of guiding question
History Labs: A Guided Approach to Historical Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom, the site is perfect for teaching kids how to solve historical problems.
Go Social Studies is essentially a series of multimedia books about common social studies topics. The site is divided into three main sections; U.S. History, World History, and World Religions. Click to open a book then click to open a chapter in the each of the books. Within each chapter there is a series of pages containing text, pictures, videos, and links to additional resources on your chosen topic.
American History
A selection of easily searched resources divided by eras and historical events. Comprehensive for all grade levels.
The National Archives Digital Vault poster and video creation tools allow students to drag and drop digital artifacts into a poster or video. The National Archives provides images, documents, and audio in an easy to use editor. When making a poster students can combine multiple images, change background colors, and create captions to make collages of digital artifacts. See the screen capture below for a demonstration of poster editing
Picturing America is an interactive gallery of artwork related to events, people, and themes in American history. Students can browse the gallery chronologically or by theme. They can click on any image in the gallery to learn about the artist and the artwork itself. Along with background information for each image, Picturing America provides links to additional resources for learning about the artwork and artists. The site’s Educators Resource page contains a resource book that includes printable background sheets about each piece of art in the Picturing America gallery. The resource book also includes questions and activity suggestions for using each piece of art in elementary school, middle school, and high school classrooms. The resource book is available as a free download in English, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Teachers can download the resource as one file or in individual chapters. Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Download Free Resource Book
Clio Visualizing History is a nonprofit education organization dedicated to creating innovative online history exhibits designed to engage students and assist educators. Make sure to explore the Ongoing Feminist Revolution exhibit.
Interference Archive encourages the exploration of the relationship between cultural production and social movements and so includes many kinds of objects that are created as part of social movements by the participants themselves: posters, flyers, publications, zines, books, T-shirts and buttons, moving images, audio recordings, subject files, and other materials.
Go Social Studies Go a series of multimedia books about common social studies topics. The site is divided into three main sections; U.S. History, World History, and World Religions. Click to open a book then click to open a chapter in the each of the books. Within each chapter there is a series of pages containing text, pictures, videos, and links to additional resources on your chosen topic.
SAS Curriculum Pathways – This is a wonderful collection of highly engaging lessons plans available for free from SAS Curriculum Pathways in North Carolina. With a collection of around 700 lesson plans as of this publication, the archive allows teachers to search and also browse through multiple social studies categories. The provided link will bring you to the Social Studies area of the site.
15 Maps That Perfectly Explain the United States of America
“These 19 maps are chock full of fascinating data. Every one measures a distinct historical, socioeconomic, or cultural milestone, and combines to form the rich and varied tapestry we call America.”
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection Use the LUNA Browser to check out David Rumsey’s Map Collection with more than 30,000 images, searchable by keyword.
HistoryMaps, available online or via the Android or iOS app, makes it easy to access historical maps. Additionally, the interface is available in multiple languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.Explore HistoryMaps, and you’ll find a different aspect of history represented with each period offering interactive stories, images, and videos,
25 Maps and Charts That Explain American Today
“At the start of every year, government agencies, think tanks and businesses release sets of data and reports charting the nation’s social, economic and demographic course. Individually, each release of data offers a narrow snapshot of a narrow issue — voter attitudes, migration, unemployment, an assessment of policies, etc. — but collectively they tell a broader story.”
U.S. History in Global Perspective. This free book offers historical essays, documents and activities that assist teachers in globalizing US history. The book includes chapters on the American Revolution, Native American land rights, epidemic diseases, the Civil War, Chinese immigrants in the American West, industrialization, the civil rights movement and the socialist movement. Each example includes an essay for historical context, along with documents and activities for teachers to use. The content is appropriate for both world history and US history classrooms. In addition, the book includes connections to Common Core and 21st Century Skills frameworks being implemented in classrooms across the nation and sugge stions on ways to make global connections with National History Day themes. This resource is available for free to all teachers electronically. Click Here to Access Free Resource
Concept Mapping- Graphic Organizers
Diffen is a nice resource for those times when you need a quick comparison of two things. Let's say you need a chart to highlight the differences between latitude and longitude, Diffen has that. Or perhaps you need a comparison of Medicare and Medicaid, Diffen has that too.
If you can't find the comparison that you need, you can create your own on Diffen. Diffen is a community site. Anyone who registers on Diffen can contribute to the comparisons on the site. Comparisons are not limited to text. Images can be added to the comparison charts on Diffen. An embed code is available for each chart.
Zinn Education Project a website designed to help teachers use A People's History of the United States in their classrooms. The Zinn Education Project provides complete lesson plans for use in elementary school, middle school, and high school settings. In some cases the lesson plans include document excerpts and references to A People's History of the United States. On the Zinn Education Project site you can search for lesson plans by time period, theme, or by student reading levels.
StoryMap JS - A Nice Alternative to Tour Builder tutorial video
Museum Box is a great tool for creating virtual displays of artifacts that you find online. By using Museum Box students can organize images, text, videos, links, and audio clips about any topic that they're researching. When completed , students' "boxes" become digital dioramas.
My Simpleshow is a free tool for creating Common Craft style explanatory videos. The best aspect of My Simpleshow is the emphasis that the developers have placed on storyline planing and development. As is demonstrated in my tutorial below, students have to write a script on My Simpleshow before they can begin to use the video editing tools. video tutorial
The Digital Vaults is an entry into the vast resources of the National Archives, and allows you to use those resources to create your own movies, posters, and what it calls “Pathway Challenges” to… challenge others to find connections between a series of images, documents, and other resources you put together.
Made From History is a fantastic history resource. Made From History is produced by the BBC. The site features picture essays, timelines, videos, and interactive guides to significant events in European and World history. Made From History is divided into four sections; WWI, WWII, Civil Rights, and Referenced Blog.
SCAN library the SCAN tool are now FREE to educators! 100+ free lessons based on current or historical events that can help you get your kids connected to the real world within your curriculum. Each lesson contains a scenario with four different perspectives, and guided critical thinking questions that your students discuss online in a private "chat-like" room. Check out our short how-to videos to discover how easy SCAN is to use and set up for your next class.
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Historical Scene Investigations Historical Scene Investigation - Bring the fun of CSI to your social studies class. Let your students become detectives as they investigate historical events.
Crash Course U.S. History. These videos provide ten to twelve minute overviews of key events and themes in the history of the United States.
If it Were My Home is a country comparison tool where students can compare living conditions in their own country to those of another.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook Use the Internet Modern History Sourcebook to find thousands of sources in modern history. Browse and search to find full texts, multimedia, and more. the Sourcebook project seeks to present teachers and students with a wide variety of educational materials on 'modern European history and American history, as well as in modern Western Civilization and World Cultures...A number of other online source collections emphasize legal and political documents. Here efforts have been made to include contemporary narrative accounts, personal memoirs, songs, newspaper reports, as well as cultural, philosophical, religious and scientific documents. Although the history of social and cultural elite groups remains important to historians, the lives of non-elite women, people of color, lesbians and gays are also well represented here.'
Writing Prompts for Social Studies and History
History Engine is an educational project developed by The University of Richmond for the purpose of giving students a place to explore stories of American life and publish their own stories based upon their research.
Race in the USA The site explores the concept of "race" in the United States from its colonial beginnings until the present time.
Teaching History. This website is non-negotiable. Every social studies / history teacher needs this for personal professional learning.
ChronoZoom, a free tool developed by Microsoft Research and an international team of collaborators, is helping her students visually explore the history of, well, just about everything, from the Big Bang right up to the present day.
History Labs: A Guided Approach to Historical Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom, the site is perfect for teaching kids how to solve historical problems.
Artifacts and Analysis: A Teacher’s Guide to Interpreting Artifacts and Writing History, has been around a while. But it still has some awesome tools that can help you train kids to ask good questions and to solve problems.
Historical Thinking Skills Interactives This series of interactive activities introduces and models the Historical Thinking Skills defined by the National Center for History in the Schools. The interactives each model a specific skill or set of skills, such as analyzing historical artifacts or using primary sources to develop a thesis.
National Archives Education page, Lesson plans. Professional development stuff. Handy graphic organizers. It’s one of those sites that is non-negotiable for social studies people.
Beyond the Bubble website with its HATs - Historical Assessments of Thinking. Short, easy to administer, handy interactive rubrics to go along with, student examples to aid in scoring, supporting materials, extension videos, and aligned with Common Core literacy standards.
Historical Thinking Matters Four investigations of central topics from post-civil war U.S. history, with activities that foster historical thinking and encourage students to form reasoned conclusions about the past. the 80+ lesson plans - all structured around the concepts of high level historical thinking. Beyond the Bubble historical thinking assessment site.
History Engine is an educational tool that gives students the opportunity to learn history by doing the work—researching, writing, and publishing—of a historian.
Calisphere - history events and more.
PhillyHistory
Historical photos that are searchable by date, address, and neighborhood.
Cronobook is a website that features a searchable map of historical photographs. The premise of the site is simple and using it is easy. Just head to the site, search for a location, and click on the small images to see them in full size. www.freetech4teachers.com
Eyewitness to History site that lets students select a period in history and see personal stories of people from the time. A nice combination of a great deal of information and many historical photos and drawings that bring learning to life.
Talking History could be a great resource for history teachers looking to bring audio artifacts into their classrooms. Search archives
History and Politics Out Loud History and Politics Out Loud offers a searchable archive of important recordings through history, particularly politically significant audio materials.
History Engine In this tool for collaborative education and research, students can learn history by researching, writing, and publishing, creating a collection of historical articles in U.S. history that can be searched for here by scholars, teachers, and the general pub
Ed Helper Social Studies resources has this page packed full of resources and teaching materials on social studies for different grades and age groups.
Lesson Plans and Resources for Social Studies Teachers Dr. Marty Levine, Professor Emeritus of Secondary Education, California State University, Northridge (CSUN), has gathered lesson plans and resources from the Internet which social studies teachers will find useful.
PBS Learning Media This is another page full of resources curated specifically by PBS Media for teachers and students of social studies.
Social Studies Teaching Resources This Pinterest board provides teaching resources that cover a wide variety of social studies topics including geography, history, economics, and politics. (Grades 3 - 6)
Classroom Aid Classroom Aid offers a wide variety of free resources for teaching and learning Social Studies.
Edsitement Explore our library of humanities lesson plans by subject, theme, and grade level. Find Art & Culture lessons on anthropology, art history, folklore, mythology, religion, and more World Language lessons on languages and the cultures of which they are a part; History & Social Studies lessons on American (including our popular AP U.S. History index) and World History, civics, government and society; and Literature & Language Arts lessons, including AP Literature offerings, on great writing and great literary works throughout the ages.
Online Debating
Play a role in history. As a juror, senator, and U.S. president you will consider some of the most important decisions in our nation's history
Digital History
A Web site designed to support the teaching of American history for K-12 students; the site includes an online textbook, annotated historical documents, and over 70 inquiry-based interactive modules. The site also offers inquiry-based modules that provide primary sources on a number of historical events. It also 'offers many other ways to engage students in the study of history, from fact checks (multiple choice quizzes on every era of American history), to 19th century high school entrance examinations, a time machine, an interactive timeline that links to primary source documents, and a flash overview of American history.'
Smithsonian Institution Open Access is inviting the world to engage with its vast repository of resources like never before. For the first time in its 174-year history, the Smithsonian has released 2.8 million high-resolution two- and three-dimensional images from across its collections onto an open access online platform for patrons to peruse and download free of charge. Featuring data and material from all 19 Smithsonian museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives and the National Zoo, the new digital depot encourages the public to not just view its contents, but use, reuse and transform them into just about anything they choose—be it a postcard, a beer koozie or a pair of bootie shorts. You can also download the 3D images to use in projects of their own. The following video I demonstrate how students can measure, share, and download objects in the Smithsonian's 3D Digitization collection. www.freetech4teachers.com
🎯Smithsonian History Explorer. provides seven types of resource types: artifacts, primary sources, lessons and activities, worksheets, reference materials, reviewed websites, and interactives and media. The staff from the Smithsonian Museum of American History has added so many new resources, lessons, activities, and themes, I guarantee you’ll walk away with all sorts of stuff you can incorporate into your instruction tomorrow. Start by using the search tool on the home page. Insert key words, select your resource type, grade level, era, and potential cross curricular connection. Hit return. You’ll get results from a couple thousand ready to use lesson plans and activities
Who Am I?
A History Mystery could be a good way for history students to practice using evidence to create a hypothesis. Who Am I? is part of a larger online Smithsonian exhibit called The Price of Freedom. The Price of Freedom offers a series of detailed lesson plans and videos for six major events and eras in US History. Those events and eras are War of Independence, Wars of Expansion, The Civil War, World War II, Cold War/ Vietnam, and September 11.
Historical Scene Investigation Project
Investigate historical events
Digital Vaults is a site put together by the National Archives (a great history resource). It is a place where historical records, photos, and documents are kept. At this site a user can either create a Digital Poster, Movie or a Pathway Challenge. A Pathway Challenge is a great way to lean history and see how historical items are "linked" together.
Awesome Stories
A large resource filled with primary-source information. Its purpose is to help educators and individuals find original sources, located at national archives, libraries, universities, museums, historical societies and government-created web sites. The site is very easy to use.
American History Demographic Chart Book
Website featuring dozens of graphics about US demographics from 1790 through 2010. The site is divided into seventeen chapters each containing multiple dynamic graphics. The chapters are labeled according to demographic categories such as age, marital status, education, and birthplace.
Crossroads: A K-16 American History Curriculum
American history curriculum with essays, lessons, and resources for the classroom teacher for both elementary ages and beyond. Each curriculum age group has its own lessons and resources.
Ease History
A rich learning environment that supports the learning of US history. Over 600 videos and photographs are currently available, has three entry points: Historical Events, Campaign Ads, and Core Values
Playing History is a collection of 128 games related to topics in US and World History as well as civics and geography. The games come from a variety of sources across the web. Feedback on every game and suggestions for future additions are welcomed by the hosts of the site.
World Digital Library
Primary source documents from around the world - available for download
Old Magazine Articles.com
A primary source site with PDF versions of magazine articles published from 1860-1922 covering topics including the American Civil War, World War I, Prohibition, fashion history, art history, immigration history, the sinking of the Titanic and much more, including World War II articles from Yank magazine. Good historical photographs History Wired
Take a private tour through the vast collections of the National Museum of American History with this unique site. Thousands of objects, including famous, unusual, and everyday items are linked to an interactive, customizable, "main object" map that includes a timeline, key words, thumbnails, and a search option. Click on an object to find out more about it, than rate it.
National Archives Digital Classroom: Teaching With Documents
A wonderful set of lesson plans, arranged by historical era, which include reproducible copies of many primary documents. DocsTeach is a recent addition to the National Archives family. But it is the perfect place for teaching critical thinking and to help kids learn how to think historically. You can browse by historical period, by historical thinking skill, or by specific types of thinking tools for a huge number of lessons and activities. And because you and other teachers who are joining the site can create their own lessons using the embedded tools, the database of stuff gets bigger every day. Document analysis template for teachers to use to create activities for their students. The document analysis template has teachers choose a document or portion of a document for students to analyze. Teachers can then choose from a menu of pre-made document analysis questions for their students to answer while reviewing a document. Teachers can also create their own questions to add to the analysis activity.
Activities to support this subject in the classroom, including immigration, the Revolution, immigration, American leaders, and much more.
Living Room Candidate
Videos of Presidential campaign commercials from 1952-2004
State and Regional Folk Tales gr 4-8
This repository of folk tales from throughout the United States, organized by state and region, provides students with a great literary tapestry of American culture. Add to a unit on your state's history, or use to supplement your reading curriculum.
American Rhetoric
Speeches from history, contemporary politicians, movie characters, entertainers and notiable citizens.
History and Politics Out Loud
HIstoric and contemporaty American political and historical speeches
Popular Songs in American History
Historical period songs and background information
History Out Loud
HPOL is a searchable multimedia database documenting and delivering authoritative audio relevant to American history and politics.
American Centuries
Explore American history through these collections and activities. (Elem, Mid, High)
The Gilder Lehrman Insitute of American History
Supplement your existing materials with some of the activities and information on this site: primary sources on slavery, Mexican American and NativeAmerican history, lessons that focus on human elements of rebellion andchange, and a visual archive with hundreds of historical maps and
images.
Academic Info: US History Home Page & Index
List of links to support the teaching of American history; arranged by time period. Good portals for ethnic studies also.
American Studies Web
Listing of sites in many areas of American studies; appropriate for teachers and high school students. Good cultural and ethnic resources that include enivironmental and women's movements.
Internet Moving Picture Archive
A site for educational, advertising, and industry videos produced from 1927 to 1987. Teachers will want to preview first
Virtual Worlds Almanac Online catalog of virtual worlds environments at all grade levels
VistaZoo is a customizable portal from where you can create stunning, professional Virtual Tours combining panoramas, pictures, video, audio, floorplans and objects in 3D. Your tours will be uploaded and placed on a map instantly. Once the tour has been created, you can easily embed it into any website in seconds. It works just like YouTube. Create and share instantly.
PowerPoint Downloads
Elementary age appropriate. You can also search for PowerPoint presentations in Google Advanced site. Go to Google ->Advanced -> in the File Format pop-up menu choose .ppt
Census Data and Lessons
Census data from 1790 - 1860 that is easily searchable.
Links to the Past: Explore America's Past
Links to information and resources about America's cultural past, including buildings, landscapes, archeological sites, ethnographic resources, objects and documents. There is a teacher section with lesson ideas.
Smithsonian Museums
Exhibits from each of the Smithsonian Institution's museums including, Transportations role in US history, African Voices, Japanese Americans, the Price of Freedom and War, Brown v. Board of Education. and more.
Within These Walls
This website from the Smithsonian looks at a house in Massachusetts, and follows its inhabitants over two hundred years. Students can find out about the five families that lived there, artifacts from each time period, and how to uncover more information about your own house or neighborhood.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Timeline Tools
A Comparison of Multimedia Timeline Creation Tools - UpdatedMaking a timeline is a "classic" history class assignment. Today, there are plenty of ways to create multimedia timelines. In the following chart I highlight the features of my favorite tools for making multimedia timelines. A copy of the chart can be acquired in Google Docs format here. www.freetech4teachers.com
Timeline JS an open-source tool that enables you to build visually-rich interactive timelines and is available in 40 languages.
Time Graphics for creating illustrative visualization to help with understanding a complex phenomena, designing a timeline of historical events or to temporally chronicle the development of particular process and many more. Visualization is a great way to enhance learning and deepen comprehension.Timelines created through Time Graphics can embed various types of media including, text, videos, visuals, charts and many more. Students can change timeline background, add numerous events, and customize and edit their timelines as they want. Timelines can also be downloaded in different formats (e.g., as PDF, Doc, PPT, TXT, PNG, JPG etc) or exported for offline viewing. There is also a huge library of pre-made timelines students can browse through.
Sutori is a multimedia timeline creation tool that will work on your laptop, Chromebook, iPad, or tablet. With a HSTRY account you can build timelines in a vertical scroll format similar to that of a Facebook feed. To start the process pick a topic and upload a cover photo. To add events to the timeline just click the "+" symbol and select the type of media that you want to add to your timeline. You can add videos, images, audio, and text to the events on your timeline.
Google Sheets Timeline Creator - Resource link
MyHistro You can combine maps and timelines seamlessly into one great presentation, convert any public timeline into a personal pdf file, or export it into Google Earth format for offline storage. All completed timelines can be embedded into your blog and websites for maximum exposure.
Timerime a web application which allows people to create, view and compare interactive timelines. The application is available as an online community at www.timerime.com, and as a professional software solution, that can be integrated in other websites.
TimeToast a place to create and share timelines on the web. You can create historical timelines of important events, or build a timeline of your vacation. It's all up to you and your imagination. Timelines you create can also be shard with others or embed them in blog or website.
Our Story a tool that helps you tell a story through a timeline. In one easy-to-use, organized place, and in a rich environment that celebrates all of the stories - big and small - with the words, photos and voices that help tell about your journey, at the same time honoring your choices regarding privacyTikiToki web-based software for creating beautiful interactive timelines that you can share on the internet.It is also available in 3D now.
Dipity a free digital timeline website that you can use to create, share, embed and collaborate on interactive, visually engaging timelines that integrate video, audio, images, text, links, social media, location and timestamps.
TimeGlider
Maps
Geography and Historical Maps
an excellent web tool and mobile app that uses Google Maps technologies to provide users with an interactive experience through which they get to learn how different places looked in the past. It’s like a virtual time machine that takes you in a journey in space and time. When you install
WhatWasThere app on your iPad or iPhone and once it is launched, the app will detect the geographical location where you are and will provide you with any historic photographs that were captured nearby plotted on a map! You can also switch into Camera view to get an augmented reality experience of the history that surrounds you.
HistoryPin user-generated archive of the world's historical images and stories. The website acts like a digital time machine, and uses Google Maps and Street View technology to allow the wide public to dig out, upload and pin their own old photos, as well as the stories behind them, onto an interactive map. Uniquely, Historypin lets people layer old images onto modern Street View scenes, providing a series of geo-located time tunnel views into the past.
World Population History is an interactive map and timeline of the world's population growth from 1 C.E. to today. The timeline at the bottom of the map features little placemarks that feature developments in science, trade, and major political events. Students can click on the markers in the timeline to learn more about each development.
The combination of the map with the timeline can help students see the correlation between scientific advancements and changes in population growth.
Historic Maps
HistoGrafica simply type in a geographic place – city, state, zip code, country – and using a Google Maps interface, HistoGrafica will display all of the images in its database for that region. You can zoom in or out, drag around and select individual or group photos.
Manifest Destiny - The Story of The U.S. Told in 141 Maps is a website developed by Michael Porath. As you probably guessed from the title of this blog post, the site features 141 interactive maps chronicling the expansion of the United States from March 1789 to August 1959. When you click on any of the maps you will see the new territories acquired in that year and month. Each map is accompanied by a brief description of how the new territories were acquired. www.freetech4teachers.com
American Panorama is a great new resource from the University of Richmond from Maps Mania. American Panorama aims to be an atlas of United States History. Currently, American Panorama features four interactive maps representing four elements of American history. Those four maps are Overland Trails, Forced Migration of Enslaved People, Canals, and Foreign-Born Population. All four maps are centered on the 19th Century.
Stanford University’s Spatial History Project is a community that combines humanities research with “spatial, textual and visual analysis.” On their about page, they explain that as scholars, they realize the significance and importance of displaying information within a spatial context. Too often, history is presented chronologically but a visual can provide learners with valuable context to help them make connections to a broader context.
The Spatial History Project is an amazing collection of interactive maps that explore ancient and modern societies, cultural practices, expansion, environmental impact, and more.
Zip Lookup is a nice use of the Esri mapping platform. The map allows you to enter any US zip code to discover demographic data about that area.
Historical Topographic Map Explorer will provide a timeline with topo maps from the past.
You can then select maps from the timeline that are overlaid over the modern map. You can also download that specific map to your desktop and use a handy transparency slider that lets you see the modern map when you need it. You also have the ability to stack different maps on top of each other, using the individual transparency slider for each to hide or show details as you please. This seems like a nice way for geography and history teachers to illustrate continuity and change over time in a specific place.
Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States. This atlas contains more than 700 historical maps of the United States. The maps within the atlas are arranged into eighteen sections. Many of the maps within the Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States can be animated to show changes over time.
PhilaPlace Sharing Stories from the City of Neighborhoods
PhilaPlace is an interactive Web site, created by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, that connects stories to places across time in Philadelphia's neighborhoods. PhilaPlace weaves stories shared by ordinary people of all backgrounds with historical records to present an interpretive picture of the rich history, culture, and architecture of our neighborhoods, past and present. The PhilaPlace Web site uses a multimedia format - including text, pictures, audio and video clips, and podcasts - and allows visitors to map their own stories in place and time. More than a Web site, PhilaPlace includes ongoing community programs and publications, from workshops for teachers, to trolley tours, and exhibits. PhilaPlace is an engaging, meaningful way to understand more about where we live, and will serve as an enduring record of our heritage.
Cultural Maps
Maps that illustrate America's historical geography; also includes links to other map sites
Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms
Includes Instructions for Teachers and Reading Historic Maps section
- Unfolding History. Library of Congress has started a new blog The blog is written by the staff of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. The purpose is to highlight interesting manuscripts and their backstories or greater historical context.
- Chronicling America site Thousands of historical newspapers from all over the country? from the Library of Congress. Newspapers It’s easy to get a little greedy. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some coverage from the Civil War? The Great Depression? Prohibition? WWII? Vietnam? Hippies? 9/11? Westward expansion, Populism, Native Americans, Spanish-American War, Teddy Roosevelt, World War One.
- Chronicling America Research Guides. Using Chronicling America has always been this easy but but did you know about the hidden menu of the Research Guides There is a link to the Research Guides on the Chronicling America landing page. But its title is “Recommended Topics”.
- American MemoryThe Library of Congress' historical collection with videos, diaries, speeches, and projects.
- America's Story The Library of Congress sponsored site for elementary aged students.
- Beyond the Bubble assessments unlocks the vast digital archive of the Library of Congress to create History Assessments of Thinking (HATs). Explore over 80 easy-to-use assessments that measure students' historical thinking
- Evaluating American Historical Photographs "Students tend to view photographs uncritically, treating them like they’re direct windows into the past. Several Reading Like a Historian lessons teach students to skillfully analyze historical photos through sourcing and contextualization.Using the vast archive of the Library of Congress, these lessons feature many influential photographs in American history. Many of these lessons have related, ready-to-use assessments you can use to measure student understanding. Be sure to check the bottom of the page for related materials."
- Historical Jukebox Historical Recordings from the Library of Congress- music, speeches interviews, ..
This robust collection presents a new approach to digital media for U.S. History classrooms, with attention to amplifying diverse perspectives that foster civic identity and a more complex, nuanced, and accurate understanding of the past. Browsable by eras in U.S. History and historical thinking skills, this collection highlights how the past is relevant to students’ lives today and supports critical analysis of traditional historical narratives.
New American History is a site with lots of history resources, including a separate section sharing well thought out lesson plans.
Animations of Historical Movements and PatternsUse maps to analyze data and identify patterns in history. Mapping History, produced by the University of Oregon, features numerous animated maps illustrating problems, patterns, and events throughout history. Mapping History is essentially a digital atlas of American, European, Latin American, and African history. Each section is divided into modules based on historical themes and eras. www.freetech4teachers.com
Google Practice Sets "With practice sets, in Google Classroom, educators are able to use content they already have, or come up with brand new questions from scratch, to build an assessment activity. Google's artificial intelligence then scans the questions and determines the learning skills being addressed, and finds helpful hints and resources to go along with each question in case the students need assistance".Introduction video | Details
New American History is a site with numerous history resources, including a separate section sharing well thought out lesson plans.
Multimedia United States History CollectionGBH, a public broadcasting media platform in Boston, has launched a collection of free digital resources to support teachers covering US history. The new US History Collection, housed on the PBS LearningMedia platform, capitalizes on GBH’s portfolio of acclaimed historical documentaries--AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, FRONTLINE, and GBH WORLD—to help middle school and high school students develop critical thinking skills when learning about and interpreting history.The US History Collection is distinctive in its media focus, its organization by era and historical thinking skills, and its presentation of history from diverse perspectives. Working with both student and teacher advisers, GBH integrated the work of seven other public media contributors. The US History Collection features original videos, such as the seven-episode “Why It Matters” series, interactive lessons, maps, images and timelines, and a variety of independent student activities.
How Do We Teach With Primary Sources When So Many Voices Are Missing?
Digital Book Series Bringing the Pages of History to Life World of Characters: Revolutions & Industrialization ( free) is a digital experience in the History Adventures series that presents a fresh approach to history education.This interactive, multimodal learning experience covers the period from 1750 to 1900 through the lens of five amazing people living through complex flashpoints in time. The characters include Agent 355, an enslaved woman—and an American Revolutionary War spy; Jiemba, an indigenous Australian at Botany Bay when the British convict ships arrived; Fei Hong, a Chinese family man surviving the Opium Wars; Khari, a native rebel resisting Belgian oppression during the misleadingly titled Congo Free State; and Thomas Brown, a muckraking reporter working to expose the gross malpractice of the Chicago meatpacking industry. The app, available for iOS and Android devices, features immersive 3D environments; animated interactive infographics; enhanced original historical documents; “Choose Your Own Adventure” experiences; animated illustrations and dynamic text; an AP World History curriculum; and media-rich interactive assessments.
PBS Learning Media US History Collection (pbslearningmedia.org/collection/us-history-collection)The PBS Learning Media US History Collection enables teachers and students of U.S. History (Grades 6–12) to use media to teach and learn the topics and themes covered in most standard middle and high school U.S. history classes, and spans 16 eras of U.S. history, from Pre-Colonial America to the 21st century.
An Interactive Land Use Map on Land Use WorldCover Viewer is a new interactive land use map produced by the European Space Agency. The map lets visitors see how land is used worldwide and in specific places. Visitors can pan and zoom to see land use for an area or use the statistics explorer tools built into the map to see land use statistics for a country, state, or province. Views of the map and associated data can be downloaded from the WorldCover Viewer. video overview of WorldCover Viewer, www.freetech4teachers.com
Harm & Distrust This lesson gives your students the opportunity to grapple with this complex topic by assigning Harm & Distrust,was created byCheckologyHosted by Natalie Moore, a reporter who covers segregation and inequality for WBEZ in Chicago, “Harm & Distrust” explores how mainstream news organizations have failed to represent all communities accurately and equitably, and what some legacy media outlets are doing to address these failures today.
History Travels is a mashup of map tech and Wikipedia. Type in an address, and it will show you a list of (and links to) “historical” sites within whatever radius you choose. There are some non-historical sites in the mix – the search engine isn’t that precise – but it’s still pretty interesting.
The OER Project The OER Project is a coalition of historians and educators whose goal is to promote social studies education through a number of curricular materials and courses. The OER Project offers two interesting courses titled Big History Project and World History Project. The Big History Project is 'a social studies course that spans 13.8 billion years. It weaves insights from many disciplines to form a single story that helps us better understand people, civilizations, and how we are connected to everything around us.' As for World History project, this is a course designed with history teachers in mind. It offers three versions: Origins to the Present, 1200 to the Present, and 1750 to the Present.
National History but its website seems like a useful resource for history teachers. It’s more like a year-long program, and offers free curriculum resources and a website creation feature,
Metroverse is an urban economy navigator built at the Growth Lab at Harvard University. It is based on over a decade of research on how economies grow and diversify and offers a detailed look into the specialization patterns of cities. As a dynamic resource, the tool is continually evolving with new data and features to help answer questions such as What is the economic composition of my city?How does my city compare to cities around the globe? Which cities look most like mine? What are the technological capabilities that underpin my city’s current economy? Which growth and diversification paths does that suggest for the future?
History Discussion Prompts for All 50 States a collection of video clips and "bell ringers" for every state in the United States. Bell Ringers are short video clips that are accompanied by discussion questions to start a lesson. the clips and bell ringers cover a wide array of topics related to each state. For example, the collection of Maine resources includes a video of top policy issues according to former governor Paul LePage, the Missouri Compromise, and the removal of a dam on the Kennebec River. The collection of resources about Iowa includes a bell ringer about the history of the Iowa caucuses, a bell ringer about African American migration to Iowa, and a lesson plan about the Louisiana Purchase. www.freetech4teachers.com
Naraview is a site on which you can create challenges for you students to connect topics through Wikipedia. The idea is that you give your students two topics and they have to click through Wikipedia articles to make the connections between the two topics. As the teacher, I can see the paths that students take to get from the starting article to the ending article. Here's an example of how Naraview works. www.freetech4teachers.com
Ideas That Changed The World is an interesting site on Google Arts and Culture.
Sites To See “Photos That Changed The World”: Some of the links are not active, but there a numerous ones that are fine that make the site worthwhile.
Juxtapose JS is a free visual tool that can help people make comparisons between images. Having a tool like Juxtapose can help us visualize the spatial organization and relationship between spaces and buildings over time. This can raise interesting questions about why something changed or stayed the same. How do spatial patterns influence a person’s or a community’s interactions with the landscape and with other communities?
The History Engine
The History Engine is 'a collection of thousands of historical “episodes” that paints a wide-ranging portrait of the past that is freely available to scholars, teachers, and the general public. Students from a variety of college and universities write these episodes. Creating an episode for the History Engine gives them the opportunity to learn history by doing the work—researching, writing, and publishing—of a historian'.
History Matters
'Designed for high school and college teachers and students of U.S. history survey courses, this site serves as a gateway to web resources and offers unique teaching materials, first-person primary documents, and guides to analyzing historical evidence.'
Poptential - Free curriculum that pairs pop culture media with engaging digital storytelling for effective dynamic learning in American History, World History, US Government, and Economics.
Point In History shows boundaries around the world and throughout history.
Caption This! Using photos and text to analyze primary sources
Ten Topics in Teaching History With Technology www.freetechteachers.com
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Offers professional development resources for social studies teachers in the form of online conferences and webinars.There are also materials to help with inquiry and teaching using primary resources. The Publications and Resources section features NCSS journals, books, bulletins, podcasts, on-demand library, and more. NCSS SmartBrief is another excellent resource for social studies teachers. This is basically a '3x-weekly snapshot of news on best practices, curriculum, and professional development for social studies educators
Discovery Education Discovery Education is another good social studies resource to use with your students. It provides a wide variety of content, tools, and resources to engage students and track their performance. Content in Discovery Education covers various topics and subjects including podcasts, interactives, virtual field trips, videos, and more. The site also provides teachers with formative assessment tools to check students understanding.
Memory of The World is a new resource on Google Arts & Culture. UNESCO organized it, and it features key documents from world history that they have brought together ” to tell their stories and highlight key moments in history that have left the world changed forever.” It includes lesson plans on how to use them in the classroom.
The National Jukebox - 16,000+ Early Music Recordings The Library of Congress
Digitally Writing New Histories” Unit Plans. (gr. 3 - 12) With a shift towards disciplinary, digital, and critical literacies, with historical documents and artifacts — as well as images, social media posts, and videos created with contemporary technologies — all serve as primary sources for inquiry-based, learning.
Interpreting Troubled Times Digital Interactive Telling the Story of Racial Terror in America As part of its work to change the narrative about race in America, the Equal Justice Institute (EJI) extensively researched the period between the Civil War and World War II, when more than 4,000 African Americans were lynched in this country. EJI published its findings in the report Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror . With support from Google, EJI has created Lynching in America , a free digital interactive experience inspired by the original report.
Smithsonian Learning Lab's Canvas tool lets you build collections of Smithsonian digitized artifacts and arrange the display of those artifacts however you like. The Canvas tool will work with new collections that you create in your Smithsonian Learning Lab account and it will work with your existing collections. In both cases you can select the layout for the collection, the size of the images, and the color scheme of the notes in your collection. You can also share your Canvas so that your students can view it. Complete directions for using the new Smithsonian Learning Lab Canvas can be found here. Directions for creating collections can be seen here. www.freetech4teachers.com
Connect Extend Challenge is a thinking routine that helps kids make connections between new ideas and content to what they already know and to what makes sense to them. So it’s a perfect way for your students to begin thinking about primary sources and how they can be applied to your direct instruction, a video clip, a piece of literature, or something they learned last year. Site includes template
A Good Source of U.S. History Lesson Starters Starting classroom conversations about a new topic or unit is a way to give students an interesting image or a short primary source document to review and ask questions about. A great place to find those conversation starters is the National Archive's Today's Document website. Every day Today's Document features a new image or document from the archives. The documents and images are from that day in history. Each one is accompanied by some additional research links and lesson plan resources. This short video I provides an overview of Today's Document and the related resources that it provides for U.S. History teachers. www.freetech4teachers.com
The Best Videos For Learning Why It’s Important To Study History:
Learning for Justice has plenty of online articles, videos, and other resources for teaching social studies in an inclusive and informed way.
Social Studies Inquiry Kits give you access to great questions and powerful primary sources. Each kit contains three guiding questions, five primary sources, and one secondary source. The Inquiry Kits are designed specifically to help as you plan your instruction.
What So Proudly We Hail This is a literary-based e-curriculum for history and civics.demonstrate how short stories, speeches, and songs can be used to enhance civic education and how a pedagogical approach that stresses learning through inquiry can make primary sources come alive for students of all ages.Anti-Social Studies High School American History podcasts along with teaching materials, sample essays, and two very handy planning documents that are excellent. You get both face to face and online teaching tools and strategies, ideas for direct and indirect instruction, and assorted other best practices.
21 Lessons From America’s Worst Moments.
A New Guide To Help Teachers Integrate Google Arts & Culture in Their Classroom Teaching Google Arts & Culture released today a new Teacher Guide packed full of educational resources and learning materials to help teachers make the best of Arts & Culture in their curricula. I spent some time sifting through the content of this guide and found it really helpful. The guide includes "ready-to-use handouts and customizable activity templates, and compliments other popular experiences on Google Arts & Culture that were designed with educators in mind. The guide is divided into three main sections: Get Started, Discover Content, and Activities for Students. In the Get Started section, you will learn about what Arts & Culture is, how to navigate your way around, and how to use it with your students. In the Discover Content part, you will learn more about the content shared on Arts & Culture including the three main groupings: Collections, Themes, and Experiments.
Roadside America
The Library of Congress houses the John Margolies Roadside America Photograph Archive. That archive contains nearly 12,000 photographs of interesting roadside attractions all over the United States and eastern Canada. The collection includes pictures of things like gas stations shaped like a dinosaur, windmills that serve as ice cream stands, funky miniature golf courses, and lots of neon signs for motels and restaurants. freetech4teachers,com
Unleashing Sorrow and Joy: Writing Poetry from History and Literature Explore different ways to incorporate poetry into history or literature classes in this teaching activity.
Untold America is from the BBC, and shares stories that are probably new to many of us about Americans.
Zooniverse is an amazing site where scholars put up projects that require “people-powered research” – for example, attempting to decode formerly secret Civil War telegrams.
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching the Colonization of the Americas
Side-by-Side Comparisons
Comparea.org offers a simple way to compare the size of countries, states, provinces, and cities. To make a comparison just choose two places from the drop-down menus on the right hand side of the screen. Along with the visuals your students can find links to World Factbook and Wikipedia entries about their chosen places. www.freetech4teachers.com
JuxtaposeJS is a free tool for making and hosting side-by-side comparisons of images. The tool was designed to help people see before and after views of a location, a building, a person, or anything else that changes appearance over time. JuxtaposeJS will let you put the images into a slider frame that you can embed into a webpage where viewers can use the slider to reveal more or less of one of the images. JuxtaposeJS can be a great little tool for students to use to create comparisons of a place before and after a weather event. For example, a comparison of a beach before and after a major storm. Or students could use it to make comparisons of how a famous building like Fenway Park has been remodeled. www.freetech4teachers.com
History Mysteries: Historical Inquiry for Elementary Classrooms is a site created with Library of Congress / Teaching with Primary Sources money. Two teachers, Kelley Brown and Laurie Risler, partnered to develop Google Slides, student materials, and teacher guides that all focus on historical thinking skills and the use of primary sources.
Summary tool for basic content? Somebody Wanted But So and Then.Yes, Race and Politics Belong in the Classroom Education Week Commentary Last year's presidential-election season and the subsequent presidency of Donald Trump have recentered serious issues of gender, race, immigration, and social class for people in the United States and beyond its borders. Even my own young daughters are musing about these extremely difficult issue
Circle-Based Visuals with Circly Circly is a free web-based tool that allows you to create simpler ways of looking at complex topics. The teacher or students
can drag-and-drop circles anywhere on the screen to create connections between ideas or topics. The tool is extremely colorful and fun to use.
The Core Knowledge free PDFs They cover many of the key elements of any World History or U.S. History curriculum. Each PDF includes both teacher lessons and the student book. However, the teacher lessons are in portrait view but the student book isn’t – you would have to go to something like the free PDF go to “rotate” the student pages so they wouldn’t have to bend their heads to read them online
Digital Archive: International History Declassified Is a resource where students, researchers and specialists can access once-secret documents from governments and organizations all over the world. Constructed and maintained by the Wilson Center’s History and Public Policy Program, the Digital Archive contains newly declassified historical materials from archives around the world—much of it in translation and including diplomatic cables, high level correspondence, meeting minutes and more. The historical documents presented in the ever-expanding Digital Archive provide fresh, unprecedented insights into recent international history.
Talking About Race” tools and guidance from the National Museum of African American History and Culture to “empower your journey and inspire conversation.” You’ll find there a section specifically for educators.
Moving Forward Together, The Connecticut Department of Education has compiled a list of resources to provide teachers, students, and parents with insights and strategies to help engage in a dialogue about racism, hate, violence, and other tragic events that children may hear about or see on the news.
The Best Resources I’ve Used In Lessons About Race & Racism
Children's Books About Race
Tools and Guidance for Sparking Meaningful Change 158 resources chronicling the history of anti-Black violence and inequality in the United States within a narrative that explains and contextualizes them. The resources include articles, websites, podcasts, and videos on topics related to historical context, systemic inequality, anti-Black violence, protest, intersectionality (interconnections between social categories leading to discrimination or disadvantage), and education.
Media History and Lesson Plans The Media History Digital Library is a huge archive of books and magazines about the history film, television, and radio. In scanned books and magazines you will find reviews and critiques of movies, radio programs, and television shows. You will also discover many periodicals about the movie, television, and radio industries in general. Your search can be refined according to date, language, and publication type. You can also browse through collections curated by MHDL. Applications for Education A resource for students studying the history and development of media. MHDL has a set of model lesson plans that can incorporate artifacts located through MHDL Lantern. The lesson plans were written for college courses so you'll need to modify them for high school use. Through MHDL's Lantern you could find some good examples of how to write a critique to share with your students. Your students could use those as models for writing their own critiques of movies or even of books. www.freetech4techers.comRoadmap This is a simple tool that gives you the ability to plan projects by simply dragging and dropping, providing flexibility when your plan change. It is also a powerful scheduling tool that brings your entire team’s schedule into one timeline, giving you a grand overview of everyone’s work. Roadmap is integrated with your favorite tools (Slack, Trello, Jira, etc) to help get everyone together in one place.
Teaching with Tolerance Educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy. Teaching Tolerance provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioner,. to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants. The program emphasizes social justice and anti-bias.
The Digital Public Library of America Includes Primary Source Sets organized according to themes, eras, and events in United States history. The DPLA primary source sets include documents, drawings, maps, photographs, and film clips. Each set is accompanied by a teaching guide. All of the sets can be shared directly to Google Classroom. And each artifact that students view in the sets is accompanied by some questions or points to ponder while reviewing that artifact. www.freetech4teachers,com
Big Ideas About Studying History
- Excellent History Question For Students: “What Are History’s Biggest Turning-Point Years?”
- The Best Resources For Teaching “What If?” History Lessons
- Four Intriguing Perspectives On History
- Funny, Yet Sad: “The Onion” Publishes Excellent Commentary On Importance Of History
- Grammar, Morals & History
- Quote Of The Day: “The Problem With History
- Reading Like A Historian The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features a set of primary documents designed for groups of students with a range of reading skills. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions by employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading. Students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on historical issues and learn to make historical claims backed by documentary evidence. Watch this series of videos about how teachers use these materials in their classrooms.
- Beyond the Bubble assessments unlocks the vast digital archive of the Library of Congress to create History Assessments of Thinking (HATs). Explore over 80 easy-to-use assessments that measure students' historical thinking
- Beyond the Bubble History Assessments
• 9 Explainer videos
• 13 Flagship assessments with sample student responses
• 43 World history assessments with rubrics
• 94 U.S. history assessments with rubrics - Civic Online Reasoning tools "Students are confused about how to evaluate online information. We all are. The COR curriculum provides free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world."
- Civic Online Reasoning Materials • 4 Professional learning activities • 6 Curriculum collections • 18 Educational videos 37 Lesson Plans • 46 Assessments
- Evaluating American Historical Photographs "Students tend to view photographs uncritically, treating them like they’re direct windows into the past. Several Reading Like a Historian lessons teach students to skillfully analyze historical photos through sourcing and contextualization.Using the vast archive of the Library of Congress, these lessons feature many influential photographs in American history. Many of these lessons have related, ready-to-use assessments you can use to measure student understanding. Be sure to check the bottom of the page for related materials."
Search and Read Old Newspapers Studying a primary source like a newspaper published at the time of a major event in history is a great tool for student learning. And the US News Map can help. With access via a strong search engine to more than 15 million newspaper pages published between 1789 and 1964, this is a treasure trove of information. You can search by topics (like slavery or statehood) or by year. Once you hit return, your search results show up as dots on a US map, allowing you to click into the ones you might be interested in. As you drill down, the newspaper pages are in PDF format and appear just as they did when they were published. Your search term is highlighted in pink. Click on any of the markers on the map and you'll be shown a list of newspaper articles related to your search term. Click on a listed article to read it on the Library of Congress
History Mysteries: Historical Inquiry for Elementary Classrooms is a site created with Library of Congress / Teaching with Primary Sources money. Two teachers, Kelley Brown and Laurie Risler, partnered to develop Google Slides, student materials, and teacher guides that all focus on historical thinking skills and the use of primary sources.
Immigration - The Changing Face of America Grade 6 to 12
The American Memory Collection at the Library of Congress does it again with this survey of the waves of immigration that have swept the American shores. While this site has a number of incomplete "exhibit" areas, the associated lesson plans are there, and well worth a look for those whose curricula include immigration. It may take some trial and error to find those resources that fit best.
The Best Sites For Learning About Immigration In The United States
The Best Places Where Students Can Tell Their – And/Or Their Families – Immigration Story
Library of Congress iBooks six free iBooks that can be quickly downloaded and are useful for having students interact with primary source evidence. The six titles are The Constitution, The Dust Bowl, The Harlem Renaissance, Immigration, Symbols of the United States, and Understanding the Cosmos.
500+ Political Cartoons & 100+ Editorial Cartoon Lesson Plans The Library of Congress hosts an online collection of more than 500 political cartoons and caricatures from U.S. History. You can search the collection by keyword and image type. Along with the images you will find links to related resources from the Library of Congress. You could use these public domain works to help students understand the political perspectives surrounding significant political events in U.S. History. A good model for political cartoon-based lesson plans can be found on Cartoons for the Classroom.
Primary Source Learning
This site, created by practicing educators, "assists teachers and students in using Library of Congress primary source materials" and includes lessons that target the best instructional practices
Chinese in California Grade 8 to 12
The American Memory Project at the Library of Congress offers this collection of documents on the experiences of Chinese immigrants in California. Though they faced severe discrimination, the Chinese were an invaluable source of labor, especially for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The collection includes many archival photos.
U.S. History Inquiry KitsExplore this collection of sixty inquiry kits that let students study historical topics that excite them. Each kit has primary and secondary sources to analyze. Study everything from early American colonies to modern politics. Inquiry kits examine social studies themes. Go to U.S. History Inquiry Kits
Free Digital US History Textbook The Bill of Rights Institute (BRI) is helping teachers plan for the upcoming academic year with free, engaging resources and programs. On July 6, in partnership with Rice University’s Open Stax, BRI will launch Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness, an open educational resource for high school US history. With contributions from nearly 100 scholars, this resource invites students to investigate the central themes and ideas of American history. The entire resource will be hosted on OpenStax’s Tutor platform, which allows for adaptive learning at no cost to a district. Educators can request preview access, which will let them review the content and assessment questions, and experiment with course planning tools. A preview account will allow teachers to view the course from their students’ perspective and will automatically give them full access when the resource is released on July 6, 2020.
Free social studies lessons based on student inquiry. The Inquiry Design Model (IDM) is an instructional research-based framework including: questions to help students frame their inquiry, summative and formative performance tasks, and subject matter-specific texts.The IDMs are a tool for building well-rounded citizens in classrooms. Students are able to analyze and articulate how their ideas and perspectives change as their inquiry unfolds. I’ve used this tool as a formative assessment to help me understand my students’ progress toward meeting our state’s (Kentucky’s) draft social studies standards. Differentiated reading supports may be needed, since some students will have trouble accessing these complex texts and won’t be able to use the resource as-is.
How to Engage Students in Historical Thinking Using Everyday Objects Asking students to examine their own possessions from the perspective of a historian in the future helps them sharpen their analytical skills.
Tips and Resources on Using Music to Teach History
Using Google Books in History Classes. www.freetech4teachers.com
Zoom In is a free, Web-based platform that helps students build literacy and historical thinking skills through “deep dives” into primary and secondary sources. Zoom In’s online learning environment features 18 content-rich U.S. history units that supplement your regular instruction and help you use technology to support students’ mastery of both content and skills required by the new, higher standards
Model Diplomacy Students become foreign policy experts in this real-world simulationThis impressive program has ready-to-use and expert-vetted content that'll help advanced students engage meaningfully with foreign policy issues and processes.
Bunk History is a non-profit supported by the University of Richmond that collects what it considers to be interesting articles related to U.S. History that teachers can organize into “collections.”
RealClearHistory You get article aggregation from a variety of places in a variety of topics. RealClearHistory is a place to find interesting resources and insight. To take full advantage, be sure to use the search feature in the top right to find articles, resources, and maps.Along the left hand side of RealClearHistory, you’ll find a section titled The Map Room that lists some of their most recent map related articles. For some reason, I’ve had trouble getting the Map Room link to work, so don’t be afraid to use the search feature if this is happening to you. You might try this link of map related search results to start.
Freckle It’s an “adaptive” platform where teachers can set up free virtual classrooms (it looks like it’s free to individual teachers, but schools and districts can pay for more features) and is supposed to differentiate in English, Math and Social Studies content. "Freckle empowers teachers to differentiate instruction across Math, ELA, Social Studies and Science."
article, “‘I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier:’ Ideas and Strategies for Using Music from the National Jukebox to Teach Difficult Topics in History,” provides ideas and resources for incorporating sheet music and sound recordings to encourage student inquiry.
Teaching While White about the anxiety white teachers often feel while trying to teach about those difficult topics, especially to students of color.
Digital Public Library of America and World Digital Library Massive list of primary sources searchable by keyword and visual map. Be sure to not miss the Black Women’s Suffrage Digital Collection.
Zooniverse is an amazing site where scholars put up projects that require “people-powered research” – for example, attempting to decode formerly secret Civil War telegrams It has many projects in multiple subject areas, along with very cool online tools for students to use when doing the research. The site also has lesson plans for teachers to use when introducing students to the site
The Best Resources For Teaching “What If?” History Lessons.
Paths to Perspective: How the Past Connects to Our Present Each person is an amalgamation of the people and events that came before them. These people and events include the nature of their birth, the lives of their parents, the experiences of their grandparents, the creation of the printing press, etc. The idea behind this lesson is to expose students to milestones in black history, and to use that rich history to challenge them to look into their past to see how they connect to larger events that came before them. This lesson is especially crafted for Black History Month (though of course it can be used at other times) to have students from multiple ethnic backgrounds try to find a connection to the African American Experience in the United States. It removes students from an ethnic vacuum and asks them to see how the journey of others not like them has an impact on their, their family's and their country's history.
Using Objects to Teach History
- Teaching With Objects: Resources is from Ohio State University.
- My Piece of History is from EDSITEment.
- Historical objects tell African-American story is from CNN.
- HISTORICAL OBJECTS LESSON PLAN is from The Tenement Museum.
- Looking at Artifacts, Thinking about History is from The National Museum of American History.
- 101 Objects that Made America: America in the World is from Smithsonian Magazine.
- Teaching History with 100 Objects
- International Women’s Day: The objects that empower me is from the BBC.
American Social History Project (ASHP) in the Center for Media Literacy at City University of New York produces a variety of websites to discover the past. The subjects range from revolutionary France to twenty-first century America. ASHP has developed archives of primary documents and oral histories, as well as teaching tools and 3D recreations that help users explore such places in the past. ASHP continues to develop new web projects that showcase the latest historical thinking, rich archival resources, and the best new digital tools available. For example, Picturing United States History, a digital project based on the belief that visual materials are vital to understanding the American past, provides online essays, lectures, and reflective classroom lessons to help teachers incorporate visual evidence into their classrooms. Zoom In, created in partnership with Education Development Center, features 18 skill-focused, document-rich lessons on social history topics that address every era of US history.
Diamond Diagrams, the strategy asks kids to make sense of an event by prioritizing statements, ideas, or documents from most to least important.
Digital Project-based Social Studies Curriculum
Students of History offers a social studies curriculum that includes units with activities to help students in grades 7–10 understand key concepts in US history, world history, civics, and American government. The units are based on state and national social studies standards and include project-based learning (PBL), digital activities, primary sources, and more. Students can type directly on their pages, insert images, and drag and drop information for a variety of interactive activities. The curricula also include Interactive Notebooks, with graphic organizers, creative foldables, timelines, and more. In addition, each unit provides several primary source activities, secondary source readings, and worksheets for in-class activities or homework. The units also offer a variety of engaging projects in which students work together in groups or individually. These include history simulations and station activities to get students up and moving around the room. An in-depth Project-Based Learning packet includes everything teachers need to bring PBL assessments to any unit in their curriculum. Editable PowerPoints with Guided Notes are filled with images, and printable guided notes pages or graphic organizers help students to focus on key concepts. Teachers can sign up on the website to receive a free sample pack with more than 30 pages of resources.
How to Find Historical Comics and Create Lessons With Them creating history lessons that incorporate historical comics. That email sent me to Docs Teach where there is a small collection of historical comics. Since Docs Teach is a project of the U.S. National Archives all of the comics have a record locator that can be clicked to take you into the National Archives' online catalog. It was there that I started to dig into browsing through hundreds of records containing comics and comic books. In the following video I demonstrate how to use the National Archives' online catalog to locate historical comics. www.freetech4teachers.com
American Rhetoric is dedicated to archiving American speeches, lectures, sermons, interviews and “other important media events.” Its “Online Speech Bank” contains full text, audio and video for more than 5,000 speeches.
OpenStax (openstax.org)OpenStax offers free digital textbooks with tons of resources for teachers and students. Resources include test banks, answer guides, PowerPoint slides, downloadable PDFs and more. It also includes learning management system integrations for Canvas, Blackboard, and more.
Historical Voices is a fully searchable online database of spoken word collections spanning the 20th century.
History Engine (http://historyengine.richmond.edu), a project at the University of Richmond centered on a writing assignment for the digital age, which is called an “episode.” An episode is something like a moment in time: it is a short essay on a particular event in the past, such as a wedding in New York during the Great Depression or an 1840 slave sale in rural Mississippi. Episodes explore these historical moments as interpretive windows into the past. Rather than tackling the entire American Civil War, for example, an episode might focus on the terrifying experience of a particular soldier at the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by his surviving letters and contextualized by secondary literature. Another episode might recount the excitement felt by a woman in New Hampshire when she stepped into the voting booth for the first time in 1920, as described in her diary and supported by literature on the 19th amendment. Because they center on historical action at the local level, each episode provides a unique voice about a particular time and place that can be joined by other voices.
ActiveHistory features a wide variety of educational materials designed specifically for use in history classrooms. These include award-winning interactive simulations, decision-making games, self-marking quizzes, high-quality worksheets and detailed lesson plans". ActiveHistory also "provides materials on scores of topics from the Middle Ages to the present day, aimed at every age range between 11-18 years.
Historical Literacy page provides links to useful sites as well as instructional tools that support the use historical thinking skills.
Assessment for Evaluating Historical Thinking The Olympics Protest is a new assessment from the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG) that gauges whether students can identify the historical event depicted in an iconic photograph and evaluate its historical significance.
The Big History Project - Discover this world of history so full of science information. It is multimedia at its best!
The Pop History Dig is a magazine-styled website with more than 250 stories that cover a range of topics, often focusing on the history and power of popular culture. One goal of the site is to use the visibility of popular culture—its music, film, literature, and famous personalities—to engage readers on topics ranging from civil rights history to the power of the entertainment industry.
ImagineNation Matters “virtual tour” modules are like storybooks come to life, in which upper elementary students can experience, for example, the human drama of the Underground Railroad or life as a modern Arab American. Each of the modules is in the form of a story that involves protagonists of the approximate age of student participants. As they turn the pages of their virtual storybook, students are prompted with questions to consider. Students’ comments are responded to by University of Michigan student mentors, who speak in the voices of the characters in the stories. These mentored conversations continue throughout the tour, offering students a chance to develop writing and research skills while they experience important moments in history.
Historical Thinking Skills Interactives This series of interactive activities introduces and models the Historical Thinking Skills defined by the National Center for History in the Schools. The interactives each model a specific skill or set of skills, such as analyzing historical artifacts or using primary sources to develop a thesis.
List of comics and graphics novels organized by social studies content areas.
13 history podcasts that you actually want to listen to
Circle of Viewpoints helps students to identify and consider different and diverse perspectives. While engaged in this thinking routine, students gain a greater awareness of how others are feeling and thinking.
US History Geography Kit
Map of Contemporaries is an interactive visual that chronicles the history of the world through the lifespans of famous people. It provides a biographical account of different historical figures and through them an overview of the major events that marked their era.
Issues Viewed Through the Lens of the US Presidency
The Miller Center at University of Virginia offers a free teacher- and student-friendly collection of resources that are about all of the US presidents and key public issues of each period. Each president’s page includes carefully crafted essays by experts, quick facts, presidential speeches, interviews with scholars, relevant publications, and more. Students can read detailed content about the presidents’ lives before they came into office, their campaigns, the domestic and foreign issues they faced during their administrations, and their lasting legacy on American history. For example, a 12-minute video about a current controversial issue, “Race And The Crisis of Justice,” looks at the history of race, policing, and incarceration in the United States through the lens of the presidency.
Web Projects to Enhance Historical Thinking
The American Social History Project in the Center for Media Literacy at City University produces a variety of websites where teachers, students, and the general public can discover the past. The subjects range from revolutionary France to twenty-first century America and points in between. ASHP has developed archives of primary documents and oral histories, as well as teaching tools and 3D recreations that help users explore the past. ASHP continues to develop new web projects that showcase the latest historical thinking, rich archival resources, and the best new digital tools available. For example, Picturing United States History, a digital project based on the belief that visual materials are vital to understanding the American past, provides online essays, lectures, and reflective classroom lessons to help teachers incorporate visual evidence into their classrooms. Zoom In features 18 skill-focused, document-rich lessons on social history topics that address every era of US history. These interactive inquiries engage students in reading documents closely, gathering evidence, and writing an argumentative or explanatory essay. Each lesson includes a compelling hook, slides with essential context, a variety of historical sources, carefully designed reading materials, and discussion prompts and templates for writing well-structured essays.
The Best Resources For Teaching “What If?” History Lessons
Exodus: The Climate Migration Crisis is an impressive project from the Weather Channel. It examines how climate change is forcing people around the world to leave their communities.
Hardcore History Podcast Grades 9–12 Every teacher and student knows that, while history may not have been boring, history textbooks often are. Hardcore History with Dan Carlin is aiming to change all that, with honest and dramatic looks at historical figures and events that go far outside the basic historical outline many of us learned. While Hardcore History is not released on a predictable schedule and the episodes are often very long, it brings history to life in an invaluable way. History teachers who take the time to curate clips may find that their students have a whole new interest in learning.
X Degrees of Separation lets you select two works of art in the Google Arts & Culture collection and then see works that can connect them. The purpose of X Degrees of Separation appears to be to show viewers how cultures can be connected through art. Each image that appears in the connections is linked to an individual page that will include a bit of information about the work. Depending upon the work that you've selected you may not get much more information than the artist's name and the museum in which the work is displayed. (Richard Byrne)
Having students complete a project reviewing several chapters of a unit from a textbook isn’t particularly innovative, but try doing it in video form and included some reflective questions.Here are the directions and script students used.
Class Tools Hexagons Generator lets you create an online hexagonal learning activity to share with your students. To use the template just enter a topic then a minimum of five terms related to that topic.
History in Motion is a promising service that allows teachers and students to build multimedia history stories. On History in Motion you can build animated timelines that can move in conjunction with movements on a map. At each stop along your timeline and map you can include descriptions of events, display images, and display videos. Video Tutorial
The Teaching History Interactive Poster ( gr. K - 5) an overview of historical thinking skills as well as specific examples. The poster is divided into four quadrants. Hover your mouse over a quadrant to highlight it and click. When the image of that quadrant appears, click on a bullet to learn about the image and find related learning and teaching resources.
Field Trip Zoom provides you with an online service that allows you to search, order, schedule and connect to hundreds of live interactive programs. These programs provide your students with unique learning experiences that align with your courses and drive home the in-class materials. Museums, zoos and historical sites are some of the best sources of educational content specific to the curriculum. Whether it’s history, the arts, anthropology or other subject matter areas, these institutions can bring a new level of understanding to the material.
Juxtapose It can help you and your students compare two pieces of similar media, including photos and GIFs. It seems perfect for highlighting then/now stories that explain slow changes over time (growth of a city skyline, regrowth of a forest, etc.) or before/after stories that show the impact of single dramatic events (natural disasters, protests, wars, etc.).
Awesome Stories bridges stories to learning, as a gathering place of primary-source information. Its purpose to give context to stories, increasing their power and usefulness in learning.Over a hundred thousand free members and public users use Awesome Stories making over 2.2 million website unique visits each year, yet its existence is almost a secret. Librarians and media specialist members share the newsletters with teachers, teacher members share the stories with students and integrate the stories and primary sources in their lessons.
Resources for Historical Maps Also see HistoryMaps, available online or via the Android or iOS app, makes it easy to access historical maps. Additionally, the interface is available in multiple languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.Explore HistoryMaps, and you’ll find a different aspect of history represented with each period offering interactive stories, images, and videos,
DocsTeach map-based lessons. (www.freetech4teachers.com)
- Ports of Immigration: Angel Island and Ellis Island
- Prohibition Enforcement Map Analysis
- Red Record of Lynching Map Analysis
- 1860 Slavery Map of the United States
ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World is a collection of thousands of online, interactive maps representing all kinds of data. The contents of the collection range from relatively simple displays of historical map imagery to complex, displays of data updated nearly live. For example, this map displays active hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. Another good example is this map that displays current air quality conditions around the world. www.freetech4teachers.com
Manifest Destiny - The Story of The U.S. Told in 141 Maps is a great website developed by Michael Porath. As you probably guessed from the title of this blog post, the site features 141 interactive maps chronicling the expansion of the United States from March 1789 to August 1959. When you click on any of the maps you will see the new territories acquired in that year and month. Each map is accompanied by a brief description of how the new territories were acquired. www.freetech4teachers.com
Florida's Educational Technology Clearinghouse has a collection of more than 5,000 historical maps. The maps are licensed for free download and reuse by teachers and students. The collection is organized by continent and country. The US category is further broken down and organized by state and by historical theme. (www.freetech4teachers/com)
Mapping History is a digital atlas of American, European, Latin American, and African history. Each section is divided into modules based on historical themes and eras.
Mapping History is a resource if you need a thematic map to illustrate a pattern in history.
Studs Terkel Radio Archive. This archive will feature interviews from Studs’ hour-long daily radio show, which ran from 1952 to 1997, during which he conducted more than 5,000 interviews. The subjects of his interviews span almost five decades of prominent figures, such as jazz, blues, folk, classical, and world musicians; novelists; scientists; historians; visual artists; actors; political theorists and activists; poets; dancers; filmmakers; sociologists and anthropologists; architects and urban planners; civil rights leaders; philosophers; folklorists; as well as many fascinating everyday working people.
Doing History is Like Solving a Mystery is an interactive poster for elementary school students. The poster uses images with notes to guide students through the process of developing good research questions and recording their ideas.
History is an Argument About the Past is an interactive poster for middle school and high school students. The poster walks students through identifying primary and secondary sources of information then using that information to create an argument.
Histography.io learn how history is influenced by interconnected events. Examine periods of history through images, video and text to make connections between events, inventions, social movements, ets...
Picturing America is an interactive gallery of artwork related to events, people, and themes in American history. Students can browse the gallery chronologically or by theme. They can click on any image in the gallery to learn about the artist and the artwork itself. Along with the background information for each image, Picturing America provides links to additional resources for learning about the artwork and artists. The site’s Educators Resource page contains a resource book with printable background sheets about each piece of art in the Picturing America gallery. The resource book also includes questions and activity suggestions for using each piece of art in elementary school, middle school, and high school classrooms. The resource book is available as a free download in English, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Teachers can download the resource as one file or in individual chapters. Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Download Free Resource Book
Google Cultural Institute, you can seriously get lost in here for hours. Think the largest museum you can think of, then multiply that by a very large number and you get a sense of what’s available. And I’m not even talking about the whole Institute. Just the Historic Moments and World Wonders sections. Google has partnered with hundreds of museums, cultural institutions, and archives to host the world’s cultural treasures online. Google Cultural Institute announced recently the release of an excellent tool called new Art Camera which has the potential to reveal in high resolution the invisible little minute details in the works of some greatest artists.
Historic Moments. Here you can find artworks, landmarks and world heritage sites, as well as digital exhibitions that tell the stories behind the archives of cultural institutions across the globe.
Google News Newspaper archive. In the Google News Newspaper archive you can search for a specific newspaper, search for article titles, or as demonstrated below you can search for a topic.
Listen Current provides access to audio clips from National Public Radio and other public networks from around the world that cover both current events and historical topics. The clips are short and easy to use with students. But that’s not all that the site can do for you.
They offer a series of powerful lesson plans that are Common Core from the ground up – aligned to standards and ready to use.
Zoom In designed specifically to train secondary students to solve a historical problem by analyzing and collecting evidence, organizing research, and creating a rough draft communicating the solution. Get a sense of the tool at their YouTube channel.
Educade Start browsing for hundreds of lesson plans and teaching tools right now.
Educade revolutionizes the way students learn by integrating fun and interactive learning methods with cutting-edge 21st century tools, such as apps, games and maker kits. The site celebrates teachers’ expertise and first-hand knowledge of students, and equips them with the tools and community support to maximize their impact on student learning.
Infographic: “Continental Shift: The World’s Most Populous Countries
World Population History is an interactive map and timeline of the world's population growth from 1 C.E. to today. The timeline at the bottom of the map features little placemarks that feature developments in science, trade, and major political events. Students can click on the markers in the timeline to learn more about each development.The combination of the map with the timeline can help students see the correlation between scientific advancements and changes in population growth.
Data.Census.gov you can find, read, and analyze data sets. Beyond that you can filter data sets and even create custom maps of the data sets. I lost at least an hour of my day messing about with the mapping tool. Watch this short video
The United States Census Bureau has released “Statistics in Schools,” a free K–12 curriculum that features 20 lessons to help students understand why being counted in 2020 is important. The curriculum includes “Let’s Get the Count Right,” a 40-minute activity for K–2 that helps students learn how to count up to 100, make number comparisons, and understand the concept of populations; “Population Change over Time,” a 35-minute unit for grades 3 and 4 that helps students identify trends in data and make predictions based on data; “Diversity: Languages Spoken in the United States,” a 45-minute lesson for grades 5 and 6 to help students learn how to calculate percentages based on data and understand the concept of diversity; “Appointment,” a 35-minute study for grades 7 and 8 on how to use, analyze, and interpret data; and “Make Data Speak,” a 40-minute unit for grades 9–12 on how to collect and interpret data, and display the information in a visually creative way. Nearly every lesson concludes with objectives that help students connect the census count to distribution of resources within communities.
Our World in Data - Resource Link - Over 3,000 charts on topics including poverty, disease, hunger, climate change, war, existential risks, inequality, and more, with supporting research, data, and conclusions.
12 Good Places to Find Historical Images to Spark Inquiry www.freetech4teacers.com
Internet Archive Book Images features over 2 millions historical pictures on Flickr. This tremendous work has been done by Kalev Leetaru from Georgetown University. The pictures and drawings included in this resource are extracted from over 600 million library book pages scanned in by the Internet Archive organization.
Picturing United States History: An Interactive Resource for Teaching with Visual Evidence
Talking History is an oral history website produced by SUNY Albany for the purpose of sharing history lessons and audio artifacts. Every week Talking History publishes two audio segments about various historical topics. One of the segments features historians talking about an event or theme in history. The other segment features an audio artifact about an event or theme. Past shows are archived.
WhatWasThere is an excellent web tool and mobile app that uses Google Maps technologies to provide users with an interactive experience through which they get to learn how different places looked in the past. It’s like a virtual time machine that takes you in a journey in space and time. When you install WhatWasThere app on your iPad or iPhone and once it is launched, the app will detect the geographical location where you are and will provide you with any historic photographs that were captured nearby plotted on a map! You can also switch into Camera view to get an augmented reality experience of the history that surrounds you.
Fake SMS Generator The Classtools Fake SMS Generator is free to use and does not require students to register to use it. The video demonstrates how to create a fictitious text message exchange between historical characters.
ContextU and its purpose is to help students see the greater context for significant events in history. The first iteration of ContextU is focused on the American Civil War. More to come after 2014 On ContextU students select from a table of contents an event, piece of legislation, or theme to see it in the context of other events, pieces of legislation, and themes leading to the start of the Civil War. Through timelines, Google Maps, diagrams, flow charts, timelines, and text ContextU provides context for each chosen event, piece of legislation, or theme. Students can jump from event to event or from theme to theme by following the hyperlinks within each diagram.
Nuskool This is a site that uses pop culture as teaching moments for students. Tailored to grades 6th-12th students learn a variety of subjects such as: Math, Science, English, etc through educational lessons based on the different elements of pop culture (video games, sports, films, etc.).
Historical Newspapers good for historical thinking with primary sources.
Chronicling America: Historical Newspapers to discover the language used at the time. This activity can help students understand attitudes toward specific groups at the time the newspaper was published.
Historical Thinking Matters is a good resource for U.S. History teachers. Includes a good interactive presentation titled Why Historical Thinking Matters. The ten part presentation starts out by explaining why historical thinking isn't just memorization of facts. The presentation walks viewers through a model of how to think and study like a historian who analyzes and compares
Teaching History provides a wide variety of materials and resources to improve history education in the classroom. Teaching History, which is funded by the American Department of Education, is designed specifically for k-12 history teachers to help them access teaching materials such as lesson plan reviews, videos, and teaching guides. The content of Teaching History is organized into three main categories: Teaching Materials: this is where you can browse through an array of lesson plans, and teaching guides to use in the teaching of history to your K-12 students. History Content: this is where you can locate quality historical resources and reliable content from across the web. Best Practices: this one introduces teachers to different strategies and approaches to engage students discussion of primary sources and encourage them to exercise historical thinking.
There are two interactive posters available. The poster for elementary school is called Doing History is Like Solving a Mystery. The poster for high school students is called History is an Argument About the Past. Both posters include images of primary sources. Clicking on the images in the posters opens a series of guiding question
History Labs: A Guided Approach to Historical Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom, the site is perfect for teaching kids how to solve historical problems.
Go Social Studies is essentially a series of multimedia books about common social studies topics. The site is divided into three main sections; U.S. History, World History, and World Religions. Click to open a book then click to open a chapter in the each of the books. Within each chapter there is a series of pages containing text, pictures, videos, and links to additional resources on your chosen topic.
American History
A selection of easily searched resources divided by eras and historical events. Comprehensive for all grade levels.
The National Archives Digital Vault poster and video creation tools allow students to drag and drop digital artifacts into a poster or video. The National Archives provides images, documents, and audio in an easy to use editor. When making a poster students can combine multiple images, change background colors, and create captions to make collages of digital artifacts. See the screen capture below for a demonstration of poster editing
Picturing America is an interactive gallery of artwork related to events, people, and themes in American history. Students can browse the gallery chronologically or by theme. They can click on any image in the gallery to learn about the artist and the artwork itself. Along with background information for each image, Picturing America provides links to additional resources for learning about the artwork and artists. The site’s Educators Resource page contains a resource book that includes printable background sheets about each piece of art in the Picturing America gallery. The resource book also includes questions and activity suggestions for using each piece of art in elementary school, middle school, and high school classrooms. The resource book is available as a free download in English, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Teachers can download the resource as one file or in individual chapters. Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Download Free Resource Book
Clio Visualizing History is a nonprofit education organization dedicated to creating innovative online history exhibits designed to engage students and assist educators. Make sure to explore the Ongoing Feminist Revolution exhibit.
Interference Archive encourages the exploration of the relationship between cultural production and social movements and so includes many kinds of objects that are created as part of social movements by the participants themselves: posters, flyers, publications, zines, books, T-shirts and buttons, moving images, audio recordings, subject files, and other materials.
Go Social Studies Go a series of multimedia books about common social studies topics. The site is divided into three main sections; U.S. History, World History, and World Religions. Click to open a book then click to open a chapter in the each of the books. Within each chapter there is a series of pages containing text, pictures, videos, and links to additional resources on your chosen topic.
SAS Curriculum Pathways – This is a wonderful collection of highly engaging lessons plans available for free from SAS Curriculum Pathways in North Carolina. With a collection of around 700 lesson plans as of this publication, the archive allows teachers to search and also browse through multiple social studies categories. The provided link will bring you to the Social Studies area of the site.
15 Maps That Perfectly Explain the United States of America
“These 19 maps are chock full of fascinating data. Every one measures a distinct historical, socioeconomic, or cultural milestone, and combines to form the rich and varied tapestry we call America.”
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection Use the LUNA Browser to check out David Rumsey’s Map Collection with more than 30,000 images, searchable by keyword.
HistoryMaps, available online or via the Android or iOS app, makes it easy to access historical maps. Additionally, the interface is available in multiple languages, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.Explore HistoryMaps, and you’ll find a different aspect of history represented with each period offering interactive stories, images, and videos,
25 Maps and Charts That Explain American Today
“At the start of every year, government agencies, think tanks and businesses release sets of data and reports charting the nation’s social, economic and demographic course. Individually, each release of data offers a narrow snapshot of a narrow issue — voter attitudes, migration, unemployment, an assessment of policies, etc. — but collectively they tell a broader story.”
U.S. History in Global Perspective. This free book offers historical essays, documents and activities that assist teachers in globalizing US history. The book includes chapters on the American Revolution, Native American land rights, epidemic diseases, the Civil War, Chinese immigrants in the American West, industrialization, the civil rights movement and the socialist movement. Each example includes an essay for historical context, along with documents and activities for teachers to use. The content is appropriate for both world history and US history classrooms. In addition, the book includes connections to Common Core and 21st Century Skills frameworks being implemented in classrooms across the nation and sugge stions on ways to make global connections with National History Day themes. This resource is available for free to all teachers electronically. Click Here to Access Free Resource
Concept Mapping- Graphic Organizers
Diffen is a nice resource for those times when you need a quick comparison of two things. Let's say you need a chart to highlight the differences between latitude and longitude, Diffen has that. Or perhaps you need a comparison of Medicare and Medicaid, Diffen has that too.
If you can't find the comparison that you need, you can create your own on Diffen. Diffen is a community site. Anyone who registers on Diffen can contribute to the comparisons on the site. Comparisons are not limited to text. Images can be added to the comparison charts on Diffen. An embed code is available for each chart.
Zinn Education Project a website designed to help teachers use A People's History of the United States in their classrooms. The Zinn Education Project provides complete lesson plans for use in elementary school, middle school, and high school settings. In some cases the lesson plans include document excerpts and references to A People's History of the United States. On the Zinn Education Project site you can search for lesson plans by time period, theme, or by student reading levels.
StoryMap JS - A Nice Alternative to Tour Builder tutorial video
- StoryMap JS is a tool for creating mapped stories. On StoryMap JS you create slides that are matched to locations on your map. Each slide in your story can include images or videos along with text. As you scroll through your story there are simple transitions between each slide. StoryMap JS integrates with your Google Drive account. To get started with StoryMap JS you have to grant it access to your Google Drive account. StoryMap JS will create a folder in your Google Drive account where all of your storymap projects will be saved.
- Applications for Education One of the best examples of StoryMap JS for classroom use is found in the Manifest Destiny storymap featured on the StoryMap JS homepage. www.freetech4teachers.com
Museum Box is a great tool for creating virtual displays of artifacts that you find online. By using Museum Box students can organize images, text, videos, links, and audio clips about any topic that they're researching. When completed , students' "boxes" become digital dioramas.
My Simpleshow is a free tool for creating Common Craft style explanatory videos. The best aspect of My Simpleshow is the emphasis that the developers have placed on storyline planing and development. As is demonstrated in my tutorial below, students have to write a script on My Simpleshow before they can begin to use the video editing tools. video tutorial
The Digital Vaults is an entry into the vast resources of the National Archives, and allows you to use those resources to create your own movies, posters, and what it calls “Pathway Challenges” to… challenge others to find connections between a series of images, documents, and other resources you put together.
Made From History is a fantastic history resource. Made From History is produced by the BBC. The site features picture essays, timelines, videos, and interactive guides to significant events in European and World history. Made From History is divided into four sections; WWI, WWII, Civil Rights, and Referenced Blog.
SCAN library the SCAN tool are now FREE to educators! 100+ free lessons based on current or historical events that can help you get your kids connected to the real world within your curriculum. Each lesson contains a scenario with four different perspectives, and guided critical thinking questions that your students discuss online in a private "chat-like" room. Check out our short how-to videos to discover how easy SCAN is to use and set up for your next class.
register
Historical Scene Investigations Historical Scene Investigation - Bring the fun of CSI to your social studies class. Let your students become detectives as they investigate historical events.
Crash Course U.S. History. These videos provide ten to twelve minute overviews of key events and themes in the history of the United States.
If it Were My Home is a country comparison tool where students can compare living conditions in their own country to those of another.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook Use the Internet Modern History Sourcebook to find thousands of sources in modern history. Browse and search to find full texts, multimedia, and more. the Sourcebook project seeks to present teachers and students with a wide variety of educational materials on 'modern European history and American history, as well as in modern Western Civilization and World Cultures...A number of other online source collections emphasize legal and political documents. Here efforts have been made to include contemporary narrative accounts, personal memoirs, songs, newspaper reports, as well as cultural, philosophical, religious and scientific documents. Although the history of social and cultural elite groups remains important to historians, the lives of non-elite women, people of color, lesbians and gays are also well represented here.'
Writing Prompts for Social Studies and History
History Engine is an educational project developed by The University of Richmond for the purpose of giving students a place to explore stories of American life and publish their own stories based upon their research.
Race in the USA The site explores the concept of "race" in the United States from its colonial beginnings until the present time.
Teaching History. This website is non-negotiable. Every social studies / history teacher needs this for personal professional learning.
ChronoZoom, a free tool developed by Microsoft Research and an international team of collaborators, is helping her students visually explore the history of, well, just about everything, from the Big Bang right up to the present day.
History Labs: A Guided Approach to Historical Inquiry in the K-12 Classroom, the site is perfect for teaching kids how to solve historical problems.
Artifacts and Analysis: A Teacher’s Guide to Interpreting Artifacts and Writing History, has been around a while. But it still has some awesome tools that can help you train kids to ask good questions and to solve problems.
Historical Thinking Skills Interactives This series of interactive activities introduces and models the Historical Thinking Skills defined by the National Center for History in the Schools. The interactives each model a specific skill or set of skills, such as analyzing historical artifacts or using primary sources to develop a thesis.
National Archives Education page, Lesson plans. Professional development stuff. Handy graphic organizers. It’s one of those sites that is non-negotiable for social studies people.
Beyond the Bubble website with its HATs - Historical Assessments of Thinking. Short, easy to administer, handy interactive rubrics to go along with, student examples to aid in scoring, supporting materials, extension videos, and aligned with Common Core literacy standards.
Historical Thinking Matters Four investigations of central topics from post-civil war U.S. history, with activities that foster historical thinking and encourage students to form reasoned conclusions about the past. the 80+ lesson plans - all structured around the concepts of high level historical thinking. Beyond the Bubble historical thinking assessment site.
History Engine is an educational tool that gives students the opportunity to learn history by doing the work—researching, writing, and publishing—of a historian.
Calisphere - history events and more.
PhillyHistory
Historical photos that are searchable by date, address, and neighborhood.
Cronobook is a website that features a searchable map of historical photographs. The premise of the site is simple and using it is easy. Just head to the site, search for a location, and click on the small images to see them in full size. www.freetech4teachers.com
Eyewitness to History site that lets students select a period in history and see personal stories of people from the time. A nice combination of a great deal of information and many historical photos and drawings that bring learning to life.
Talking History could be a great resource for history teachers looking to bring audio artifacts into their classrooms. Search archives
History and Politics Out Loud History and Politics Out Loud offers a searchable archive of important recordings through history, particularly politically significant audio materials.
History Engine In this tool for collaborative education and research, students can learn history by researching, writing, and publishing, creating a collection of historical articles in U.S. history that can be searched for here by scholars, teachers, and the general pub
Ed Helper Social Studies resources has this page packed full of resources and teaching materials on social studies for different grades and age groups.
Lesson Plans and Resources for Social Studies Teachers Dr. Marty Levine, Professor Emeritus of Secondary Education, California State University, Northridge (CSUN), has gathered lesson plans and resources from the Internet which social studies teachers will find useful.
PBS Learning Media This is another page full of resources curated specifically by PBS Media for teachers and students of social studies.
Social Studies Teaching Resources This Pinterest board provides teaching resources that cover a wide variety of social studies topics including geography, history, economics, and politics. (Grades 3 - 6)
Classroom Aid Classroom Aid offers a wide variety of free resources for teaching and learning Social Studies.
Edsitement Explore our library of humanities lesson plans by subject, theme, and grade level. Find Art & Culture lessons on anthropology, art history, folklore, mythology, religion, and more World Language lessons on languages and the cultures of which they are a part; History & Social Studies lessons on American (including our popular AP U.S. History index) and World History, civics, government and society; and Literature & Language Arts lessons, including AP Literature offerings, on great writing and great literary works throughout the ages.
Online Debating
- Debate Graph is a resource that students can use to evaluate the many arguments in hot-button global topics. By providing webbed diagrams of arguments students can see and explore the many facets of debate. To find a debate, visit the gallery of debates on Debate Graph. There are seven formats in which you can view the parts of a debate. If you want to create your own debate diagram or contribute to one that is already started register for free on Debate Graph. Rarely are debates a simple two-sided matter. Debate Graph provides students with a great tool for exploring the many facets of debates.
- Mootup - Set up debate writing assignments within your class or across the school to teach CCSS-aligned argumentative writing using this website.
- aMap is short for ‘argument map’. The idea’s very simple – to promote the art of arguing by mapping out complex debates in a simple visual format. This can be applied to the classroom by using their site to create student debates on various topics.
- IFTTT is a service that lets you create powerful connections with one simple statement: If This Then That
- NowComment - Turn any document into a class discussion with a commenting system that appears right next to the text.
- Quibl is a Free Online Debate Platform For Discussing All Kinds Of Issues
- Google Moderator Students can post questions or comments to the moderated discussion. Once comments are posted, students can "vote" for the idea, or comment on a post. Comments can then be sorted based on the number of votes it received, and can be posted anonymously or require a Google account.
Play a role in history. As a juror, senator, and U.S. president you will consider some of the most important decisions in our nation's history
Digital History
A Web site designed to support the teaching of American history for K-12 students; the site includes an online textbook, annotated historical documents, and over 70 inquiry-based interactive modules. The site also offers inquiry-based modules that provide primary sources on a number of historical events. It also 'offers many other ways to engage students in the study of history, from fact checks (multiple choice quizzes on every era of American history), to 19th century high school entrance examinations, a time machine, an interactive timeline that links to primary source documents, and a flash overview of American history.'
Smithsonian Institution Open Access is inviting the world to engage with its vast repository of resources like never before. For the first time in its 174-year history, the Smithsonian has released 2.8 million high-resolution two- and three-dimensional images from across its collections onto an open access online platform for patrons to peruse and download free of charge. Featuring data and material from all 19 Smithsonian museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives and the National Zoo, the new digital depot encourages the public to not just view its contents, but use, reuse and transform them into just about anything they choose—be it a postcard, a beer koozie or a pair of bootie shorts. You can also download the 3D images to use in projects of their own. The following video I demonstrate how students can measure, share, and download objects in the Smithsonian's 3D Digitization collection. www.freetech4teachers.com
🎯Smithsonian History Explorer. provides seven types of resource types: artifacts, primary sources, lessons and activities, worksheets, reference materials, reviewed websites, and interactives and media. The staff from the Smithsonian Museum of American History has added so many new resources, lessons, activities, and themes, I guarantee you’ll walk away with all sorts of stuff you can incorporate into your instruction tomorrow. Start by using the search tool on the home page. Insert key words, select your resource type, grade level, era, and potential cross curricular connection. Hit return. You’ll get results from a couple thousand ready to use lesson plans and activities
Who Am I?
A History Mystery could be a good way for history students to practice using evidence to create a hypothesis. Who Am I? is part of a larger online Smithsonian exhibit called The Price of Freedom. The Price of Freedom offers a series of detailed lesson plans and videos for six major events and eras in US History. Those events and eras are War of Independence, Wars of Expansion, The Civil War, World War II, Cold War/ Vietnam, and September 11.
Historical Scene Investigation Project
Investigate historical events
Digital Vaults is a site put together by the National Archives (a great history resource). It is a place where historical records, photos, and documents are kept. At this site a user can either create a Digital Poster, Movie or a Pathway Challenge. A Pathway Challenge is a great way to lean history and see how historical items are "linked" together.
Awesome Stories
A large resource filled with primary-source information. Its purpose is to help educators and individuals find original sources, located at national archives, libraries, universities, museums, historical societies and government-created web sites. The site is very easy to use.
American History Demographic Chart Book
Website featuring dozens of graphics about US demographics from 1790 through 2010. The site is divided into seventeen chapters each containing multiple dynamic graphics. The chapters are labeled according to demographic categories such as age, marital status, education, and birthplace.
Crossroads: A K-16 American History Curriculum
American history curriculum with essays, lessons, and resources for the classroom teacher for both elementary ages and beyond. Each curriculum age group has its own lessons and resources.
Ease History
A rich learning environment that supports the learning of US history. Over 600 videos and photographs are currently available, has three entry points: Historical Events, Campaign Ads, and Core Values
Playing History is a collection of 128 games related to topics in US and World History as well as civics and geography. The games come from a variety of sources across the web. Feedback on every game and suggestions for future additions are welcomed by the hosts of the site.
World Digital Library
Primary source documents from around the world - available for download
Old Magazine Articles.com
A primary source site with PDF versions of magazine articles published from 1860-1922 covering topics including the American Civil War, World War I, Prohibition, fashion history, art history, immigration history, the sinking of the Titanic and much more, including World War II articles from Yank magazine. Good historical photographs History Wired
Take a private tour through the vast collections of the National Museum of American History with this unique site. Thousands of objects, including famous, unusual, and everyday items are linked to an interactive, customizable, "main object" map that includes a timeline, key words, thumbnails, and a search option. Click on an object to find out more about it, than rate it.
National Archives Digital Classroom: Teaching With Documents
A wonderful set of lesson plans, arranged by historical era, which include reproducible copies of many primary documents. DocsTeach is a recent addition to the National Archives family. But it is the perfect place for teaching critical thinking and to help kids learn how to think historically. You can browse by historical period, by historical thinking skill, or by specific types of thinking tools for a huge number of lessons and activities. And because you and other teachers who are joining the site can create their own lessons using the embedded tools, the database of stuff gets bigger every day. Document analysis template for teachers to use to create activities for their students. The document analysis template has teachers choose a document or portion of a document for students to analyze. Teachers can then choose from a menu of pre-made document analysis questions for their students to answer while reviewing a document. Teachers can also create their own questions to add to the analysis activity.
- Before you start using any of these tools you need to read “Guide to Creating Your DocsTeach Activity”. Below are the links to the tools together with a brief description of what you can do with them: Here's is a video overview of how to create and distribute your own primary source activities via DocsTeach.
- Discussion Topi "Showcase one document while posing a question or instructions to quickly engage students, focus classroom activity, and spark conversations."
- Spotlight 'Display a document and highlight specific parts to quickly engage students and focus classroom activity.
- Zoom/Crop 'Shift the focus on a document from one part to another, from a part to the whole, or from the whole to a specific part. Guide students as they analyze and use context to form hypotheses.'
- Compare and Contrast 'Display two to four documents to prompt students to observe, analyze, and point out similarities and differences.'
- White Out/Black Out 'Obscure parts of a document, or reveal only select sections while obscuring the rest, so that students use context clues to hypothesize what is happening or being described.'
- Finding a Sequence 'Challenge students to put primary sources in chronological, procedural, or other sequential order based on document analysis.'
- Making Connections 'Present primary sources as a string of documents to convey historical progression and prompt students to make connections among events. Provide or ask students to fill in the connections between documents.
- Mapping History 'Plot primary sources, descriptive text, or boxes for student response on a historic map, outline map, or other document. Or ask students to position these elements on the map to demonstrate geographic understanding.
- DocsTeach activities that were recently featured in the DocsTeach
Activities to support this subject in the classroom, including immigration, the Revolution, immigration, American leaders, and much more.
Living Room Candidate
Videos of Presidential campaign commercials from 1952-2004
State and Regional Folk Tales gr 4-8
This repository of folk tales from throughout the United States, organized by state and region, provides students with a great literary tapestry of American culture. Add to a unit on your state's history, or use to supplement your reading curriculum.
American Rhetoric
Speeches from history, contemporary politicians, movie characters, entertainers and notiable citizens.
History and Politics Out Loud
HIstoric and contemporaty American political and historical speeches
Popular Songs in American History
Historical period songs and background information
History Out Loud
HPOL is a searchable multimedia database documenting and delivering authoritative audio relevant to American history and politics.
American Centuries
Explore American history through these collections and activities. (Elem, Mid, High)
The Gilder Lehrman Insitute of American History
Supplement your existing materials with some of the activities and information on this site: primary sources on slavery, Mexican American and NativeAmerican history, lessons that focus on human elements of rebellion andchange, and a visual archive with hundreds of historical maps and
images.
Academic Info: US History Home Page & Index
List of links to support the teaching of American history; arranged by time period. Good portals for ethnic studies also.
American Studies Web
Listing of sites in many areas of American studies; appropriate for teachers and high school students. Good cultural and ethnic resources that include enivironmental and women's movements.
Internet Moving Picture Archive
A site for educational, advertising, and industry videos produced from 1927 to 1987. Teachers will want to preview first
Virtual Worlds Almanac Online catalog of virtual worlds environments at all grade levels
VistaZoo is a customizable portal from where you can create stunning, professional Virtual Tours combining panoramas, pictures, video, audio, floorplans and objects in 3D. Your tours will be uploaded and placed on a map instantly. Once the tour has been created, you can easily embed it into any website in seconds. It works just like YouTube. Create and share instantly.
PowerPoint Downloads
Elementary age appropriate. You can also search for PowerPoint presentations in Google Advanced site. Go to Google ->Advanced -> in the File Format pop-up menu choose .ppt
Census Data and Lessons
Census data from 1790 - 1860 that is easily searchable.
Links to the Past: Explore America's Past
Links to information and resources about America's cultural past, including buildings, landscapes, archeological sites, ethnographic resources, objects and documents. There is a teacher section with lesson ideas.
Smithsonian Museums
Exhibits from each of the Smithsonian Institution's museums including, Transportations role in US history, African Voices, Japanese Americans, the Price of Freedom and War, Brown v. Board of Education. and more.
Within These Walls
This website from the Smithsonian looks at a house in Massachusetts, and follows its inhabitants over two hundred years. Students can find out about the five families that lived there, artifacts from each time period, and how to uncover more information about your own house or neighborhood.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Timeline Tools
A Comparison of Multimedia Timeline Creation Tools - UpdatedMaking a timeline is a "classic" history class assignment. Today, there are plenty of ways to create multimedia timelines. In the following chart I highlight the features of my favorite tools for making multimedia timelines. A copy of the chart can be acquired in Google Docs format here. www.freetech4teachers.com
Timeline JS an open-source tool that enables you to build visually-rich interactive timelines and is available in 40 languages.
Time Graphics for creating illustrative visualization to help with understanding a complex phenomena, designing a timeline of historical events or to temporally chronicle the development of particular process and many more. Visualization is a great way to enhance learning and deepen comprehension.Timelines created through Time Graphics can embed various types of media including, text, videos, visuals, charts and many more. Students can change timeline background, add numerous events, and customize and edit their timelines as they want. Timelines can also be downloaded in different formats (e.g., as PDF, Doc, PPT, TXT, PNG, JPG etc) or exported for offline viewing. There is also a huge library of pre-made timelines students can browse through.
Sutori is a multimedia timeline creation tool that will work on your laptop, Chromebook, iPad, or tablet. With a HSTRY account you can build timelines in a vertical scroll format similar to that of a Facebook feed. To start the process pick a topic and upload a cover photo. To add events to the timeline just click the "+" symbol and select the type of media that you want to add to your timeline. You can add videos, images, audio, and text to the events on your timeline.
Google Sheets Timeline Creator - Resource link
MyHistro You can combine maps and timelines seamlessly into one great presentation, convert any public timeline into a personal pdf file, or export it into Google Earth format for offline storage. All completed timelines can be embedded into your blog and websites for maximum exposure.
Timerime a web application which allows people to create, view and compare interactive timelines. The application is available as an online community at www.timerime.com, and as a professional software solution, that can be integrated in other websites.
TimeToast a place to create and share timelines on the web. You can create historical timelines of important events, or build a timeline of your vacation. It's all up to you and your imagination. Timelines you create can also be shard with others or embed them in blog or website.
Our Story a tool that helps you tell a story through a timeline. In one easy-to-use, organized place, and in a rich environment that celebrates all of the stories - big and small - with the words, photos and voices that help tell about your journey, at the same time honoring your choices regarding privacyTikiToki web-based software for creating beautiful interactive timelines that you can share on the internet.It is also available in 3D now.
Dipity a free digital timeline website that you can use to create, share, embed and collaborate on interactive, visually engaging timelines that integrate video, audio, images, text, links, social media, location and timestamps.
TimeGlider
Maps
Geography and Historical Maps
an excellent web tool and mobile app that uses Google Maps technologies to provide users with an interactive experience through which they get to learn how different places looked in the past. It’s like a virtual time machine that takes you in a journey in space and time. When you install
WhatWasThere app on your iPad or iPhone and once it is launched, the app will detect the geographical location where you are and will provide you with any historic photographs that were captured nearby plotted on a map! You can also switch into Camera view to get an augmented reality experience of the history that surrounds you.
HistoryPin user-generated archive of the world's historical images and stories. The website acts like a digital time machine, and uses Google Maps and Street View technology to allow the wide public to dig out, upload and pin their own old photos, as well as the stories behind them, onto an interactive map. Uniquely, Historypin lets people layer old images onto modern Street View scenes, providing a series of geo-located time tunnel views into the past.
World Population History is an interactive map and timeline of the world's population growth from 1 C.E. to today. The timeline at the bottom of the map features little placemarks that feature developments in science, trade, and major political events. Students can click on the markers in the timeline to learn more about each development.
The combination of the map with the timeline can help students see the correlation between scientific advancements and changes in population growth.
Historic Maps
- Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms has historic maps as well as lesson plans to accompany them.
- Mapping History is a digital atlas of American, European, Latin American, and African history. Each section is divided into modules based on historical themes and eras. Mapping History is a resource if you need a thematic map to illustrate a pattern in history.
- Mapping The Nation
- Why a map is a window on to history is an article from the BBC.
- The Beauty of Maps is a pretty amazing twelve part BBC series that is now available on YouTube.
- A History of Map Monsters is a slideshow from Slate.
- Historypin is probably the biggest site on the Web.
- Cronobook is a website that features a searchable map of historical photographs. The premise of the site is simple and using it is easy. Just head to the site, search for a location, and click on the small images to see them in full size. www.freetech4teachers.com
- Sepia Town
- There and Then has a limited number of historical videos.
- What Was There lets you search for any place in the world and then shows you images of “what was there” a long time ago using a Google Maps street view. You can upload photos, too.
- Google Street View Adds “Go Back In Time” Feature
HistoGrafica simply type in a geographic place – city, state, zip code, country – and using a Google Maps interface, HistoGrafica will display all of the images in its database for that region. You can zoom in or out, drag around and select individual or group photos.
Manifest Destiny - The Story of The U.S. Told in 141 Maps is a website developed by Michael Porath. As you probably guessed from the title of this blog post, the site features 141 interactive maps chronicling the expansion of the United States from March 1789 to August 1959. When you click on any of the maps you will see the new territories acquired in that year and month. Each map is accompanied by a brief description of how the new territories were acquired. www.freetech4teachers.com
American Panorama is a great new resource from the University of Richmond from Maps Mania. American Panorama aims to be an atlas of United States History. Currently, American Panorama features four interactive maps representing four elements of American history. Those four maps are Overland Trails, Forced Migration of Enslaved People, Canals, and Foreign-Born Population. All four maps are centered on the 19th Century.
Stanford University’s Spatial History Project is a community that combines humanities research with “spatial, textual and visual analysis.” On their about page, they explain that as scholars, they realize the significance and importance of displaying information within a spatial context. Too often, history is presented chronologically but a visual can provide learners with valuable context to help them make connections to a broader context.
The Spatial History Project is an amazing collection of interactive maps that explore ancient and modern societies, cultural practices, expansion, environmental impact, and more.
Zip Lookup is a nice use of the Esri mapping platform. The map allows you to enter any US zip code to discover demographic data about that area.
Historical Topographic Map Explorer will provide a timeline with topo maps from the past.
You can then select maps from the timeline that are overlaid over the modern map. You can also download that specific map to your desktop and use a handy transparency slider that lets you see the modern map when you need it. You also have the ability to stack different maps on top of each other, using the individual transparency slider for each to hide or show details as you please. This seems like a nice way for geography and history teachers to illustrate continuity and change over time in a specific place.
Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States. This atlas contains more than 700 historical maps of the United States. The maps within the atlas are arranged into eighteen sections. Many of the maps within the Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States can be animated to show changes over time.
PhilaPlace Sharing Stories from the City of Neighborhoods
PhilaPlace is an interactive Web site, created by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, that connects stories to places across time in Philadelphia's neighborhoods. PhilaPlace weaves stories shared by ordinary people of all backgrounds with historical records to present an interpretive picture of the rich history, culture, and architecture of our neighborhoods, past and present. The PhilaPlace Web site uses a multimedia format - including text, pictures, audio and video clips, and podcasts - and allows visitors to map their own stories in place and time. More than a Web site, PhilaPlace includes ongoing community programs and publications, from workshops for teachers, to trolley tours, and exhibits. PhilaPlace is an engaging, meaningful way to understand more about where we live, and will serve as an enduring record of our heritage.
Cultural Maps
Maps that illustrate America's historical geography; also includes links to other map sites
Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms
Includes Instructions for Teachers and Reading Historic Maps section
Literacy Strategies, Readings & Book Sites for Social Studies
Children’s Literature with Social Studies
Great resources for K-6 teachers
Capstone Interactive eBooksA library of more than 800 unlimited use, interactive eBooks for grades 3-6 on the topics of science and social studies. High-interest texts include highlighting and read-aloud capabilities
Kids Discover Online offers excellent reference articles for elementary school and middle school students. All of the articles are offered in multiple versions to match a range of Lexile scores. But that is not all that Kids Discover Online offers. A nice feature of Kids Discover Online is the concept maps that students can explore. These concept maps, called Discover Maps, allow students to see the connections between topics in social studies, science, and mathematics. video
The Reading, Evidence, and Argumentation in Disciplinary Instruction (READI) Project, a multi-institutional initiative headed by the University of Illinois at Chicago, supports disciplinary argumentation from multiple sources in middle school and high school science and history/social studies classes.The website provides links to integrative curriculum modules developed as part of the project. Each module includes a freely downloadable interactive notebook with integrated texts, tasks, scaffolds, and routines, along with an annotated teacher guide.
Glossary of Instructional Strategies
Hundreds of effective strategies to try
Literacy in Social Studies
Some useful links and tutorials
Daryl Cagle’s Teachers’ Guide for the Professional Cartoonists Index offers lesson plans for using modern editorial cartoons in the classroom.
List of comics and graphics novels organized by social studies content areas.
History Engine (http://historyengine.richmond.edu), a project at the University of Richmond centered on a writing assignment for the digital age, which is called an “episode.” An episode is something like a moment in time: it is a short essay on a particular event in the past, such as a wedding in New York during the Great Depression or an 1840 slave sale in rural Mississippi. Episodes explore these historical moments as interpretive windows into the past. Rather than tackling the entire American Civil War, for example, an episode might focus on the terrifying experience of a particular soldier at the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by his surviving letters and contextualized by secondary literature. Another episode might recount the excitement felt by a woman in New Hampshire when she stepped into the voting booth for the first time in 1920, as described in her diary and supported by literature on the 19th amendment. Because they center on historical action at the local level, each episode provides a unique voice about a particular time and place that can be joined by other voices.
ReadingQuest: Making Sense in Social Studies
A website designed for social studies teachers who wish to more effectively engage their students with the content in their classes.
Readworks.org This website offers a wide range of lesson plans, comprehension units, and reading passages organized by skill and Lexile level. New feature allows you to adjust reading level of a text. The latest batch of articles added to ReadWorks covers topics in social studies. The articles and lesson plans for K-5 primarily deal with topics in U.S. History and civics.
CommonLit is a website full of leveled passages for students in fifth through twelfth grade. It organizes texts into collections to make it easy for teachers to find a passage to share with their students.
Reading Strategies for the Social Studies Classroom
Use these practice activities to help struggling readers with comprehension
Reading, Writing and Researching for History
Written for college kids but could be adapted for MS and HS use
Notable Tradebooks
Yearly list of K-8 tradebooks by the National Council for the Social Studies
What So Proudly We Hail (WSPWH) provides free resources and lesson plans to language arts and social studies teachers, demonstrating how short stories, speeches, and songs can be used to enhance civics education. For example, The Meaning of America, a ten-part curriculum, investigates what kinds of citizens are likely to emerge in a nation founded on individual rights, equality, and freedom of religion; and what virtues are required for a robust citizenry. The curriculum explores American character and identity through the use of imaginative fiction. It includes short stories by Jack London, Mark Twain, Herman Melville, Willa Cather, and Kurt Vonnegut. Accompanying the curriculum are discussion guides and video model conversations.
Annontated Book List
An older but still useful list of books by topic
Schools of California Online Resources for Education / History & Social Studies
Lessons and extensive book lists by grade
Opening Doors with Childrens Lit
Book titles by topic
Reading Strategies for the Social Studies Classroom (pdf)
Helpful ideas from middle school teachers
Recommended Reading List
Extensive list from the California DOE
Compare and Contrast Tools
Diffen - What uses in the classroom might you find to compare anything? After-all comparing and contrasting is a 21stcentury skill which would come under Critical thinking. At first you will just want to play and see how it compares. I am sure you will want to put in apples and oranges, cats and dogs, and rain and snow. You may even want to practice a little political comparison. What content area items could your students compare? How about making a lesson. Check out these two additional digital tools that could come in handy from the people at Read Write Think as described in their own words.
Venn Diagram - The Venn Diagram app allows users to compare and contrast information in a visually appealing way. Sounds like a 21st Century Skill useful from fine arts to applied science
Compare & Contrast Map - This interactive graphic organizer helps students develop an outline for one of three types of comparison essays: whole-to-whole, similarities-to-differences, or point-to-point. A link in the introduction to the Comparison and Contrast Guide can give students the chance to get definitions and look at examples before they begin working.
Great resources for K-6 teachers
Capstone Interactive eBooksA library of more than 800 unlimited use, interactive eBooks for grades 3-6 on the topics of science and social studies. High-interest texts include highlighting and read-aloud capabilities
Kids Discover Online offers excellent reference articles for elementary school and middle school students. All of the articles are offered in multiple versions to match a range of Lexile scores. But that is not all that Kids Discover Online offers. A nice feature of Kids Discover Online is the concept maps that students can explore. These concept maps, called Discover Maps, allow students to see the connections between topics in social studies, science, and mathematics. video
The Reading, Evidence, and Argumentation in Disciplinary Instruction (READI) Project, a multi-institutional initiative headed by the University of Illinois at Chicago, supports disciplinary argumentation from multiple sources in middle school and high school science and history/social studies classes.The website provides links to integrative curriculum modules developed as part of the project. Each module includes a freely downloadable interactive notebook with integrated texts, tasks, scaffolds, and routines, along with an annotated teacher guide.
Glossary of Instructional Strategies
Hundreds of effective strategies to try
Literacy in Social Studies
Some useful links and tutorials
Daryl Cagle’s Teachers’ Guide for the Professional Cartoonists Index offers lesson plans for using modern editorial cartoons in the classroom.
List of comics and graphics novels organized by social studies content areas.
History Engine (http://historyengine.richmond.edu), a project at the University of Richmond centered on a writing assignment for the digital age, which is called an “episode.” An episode is something like a moment in time: it is a short essay on a particular event in the past, such as a wedding in New York during the Great Depression or an 1840 slave sale in rural Mississippi. Episodes explore these historical moments as interpretive windows into the past. Rather than tackling the entire American Civil War, for example, an episode might focus on the terrifying experience of a particular soldier at the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by his surviving letters and contextualized by secondary literature. Another episode might recount the excitement felt by a woman in New Hampshire when she stepped into the voting booth for the first time in 1920, as described in her diary and supported by literature on the 19th amendment. Because they center on historical action at the local level, each episode provides a unique voice about a particular time and place that can be joined by other voices.
ReadingQuest: Making Sense in Social Studies
A website designed for social studies teachers who wish to more effectively engage their students with the content in their classes.
Readworks.org This website offers a wide range of lesson plans, comprehension units, and reading passages organized by skill and Lexile level. New feature allows you to adjust reading level of a text. The latest batch of articles added to ReadWorks covers topics in social studies. The articles and lesson plans for K-5 primarily deal with topics in U.S. History and civics.
CommonLit is a website full of leveled passages for students in fifth through twelfth grade. It organizes texts into collections to make it easy for teachers to find a passage to share with their students.
Reading Strategies for the Social Studies Classroom
Use these practice activities to help struggling readers with comprehension
Reading, Writing and Researching for History
Written for college kids but could be adapted for MS and HS use
Notable Tradebooks
Yearly list of K-8 tradebooks by the National Council for the Social Studies
What So Proudly We Hail (WSPWH) provides free resources and lesson plans to language arts and social studies teachers, demonstrating how short stories, speeches, and songs can be used to enhance civics education. For example, The Meaning of America, a ten-part curriculum, investigates what kinds of citizens are likely to emerge in a nation founded on individual rights, equality, and freedom of religion; and what virtues are required for a robust citizenry. The curriculum explores American character and identity through the use of imaginative fiction. It includes short stories by Jack London, Mark Twain, Herman Melville, Willa Cather, and Kurt Vonnegut. Accompanying the curriculum are discussion guides and video model conversations.
Annontated Book List
An older but still useful list of books by topic
Schools of California Online Resources for Education / History & Social Studies
Lessons and extensive book lists by grade
Opening Doors with Childrens Lit
Book titles by topic
Reading Strategies for the Social Studies Classroom (pdf)
Helpful ideas from middle school teachers
Recommended Reading List
Extensive list from the California DOE
Compare and Contrast Tools
Diffen - What uses in the classroom might you find to compare anything? After-all comparing and contrasting is a 21stcentury skill which would come under Critical thinking. At first you will just want to play and see how it compares. I am sure you will want to put in apples and oranges, cats and dogs, and rain and snow. You may even want to practice a little political comparison. What content area items could your students compare? How about making a lesson. Check out these two additional digital tools that could come in handy from the people at Read Write Think as described in their own words.
Venn Diagram - The Venn Diagram app allows users to compare and contrast information in a visually appealing way. Sounds like a 21st Century Skill useful from fine arts to applied science
Compare & Contrast Map - This interactive graphic organizer helps students develop an outline for one of three types of comparison essays: whole-to-whole, similarities-to-differences, or point-to-point. A link in the introduction to the Comparison and Contrast Guide can give students the chance to get definitions and look at examples before they begin working.
Apps
Social Studies Apps categorized by themes and grades
Revolutionaries of the Past Century ‘To understand our present, we must look to our past. 100 years of history's revolutionaries and social movements are laid out in this iPad app that lets you draw connections to the past. Explore a revolutionary leader individually, or discover their connections to a movement and how it changed the course of history.’
European Exploration: The Age of Discovery
Explore the new world as a European power in the 15th Century by funding and sending expeditions out into the unknown. Hire captains, build ships, and outfit voyages to learn of the wonders of the new world. Expeditions can be dangerous however, so be careful or else Europe may never hear of your discoveries!
Revolutionaries of the past century a hundred years of revolutionaries and social movements help make connections to the past
CamFind is a free iOS and Android app that enables you to take a picture of any object and then instantly conduct a web search about it. For example, when I take a picture of my computer bag CamFind instantly starts to search for objects like it as well as web pages about computer bags. I've also used CamFind to take pictures of blocks of text and let CamFind then search for web articles related to the text in my picture.
Applications for Education
One obvious use of CamFind is on field trips or simple walks around your school's neighborhood. Students could use the app to find information about plants while they walk. They could use the app to learn more about a landmark on a field trip.
Another possible use of CamFind is to have students scan passages of text (zoom-in on the page first) and then let CamFind search for related articles. Once they have a list of related articles students could dive deeper by entering search terms into a Google search.
Productivity Apps - use for presentations, projects, and research
To The Brink is an excellent free iPad app through which students can learn about the causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy administration’s handling of the crisis. The app uses archival images, videos, documents, and audio recordings to tell the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The app is arranged as a series of pages for students to flip through. On each page there are icons that students can tap to get more information in the forms of documents, images, and videos.
Educade Start browsing for hundreds of lesson plans and teaching tools right now.
Educade revolutionizes the way students learn by integrating fun and interactive learning methods with cutting-edge 21st century tools, such as apps, games and maker kits. The site celebrates teachers’ expertise and first-hand knowledge of students, and equips them with the tools and community support to maximize their impact on student learning.
Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom is a great choice for upper elementary and middle school students. This interactive app introduces children to the Underground Railroad by placing them in first person experiences. They’ll have to make decisions on how to proceed from on step to the next while they learn about this period in history.
Revolutionaries of the Past Century ‘To understand our present, we must look to our past. 100 years of history's revolutionaries and social movements are laid out in this iPad app that lets you draw connections to the past. Explore a revolutionary leader individually, or discover their connections to a movement and how it changed the course of history.’
European Exploration: The Age of Discovery
Explore the new world as a European power in the 15th Century by funding and sending expeditions out into the unknown. Hire captains, build ships, and outfit voyages to learn of the wonders of the new world. Expeditions can be dangerous however, so be careful or else Europe may never hear of your discoveries!
Revolutionaries of the past century a hundred years of revolutionaries and social movements help make connections to the past
CamFind is a free iOS and Android app that enables you to take a picture of any object and then instantly conduct a web search about it. For example, when I take a picture of my computer bag CamFind instantly starts to search for objects like it as well as web pages about computer bags. I've also used CamFind to take pictures of blocks of text and let CamFind then search for web articles related to the text in my picture.
Applications for Education
One obvious use of CamFind is on field trips or simple walks around your school's neighborhood. Students could use the app to find information about plants while they walk. They could use the app to learn more about a landmark on a field trip.
Another possible use of CamFind is to have students scan passages of text (zoom-in on the page first) and then let CamFind search for related articles. Once they have a list of related articles students could dive deeper by entering search terms into a Google search.
Productivity Apps - use for presentations, projects, and research
To The Brink is an excellent free iPad app through which students can learn about the causes of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy administration’s handling of the crisis. The app uses archival images, videos, documents, and audio recordings to tell the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The app is arranged as a series of pages for students to flip through. On each page there are icons that students can tap to get more information in the forms of documents, images, and videos.
Educade Start browsing for hundreds of lesson plans and teaching tools right now.
Educade revolutionizes the way students learn by integrating fun and interactive learning methods with cutting-edge 21st century tools, such as apps, games and maker kits. The site celebrates teachers’ expertise and first-hand knowledge of students, and equips them with the tools and community support to maximize their impact on student learning.
Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom is a great choice for upper elementary and middle school students. This interactive app introduces children to the Underground Railroad by placing them in first person experiences. They’ll have to make decisions on how to proceed from on step to the next while they learn about this period in history.
Online Games and Simulations
Videos
Living History Videos - from WWII to present.
American Experience Online American Experience Online has produced over 175 feature sites, enabling teachers and students to watch films online and encouraging in-depth exploration of each film beyond the television screen. There are a ton of full-length videos ( Also, Youtube has some of the full-length videos not available at the site) as well as shorter clips. You’ve got a Teacher’s Page with video links, interactives, lesson plans, primary sources, and photos.
Drawn in Sixty Seconds is a good YouTube video with…sixty second animated videos on Social Studies topics. It’s from the UK, and has topics more specifically relevant to that country, but also has many that can be useful anywhere.
A History Minute with David Rubenstein. This new 20-episode series of 60-second videos explores little-known aspects of American history, such as What is hidden at the foot of the Statue of Liberty? Who was the first woman to run for president? Why is the Pentagon a pentagon? Among the figures featured in the series are Frederick Douglass, Victoria Woodhull, Madame CJ Walker, Jim Thorpe, the Navajo Code Talkers, Billie Jean King, and George Washington.
The Achievery The Achievery features clips from popular movies, TV shows, and cartoons from Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network, paired with lessons and learning activities Available subjects include Social-Emotional Learning, English Language Arts (ELA), Science, Social Studies, Math, Technology and Engineering and Digital Literacy. The lesson plans come with recommendations and exercises related to the content of the clips.https://www.theachievery.com/
Untold Short two minute history related videos
History Lessons.”by Story Corps Here’s how they describe them: We’re bringing history to life like never before, showcasing the defining moments that have shaped our world today through the eyes of the people who lived them. Stay tuned and explore stories that celebrate history.
Drawn in Sixty Seconds is a good YouTube video with…sixty second animated videos on Social Studies topics. It’s from the UK, and has topics more specifically relevant to that country, but also has many that can be useful anywhere.
PBS Explore the U.S. History Collection
This robust collection presents a new approach to digital media for U.S. History classrooms, with attention to amplifying diverse perspectives that foster civic identity and a more complex, nuanced, and accurate understanding of the past. Browsable by eras in U.S. History and historical thinking skills, this collection highlights how the past is relevant to students’ lives today and supports critical analysis of traditional historical narratives.
Video: “10 Pivotal Battles That Changed History”
Online Destination for Exploring Documentaries by Ken BurnsKen Burns, who has used archival footage and photographs to tell uniquely American stories, has launched a new site for educators called Ken Burns in the Classroom on PBS LearningMedia. The site is an online destination for free teaching and learning resources inspired by his documentaries. Created for educators at grades 6–12, this new destination houses a full library of classroom-ready content—aligned to state and national standards—about historical events and issues that Burns has highlighted in his films. The website includes hundreds of video clips, lesson plans, activity suggestions, discussion questions, handouts, and interactives to help educators across subject areas, and with different needs and experiences, integrate the films into their classroom instruction.
Great instructional videos for students taking AP US History, World History, and Government courses. More than 100,000 YouTube subscribers will attest to that. He also publishes many of the PowerPoint presentations that appear in his videos. From his PowerPoint page you can download presentations on US History, European History, or World History. www.freetech4teachers.com
That Was History is an educational, history channel featuring videos about our world's history. We discuss topics from a range of categories including Military History, World History, US History, Political History, Entertainment History and more.
Multimedia United States History CollectionGBH, a public broadcasting media platform in Boston, has launched a collection of free digital resources to support teachers covering US history. The new US History Collection, housed on the PBS LearningMedia platform, capitalizes on GBH’s portfolio of acclaimed historical documentaries--AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, FRONTLINE, and GBH WORLD—to help middle school and high school students develop critical thinking skills when learning about and interpreting history.The US History Collection is distinctive in its media focus, its organization by era and historical thinking skills, and its presentation of history from diverse perspectives. Working with both student and teacher advisers, GBH integrated the work of seven other public media contributors. The US History Collection features original videos, such as the seven-episode “Why It Matters” series, interactive lessons, maps, images and timelines, and a variety of independent student activities.
Wiki History Game is a free timeline game based on Wikipedia entries. I discovered it on Product Hunt last week and immediately lost about 30 minutes of my day playing the game. The game is a simple one, but an addictive one for history buffs. The premise of the game is to sort events into order on a timeline. To play Wiki History Game just go to the site and click start. You'll then see two events on the screen. Drag them into the correct order. As soon as you do that another event will appear and you have to drag that into the correct order with the two previous events. There aren't any points awarded or any levels. The object is just to consecutively, correctly sort as many events as possible. Here's a little video demo of the game. www.freetech4teachers.com
Skipped History, which the NY Times describes as:a comedy web series, explores overlooked ideas, people and events that continue to shape the United States. Hosted by Ben Tumin, a historical satirist, the series makes history both accessible and funny.
U.S. Video Raps school teacher Cole Wilder has made rap music videos to teach his students important concepts in history and language arts https://www.youtube.com/user/USHistoryRaps/videos
iThrive Sim - Free online role-playing simulation games that address media literacy, history, civics education, and SEL for high school social studies and humanities students.
National Constitution Center, Constitution Hall Pass features the museum’s education staff, distinguished scholars, and even some well-known faces who bring the story of America’s democracy to life. Through this free video series, students will explore America’s civic holidays and constitutional history.
Google Arts and Culture Learn about the events that shaped the world and discover collections curated by experts from the most famous museums. Basically it’s a database of artwork, objects, artifacts, and documents from thousands of museum collections and historical sites from around the world. Much of this content comes from Arts and Culture partners – public museums, galleries, and cultural institutions. These partners also provide such things as 3D tour views and street-view maps that allow you to “walk” through their actual brick and mortar sites. At the basic level, you can find artwork, history, and geographic places. But within that structure, there is so much more. Seriously. It is incredibly easy to stop in for a quick search and surface an hour later, having gotten sucked into whatever cool thing lead to the next cool thing that lead to a 3D tour of some cool place.Need some great history, geography, or literature lesson plans? Start with their new 3 Tips for Teachers– a tutorial for using all of the goodness that is Arts and Culture. Then head over to the updated Learn With Google Arts & Culture page. You’ll find ready to use lesson plans, links to virtual field trips, and a wide variety of interactive activities
Mr.Beat’s Social Studies Channel Created by a teacher, this channel provides a wide variety of video content related to social studies.
Smithsonian Edu provides leadership in education at the Smithsonian and produces a variety of programs, services, and resources for the education and museum communities.’
AlternateHistoryHub An entire channel dedicated to the 'What If?". Using knowledge of geography, population and other historical facts I predict what could have happened had things gone differently in history.’
KnowledgeHub This channel discusses different parts of history and try to bring a new perspective on education taught in schools.’
RealLifeLore The channel covers topic s related to history, geography, economics and science.
Second Thought Second Thought is a channel devoted to the things in life worth thinking about! Science, history, politics, religion...’
Geography Now Learn ’about your world! Each country at a time (as well as the constituents, autonomous and disputed regions as well).’
Keith Hughes ‘HipHughes History is a series of upbeat, personable and educational lectures designed for students and lifelong learners. Videos primarily focus on US History and Politics but span across World History and general interest.’
The Cynical makes episodes on historical subjects that are meant to be incitement and provocative.
Homework Help Evidence of History Series explores how people such as Boss Tweed, John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Joseph McCarthy left their mark on American history. Teachers and students can watch each video on YouTube and subscribe to the YouTube Homework Help channel for updates. These three- to six-minute videos are beneficial for US history, as well as core history and civics classes.
My Simpleshow is a free tool for creating Common Craft style explanatory videos. The best aspect of My Simpleshow is the emphasis that the developers have placed on storyline planing and development. As is demonstrated in my tutorial below, students have to write a script on My Simpleshow before they can begin to use the video editing tools.
Video“6 Misconceptions About Native American People”
Video Resource Page The top of the page are multiple subject area video portals. Scroll down to view the social studies topics
Alternate HistoryHub This channel provides challenging video content featuring alternative perspectives on a number of historical events. It’s What If video series approaches world history from a different angel and theorizes possible eventualities had an event been different. Examples include: What if Germany won War World II? What if the industrial revolution never happened? What if the Soviets landed on the moon first?
Mr.Beat’s Social Studies Channel created by a teacher called Mr.Beat in which he provides a wide variety of video content related to social studies. He makes engaging educational videos and uses music in almost all of his videos. ‘He has written songs about all of the Presidents and has created music videos for all of them.’
The Public Domain Review is a website that features collections of images, books, essays, audio recordings, and films that are in the public domain. Choose any of the collections to search for materials according to date, style, genre, and rights. Directions for downloading and saving media is included along with each collection of media.
Glencoe’s online videos for social studies, but have now discovered that offer many more free resources to support all their social studies textbooks. They’re useful even if you don’t use their books, though, and they’re freely available. You can start off at their main Social Studies site or at their main site for all their textbooks. From there, it’s easy to navigate to their U.S. History, World History and Geography books. They all have links to videos, “in-motion animations” like this one, interactive maps like this (these maps offer audio support for the text), and different games (I especially like their categorization activities).
Glean - Ever feel overwhelmed by all the educational videos online? Aided by a team of teachers, this service chooses and catalogs the best videos.
Alternate History Hub that has tons of short videos exploring various “What If?” scenarios.
the Associated Press and British Movietone, one of the world's most comprehensive newsreel archives, are together bringing more than 1 million minutes of digitized film footage to YouTube. Showcasing the moments, people and events that shape the world, it will be the largest upload of historical news content on the video-sharing platform to date. The two channels will act as a view-on-demand visual encyclopedia, offering a unique perspective on the most significant moments of modern history. Available for all to explore, the channels will also be powerful educational tools and a source of inspiration for history enthusiasts and documentary filmmakers. The YouTube channels will include more than 550,000 video stories dating from 1895 to the present day.
PBS Video high quality documentaries. As a teacher of U.S. History I'm partial to the American Experience videos, but there are many other good programs available through PBS Video. Most of the videos on PBS Video can be embedded into your blog or website.
AP Us History Videos and Powerpoint Presentations
BatLyrics. With this tool, you can search for song lyrics with its video. But the best part of this tool is that you can search songs for words or sentences. If you click on the ‘Lyrics Words’ at the top, you can search for any words, sentences or specific terms in a video. When the search is over, it gives you many choices and you can choose the best one that is suitable to use in the classroom. If you want, you can embed the song with lyrics and the video of the song in your blog as well. You don’t need to register to use this web tool.
Hip Hughes History Hip Hughes History is a series of short, upbeat lectures on topics in US History and World History Google Document that lists all of the videos that he's published.
Untold is a platform that provides educational resources to engage students in history learning. The site offers a free collection of animated videos that shed light on alternative historical perspectives highlighting those stories and events that do not normally make it into the mainstream history textbooks. As they interact with these resources, students develop critical thinking skills required to help them evaluate and question the validity and authenticity of the information and news they deal with on a daily basis.
Crash Course video on political campaigns. Why do presidential campaigns start so early? Who funds them? And how do candidates reach out to voters?
Go Social Studies Go – This is an open education resource with a goal of bring free social studies textbooks to the work. The selection has text, graphics, movies, interactive activities, and other engaging links. Presently there are textbooks for US History, Ancient History, and World History.
Documentary Films
HD Documentary Channel
The Documentary Network
Documentary
History TV
Public Domain Project an important resource for many such creators, offering as it does “thousands of historic media files for your creative projects, completely free and made available by Pond5,” an entity that brands itself as “the world’s most vibrant marketplace for creativity.”
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History YouTube channel. Here you will find playlists about the museum, its exhibits, and short lessons based on the work of the museum.
C. G. P. Grey
Complex things explained. Very cool videos on a variety of topics. History geeks will start with the history ones but don’t be afraid to branch out.
Horrible Histories
Hilarious history videos from the BBC. And almost all of them historically accurate!
Copycat Horrible Histories
The BBC Horrible Histories generate so much traffic, others have jumped on the bandwagon.
British Pathé was one of the leading producers of newsreels and documentaries during the 20th century. The company, now an archive, is turning over its entire collection—more than 85,000 historical films—to YouTube. The archive—which spans from 1896 to 1976—is a goldmine of footage, containing movies of some of the most important moments of the last 100 years. The intriguing part of the archive is seeing all the ephemera from the 20th century—the hairstyles, the way a city street looked, the sexism and racism and more. Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Visit YouTube Channel
Exploration and Colonial America
1492: An Ongoing Voyage
Examines the rich mix of societies coexisting in the New World before Europeans arrived. It looks at what was life like before 1492.
PBS World Explorers is a new collection of videos from PBS Learning Media. The PBS World Explorers collection includes sixteen short videos about famous explorers throughout history. Some of the explorers featured in PBS World Explorers include Leif Ericson, John Cabot, and Zheng He. You'll also find the usual suspects in the collection including Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, and Juan Ponce de León. It's also interesting to note that PBS World Explorers includes 20th Century explorers Alan Shepard and Neil Armstrong.
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching the Colonization of the Americas
European Voyages of Exporation: Spain and Portugal.
Insights into these countries' motivations and consequences of global explorations.
Interactive Experience Following in the Pilgrims’ Footsteps National Geographic’s two-part film Saints & Strangers goes beyond the familiar historical account of Thanksgiving and the founding of Plymouth Plantation to reveal the trials and tribulations of the settlers at Plymouth
You Are the Historian website. It’s an interactive tool that asks elementary kids to use historical thinking skills while addressing the site’s guiding question: What really happened at the first Thanksgiving. The site led her through primary sources, to video clips of colonial historians, and to the exploration of different artifacts
Archiving Early America presents a wide array of primary source material on 18th century America, such as newspapers, maps, writings and portraits. It also includes Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography and an 1807 biography of George Washington.
MarsQuest Online
On this site, you will launch a spacecraft to Mars, explore, canyons, solve mysteries, and search for life. Use it to compare to early explorations on Earth!
Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga
Climb aboard your own longship and take an amazing journey across the stormy Atlantic! The Viking Voyage, a narrated multi-media journey, is an amazing feature in this impressive online exhibition that documents the arrival of the Norsemen in the New World more than 1000 years ago. As the fascinating saga unfolds, students can learn how archaeology, saga studies, environmental studies, and human genetics have changed our understanding of the Vikings
Viking Quest
Travel back in time to the year 793 AD. Can you build a ship, cross the seas, loot a monastery and return home to claim your prize?
Columbus Navigation Site
Examine the history, navigation, and landfall of Columbus.
Age of Exploration gr. 3-7
Learn about the courageous voyages that changed the course of human history with this comprehensive collection of activities, narratives, and teaching materials. Visual images and text are woven together to create a useful resource for content enrichment and student research. Visit the "Activities for Students and Teachers" for ready-to-go activities with printable handouts that can be incorporated into transparencies, presentations, or reports.
America's Stone Age Explorers
This site explores evidence found by archeologists, examines artifacts found throughout the United States, and involves visitors in interpreting Stone Age tools. Includes interactive activities and a downloadable teacher's guide.
Virtual Jamestown
A neat interactive site that asks kids to solve problems and use primary sources
Plimoth Plantations Virtual
Interactive field trip to what today is called Plymouth Planatation. Includes meeting with characters.
Amazing NY Times Project On The 400th Anniversary Of The Beginning Of Slavery In America).
The Pulitzer Center has now announced an accompanying set of lesson plans to the Times project.
Check out The 1619 Project Curriculum.
Stories of Slavery in the Colonial NorthPeople Not Property introduces students, teachers, and the interested public to the history of Northern enslavement, separate from the more familiar history of antebellum Southern slavery, by exploring history through personal stories.
Go Social Studies Go essentially a series of multimedia books about common social studies topics. The site is divided into four main sections; World Geography, World Religions, Ancient History, and Colonial America. Within each section is a series of booklets containing text, pictures, videos, and links to additional resources.
Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade Enslaved draws connections between existing datasets to piece together fragmentary narratives. These narratives allow you to explore or reconstruct the lives of individuals who were enslaved, owned slaves, or participated in the historical trade.
Teaching Hard History, a comprehensive guide for teaching and learning at all grade levels about the role slavery played in the development of the United States and how its legacies still influence us today. To provide students with a truthful, age-appropriate account of America’s past, Teaching Tolerance’s resources for elementary educators include a first-of-its-kind framework for K–5, along with student texts and teaching tools, and professional development for anyone committed to teaching this hard history with young students. Resources for middle school and high school educators include a 6–12 framework, as well as student-facing videos and primary source texts. High school educators will also find teaching tools and professional development resources.
Colonial House Simulation
Interactive colonial experiences in video reenactments, clothing colonists, meet the Native Americans, would you surivive quiz and more. Fantastic Voyage! It's 1629, and you have recently been appointed Governor of a New World colony on the wind-swept coast of the province of Mayne. You're charged you with the tasks of selecting colonists and safely guiding them across the sea
Colonial Williamsburg
Living history museum that offers colonial education programs and resources for students, teachers, and history enthusiasts.
Colonial America 1600-1775 -- K12 Resources
Explore the Colonial Period of our history through the Internet. You'll find maps, lesson plans, bibliographies and curriculum content materials here.
Plimoth Plantations Virtual
Interactive field trip to what today is called Plymouth Planatation. Includes meeting with characters.
Colonial Hall
Explore the biographies of 111 founding fathers and 34 biographies of their wives.
A Colonial Family and Community
Be a history detective. Go back in time and investigate the daily lives of the Daggetts, a colonial family from northeastern Connecticut. Collect clues to uncover answers to 7 questions about colonial life in the 1700s.
American Village Curriculum
Resources to promote citizenship and the founding of America
Harvard University has launched the Colonial North American Project digitizing almost half a million items from its 17th- and 18th-century archives—the largest digitizing effort the university has ever undertaken. The letters, journals, documents, and drawings tell the story not only of the nation’s oldest institution of higher learning but also of the history of our nation. These documents reveal a great deal about topics such as social life, education, trade, finance, politics, revolution, war, women, Native American life, slavery, science, medicine, and religion. In addition to reflecting the origins of the United States, the digitized materials document aspects of life and work in Great Britain, France, Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico.
New Four-Part Video Series On “Teaching Slavery In America”
Archiving Early America
Features a unique array of primary source material from 18th Century America. Scenes and portraits from original newspapers, maps and writings come to life on your screen just as they appeared to this country's forebears more than two centuries ago. Includes music and movies.
Colonial House about life in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628. An interesting interactive on this companion website brings colonial history alive. By reading the diaries of the various colonists presented, students figure out who wrote the mystery diary. A glossary defines the 17th century words that are unfamiliar to today’s students so they can “translate” the diaries into 21st century parlance.
Jamestown Live!
The official education website marking the founding of the first permanent English settlement in America
Historic Jamestowne
Share the discoveries made by Jamestown Rediscovery archaeologists with teachers and students.
Online Jamestown Adventure
You are the Captain of the Jamestown Colony: Can you do any better than the real colonists? You will have a copy of the London Company's Instructions to help guide you. Also, you can ask your fellow colonists and the Native Americans for advice. Be careful, though, because some advice is better than others!
Virtual Jamestown
A neat interactive site that asks kids to solve problems and use primary sources
Examines the rich mix of societies coexisting in the New World before Europeans arrived. It looks at what was life like before 1492.
PBS World Explorers is a new collection of videos from PBS Learning Media. The PBS World Explorers collection includes sixteen short videos about famous explorers throughout history. Some of the explorers featured in PBS World Explorers include Leif Ericson, John Cabot, and Zheng He. You'll also find the usual suspects in the collection including Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, and Juan Ponce de León. It's also interesting to note that PBS World Explorers includes 20th Century explorers Alan Shepard and Neil Armstrong.
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching the Colonization of the Americas
European Voyages of Exporation: Spain and Portugal.
Insights into these countries' motivations and consequences of global explorations.
Interactive Experience Following in the Pilgrims’ Footsteps National Geographic’s two-part film Saints & Strangers goes beyond the familiar historical account of Thanksgiving and the founding of Plymouth Plantation to reveal the trials and tribulations of the settlers at Plymouth
You Are the Historian website. It’s an interactive tool that asks elementary kids to use historical thinking skills while addressing the site’s guiding question: What really happened at the first Thanksgiving. The site led her through primary sources, to video clips of colonial historians, and to the exploration of different artifacts
Archiving Early America presents a wide array of primary source material on 18th century America, such as newspapers, maps, writings and portraits. It also includes Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography and an 1807 biography of George Washington.
MarsQuest Online
On this site, you will launch a spacecraft to Mars, explore, canyons, solve mysteries, and search for life. Use it to compare to early explorations on Earth!
Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga
Climb aboard your own longship and take an amazing journey across the stormy Atlantic! The Viking Voyage, a narrated multi-media journey, is an amazing feature in this impressive online exhibition that documents the arrival of the Norsemen in the New World more than 1000 years ago. As the fascinating saga unfolds, students can learn how archaeology, saga studies, environmental studies, and human genetics have changed our understanding of the Vikings
Viking Quest
Travel back in time to the year 793 AD. Can you build a ship, cross the seas, loot a monastery and return home to claim your prize?
Columbus Navigation Site
Examine the history, navigation, and landfall of Columbus.
Age of Exploration gr. 3-7
Learn about the courageous voyages that changed the course of human history with this comprehensive collection of activities, narratives, and teaching materials. Visual images and text are woven together to create a useful resource for content enrichment and student research. Visit the "Activities for Students and Teachers" for ready-to-go activities with printable handouts that can be incorporated into transparencies, presentations, or reports.
America's Stone Age Explorers
This site explores evidence found by archeologists, examines artifacts found throughout the United States, and involves visitors in interpreting Stone Age tools. Includes interactive activities and a downloadable teacher's guide.
Virtual Jamestown
A neat interactive site that asks kids to solve problems and use primary sources
Plimoth Plantations Virtual
Interactive field trip to what today is called Plymouth Planatation. Includes meeting with characters.
Amazing NY Times Project On The 400th Anniversary Of The Beginning Of Slavery In America).
The Pulitzer Center has now announced an accompanying set of lesson plans to the Times project.
Check out The 1619 Project Curriculum.
Stories of Slavery in the Colonial NorthPeople Not Property introduces students, teachers, and the interested public to the history of Northern enslavement, separate from the more familiar history of antebellum Southern slavery, by exploring history through personal stories.
Go Social Studies Go essentially a series of multimedia books about common social studies topics. The site is divided into four main sections; World Geography, World Religions, Ancient History, and Colonial America. Within each section is a series of booklets containing text, pictures, videos, and links to additional resources.
Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade Enslaved draws connections between existing datasets to piece together fragmentary narratives. These narratives allow you to explore or reconstruct the lives of individuals who were enslaved, owned slaves, or participated in the historical trade.
Teaching Hard History, a comprehensive guide for teaching and learning at all grade levels about the role slavery played in the development of the United States and how its legacies still influence us today. To provide students with a truthful, age-appropriate account of America’s past, Teaching Tolerance’s resources for elementary educators include a first-of-its-kind framework for K–5, along with student texts and teaching tools, and professional development for anyone committed to teaching this hard history with young students. Resources for middle school and high school educators include a 6–12 framework, as well as student-facing videos and primary source texts. High school educators will also find teaching tools and professional development resources.
Colonial House Simulation
Interactive colonial experiences in video reenactments, clothing colonists, meet the Native Americans, would you surivive quiz and more. Fantastic Voyage! It's 1629, and you have recently been appointed Governor of a New World colony on the wind-swept coast of the province of Mayne. You're charged you with the tasks of selecting colonists and safely guiding them across the sea
Colonial Williamsburg
Living history museum that offers colonial education programs and resources for students, teachers, and history enthusiasts.
Colonial America 1600-1775 -- K12 Resources
Explore the Colonial Period of our history through the Internet. You'll find maps, lesson plans, bibliographies and curriculum content materials here.
Plimoth Plantations Virtual
Interactive field trip to what today is called Plymouth Planatation. Includes meeting with characters.
Colonial Hall
Explore the biographies of 111 founding fathers and 34 biographies of their wives.
A Colonial Family and Community
Be a history detective. Go back in time and investigate the daily lives of the Daggetts, a colonial family from northeastern Connecticut. Collect clues to uncover answers to 7 questions about colonial life in the 1700s.
American Village Curriculum
Resources to promote citizenship and the founding of America
Harvard University has launched the Colonial North American Project digitizing almost half a million items from its 17th- and 18th-century archives—the largest digitizing effort the university has ever undertaken. The letters, journals, documents, and drawings tell the story not only of the nation’s oldest institution of higher learning but also of the history of our nation. These documents reveal a great deal about topics such as social life, education, trade, finance, politics, revolution, war, women, Native American life, slavery, science, medicine, and religion. In addition to reflecting the origins of the United States, the digitized materials document aspects of life and work in Great Britain, France, Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico.
New Four-Part Video Series On “Teaching Slavery In America”
Archiving Early America
Features a unique array of primary source material from 18th Century America. Scenes and portraits from original newspapers, maps and writings come to life on your screen just as they appeared to this country's forebears more than two centuries ago. Includes music and movies.
Colonial House about life in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628. An interesting interactive on this companion website brings colonial history alive. By reading the diaries of the various colonists presented, students figure out who wrote the mystery diary. A glossary defines the 17th century words that are unfamiliar to today’s students so they can “translate” the diaries into 21st century parlance.
Jamestown Live!
The official education website marking the founding of the first permanent English settlement in America
Historic Jamestowne
Share the discoveries made by Jamestown Rediscovery archaeologists with teachers and students.
Online Jamestown Adventure
You are the Captain of the Jamestown Colony: Can you do any better than the real colonists? You will have a copy of the London Company's Instructions to help guide you. Also, you can ask your fellow colonists and the Native Americans for advice. Be careful, though, because some advice is better than others!
Virtual Jamestown
A neat interactive site that asks kids to solve problems and use primary sources
American Revolution
Liberty! The American Revolution
A companion to a PBS series, this site contains wonderful, documented information on the Revolution
A group of Bay Area educators and artists teamed-up to create a free curriculum inspired by the musical called Rise-Up! An American Curriculum.
Inclusive Story of the American Revolution Told Through Art and Drama
“Liberty,” a new exhibit in the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, seeks to tell a more inclusive story of the American Revolution by introducing visitors to people critical to building the nation—yet whose names they’ve likely never heard.
Digital Book Series Bringing the Pages of History to Life World of Characters: Revolutions & Industrialization ( free) is a digital experience in the History Adventures series that presents a fresh approach to history education.This interactive, multimodal learning experience covers the period from 1750 to 1900 through the lens of five amazing people living through complex flashpoints in time. The characters include Agent 355, an enslaved woman—and an American Revolutionary War spy; Jiemba, an indigenous Australian at Botany Bay when the British convict ships arrived; Fei Hong, a Chinese family man surviving the Opium Wars; Khari, a native rebel resisting Belgian oppression during the misleadingly titled Congo Free State; and Thomas Brown, a muckraking reporter working to expose the gross malpractice of the Chicago meatpacking industry. The app, available for iOS and Android devices, features immersive 3D environments; animated interactive infographics; enhanced original historical documents; “Choose Your Own Adventure” experiences; animated illustrations and dynamic text; an AP World History curriculum; and media-rich interactive assessments.
The Best Teaching/Learning Resources On The Musical, “Hamilton”
The American Revolution: A World War” demonstrates with new scholarship how the eighteenth-century fight for independence fit into a larger, international conflict that involved Great Britain, France, Spain, the Dutch Republic, Jamaica, Gibraltar, and even India. The story is told using primary sources.
Road to the American Revolution Brought Alive in the Classroom
Through this virtual experience, students learn about the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution by playing an active role debating taxation without representation, and the issues that pushed Massachusetts down the road to revolution.
Learning About Research and Writing using the American Revolution Grade 3 to 5
This lesson creates a wonderful interdisciplinary connection between creative writing and American history. After using a variety of resources to learn more about the American Revolution, students select an historical figure from that era, and compose an acrostic poem describing that individual's contributions.
Who Am I?
A History Mystery could be a good way for history students to practice using evidence to create a hypothesis. Who Am I? is part of a larger online Smithsonian exhibit called The Price of Freedom. The Price of Freedom offers a series of detailed lesson plans and videos for six major events and eras in US History. Those events and eras are War of Independence, Wars of Expansion, The Civil War, World War II, Cold War/ Vietnam, and September 11.
Keith Hughes has a popular video in which he explains the American Revolution for middle school and high school students. www.freetech4teachers.com
Crash Course has an extensive series on U.S. History. Included in that series is Taxes & Smuggling - Prelude to Revolution. www.freetech4teachers.com
Mr. Betts has a YouTube channel on which he posts cartoons and song parodies to teach U.S. History lessons. Here's one he did about the Battles of Lexington and Concord. www.freetech4teachers.com
Good Sets of Primary Source Documents About the American Revolution and More
The Massachusetts Historical Society has a great website that hosts collections of primary sources related to the American Revolution, founding families of the United States, abolition, and the Civil War. Additionally, on the MHS site you'll find recordings of webinars about many of the topics related to the collections of primary sources. Music of the Plimoth Colony Settlers is an interesting webinar.. www.freetech4teachers.com
Some of the highlights of the collections of primary sources found on the Massachusetts Historical Society's website include:
The Chronicle of Revolution provides a timeline of events that contributed to the start of the American Revolution. Students can read newspaper accounts as they go through the chronicles. Within each newspaper account are links to further reading about important people and places mentioned in the articles.
Revolutionary War Animated is a great place to find nice animated maps of troop movements throughout the Revolutionary War.
Liberty! The American Revolution Grade 7 to 12 -
This outstanding resource provides students with a concise understanding of the establishment of the American republic - from the earliest rumblings of rebellion, to the creation of the Constitution. Although a companion to a PBS mini-series, the site is filled with fascinating information, interactive maps, and lesson plans that can easily stand alone. Click on "Chronicle of Revolution" to find a collection of newspaper articles that focus on historical headlines. An assortment of interactive activities allows students to experience daily life in the colonies, discover the differences between American and British soldiers, and test their "Revolutionary" knowledge.
Interactive lessons about the American Revolution that are suitable for middle school and elementary school use.
Spy Letters of the American Revolution Grade 4 to 12
This site offers a collection of resources dealing with spies and espionage during the American Revolution. In addition to copies of actual letters, there are stories about famous spies and their impact on the conflict. There are also several neat "experiments" showing how to create secret codes, invisible ink, and other spy tricks.
War Letters Grade 9 to 12
Teach American history through the words of those who were there. This fascinating site focuses on personal narratives from man and women who captured the horror, sadness, and intensity of war. Experiences from the American Revolution to the Persian Gulf War are reflected in featured letters. Although this site is designed around a companion PBS special, much can be learned from the on-line materials without viewing the program. Visit the Teacher's Guide for suggestions on using personal narratives in history class. Other features include a gallery of wartime cartoons, an interactive timeline (1775-1994), and a military postal history trivia game.
The American Revolution Grade 9 to 12
Developed with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities in conjunction with the PBS series Liberty! Extensive links, discussion groups, primary sources, and historical essays.
A companion to a PBS series, this site contains wonderful, documented information on the Revolution
A group of Bay Area educators and artists teamed-up to create a free curriculum inspired by the musical called Rise-Up! An American Curriculum.
Inclusive Story of the American Revolution Told Through Art and Drama
“Liberty,” a new exhibit in the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, seeks to tell a more inclusive story of the American Revolution by introducing visitors to people critical to building the nation—yet whose names they’ve likely never heard.
Digital Book Series Bringing the Pages of History to Life World of Characters: Revolutions & Industrialization ( free) is a digital experience in the History Adventures series that presents a fresh approach to history education.This interactive, multimodal learning experience covers the period from 1750 to 1900 through the lens of five amazing people living through complex flashpoints in time. The characters include Agent 355, an enslaved woman—and an American Revolutionary War spy; Jiemba, an indigenous Australian at Botany Bay when the British convict ships arrived; Fei Hong, a Chinese family man surviving the Opium Wars; Khari, a native rebel resisting Belgian oppression during the misleadingly titled Congo Free State; and Thomas Brown, a muckraking reporter working to expose the gross malpractice of the Chicago meatpacking industry. The app, available for iOS and Android devices, features immersive 3D environments; animated interactive infographics; enhanced original historical documents; “Choose Your Own Adventure” experiences; animated illustrations and dynamic text; an AP World History curriculum; and media-rich interactive assessments.
The Best Teaching/Learning Resources On The Musical, “Hamilton”
The American Revolution: A World War” demonstrates with new scholarship how the eighteenth-century fight for independence fit into a larger, international conflict that involved Great Britain, France, Spain, the Dutch Republic, Jamaica, Gibraltar, and even India. The story is told using primary sources.
Road to the American Revolution Brought Alive in the Classroom
Through this virtual experience, students learn about the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution by playing an active role debating taxation without representation, and the issues that pushed Massachusetts down the road to revolution.
Learning About Research and Writing using the American Revolution Grade 3 to 5
This lesson creates a wonderful interdisciplinary connection between creative writing and American history. After using a variety of resources to learn more about the American Revolution, students select an historical figure from that era, and compose an acrostic poem describing that individual's contributions.
Who Am I?
A History Mystery could be a good way for history students to practice using evidence to create a hypothesis. Who Am I? is part of a larger online Smithsonian exhibit called The Price of Freedom. The Price of Freedom offers a series of detailed lesson plans and videos for six major events and eras in US History. Those events and eras are War of Independence, Wars of Expansion, The Civil War, World War II, Cold War/ Vietnam, and September 11.
Keith Hughes has a popular video in which he explains the American Revolution for middle school and high school students. www.freetech4teachers.com
Crash Course has an extensive series on U.S. History. Included in that series is Taxes & Smuggling - Prelude to Revolution. www.freetech4teachers.com
Mr. Betts has a YouTube channel on which he posts cartoons and song parodies to teach U.S. History lessons. Here's one he did about the Battles of Lexington and Concord. www.freetech4teachers.com
Good Sets of Primary Source Documents About the American Revolution and More
The Massachusetts Historical Society has a great website that hosts collections of primary sources related to the American Revolution, founding families of the United States, abolition, and the Civil War. Additionally, on the MHS site you'll find recordings of webinars about many of the topics related to the collections of primary sources. Music of the Plimoth Colony Settlers is an interesting webinar.. www.freetech4teachers.com
Some of the highlights of the collections of primary sources found on the Massachusetts Historical Society's website include:
- Perspectives on the Boston Massacre
- Adams Family Papers
- Presidential Papers of Thomas Jefferson
- Massachusetts Debates Suffrage
- Massachusetts in the Civil War
The Chronicle of Revolution provides a timeline of events that contributed to the start of the American Revolution. Students can read newspaper accounts as they go through the chronicles. Within each newspaper account are links to further reading about important people and places mentioned in the articles.
Revolutionary War Animated is a great place to find nice animated maps of troop movements throughout the Revolutionary War.
Liberty! The American Revolution Grade 7 to 12 -
This outstanding resource provides students with a concise understanding of the establishment of the American republic - from the earliest rumblings of rebellion, to the creation of the Constitution. Although a companion to a PBS mini-series, the site is filled with fascinating information, interactive maps, and lesson plans that can easily stand alone. Click on "Chronicle of Revolution" to find a collection of newspaper articles that focus on historical headlines. An assortment of interactive activities allows students to experience daily life in the colonies, discover the differences between American and British soldiers, and test their "Revolutionary" knowledge.
Interactive lessons about the American Revolution that are suitable for middle school and elementary school use.
Spy Letters of the American Revolution Grade 4 to 12
This site offers a collection of resources dealing with spies and espionage during the American Revolution. In addition to copies of actual letters, there are stories about famous spies and their impact on the conflict. There are also several neat "experiments" showing how to create secret codes, invisible ink, and other spy tricks.
War Letters Grade 9 to 12
Teach American history through the words of those who were there. This fascinating site focuses on personal narratives from man and women who captured the horror, sadness, and intensity of war. Experiences from the American Revolution to the Persian Gulf War are reflected in featured letters. Although this site is designed around a companion PBS special, much can be learned from the on-line materials without viewing the program. Visit the Teacher's Guide for suggestions on using personal narratives in history class. Other features include a gallery of wartime cartoons, an interactive timeline (1775-1994), and a military postal history trivia game.
The American Revolution Grade 9 to 12
Developed with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities in conjunction with the PBS series Liberty! Extensive links, discussion groups, primary sources, and historical essays.
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Go West with Lewis and Clark
Wild rivers. Rugged mountains. An unknown continent to explore. This great expedition will face them all and need your help on this incredible adventure!
Lewis and Clark
A companion to the Ken Burns film, this site provides extensive information, maps, and resources dealing with the journey of Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Exhibition
Educational resources and lessons from a traveling exhibition.
Lewis and Clark Podcasts
Re-live the adventure. Impersonations of characters and diary readings.
Wild rivers. Rugged mountains. An unknown continent to explore. This great expedition will face them all and need your help on this incredible adventure!
Lewis and Clark
A companion to the Ken Burns film, this site provides extensive information, maps, and resources dealing with the journey of Lewis and Clark
Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Exhibition
Educational resources and lessons from a traveling exhibition.
Lewis and Clark Podcasts
Re-live the adventure. Impersonations of characters and diary readings.
Westward Expansion
Welcome to Deadwood Illustrated
What was the Old West really like? Explore the frontier gold rush town of Deadwood, Dakota Territory to find out!
The Mexican American War Grade 9 to 12
Here's a site from the PBS station in Dallas that examines the reasons behind the Mexican American War (1846-1848). This is one of the nation's least-studied conflicts, so this resource could be particularly helpful to students or American History teachers.
Digital Book Series Bringing the Pages of History to Life World of Characters: Revolutions & Industrialization ( free) is a digital experience in the History Adventures series that presents a fresh approach to history education.This interactive, multimodal learning experience covers the period from 1750 to 1900 through the lens of five amazing people living through complex flashpoints in time. The characters include Agent 355, an enslaved woman—and an American Revolutionary War spy; Jiemba, an indigenous Australian at Botany Bay when the British convict ships arrived; Fei Hong, a Chinese family man surviving the Opium Wars; Khari, a native rebel resisting Belgian oppression during the misleadingly titled Congo Free State; and Thomas Brown, a muckraking reporter working to expose the gross malpractice of the Chicago meatpacking industry. The app, available for iOS and Android devices, features immersive 3D environments; animated interactive infographics; enhanced original historical documents; “Choose Your Own Adventure” experiences; animated illustrations and dynamic text; an AP World History curriculum; and media-rich interactive assessments.
American Panorama is a great new resource from the University of Richmond that I learned about from Maps Mania. American Panorama aims to be an atlas of United States History. Currently, American Panorama features four interactive maps representing four elements of American history. Those four maps are Overland Trails, Forced Migration of Enslaved People, Canals, and Foreign-Born Population. All four maps are centered on the 19th Century.
Westward Ho! Travel West on the Wagon Train
Load those wagons . . . kiss the kin goodbye . . . get ready for adventure, drama, comedy, tragedy, and fantastic learning as we hit the Oregon Trail and head out west! Back for its thirteenth year, this simulated journey allows classes to travel the trail
Gold History!
On January 24, 1848 James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill, touching off the California gold rush. Try your luck!
What was the Old West really like? Explore the frontier gold rush town of Deadwood, Dakota Territory to find out!
The Mexican American War Grade 9 to 12
Here's a site from the PBS station in Dallas that examines the reasons behind the Mexican American War (1846-1848). This is one of the nation's least-studied conflicts, so this resource could be particularly helpful to students or American History teachers.
Digital Book Series Bringing the Pages of History to Life World of Characters: Revolutions & Industrialization ( free) is a digital experience in the History Adventures series that presents a fresh approach to history education.This interactive, multimodal learning experience covers the period from 1750 to 1900 through the lens of five amazing people living through complex flashpoints in time. The characters include Agent 355, an enslaved woman—and an American Revolutionary War spy; Jiemba, an indigenous Australian at Botany Bay when the British convict ships arrived; Fei Hong, a Chinese family man surviving the Opium Wars; Khari, a native rebel resisting Belgian oppression during the misleadingly titled Congo Free State; and Thomas Brown, a muckraking reporter working to expose the gross malpractice of the Chicago meatpacking industry. The app, available for iOS and Android devices, features immersive 3D environments; animated interactive infographics; enhanced original historical documents; “Choose Your Own Adventure” experiences; animated illustrations and dynamic text; an AP World History curriculum; and media-rich interactive assessments.
American Panorama is a great new resource from the University of Richmond that I learned about from Maps Mania. American Panorama aims to be an atlas of United States History. Currently, American Panorama features four interactive maps representing four elements of American history. Those four maps are Overland Trails, Forced Migration of Enslaved People, Canals, and Foreign-Born Population. All four maps are centered on the 19th Century.
Westward Ho! Travel West on the Wagon Train
Load those wagons . . . kiss the kin goodbye . . . get ready for adventure, drama, comedy, tragedy, and fantastic learning as we hit the Oregon Trail and head out west! Back for its thirteenth year, this simulated journey allows classes to travel the trail
Gold History!
On January 24, 1848 James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill, touching off the California gold rush. Try your luck!
Immigrant and Ethnic Experience
Immigration - Native Americans - African Americans - Asian Americans - Hispanic Americans
Immigration - Native Americans - African Americans - Asian Americans - Hispanic Americans
Immigrant and Ethnic America A look at immigrant and ethnic groups in the second half of the 19th century.
Immigrant Heritage Teaching & Learning Resources
Native Land Digital - Resource link locate indigenous lands
The Best Sites For Learning About Immigration In The United States
The Best Places Where Students Can Tell Their – And/Or Their Families – Immigration Story
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching the Colonization of the Americas
The Tulsa Race Massacre Teaching & Learning Resources
Digital Book Series Bringing the Pages of History to Life World of Characters: Revolutions & Industrialization ( free) is a digital experience in the History Adventures series that presents a fresh approach to history education.This interactive, multimodal learning experience covers the period from 1750 to 1900 through the lens of five amazing people living through complex flashpoints in time. The characters include Agent 355, an enslaved woman—and an American Revolutionary War spy; Jiemba, an indigenous Australian at Botany Bay when the British convict ships arrived; Fei Hong, a Chinese family man surviving the Opium Wars; Khari, a native rebel resisting Belgian oppression during the misleadingly titled Congo Free State; and Thomas Brown, a muckraking reporter working to expose the gross malpractice of the Chicago meatpacking industry. The app, available for iOS and Android devices, features immersive 3D environments; animated interactive infographics; enhanced original historical documents; “Choose Your Own Adventure” experiences; animated illustrations and dynamic text; an AP World History curriculum; and media-rich interactive assessments.
The Newest Americans has multi-media stories about new immigrants to the U.S.
Becoming US high school resources, case studies, primary sources, and units all centered around the idea of immigration and migration history
Teaching While White about the anxiety white teachers often feel while trying to teach about those difficult topics, especially to students of color.
Ned Blackhawk Q&A: Understanding Indigenous Enslavement
The Best Online Resources About Christopher Columbus (& ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’)
With and About: Inviting Contemporary American Indian Peoples Into the Classroom
Reconsider Columbus Day
Photographs from the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Resources
The National Museum of the American Indian describes five ways for celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Decolonizing the Classroom: Teaching with Indigenous Comics from Teaching Tolerance.
The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian has put together an extensive resource list.
The University of New Mexico’s Latin American and Iberian Institute created an 80 page Rethinking Columbus: An Educators Guide available on Issuu. The Guide focuses on “discussing matters relevant to teaching about Columbus, rethinking how we present Columbus to our students, and providing teaching resources and lesson plans.” It’s based on the book Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years.
The Maine Department of Education has some great general indigenous peoples resources.
Find lessons, resources, and books on Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day at the Zinn Education Project
The Anti-Defamation League has a nice HS lesson focused on why states and cities are moving away from Columbus Day.
Have some conversations around the controversial role of indigenous-inspired mascots in American sports.
Amazing NY Times Project On The 400th Anniversary Of The Beginning Of Slavery In America.The Pulitzer Center has now announced an accompanying set of lesson plans to the Times project. Check out The 1619 Project Curriculum.
The NO Project is an award-winning, global, educational anti-slavery campaign that specifically targets youth awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking through film, music, art, dance, theatre, journalism, creative writing, education and social media. video tutorial
Teaching Hard History, a comprehensive guide for teaching and learning at all grade levels about the role slavery played in the development of the United States and how its legacies still influence us today. To provide students with a truthful, age-appropriate account of America’s past, Teaching Tolerance’s resources for elementary educators include a first-of-its-kind framework for K–5, along with student texts and teaching tools, and professional development for anyone committed to teaching this hard history with young students. Resources for middle school and high school educators include a 6–12 framework, as well as student-facing videos and primary source texts. High school educators will also find teaching tools and professional development resources.
Teaching Hard History, a comprehensive guide for teaching and learning at all grade levels about the role slavery played in the development of the United States and how its legacies still influence us today. To provide students with a truthful, age-appropriate account of America’s past, Teaching Tolerance’s resources for elementary educators include a first-of-its-kind framework for K–5, along with student texts and teaching tools, and professional development for anyone committed to teaching this hard history with young students. Resources for middle school and high school educators include a 6–12 framework, as well as student-facing videos and primary source texts. High school educators will also find teaching tools and professional development resources.
The Negro Motorist Green-book 1946
SlaveVoyages.org This digital memorial raises questions about the largest slave trades in history and offers access to the documentation available to answer them.
Stories of Slavery in the Colonial NortPeople Not Property introduces students to the history of Northern enslavement, separate from the more familiar history of antebellum Southern slavery, by exploring history through personal stories. People Not Property is divided into four broad topics: Defining Slavery traces how white Europeans introduced slavery to the Northern colonies and used laws to entrench slavery systematically in the colonies. Being Enslaved explores the lives of enslaved individuals, particularly through family relationships, as well as the knowledge and skills enslaved people possessed. Choosing Resistance considers various courses of action that enslaved people took—individually and collectively—to respond to captivity, as well as the potential consequences. And Pursuing Justice traces the gradual ending of slavery and the legacy of slavery today. While these topics build on each other, they may be viewed in any order. The program’s many interactive features are designed to stand on their own so they can easily be integrated into a classroom lesson. The features include live-action videos, animations, questionnaires, annotated primary documents, and storybooks that combine both images and text. Transcripts of all videos are available by request. Teachers will find guides as well as an integrated arts/social studies curriculum, which includes historic documents that describe people fleeing enslavement and more. A TimeMap charts slavery’s rise, growth, and gradual decline in the Northern colonies, and indicates historical milestones. It also includes links to the website’s featured content. Additional resources include a Glossary, Bibliography, and Related Links.
New Four-Part Video Series On “Teaching Slavery In America” How to teach slavery in the classroom | Why Teaching Slavery Matters | Learning to teach slavery in the classroom | Parent's reaction to slavery curriculum
Infographic - The Transatlantic Slave Trade Uprooted Millions You may be surprised by the numbers and the regions of the world where Africans were uprooted to
The Massacre Of Black Wall Street is a short online graphic novel The Watchmen television show did with the Atlantic marketing team.
Hard History Teaching About Slavery in America full PDF Framework here. The Framework is organized around the enslavement of Africans in North America and the United States – and focuses on a chronological progression providing specific ways to teach it.
Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project” Is An Amazing & Horrifying Collection – With Teacher Resources
Immigration to the United States, 1789–1930, is a web-based collection of historical materials from Harvard University’s libraries, archives, and museums that documents voluntary immigration to the United States,
Chinese Exclusion ACT (free iBook) affected the democratic rights of American-born children of Chinese immigrants. This book includes interactive features, questions for topic exploration and reflection, transcriptions for highlighting, and review activities. Analyzing the stories that emerge from primary sources provides perspective on U.S. immigration history.
Immigration and Citizenship in the United States, 1865–1924, a freely accessible digital collection that pairs primary sources with discussion questions for the classroom.
What Immigration Stories Teach Us
To help students understand the complexities and nuances of immigration, teachers need to recognize that immigrant stories are rich and powerful. Immigrant stories need to be analyzed and studied, not just read. Find resources for this purpose.
Research on the History of US Immigration
To learn about immigration in American history, teachers can check out the essential topics, readings, and multimedia created by the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota and the Immigration and Ethnic History Society. The freedownloadable Immigration Syllabus provides historical context to current debates over immigration reform, integration, and citizenship. The Immigration Syllabus online site is produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing and eLearning Support Initiative.
Educators' Guide to the Immigration Debate
Interactive Immigration Sites K - 6
My Immigration Story is designed for immigrants to share their story in 200 words or less. It’s specifically designed to: Let other Americans know how the current generation of immigrants is helping enrich this land of opportunity.
Interactive Multimedia “I Have a Dream” SpeechFreedom’s Ring is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, animated. On the site, students can compare the written and spoken speech, explore multimedia images, listen to movement activists, and uncover historical context. Freedom’s Ring is an especially powerful resource because it covers the whole speech in an interactive and multimedia format.
Immigration Today How can closely examining a troubling moment in history inform choices today? Facing History and Ourselves offers a free lesson that draws on readings and short videos featuring the United States Ambassador to the United Nations in conversation with the young people of Newcomers High School in New York—all immigrants—to explain and humanize a crisis that often feels too overwhelming to confront. After surveying the scope and impact of the global refugee crisis, students will come to understand what makes someone a “refugee.” They will then learn how even small ways of seeing the “other” in themselves can make a difference in their approach to large and complicated problems involving the needs and wellbeing of people distant from them. The lesson also considers the value of looking critically at historical moments—in particular, the case of the St. Louis, a ship that carried Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution across the Atlantic in 1939—and recognizing in them implications for their choices today.
Click Here to Access Free Lesson
Past/Present takes place in a New England mill town in 1906. Students take on the role of either an immigrant female worker or a native-born male manager. Both characters must deal with labor strife as well as earn money to support their families. Covering industrialization, immigration, the Progressive era and organized labor, the game promotes historical reasoning, fosters cooperative learning and intellectual teamwork, and teaches the use and interpretation of primary sources, all while being fun to play.
American Panorama is a great new resource from the University of Richmond that I learned about from Maps Mania. American Panorama aims to be an atlas of United States History. Currently, American Panorama features four interactive maps representing four elements of American history. Those four maps are Overland Trails, Forced Migration of Enslaved People, Canals, and Foreign-Born Population. All four maps are centered on the 19th Century.
Race in the USA The site explores the concept of "race" in the United States from its colonial beginnings until the present time.
Stories of Immigration includes the personal stories of children immigrating to the United States.
America’s immigrant heritage—at its most and least welcoming. These 37 infographics explain how America is a nation of immigrants. The graphics show where we all came from, what role forced migration—then and now—has played, how we became a nation of immigrants, what led to a nation of immigration laws and a rise in nativism—then and now—and how we became a bordered country in a borderless world,
Click Here to Visit Website
Immigrant Rights Through History
The United States of America was built by many generations of immigrants. What legal rights do you think America's first immigrants had? Should a United States resident be denied citizenship under any circumstances?
Tenement Museum has just expanded its facility and website. You can read more about it at NBC News, NYC’s Tenement Museum Will Now Showcase a Puerto Rican Migrant Family . They’ve added some additional nice resources. One is Your Story, Our Story is a digital archive where students can upload images of family objects and their stories. It has lots of decent free lesson plans to use with it.
The New Americans
Take your students on a virtual adventure that will help them to understand the personal lives and experiences of 21st century immigrants to America. Students can meet the various families profiled on the site, learn about their cultural traditions, and take a quiz on the myths and realities of immigration.
Triangle Factory Fire
A content-rich site including primary and secondary source material dealing with the Triangle Waist Co. fire of 1911
Google Arts and Culture announced Indigenous Americas site.
Indigenous Peoples Literature gr 4-12
This site is a wealth of resources on indigenous peoples of the Americas, including both North and South America. You can find poetry, artwork, daily wisdom, information about languages and leaders, and much more. Be sure to scroll down within the frame set or you will miss most of the content. The maps of the native languages are especially interesting if you teach about westward expansion in the U.S. This site would also provide excellent background for reading of any literature about life among the native Americans, such as A Light in the Forest.
NewsHour Extra Lesson Plan: Immigration Reform Grade 6 to 12
A site affiliated with the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, this lesson plan provides a framework for discussing immigration from multiple points of view. There are links to a partial transcript of a NewsHour segment that features the voices of immigrants from different countries. There is a good set of essential questions for discussion related to the issue of immigration. The focus of the lesson is that life experiences shape attitudes toward immigration, and that there are many points of view. Students are encouraged to role play a point of view different from their own.
Be A Historian - Immigration Grade 4 to 10
This website is a virtual time-travel experience for students in grades 4-10. The students travel back to the late 1800s in Waterloo, Iowa and see immigration to America. Although the site talks about Iowa, the information is applicable to American immigration in general. This website provides 10 different activities (many interactive and open-ended). The activities could also easily be used for differentiating instruction for various levels of ability. The website provides summaries, answer keys, standards and extension activities for the teachers.
Immigration - The Changing Face of America Grade 6 to 12
The American Memory Collection at the Library of Congress does it again with this survey of the waves of immigration that have swept the American shores. While this site has a number of incomplete "exhibit" areas, the associated lesson plans are there, and well worth a look for those whose curricula include immigration. It may take some trial and error to find those resources that fit best.
Immigration Simulation - Ellis Island Grade 6 to 12
On its surface, this site appears to be simply a "virtual tour" of Ellis Island. However, the Teacher's section contains a good deal of information on how to create an on-site, interdisciplinary immigration experience for students. There are tips on content, involving parents, and other aspects of the project. Well worth a look if you're studying this time period.
Chinatowns and Chinese Communities in America Grade 9 to 12
Study Chinese immigration and settlements in the U.S. over the past century.
Chinese in California Grade 8 to 12
The American Memory Project at the Library of Congress offers this collection of documents on the experiences of Chinese immigrants in California. Though they faced severe discrimination, the Chinese were an invaluable source of labor, especially for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The collection includes many archival photos.
Angel Island Grade 9 to 12
This lesson from the Ask Asian web site will teach about Chinese immigration to America in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Sites For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
The Immigrants of Angel Island | The History You Didn't Learn Video
The Best Sites For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures. Google Arts & Culture has partnered with 48 cultural institutions and experts of Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) cultures to celebrate and launch a Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures
South Asian American Digital Archive documenting, preserving, and sharing stories of South Asian Americans.
The Myth of the Melting Pot Grade 9 to 12
A site which takes a new twist on immigration, suggesting that cultures meld into the American tapestry differently than they once did. Pictures, readings, and suggestions for further discussion.
Race: The Power of an Illusion Grade 9 to 12
This thoughtful resource examines race-related myths, misconceptions, and assumptions that often create injustice and inequity in our society. Students can independently explore an interactive tutorial that investigates the concept of "race" and participate in interactive activities that reveal the dangers and difficulties of arbitrary racial classification. The content provides excellent material for class discussions. One of the outstanding features of the sight is a collection of beautifully constructed "slide shows" that focus on the significant role race plays in all of our lives.
Free Learning Resources to Celebrate Asian American HeritageFree Learning Resources to Celebrate Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage
Immigrant Heritage Teaching & Learning Resources
Native Land Digital - Resource link locate indigenous lands
The Best Sites For Learning About Immigration In The United States
The Best Places Where Students Can Tell Their – And/Or Their Families – Immigration Story
A Trauma-Informed Approach to Teaching the Colonization of the Americas
The Tulsa Race Massacre Teaching & Learning Resources
Digital Book Series Bringing the Pages of History to Life World of Characters: Revolutions & Industrialization ( free) is a digital experience in the History Adventures series that presents a fresh approach to history education.This interactive, multimodal learning experience covers the period from 1750 to 1900 through the lens of five amazing people living through complex flashpoints in time. The characters include Agent 355, an enslaved woman—and an American Revolutionary War spy; Jiemba, an indigenous Australian at Botany Bay when the British convict ships arrived; Fei Hong, a Chinese family man surviving the Opium Wars; Khari, a native rebel resisting Belgian oppression during the misleadingly titled Congo Free State; and Thomas Brown, a muckraking reporter working to expose the gross malpractice of the Chicago meatpacking industry. The app, available for iOS and Android devices, features immersive 3D environments; animated interactive infographics; enhanced original historical documents; “Choose Your Own Adventure” experiences; animated illustrations and dynamic text; an AP World History curriculum; and media-rich interactive assessments.
The Newest Americans has multi-media stories about new immigrants to the U.S.
Becoming US high school resources, case studies, primary sources, and units all centered around the idea of immigration and migration history
Teaching While White about the anxiety white teachers often feel while trying to teach about those difficult topics, especially to students of color.
Ned Blackhawk Q&A: Understanding Indigenous Enslavement
The Best Online Resources About Christopher Columbus (& ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’)
With and About: Inviting Contemporary American Indian Peoples Into the Classroom
Reconsider Columbus Day
Photographs from the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Resources
The National Museum of the American Indian describes five ways for celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Decolonizing the Classroom: Teaching with Indigenous Comics from Teaching Tolerance.
The Mitchell Museum of the American Indian has put together an extensive resource list.
The University of New Mexico’s Latin American and Iberian Institute created an 80 page Rethinking Columbus: An Educators Guide available on Issuu. The Guide focuses on “discussing matters relevant to teaching about Columbus, rethinking how we present Columbus to our students, and providing teaching resources and lesson plans.” It’s based on the book Rethinking Columbus: The Next 500 Years.
The Maine Department of Education has some great general indigenous peoples resources.
Find lessons, resources, and books on Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day at the Zinn Education Project
The Anti-Defamation League has a nice HS lesson focused on why states and cities are moving away from Columbus Day.
Have some conversations around the controversial role of indigenous-inspired mascots in American sports.
Amazing NY Times Project On The 400th Anniversary Of The Beginning Of Slavery In America.The Pulitzer Center has now announced an accompanying set of lesson plans to the Times project. Check out The 1619 Project Curriculum.
The NO Project is an award-winning, global, educational anti-slavery campaign that specifically targets youth awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking through film, music, art, dance, theatre, journalism, creative writing, education and social media. video tutorial
Teaching Hard History, a comprehensive guide for teaching and learning at all grade levels about the role slavery played in the development of the United States and how its legacies still influence us today. To provide students with a truthful, age-appropriate account of America’s past, Teaching Tolerance’s resources for elementary educators include a first-of-its-kind framework for K–5, along with student texts and teaching tools, and professional development for anyone committed to teaching this hard history with young students. Resources for middle school and high school educators include a 6–12 framework, as well as student-facing videos and primary source texts. High school educators will also find teaching tools and professional development resources.
Teaching Hard History, a comprehensive guide for teaching and learning at all grade levels about the role slavery played in the development of the United States and how its legacies still influence us today. To provide students with a truthful, age-appropriate account of America’s past, Teaching Tolerance’s resources for elementary educators include a first-of-its-kind framework for K–5, along with student texts and teaching tools, and professional development for anyone committed to teaching this hard history with young students. Resources for middle school and high school educators include a 6–12 framework, as well as student-facing videos and primary source texts. High school educators will also find teaching tools and professional development resources.
The Negro Motorist Green-book 1946
SlaveVoyages.org This digital memorial raises questions about the largest slave trades in history and offers access to the documentation available to answer them.
Stories of Slavery in the Colonial NortPeople Not Property introduces students to the history of Northern enslavement, separate from the more familiar history of antebellum Southern slavery, by exploring history through personal stories. People Not Property is divided into four broad topics: Defining Slavery traces how white Europeans introduced slavery to the Northern colonies and used laws to entrench slavery systematically in the colonies. Being Enslaved explores the lives of enslaved individuals, particularly through family relationships, as well as the knowledge and skills enslaved people possessed. Choosing Resistance considers various courses of action that enslaved people took—individually and collectively—to respond to captivity, as well as the potential consequences. And Pursuing Justice traces the gradual ending of slavery and the legacy of slavery today. While these topics build on each other, they may be viewed in any order. The program’s many interactive features are designed to stand on their own so they can easily be integrated into a classroom lesson. The features include live-action videos, animations, questionnaires, annotated primary documents, and storybooks that combine both images and text. Transcripts of all videos are available by request. Teachers will find guides as well as an integrated arts/social studies curriculum, which includes historic documents that describe people fleeing enslavement and more. A TimeMap charts slavery’s rise, growth, and gradual decline in the Northern colonies, and indicates historical milestones. It also includes links to the website’s featured content. Additional resources include a Glossary, Bibliography, and Related Links.
New Four-Part Video Series On “Teaching Slavery In America” How to teach slavery in the classroom | Why Teaching Slavery Matters | Learning to teach slavery in the classroom | Parent's reaction to slavery curriculum
Infographic - The Transatlantic Slave Trade Uprooted Millions You may be surprised by the numbers and the regions of the world where Africans were uprooted to
The Massacre Of Black Wall Street is a short online graphic novel The Watchmen television show did with the Atlantic marketing team.
Hard History Teaching About Slavery in America full PDF Framework here. The Framework is organized around the enslavement of Africans in North America and the United States – and focuses on a chronological progression providing specific ways to teach it.
Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project” Is An Amazing & Horrifying Collection – With Teacher Resources
Immigration to the United States, 1789–1930, is a web-based collection of historical materials from Harvard University’s libraries, archives, and museums that documents voluntary immigration to the United States,
Chinese Exclusion ACT (free iBook) affected the democratic rights of American-born children of Chinese immigrants. This book includes interactive features, questions for topic exploration and reflection, transcriptions for highlighting, and review activities. Analyzing the stories that emerge from primary sources provides perspective on U.S. immigration history.
Immigration and Citizenship in the United States, 1865–1924, a freely accessible digital collection that pairs primary sources with discussion questions for the classroom.
What Immigration Stories Teach Us
To help students understand the complexities and nuances of immigration, teachers need to recognize that immigrant stories are rich and powerful. Immigrant stories need to be analyzed and studied, not just read. Find resources for this purpose.
Research on the History of US Immigration
To learn about immigration in American history, teachers can check out the essential topics, readings, and multimedia created by the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota and the Immigration and Ethnic History Society. The freedownloadable Immigration Syllabus provides historical context to current debates over immigration reform, integration, and citizenship. The Immigration Syllabus online site is produced by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing and eLearning Support Initiative.
Educators' Guide to the Immigration Debate
Interactive Immigration Sites K - 6
My Immigration Story is designed for immigrants to share their story in 200 words or less. It’s specifically designed to: Let other Americans know how the current generation of immigrants is helping enrich this land of opportunity.
Interactive Multimedia “I Have a Dream” SpeechFreedom’s Ring is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, animated. On the site, students can compare the written and spoken speech, explore multimedia images, listen to movement activists, and uncover historical context. Freedom’s Ring is an especially powerful resource because it covers the whole speech in an interactive and multimedia format.
Immigration Today How can closely examining a troubling moment in history inform choices today? Facing History and Ourselves offers a free lesson that draws on readings and short videos featuring the United States Ambassador to the United Nations in conversation with the young people of Newcomers High School in New York—all immigrants—to explain and humanize a crisis that often feels too overwhelming to confront. After surveying the scope and impact of the global refugee crisis, students will come to understand what makes someone a “refugee.” They will then learn how even small ways of seeing the “other” in themselves can make a difference in their approach to large and complicated problems involving the needs and wellbeing of people distant from them. The lesson also considers the value of looking critically at historical moments—in particular, the case of the St. Louis, a ship that carried Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution across the Atlantic in 1939—and recognizing in them implications for their choices today.
Click Here to Access Free Lesson
Past/Present takes place in a New England mill town in 1906. Students take on the role of either an immigrant female worker or a native-born male manager. Both characters must deal with labor strife as well as earn money to support their families. Covering industrialization, immigration, the Progressive era and organized labor, the game promotes historical reasoning, fosters cooperative learning and intellectual teamwork, and teaches the use and interpretation of primary sources, all while being fun to play.
American Panorama is a great new resource from the University of Richmond that I learned about from Maps Mania. American Panorama aims to be an atlas of United States History. Currently, American Panorama features four interactive maps representing four elements of American history. Those four maps are Overland Trails, Forced Migration of Enslaved People, Canals, and Foreign-Born Population. All four maps are centered on the 19th Century.
Race in the USA The site explores the concept of "race" in the United States from its colonial beginnings until the present time.
Stories of Immigration includes the personal stories of children immigrating to the United States.
America’s immigrant heritage—at its most and least welcoming. These 37 infographics explain how America is a nation of immigrants. The graphics show where we all came from, what role forced migration—then and now—has played, how we became a nation of immigrants, what led to a nation of immigration laws and a rise in nativism—then and now—and how we became a bordered country in a borderless world,
Click Here to Visit Website
Immigrant Rights Through History
The United States of America was built by many generations of immigrants. What legal rights do you think America's first immigrants had? Should a United States resident be denied citizenship under any circumstances?
Tenement Museum has just expanded its facility and website. You can read more about it at NBC News, NYC’s Tenement Museum Will Now Showcase a Puerto Rican Migrant Family . They’ve added some additional nice resources. One is Your Story, Our Story is a digital archive where students can upload images of family objects and their stories. It has lots of decent free lesson plans to use with it.
The New Americans
Take your students on a virtual adventure that will help them to understand the personal lives and experiences of 21st century immigrants to America. Students can meet the various families profiled on the site, learn about their cultural traditions, and take a quiz on the myths and realities of immigration.
Triangle Factory Fire
A content-rich site including primary and secondary source material dealing with the Triangle Waist Co. fire of 1911
Google Arts and Culture announced Indigenous Americas site.
Indigenous Peoples Literature gr 4-12
This site is a wealth of resources on indigenous peoples of the Americas, including both North and South America. You can find poetry, artwork, daily wisdom, information about languages and leaders, and much more. Be sure to scroll down within the frame set or you will miss most of the content. The maps of the native languages are especially interesting if you teach about westward expansion in the U.S. This site would also provide excellent background for reading of any literature about life among the native Americans, such as A Light in the Forest.
NewsHour Extra Lesson Plan: Immigration Reform Grade 6 to 12
A site affiliated with the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, this lesson plan provides a framework for discussing immigration from multiple points of view. There are links to a partial transcript of a NewsHour segment that features the voices of immigrants from different countries. There is a good set of essential questions for discussion related to the issue of immigration. The focus of the lesson is that life experiences shape attitudes toward immigration, and that there are many points of view. Students are encouraged to role play a point of view different from their own.
Be A Historian - Immigration Grade 4 to 10
This website is a virtual time-travel experience for students in grades 4-10. The students travel back to the late 1800s in Waterloo, Iowa and see immigration to America. Although the site talks about Iowa, the information is applicable to American immigration in general. This website provides 10 different activities (many interactive and open-ended). The activities could also easily be used for differentiating instruction for various levels of ability. The website provides summaries, answer keys, standards and extension activities for the teachers.
Immigration - The Changing Face of America Grade 6 to 12
The American Memory Collection at the Library of Congress does it again with this survey of the waves of immigration that have swept the American shores. While this site has a number of incomplete "exhibit" areas, the associated lesson plans are there, and well worth a look for those whose curricula include immigration. It may take some trial and error to find those resources that fit best.
Immigration Simulation - Ellis Island Grade 6 to 12
On its surface, this site appears to be simply a "virtual tour" of Ellis Island. However, the Teacher's section contains a good deal of information on how to create an on-site, interdisciplinary immigration experience for students. There are tips on content, involving parents, and other aspects of the project. Well worth a look if you're studying this time period.
Chinatowns and Chinese Communities in America Grade 9 to 12
Study Chinese immigration and settlements in the U.S. over the past century.
Chinese in California Grade 8 to 12
The American Memory Project at the Library of Congress offers this collection of documents on the experiences of Chinese immigrants in California. Though they faced severe discrimination, the Chinese were an invaluable source of labor, especially for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The collection includes many archival photos.
Angel Island Grade 9 to 12
This lesson from the Ask Asian web site will teach about Chinese immigration to America in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Sites For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
The Immigrants of Angel Island | The History You Didn't Learn Video
The Best Sites For Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage
Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures. Google Arts & Culture has partnered with 48 cultural institutions and experts of Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) cultures to celebrate and launch a Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures
South Asian American Digital Archive documenting, preserving, and sharing stories of South Asian Americans.
The Myth of the Melting Pot Grade 9 to 12
A site which takes a new twist on immigration, suggesting that cultures meld into the American tapestry differently than they once did. Pictures, readings, and suggestions for further discussion.
Race: The Power of an Illusion Grade 9 to 12
This thoughtful resource examines race-related myths, misconceptions, and assumptions that often create injustice and inequity in our society. Students can independently explore an interactive tutorial that investigates the concept of "race" and participate in interactive activities that reveal the dangers and difficulties of arbitrary racial classification. The content provides excellent material for class discussions. One of the outstanding features of the sight is a collection of beautifully constructed "slide shows" that focus on the significant role race plays in all of our lives.
Free Learning Resources to Celebrate Asian American HeritageFree Learning Resources to Celebrate Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage
Native Americans
Native Americans
Comprehensive listing of sites for K-12 students.
What Indigenous Youth Want Your Students to Know
Providing Deeper Context in Lessons on Indigenous Peoples Teachers planning lessons on Native Americans can paint a fuller and more accurate picture with carefully curated resources.
Influence of Native Americans Throughout the United States
Government agencies offer a wide variety of resources for educators to use during Native American Heritage Month—and year-round. For example, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) EDSITEment! site provides a lesson plan that explores the continuing presence and influence Native Americans have within the United States, while providing an accurate historical context. The site also presents a guide for educators to learn and teach about Native American heritage.
A Look at Native American Identity Through the Native Lens
A new pictorial collection gives a unique outlet to Native photographers to express stories of identity and the effects of colonialism. Correcting myths and looking at the evolution of Native American identity over the last 400 years is the mission of The 400 Years Project. The pictorial collection of Native American life includes original photo essays, text essays, and a digital library of Native photographers from the mid-1800s to the present.
Resources About Christopher Columbus (& ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’)
Teaching & Learning About The Standing Rock Protests
Folklore & Myth Sites
Resources For Learning About The Code Talkers
Legacy of American Indian Boarding Schools
The National Native American Boarding School (NABS) Healing Coalition has developed a curriculum on US Indian Boarding Schools for teachers and parents to use with children. The Truth and Healing Curriculum is comprised of four lessons on Indian boarding schools with the themes Truth in History, Impacts, Personal Stories, and Healing; the lessons are appropriately sectioned into three learning levels: primary, middle, and upper grades. Each lesson contains the instructional sequences INTO, THROUGH, and BEYOND. Representing the element to start the conversation and begin a phase of wonder, INTO is meant to act as a hook for the lesson. Identifying the comprehension and exploration aspect of the learning goals, THROUGH is the stage where connections are being made. Representing the sequence where learning can be extended, BEYOND is the place where essential understandings can be deepened and taken to the next level.
Resources Offering Native American Perspectives On Thanksgiving
Native American educational resources available on the organization’s website. These include films, lesson plans, photo essays, and articles.
We Shall Remain : video 5 hrs The story of Native peoples’ valiant resistance to expulsion from their lands and the extinction of their culture.
Video“6 Misconceptions About Native American People”
Americans is an online interactive exhibit from The National Museum of The American Indian.
Videos Presenting Histories and Stories of Native Americans Students learn about the histories, achievements, dances, languages, and stories of Native Americans. The video collection is organized under the categories A History of Native American Achievement, Native American Culture, and Native American Folklore. DCMP members have access to the full-length videos at no charge; membership in DCMP is free. The videos are generally available for preview to nonmembers as short clips; limited full-length titles are also available. Both members and nonmembers can download lesson guides for the videos at no charge.
National Museum of the American Indian The images, names, and stories reveal the deep connection between Americans and American Indians, as well as how Indians have been embedded in unexpected ways in the history, pop culture, and identity of the United States.
NEW PBS NEWSHOUR VIDEO SEGMENT: “NEW YORK’S MOHAWK TRIBE WORKS TO RESTORE THEIR CULTURE”
Interactive Sites on Native Americans K - 6
First Americans: Native American Indian Studies for Grade-Schoolers gr 2-6
This site is created by a teacher who is herself a native American and is a "work in progress." Tribes included are Dine, Tlingit, Muskogee, Lakota, and Iroquois. All text is accompanied by images so students can see houses, clothing, and more.
Lost Lives, Lost Culture: The Forgotten History of Indigenous Boarding Schools is from The NY Times.
Cherokee Nation policies after the Civil War show that reparations work is from The Washington Post.
Native American Information
A guide to Native American information including cultural, art, educational, museum, and government resources.
On-A-Slant Virtual Village
Explore and investigate Native American village in North Dakota.
Native American Voices
From prehistoric migration to present day self determination.
Declarations of Independence: Exploring American Indian Rights to Self-Governance gr 6-12
In this New York Times lesson, students will examine what they know about American Indians past and present, then research key issues facing American Indian tribes today. To synthesize their learning, students will write letters taking the perspective of an American Indian examining questions of tribe recognition.
America's Stone Age Explorers
This site explores evidence found by archeologists, examines artifacts found throughout the United States, and involves visitors in interpreting Stone Age tools. Includes interactive activities and a downloadable teacher's guide.
The Best Resources For Teaching & Learning About The Standing Rock Protests.
THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT PROTESTS AGAINST THE TELESCOPE IN HAWAII.
Native Planet has several slideshows about the indigenous peoples of India.
PBS has an interactive map showing the indigenous roots of many place names in the United States.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has a fascinating timeline of Native People’s Concepts Of Health And Healing.
The Smithsonian has an impressive collection of teacher materials related to Native Americans.
The Smithsonian also has a buffalo hide painting activity that I have used.
The Library of Congress has brought together many resources for Native American Heritage Month.
American Indian Responses To Environmental Challenges is an interactive from The Smithsonian.
Amazon Watch and Survival International are two groups working to assist indigenous peoples, and they both have multimedia resources (thanks to Willem for the tip).
The Ashaninka, A Threatened Way of Life is a slideshow from The Atlantic.
Internet Indians: In Contextual Video Player is from Al Jazeera.
The Guardian published an interactive called Peoples under threat around the world: map. Here’s how they describe it:
Here’s a “movie” showing the loss of Native American land over the past 250 years. You can read more about it at The Atlantic:.
Lakota Winter Counts is an interactive from The Smithsonian.
An Indigenous Way of Life Threatened by Oil Sands in Canada is a photo gallery from The New York Times.
Catlin Classroom
Gather around the campfire to hear interviews with scholars, Native American leaders and more in this interactive site about George Catlin's quest to document tribes of the Great Plains.
Weaving the Threads: Integrating Poetry Annotation and Web Technology
This clever multi-class activity challenges students to investigate Native American poetry, analyze it for key words, and create a hyperlinked document. Students use the selected key words as the basis for cultural research, reproduce the poem in electronic format, then hyperlink each keyword to more detailed information, creating an interactive literary experience. The final product is a Web page that can be shared with an authentic audience. But if Web page production is out of your comfort zone, this lesson can be accomplished using Word or PowerPoint.
Teacher Lesson Plan: Reservation Controversies
The LOC has provided this lesson plan that centers on reservation controversies. The lesson plan lets students discover how hard it is to define certain terms and how these terms are often the source of conflict.
Surrounded by Beauty Grades 4 to 12
Native American art and culture is the subject of this elegant site from the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Built around the cultures of the Northeast Woodlands, the Mississippi Valley, the Plains, the Southwest, and the Northwest Coast, the site offers images and text that can enhance any unit on Native Americans. There are also links to tribal web sites.
Native Tech
An internet resource for indigenous ethno-technology focusing on the arts of Eastern Woodland Indian Peoples, providing historical & contemporary background with instructional how-to's & references.
Comprehensive listing of sites for K-12 students.
What Indigenous Youth Want Your Students to Know
Providing Deeper Context in Lessons on Indigenous Peoples Teachers planning lessons on Native Americans can paint a fuller and more accurate picture with carefully curated resources.
Influence of Native Americans Throughout the United States
Government agencies offer a wide variety of resources for educators to use during Native American Heritage Month—and year-round. For example, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) EDSITEment! site provides a lesson plan that explores the continuing presence and influence Native Americans have within the United States, while providing an accurate historical context. The site also presents a guide for educators to learn and teach about Native American heritage.
A Look at Native American Identity Through the Native Lens
A new pictorial collection gives a unique outlet to Native photographers to express stories of identity and the effects of colonialism. Correcting myths and looking at the evolution of Native American identity over the last 400 years is the mission of The 400 Years Project. The pictorial collection of Native American life includes original photo essays, text essays, and a digital library of Native photographers from the mid-1800s to the present.
Resources About Christopher Columbus (& ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Day’)
Teaching & Learning About The Standing Rock Protests
Folklore & Myth Sites
Resources For Learning About The Code Talkers
Legacy of American Indian Boarding Schools
The National Native American Boarding School (NABS) Healing Coalition has developed a curriculum on US Indian Boarding Schools for teachers and parents to use with children. The Truth and Healing Curriculum is comprised of four lessons on Indian boarding schools with the themes Truth in History, Impacts, Personal Stories, and Healing; the lessons are appropriately sectioned into three learning levels: primary, middle, and upper grades. Each lesson contains the instructional sequences INTO, THROUGH, and BEYOND. Representing the element to start the conversation and begin a phase of wonder, INTO is meant to act as a hook for the lesson. Identifying the comprehension and exploration aspect of the learning goals, THROUGH is the stage where connections are being made. Representing the sequence where learning can be extended, BEYOND is the place where essential understandings can be deepened and taken to the next level.
Resources Offering Native American Perspectives On Thanksgiving
Native American educational resources available on the organization’s website. These include films, lesson plans, photo essays, and articles.
We Shall Remain : video 5 hrs The story of Native peoples’ valiant resistance to expulsion from their lands and the extinction of their culture.
Video“6 Misconceptions About Native American People”
Americans is an online interactive exhibit from The National Museum of The American Indian.
Videos Presenting Histories and Stories of Native Americans Students learn about the histories, achievements, dances, languages, and stories of Native Americans. The video collection is organized under the categories A History of Native American Achievement, Native American Culture, and Native American Folklore. DCMP members have access to the full-length videos at no charge; membership in DCMP is free. The videos are generally available for preview to nonmembers as short clips; limited full-length titles are also available. Both members and nonmembers can download lesson guides for the videos at no charge.
National Museum of the American Indian The images, names, and stories reveal the deep connection between Americans and American Indians, as well as how Indians have been embedded in unexpected ways in the history, pop culture, and identity of the United States.
NEW PBS NEWSHOUR VIDEO SEGMENT: “NEW YORK’S MOHAWK TRIBE WORKS TO RESTORE THEIR CULTURE”
Interactive Sites on Native Americans K - 6
First Americans: Native American Indian Studies for Grade-Schoolers gr 2-6
This site is created by a teacher who is herself a native American and is a "work in progress." Tribes included are Dine, Tlingit, Muskogee, Lakota, and Iroquois. All text is accompanied by images so students can see houses, clothing, and more.
Lost Lives, Lost Culture: The Forgotten History of Indigenous Boarding Schools is from The NY Times.
Cherokee Nation policies after the Civil War show that reparations work is from The Washington Post.
Native American Information
A guide to Native American information including cultural, art, educational, museum, and government resources.
On-A-Slant Virtual Village
Explore and investigate Native American village in North Dakota.
Native American Voices
From prehistoric migration to present day self determination.
Declarations of Independence: Exploring American Indian Rights to Self-Governance gr 6-12
In this New York Times lesson, students will examine what they know about American Indians past and present, then research key issues facing American Indian tribes today. To synthesize their learning, students will write letters taking the perspective of an American Indian examining questions of tribe recognition.
America's Stone Age Explorers
This site explores evidence found by archeologists, examines artifacts found throughout the United States, and involves visitors in interpreting Stone Age tools. Includes interactive activities and a downloadable teacher's guide.
The Best Resources For Teaching & Learning About The Standing Rock Protests.
THE BEST RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ABOUT PROTESTS AGAINST THE TELESCOPE IN HAWAII.
Native Planet has several slideshows about the indigenous peoples of India.
PBS has an interactive map showing the indigenous roots of many place names in the United States.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has a fascinating timeline of Native People’s Concepts Of Health And Healing.
The Smithsonian has an impressive collection of teacher materials related to Native Americans.
The Smithsonian also has a buffalo hide painting activity that I have used.
The Library of Congress has brought together many resources for Native American Heritage Month.
American Indian Responses To Environmental Challenges is an interactive from The Smithsonian.
Amazon Watch and Survival International are two groups working to assist indigenous peoples, and they both have multimedia resources (thanks to Willem for the tip).
The Ashaninka, A Threatened Way of Life is a slideshow from The Atlantic.
Internet Indians: In Contextual Video Player is from Al Jazeera.
The Guardian published an interactive called Peoples under threat around the world: map. Here’s how they describe it:
Here’s a “movie” showing the loss of Native American land over the past 250 years. You can read more about it at The Atlantic:.
Lakota Winter Counts is an interactive from The Smithsonian.
An Indigenous Way of Life Threatened by Oil Sands in Canada is a photo gallery from The New York Times.
Catlin Classroom
Gather around the campfire to hear interviews with scholars, Native American leaders and more in this interactive site about George Catlin's quest to document tribes of the Great Plains.
Weaving the Threads: Integrating Poetry Annotation and Web Technology
This clever multi-class activity challenges students to investigate Native American poetry, analyze it for key words, and create a hyperlinked document. Students use the selected key words as the basis for cultural research, reproduce the poem in electronic format, then hyperlink each keyword to more detailed information, creating an interactive literary experience. The final product is a Web page that can be shared with an authentic audience. But if Web page production is out of your comfort zone, this lesson can be accomplished using Word or PowerPoint.
Teacher Lesson Plan: Reservation Controversies
The LOC has provided this lesson plan that centers on reservation controversies. The lesson plan lets students discover how hard it is to define certain terms and how these terms are often the source of conflict.
Surrounded by Beauty Grades 4 to 12
Native American art and culture is the subject of this elegant site from the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Built around the cultures of the Northeast Woodlands, the Mississippi Valley, the Plains, the Southwest, and the Northwest Coast, the site offers images and text that can enhance any unit on Native Americans. There are also links to tribal web sites.
Native Tech
An internet resource for indigenous ethno-technology focusing on the arts of Eastern Woodland Indian Peoples, providing historical & contemporary background with instructional how-to's & references.
African-Americans
Africans in America
Online documentary of "America's journey through slavery" including teaching resources.
Hard History Teaching About Slavery in America full PDF Framework here. The Framework is organized around the enslavement of Africans in North America and the United States – and focuses on a chronological progression providing specific ways to teach it.
North Star is an interactive and educational webpage of the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC), where students can discover stories and objects that illuminate the African American experience.
Paths to Perspective: How the Past Connects to Our Present Each person is an amalgamation of the people and events that came before them. These people and events include the nature of their birth, the lives of their parents, the experiences of their grandparents, the creation of the printing press, etc. The idea behind this lesson is to expose students to milestones in black history, and to use that rich history to challenge them to look into their past to see how they connect to larger events that came before them. This lesson is especially crafted for Black History Month (though of course it can be used at other times) to have students from multiple ethnic backgrounds try to find a connection to the African American Experience in the United States. It removes students from an ethnic vacuum and asks them to see how the journey of others not like them has an impact on their, their family's and their country's history.
The Plainest Demands of Justice, a resource from the Bill of Rights Institute, explores the efforts to realize the nation’s founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice by exploring key periods in African American history.
Sites To Teach About African-American History.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture
The NMAAHC offers resources to help students learn about the African American culture through interactive exhibitions. The museum "was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members."
Mission US: No Turning Back. This mission will immerse your students in the 1960s civil rights movement as they experience it through the eyes of a fictional teen in Mississippi.
The Tulsa Race Massacre Teaching & Learning Resources
Beyond Black History Month
African American studies for grades K-12 including Web sites, resources, professional development, and integration lessons.
National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum also provides Juneteenth resources
Teacher's Guide to Primary Source Set Jim Crow
The Negro Motorist Green-book 1946
The Massacre Of Black Wall Street is a short online graphic novel The Watchmen television show did with the Atlantic marketing team.
American Memory lesson plan “Segregation: From Jim Crow to Linda Brown
Ava DuVernay Unveils Site Which Will Develop Lessons To Accompany Her Films
LOC catalog record for Negro Motorist Green Book
Voices Of The Civil Rights Movement describes itself: Voices of the Civil Rights Movement, a multimedia collaboration of Comcast NBCUniversal and the Equal Justice Initiative, honors the legacy and impact of the men and women who championed racial equality in the United States….Today, Voices of the Civil Rights Movement presents more than 16 hours of gripping firsthand accounts, historical moments and stories submitted by the public.
Power of Popular Music in the Struggle for Civil Rights Participants of the civil rights movement recognized the power of song and performance and used this form of cultural communication in their quest for equal justice under law. The popular music of the early 1960s offers a unique and engaging entry point into the politics surrounding equal rights in mid-twentieth century America. Through collaborative activities and presentations in a lesson from the National Endowment for the Humanities, students will find the meaning behind this music and compare and contrast the major figures, documents, and events of the day to better understand the political and cultural messages.
Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade is one of the latest digital archives to come online. Enslaved draws connections between existing datasets to piece together fragmentary narratives. These narratives allow you to explore or reconstruct the lives of individuals who were enslaved, owned slaves, or participated in the historical trade.
Music of the Civil Rights Movement The New York Times Learning Network has a lesson that models what this might look like in your classroom.
SlaveVoyages.org This digital memorial raises questions about the largest slave trades in history and offers access to the documentation available to answer them.
Why “There Is No Better Superhero – Fictional or Not” Than John Lewis
The University of North Carolina’s “North American Slave Narratives” is a collection of slave biographies and autobiographies published as books or pamphlets.
The Library of Congress’ “Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories” features audio of 20th century interviews of 23 former slaves.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Interactive site that is frequently updated with social networking software. Includes oral histories.
Interactive Multimedia “I Have a Dream” SpeechFreedom’s Ring is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, animated. On the site, students can compare the written and spoken speech, explore multimedia images, listen to movement activists, and uncover historical context. Freedom’s Ring is an especially powerful resource because it covers the whole speech in an interactive and multimedia format.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, named a National Historic Landmark in 2017, covers much of the African American experience with online multimedia exhibits sure to catch the attention of middle graders.
People Not Property introduces students to the history of Northern enslavement, separate from the more familiar history of antebellum Southern slavery, by exploring history through personal stories. People Not Property is divided into four broad topics: Defining Slavery traces how white Europeans introduced slavery to the Northern colonies and used laws to entrench slavery systematically in the colonies. Being Enslaved explores the lives of enslaved individuals, particularly through family relationships, as well as the knowledge and skills enslaved people possessed. Choosing Resistance considers various courses of action that enslaved people took—individually and collectively—to respond to captivity, as well as the potential consequences. And Pursuing Justice traces the gradual ending of slavery and the legacy of slavery today. While these topics build on each other, they may be viewed in any order. The program’s many interactive features are designed to stand on their own so they can easily be integrated into a classroom lesson. The features include live-action videos, animations, questionnaires, annotated primary documents, and storybooks that combine both images and text. Transcripts of all videos are available by request. Teachers will find guides as well as an integrated arts/social studies curriculum, which includes historic documents that describe people fleeing enslavement and more. A TimeMap charts slavery’s rise, growth, and gradual decline in the Northern colonies, and indicates historical milestones. It also includes links to the website’s featured content. Additional resources include a Glossary, Bibliography, and Related Links.
NHD at NMAAHC Collection: Breaking Barriers in History aggregates primary and secondary sources connected to a diverse range of barrier breakers within the African American experience, from 1700s abolitionist and freemason Prince Hall, to openly gay blues performer Gladys Bentley, to hip hop group Public Enemy.
Patchwork of African American Life
A series of lessons ranging from using hotlists to WebQuests.
American slavery and the Underground Railroad with a multi-faceted, highly interactive resource. Through audio and images, slaves held at plantations and traveling north speak for themselves.
Flight to Freedom
Slaves resisted. In nearly every conceivable way, they registered their protest against their enslavement. One of the most important ways they resisted was by running away
New Guide to the Great Migration! Find pictures from Library of Congress
African American Heritage Teacher Toolkit for Grades K-12
A selective guide to links, lesson plans, books, CDs, videos, posters and more.
EDSITEment’s Guide to Black History Month Teaching Resources from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The site provides educators with over 550 years of the African American experience arranged chronologically.
African American Voices
From Africa to reconstruction
‘Oh Freedom! Teaching African American Civil Rights through American Art at the Smithsonian.’ At the More Resources link, the Smithsonian provides strategies for inorporating art into history and includes graphic organizers, worksheets and lesson plans.
Celebrate Black History Month. It includes free access to historic front pages, news stories, lesson plans, and lots more.
Resources Sharing The History Of Teens Organizing For Justice
African American World
African American culture, history, and experiences are highlighted in this beautifully designed site that explores the courage, talent, and influence of individuals like Sojourner Truth, Jacob Lawrence, Duke Ellington, and more. Organized around four main themes - history, arts and culture, race and society, and profiles, the site offers an illustrated, interactive time line - perfect for student research, a "Classroom" section filled with lesson plans and activities
Africans in America
Part of PBS's African-American Journey site, here you'll find part one of a rich collection of resources -- images, documents, stories, biographies, and commentaries -- on the experience of slavery in America. There is also a useful teacher's guide and activities for students. There are three other parts to explore: The Terrible Transformation: 1450-1750, Revolution: 1750-1805, and Brotherly Love: 1791-1831
The Best Resources I’ve Used In Lessons About Race & Racism
The African Presence in the Americas: 1492-1992
Designed to introduce you to the dynamics and dimensions of the 500 year history of African people in the Americas. Four broad themes have been selected for exploration: Migration, Work, Culture, and Resistance.
Underground Railroad
Created by National Geographic: You are a slave. Your body, your time, your very breath belong to a farmer in 1850s Maryland.You have never tasted freedom. And yet . . . your soul lights up when you hear whispers of attempted escape. Freedom means a hard, dangerous trek.
Breaking the Chains: What happened once runaway enslaved persons reached Canada. What was life like there? Were there free men and women of color already living there? Presenting a New Narrative for Canada’s Role in the Underground Railroad is a web-based educational project that aims to share new research about Canada and its African Canadian pioneers. Combining digital 3D models and oral histories, tales of the Underground Railroad can be integrated into the classroom as one piece of the larger history. Settlers who came to Canada in search of freedom re-tell their stories of bravery and survival.
Black History Month Resources: K-5 and 6-12
Two matrices of links to topics of interest dealing with Black history are found on this school district curriculum support site. Resources support historic, literature and cultural inquiries.
Universal Black Pages : History
The African American experience resources.
Who Killed William Robinson?
The site asks kids to solve the actual murder of an African American in 1868 using primary source documents. Was an innocent man convicted / did the real killers escape? Racism, history and CSI all in one!
Online documentary of "America's journey through slavery" including teaching resources.
Hard History Teaching About Slavery in America full PDF Framework here. The Framework is organized around the enslavement of Africans in North America and the United States – and focuses on a chronological progression providing specific ways to teach it.
North Star is an interactive and educational webpage of the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC), where students can discover stories and objects that illuminate the African American experience.
Paths to Perspective: How the Past Connects to Our Present Each person is an amalgamation of the people and events that came before them. These people and events include the nature of their birth, the lives of their parents, the experiences of their grandparents, the creation of the printing press, etc. The idea behind this lesson is to expose students to milestones in black history, and to use that rich history to challenge them to look into their past to see how they connect to larger events that came before them. This lesson is especially crafted for Black History Month (though of course it can be used at other times) to have students from multiple ethnic backgrounds try to find a connection to the African American Experience in the United States. It removes students from an ethnic vacuum and asks them to see how the journey of others not like them has an impact on their, their family's and their country's history.
The Plainest Demands of Justice, a resource from the Bill of Rights Institute, explores the efforts to realize the nation’s founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice by exploring key periods in African American history.
Sites To Teach About African-American History.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture
The NMAAHC offers resources to help students learn about the African American culture through interactive exhibitions. The museum "was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members."
Mission US: No Turning Back. This mission will immerse your students in the 1960s civil rights movement as they experience it through the eyes of a fictional teen in Mississippi.
The Tulsa Race Massacre Teaching & Learning Resources
Beyond Black History Month
African American studies for grades K-12 including Web sites, resources, professional development, and integration lessons.
- Library of Congress materials
National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum also provides Juneteenth resources
Teacher's Guide to Primary Source Set Jim Crow
The Negro Motorist Green-book 1946
The Massacre Of Black Wall Street is a short online graphic novel The Watchmen television show did with the Atlantic marketing team.
American Memory lesson plan “Segregation: From Jim Crow to Linda Brown
Ava DuVernay Unveils Site Which Will Develop Lessons To Accompany Her Films
LOC catalog record for Negro Motorist Green Book
Voices Of The Civil Rights Movement describes itself: Voices of the Civil Rights Movement, a multimedia collaboration of Comcast NBCUniversal and the Equal Justice Initiative, honors the legacy and impact of the men and women who championed racial equality in the United States….Today, Voices of the Civil Rights Movement presents more than 16 hours of gripping firsthand accounts, historical moments and stories submitted by the public.
Power of Popular Music in the Struggle for Civil Rights Participants of the civil rights movement recognized the power of song and performance and used this form of cultural communication in their quest for equal justice under law. The popular music of the early 1960s offers a unique and engaging entry point into the politics surrounding equal rights in mid-twentieth century America. Through collaborative activities and presentations in a lesson from the National Endowment for the Humanities, students will find the meaning behind this music and compare and contrast the major figures, documents, and events of the day to better understand the political and cultural messages.
Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade is one of the latest digital archives to come online. Enslaved draws connections between existing datasets to piece together fragmentary narratives. These narratives allow you to explore or reconstruct the lives of individuals who were enslaved, owned slaves, or participated in the historical trade.
Music of the Civil Rights Movement The New York Times Learning Network has a lesson that models what this might look like in your classroom.
SlaveVoyages.org This digital memorial raises questions about the largest slave trades in history and offers access to the documentation available to answer them.
Why “There Is No Better Superhero – Fictional or Not” Than John Lewis
The University of North Carolina’s “North American Slave Narratives” is a collection of slave biographies and autobiographies published as books or pamphlets.
The Library of Congress’ “Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories” features audio of 20th century interviews of 23 former slaves.
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Interactive site that is frequently updated with social networking software. Includes oral histories.
Interactive Multimedia “I Have a Dream” SpeechFreedom’s Ring is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, animated. On the site, students can compare the written and spoken speech, explore multimedia images, listen to movement activists, and uncover historical context. Freedom’s Ring is an especially powerful resource because it covers the whole speech in an interactive and multimedia format.
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, named a National Historic Landmark in 2017, covers much of the African American experience with online multimedia exhibits sure to catch the attention of middle graders.
- IN MOTION: The African American Immigration Experience’ starts with the immigration of Africans to America as slaves and then studies thirteen migrations, culminating with the influx of sub-Saharan Africans in recent years. In addition to the extensive collection of images, texts, maps and timelines, this 2005 exhibit offers lesson plans
- ‘Lest We Forget: The Triumph over Slavery,’ is also overflowing with interactive materials arranged chronologically. It provides lots of layered clicking opportunities based on themes arranged across the bottom of the page.
- ‘African Americans and American Politics,’ a Schomburg interactive exhibit from 2009, follows African Americans’ growing participation in American politics with sections for the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Students may need a quick demonstration on how to access the photos and documents, which are accompanied by brief explanations.
- ‘Harlem 1900 – 1940’ exhibit, covering the rapid growth of the African American community in New York, students will find advocates, artists, business leaders and politicians. It’s a super source for the Harlem Renaissance.
- Africana Age: African & African Diasporan Transformations in the 20th Century. Its essays, images, brief videos and maps cover the African diaspora to the US and beyond. Video clips include the voices of W.E.B. DuBois and Marcus Garvey.
People Not Property introduces students to the history of Northern enslavement, separate from the more familiar history of antebellum Southern slavery, by exploring history through personal stories. People Not Property is divided into four broad topics: Defining Slavery traces how white Europeans introduced slavery to the Northern colonies and used laws to entrench slavery systematically in the colonies. Being Enslaved explores the lives of enslaved individuals, particularly through family relationships, as well as the knowledge and skills enslaved people possessed. Choosing Resistance considers various courses of action that enslaved people took—individually and collectively—to respond to captivity, as well as the potential consequences. And Pursuing Justice traces the gradual ending of slavery and the legacy of slavery today. While these topics build on each other, they may be viewed in any order. The program’s many interactive features are designed to stand on their own so they can easily be integrated into a classroom lesson. The features include live-action videos, animations, questionnaires, annotated primary documents, and storybooks that combine both images and text. Transcripts of all videos are available by request. Teachers will find guides as well as an integrated arts/social studies curriculum, which includes historic documents that describe people fleeing enslavement and more. A TimeMap charts slavery’s rise, growth, and gradual decline in the Northern colonies, and indicates historical milestones. It also includes links to the website’s featured content. Additional resources include a Glossary, Bibliography, and Related Links.
NHD at NMAAHC Collection: Breaking Barriers in History aggregates primary and secondary sources connected to a diverse range of barrier breakers within the African American experience, from 1700s abolitionist and freemason Prince Hall, to openly gay blues performer Gladys Bentley, to hip hop group Public Enemy.
Patchwork of African American Life
A series of lessons ranging from using hotlists to WebQuests.
American slavery and the Underground Railroad with a multi-faceted, highly interactive resource. Through audio and images, slaves held at plantations and traveling north speak for themselves.
Flight to Freedom
Slaves resisted. In nearly every conceivable way, they registered their protest against their enslavement. One of the most important ways they resisted was by running away
New Guide to the Great Migration! Find pictures from Library of Congress
African American Heritage Teacher Toolkit for Grades K-12
A selective guide to links, lesson plans, books, CDs, videos, posters and more.
EDSITEment’s Guide to Black History Month Teaching Resources from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The site provides educators with over 550 years of the African American experience arranged chronologically.
African American Voices
From Africa to reconstruction
‘Oh Freedom! Teaching African American Civil Rights through American Art at the Smithsonian.’ At the More Resources link, the Smithsonian provides strategies for inorporating art into history and includes graphic organizers, worksheets and lesson plans.
Celebrate Black History Month. It includes free access to historic front pages, news stories, lesson plans, and lots more.
Resources Sharing The History Of Teens Organizing For Justice
African American World
African American culture, history, and experiences are highlighted in this beautifully designed site that explores the courage, talent, and influence of individuals like Sojourner Truth, Jacob Lawrence, Duke Ellington, and more. Organized around four main themes - history, arts and culture, race and society, and profiles, the site offers an illustrated, interactive time line - perfect for student research, a "Classroom" section filled with lesson plans and activities
Africans in America
Part of PBS's African-American Journey site, here you'll find part one of a rich collection of resources -- images, documents, stories, biographies, and commentaries -- on the experience of slavery in America. There is also a useful teacher's guide and activities for students. There are three other parts to explore: The Terrible Transformation: 1450-1750, Revolution: 1750-1805, and Brotherly Love: 1791-1831
The Best Resources I’ve Used In Lessons About Race & Racism
The African Presence in the Americas: 1492-1992
Designed to introduce you to the dynamics and dimensions of the 500 year history of African people in the Americas. Four broad themes have been selected for exploration: Migration, Work, Culture, and Resistance.
Underground Railroad
Created by National Geographic: You are a slave. Your body, your time, your very breath belong to a farmer in 1850s Maryland.You have never tasted freedom. And yet . . . your soul lights up when you hear whispers of attempted escape. Freedom means a hard, dangerous trek.
Breaking the Chains: What happened once runaway enslaved persons reached Canada. What was life like there? Were there free men and women of color already living there? Presenting a New Narrative for Canada’s Role in the Underground Railroad is a web-based educational project that aims to share new research about Canada and its African Canadian pioneers. Combining digital 3D models and oral histories, tales of the Underground Railroad can be integrated into the classroom as one piece of the larger history. Settlers who came to Canada in search of freedom re-tell their stories of bravery and survival.
Black History Month Resources: K-5 and 6-12
Two matrices of links to topics of interest dealing with Black history are found on this school district curriculum support site. Resources support historic, literature and cultural inquiries.
Universal Black Pages : History
The African American experience resources.
Who Killed William Robinson?
The site asks kids to solve the actual murder of an African American in 1868 using primary source documents. Was an innocent man convicted / did the real killers escape? Racism, history and CSI all in one!
Asian Pacific-Americans
Asian American Resources
Extensive links for all grade levels.
Hub dedicated to Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures
GOOGLE UNVEILS NEW SITE TO CELEBRATE ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER CULTURE
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders share their stories of racism and discrimination and how they’ve stood up. is from NBC News.
The Best Resources I’ve Used In Lessons About Race & Racism
Classroom Resources on AAPI History and Contemporary Life is from Facing History.
Asian Pacific American History is from The Smithsonian.
Children of the Camps
A list of links dealing with the Japanese-American experience during World War II. Also includes a link to a catalog of relevant videos.
Fred Korematsu In 1942, 23 year-old shipyard welder Fred Korematsu refused to join over 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans who were rounded up and taken to incarceration camps under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order No. 9066. In 1944, the Supreme Court voted in a 6-3 decision against Korematsu, claiming the incarceration was justified for military reasons. It wasn’t until Nov. 10, 1983 that his conviction was overturned. The Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education carries on his lefacy. In 2010, the state of California established January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day. Korematsu K-12 Curriculum The Korematsu Institute generously develops and distributes free K-12 curriculum that sustains the wisdom and courage of Fred Korematsu. A Korematsu Institute Curriculum Kit includes a teachers guide, lesson plans (K-12), videos, and posters. K-5 lessons focus on Korematsu’s biography and concepts of justice. Middle and high school activities emphasize the Bill of Rights and Korematsu’s court cases, including lesson plans from the Densho Project, whose mission is to “preserve the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War Click here to view and order the Curriculum Kit. More Korematsu Institute resources: EXPLORE: The Annenberg Foundation film, “Korematsu and Civil Liberties,” about the Supreme Court Case Korematsu v. U.S (1944). Appropriate for high school students and adults. To watch the full film, click here
Japanese-American Internment Is Commemorated Every Feb. 19th As The “Day Of Remembrance” – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources
The Best Resources On Japanese Internment In World War II:
The Language of Incarceration is from the Smithsonian.
Densho
The testimonies of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War IIFirsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy
Ugly History: Japanese-American internment camps - Densho video
East of the Rockies IOS AR app ( 1.99) is an experiential augmented reality (AR) story written by Joy Kogawa, one of Canada’s most acclaimed and celebrated literary figures. The story is told from the perspective of Yuki, a 17-year-old girl forced from her home and made to live in the Slocan internment camp during the Second World War. As Yuki and her family adjust to their new reality inside the camp, they struggle to make life as normal as possible.
Learning Together is a new teacher resource site from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
It seems to focus on a new theme each month (how did I not know that April was Arab American Heritage Month?), and collects past resources in its archives section.
Write Our Stories is a huge collection of stories from NBC News related to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Arising from Injustice, an alternate reality game focused on the Japanese experience of internment camps during World War II, students are asked to investigate why Dr. Alice Sasaki had been found unconscious in her lab. The modular, web-based narrative relates the story of the Japanese Americans with eclectic historical documents and media, including pictures, letters, journals, videos, and audio. Players progress from Pearl Harbor to postwar resettlement by solving puzzles, following clues, carrying out assignments, and sharing their findings on a group discussion board. Players evaluate and analyze primary documents to determine the social conditions that precipitated prejudice and discrimination against Japanese Americans. They also hone their media literacy skills by synthesizing their learning in collaborative media projects where they support their research with primary sources. One of the most important lessons of the game is empathy. The game puts players in a situated learning environment where they must interact and empathize with various characters in order to succeed. To request this educational alternate reality game for your school, contact GameTrain Learning, the developer of Arising from Injustice.
Click Here for More Information About AR Game
The Fred Korematsu Institute has a full, and free, “teaching kit” on the internment Every January 30th is officially Fred Korematsu Day in California. Here’s some background on it from YES Magazine: In 1942, 23 year-old shipyard welder Fred Korematsu refused to join over 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans who were rounded up and taken to incarceration camps under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order No. 9066. While Korematsu’s family was at the Topaz incarceration camp in the Utah desert, Korematsu was appealing his conviction. In 1944, the Supreme Court voted in a 6-3 decision against Korematsu, claiming the incarceration was justified for military reasons. It wasn’t until Nov. 10, 1983 that his conviction was overturned.Fred Korematsu continued to speak up for civil rights throughout his life. He believed that “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.” That message remains alive in the mission and teachings of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education. In 2010, the state of California established January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day.
Asian-American Pacific Resources from Smithsonian
Angel Island
Angel Island was the "Ellis Island" of the west and was the first stop in America for many immigrants, including the Chinese and Japanese. Includes a live webcam of the site!
Chinatowns and Chinese Communities in America Grade 9 to 12
Study Chinese immigration and settlements in the U.S. over the past century.
Chinese in California Grade 8 to 12
The American Memory Project at the Library of Congress offers this collection of documents on the experiences of Chinese immigrants in California. Though they faced severe discrimination, the Chinese were an invaluable source of labor, especially for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The collection includes many archival photos.
Angel Island Grade 9 to 12
This lesson from the Ask Asian web site will teach about Chinese immigration to America in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Extensive links for all grade levels.
Hub dedicated to Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures
GOOGLE UNVEILS NEW SITE TO CELEBRATE ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER CULTURE
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders share their stories of racism and discrimination and how they’ve stood up. is from NBC News.
The Best Resources I’ve Used In Lessons About Race & Racism
Classroom Resources on AAPI History and Contemporary Life is from Facing History.
Asian Pacific American History is from The Smithsonian.
Children of the Camps
A list of links dealing with the Japanese-American experience during World War II. Also includes a link to a catalog of relevant videos.
Fred Korematsu In 1942, 23 year-old shipyard welder Fred Korematsu refused to join over 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans who were rounded up and taken to incarceration camps under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order No. 9066. In 1944, the Supreme Court voted in a 6-3 decision against Korematsu, claiming the incarceration was justified for military reasons. It wasn’t until Nov. 10, 1983 that his conviction was overturned. The Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education carries on his lefacy. In 2010, the state of California established January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day. Korematsu K-12 Curriculum The Korematsu Institute generously develops and distributes free K-12 curriculum that sustains the wisdom and courage of Fred Korematsu. A Korematsu Institute Curriculum Kit includes a teachers guide, lesson plans (K-12), videos, and posters. K-5 lessons focus on Korematsu’s biography and concepts of justice. Middle and high school activities emphasize the Bill of Rights and Korematsu’s court cases, including lesson plans from the Densho Project, whose mission is to “preserve the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War Click here to view and order the Curriculum Kit. More Korematsu Institute resources: EXPLORE: The Annenberg Foundation film, “Korematsu and Civil Liberties,” about the Supreme Court Case Korematsu v. U.S (1944). Appropriate for high school students and adults. To watch the full film, click here
Japanese-American Internment Is Commemorated Every Feb. 19th As The “Day Of Remembrance” – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources
The Best Resources On Japanese Internment In World War II:
The Language of Incarceration is from the Smithsonian.
Densho
The testimonies of Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War IIFirsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy
Ugly History: Japanese-American internment camps - Densho video
East of the Rockies IOS AR app ( 1.99) is an experiential augmented reality (AR) story written by Joy Kogawa, one of Canada’s most acclaimed and celebrated literary figures. The story is told from the perspective of Yuki, a 17-year-old girl forced from her home and made to live in the Slocan internment camp during the Second World War. As Yuki and her family adjust to their new reality inside the camp, they struggle to make life as normal as possible.
Learning Together is a new teacher resource site from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.
It seems to focus on a new theme each month (how did I not know that April was Arab American Heritage Month?), and collects past resources in its archives section.
Write Our Stories is a huge collection of stories from NBC News related to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
Arising from Injustice, an alternate reality game focused on the Japanese experience of internment camps during World War II, students are asked to investigate why Dr. Alice Sasaki had been found unconscious in her lab. The modular, web-based narrative relates the story of the Japanese Americans with eclectic historical documents and media, including pictures, letters, journals, videos, and audio. Players progress from Pearl Harbor to postwar resettlement by solving puzzles, following clues, carrying out assignments, and sharing their findings on a group discussion board. Players evaluate and analyze primary documents to determine the social conditions that precipitated prejudice and discrimination against Japanese Americans. They also hone their media literacy skills by synthesizing their learning in collaborative media projects where they support their research with primary sources. One of the most important lessons of the game is empathy. The game puts players in a situated learning environment where they must interact and empathize with various characters in order to succeed. To request this educational alternate reality game for your school, contact GameTrain Learning, the developer of Arising from Injustice.
Click Here for More Information About AR Game
The Fred Korematsu Institute has a full, and free, “teaching kit” on the internment Every January 30th is officially Fred Korematsu Day in California. Here’s some background on it from YES Magazine: In 1942, 23 year-old shipyard welder Fred Korematsu refused to join over 120,000 West Coast Japanese Americans who were rounded up and taken to incarceration camps under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order No. 9066. While Korematsu’s family was at the Topaz incarceration camp in the Utah desert, Korematsu was appealing his conviction. In 1944, the Supreme Court voted in a 6-3 decision against Korematsu, claiming the incarceration was justified for military reasons. It wasn’t until Nov. 10, 1983 that his conviction was overturned.Fred Korematsu continued to speak up for civil rights throughout his life. He believed that “If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don’t be afraid to speak up.” That message remains alive in the mission and teachings of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education. In 2010, the state of California established January 30 as Fred Korematsu Day.
- Also, the Day of Remembrance For The Japanese American Internment is on every February 19th, which marks the anniversary of the Executive Order by President Roosevelt authorizing that shameful event.
- World War II: Internment of Japanese Americans is a photo gallery from The Atlantic.
- Internment Of Japanese-Americans lesson on my United States History class blog, which includes many resources.
- U.S. official cites misconduct in Japanese American internment cases is a fascinating article in The Los Angeles Times discussing how the present United States Solicitor General is apologizing for the misconduct of one of his predecessors for his role in defending Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. During the war, he chose not to reveal a government study concluding that Japanese-Americans were not a risk to U.S. security.
- Life In A Japanese Internment Camp is from The Smithsonian.
- A More Perfect Union is another resource from The Smithsonian.
- These resources are from The University of California.
- Executive Order 9066: Japanese American internment in World War II is a photo gallery from The L.A. Times (February 19th is the anniversary of the Order).
- Colors of Confinement is a NY Times slideshow sharing rare color photos of a Japanese-American internment camp.
- Indefinite detention: Echoes of World War II internment is from The San Francisco Chronicle
- "Diary, December 12, 1941": Japanese American Internment, Propaganda, and Superheroes This folder contains a lesson concept, lesson materials, related Project Zero thinking routines, and some optional related / extension resources for a six-day middle school unit that explores Japanese-American internment and WWII government propaganda through Roger Shimomura's "Diary, December 12, 1941." This collection is intended for teachers and can be modified to fit a shorter or longer period of time.
- World War II: Internment of Japanese Americans is a photo gallery from The Atlantic.
- Internment Of Japanese-Americans lesson on my United States History class blog, which includes many resources.
- U.S. official cites misconduct in Japanese American internment cases is a fascinating article in The Los Angeles Times discussing how the present United States Solicitor General is apologizing for the misconduct of one of his predecessors for his role in defending Japanese-American internment camps during World War II. During the war, he chose not to reveal a government study concluding that Japanese-Americans were not a risk to U.S. security.
- Japanese Internment Videos scroll down the page to see the videos The experiences of Japanese Americans during WWII; decision-making and citizen action under the U.S. Constitution
- Japanese-American InternmentcSites that include primary resources, maps, photographs and news articles.
- Dear Miss Breed: Letters from Camp The Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles presents personal accounts of the internment in an online exhibition, “Dear Miss Breed: Letters from Camp.” Before the war, Clara Estelle Breed was the supervising children’s librarian at the San Diego Public Library, where she came to know many young Japanese Americans. When they were evacuated from San Diego, she was at the train station to see them off. She handed out stamped, self-addressed postcards and urged them to write to her when they reached their destination. Four of the “Miss Breed” letters are used in a lesson plan on the study of letters as primary source documents. As students compare the writers’ differing points of view, they may see more clearly that the history of an event or period of time is never a single story. Click Here to Visit Website
Asian-American Pacific Resources from Smithsonian
Angel Island
Angel Island was the "Ellis Island" of the west and was the first stop in America for many immigrants, including the Chinese and Japanese. Includes a live webcam of the site!
Chinatowns and Chinese Communities in America Grade 9 to 12
Study Chinese immigration and settlements in the U.S. over the past century.
Chinese in California Grade 8 to 12
The American Memory Project at the Library of Congress offers this collection of documents on the experiences of Chinese immigrants in California. Though they faced severe discrimination, the Chinese were an invaluable source of labor, especially for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. The collection includes many archival photos.
Angel Island Grade 9 to 12
This lesson from the Ask Asian web site will teach about Chinese immigration to America in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Hispanic-Americans
Latino Web Sites
Recommended sites about culture, history, and political issues
Smithsonian Latino Center collaborates throughout the Smithsonian and beyond to promote national dialogue on the role of museums and cultural centers in advancing Latino-community cultural development. The Molina Family Latino Gallery is set to debut in 2021 and will focus on sharing the stories of Latino communities in the United States. Exhibitions will present bilingual stories for multigenerational and cross-cultural audiences featuring multimedia, physical objects, and first-person voices. An introductory entry point will provide a framework for the histories and concepts presented in the gallery and foster a dialogue with the core history exhibition. The inaugural exhibition, “Making Home: Latino Stories of Community and Belonging,” will explore how Latinos have shaped the nation since before its founding. Visitors will be invited to reexamine what they know about Latinos and US history through digital immersive elements, such as interactive timelines and maps. Program types will include distance learning, mixed-reality immersion, podcasts, and mobile broadcasts.
Plus: The Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum (LVM) is a cross-platform immersive education initiative based on bilingual mixed-media experiences created to enhance knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of Latino cultural heritage through innovative and engaging online experiences. A Bilingual Teacher Training Tool Kit guides educators in integrating the collection of transmedia and virtual exhibits into existing STEM programming. The tool kit includes animation shorts of Smithsonian projects, teacher-training e-publications, immersion games, web books, and digital objects that apply 3D augmented-reality technologies. The LVM offers two versions of the tool kit—an interactive web version and a print version, both in English and Spanish.
The Best Resources I’ve Used In Lessons About Race & Racism
¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States is from The Smithsonian Learning Lab.
Hispanic Heritage: Addressing Inequities and Celebrating Culture is from NAESP.
Best Free Hispanic Heritage Month Lessons and Activities is from TechLearning.
Latino History is from the National Museum of American History.
Latino Americans is from PBS.
Hispanic Heritage Teaching & Learning Resources
Hispanic Heritage
Links to Hispanic resources
Mexican American Voices
Resources from Spanish exploration to modern culture and issues.
Hispanic Heritage Teaching Resources
Includes thematically arranged teaching resources.
La Causa and Cesar Chavez Resources
Biography Channel Hispanic Heritage
Smithsonian Institution’s Ojos
CNN Special Report: The Hispanic Experience
Scholastic’s Celebrate Hispanic Heritage
Smithsonian Latin Center’s Kids Corner The Smithsonian also has another site filled with related teaching resources.
Teaching Tolerance has a lesson plan at on Latino Heritage Month.
American Sabor is a neat new site from The Smithsonian that’s designed to celebrate Latino music heritage. It has tons of multimedia features and a nice interactive.
The National Education Association has a number of related resources.
Colorin Colorado has a page of useful resources.
The New York Times Learning Network has published a very useful resource, La Vida Latina: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month With The New York Times.
“Latino Americans” Looks Like A Great PBS Series
5 Takeaways About Hispanic Heritage You Probably Didn’t Know is from NBC News.
The Anti-Defamation League has a number of related resources.
Lessons for Hispanic Heritage Month is from Education World.
Our Latino Authors: Recognizing Rudolfo Anaya, the Godfather of Chicano Letters is from NBC News.
6 Ways Latino Advocacy Has Shaped Our Education Policies is from NBC News.
On Hispanic Heritage Month, a spotlight on Chicano authors is from NBC News.
Recommended sites about culture, history, and political issues
Smithsonian Latino Center collaborates throughout the Smithsonian and beyond to promote national dialogue on the role of museums and cultural centers in advancing Latino-community cultural development. The Molina Family Latino Gallery is set to debut in 2021 and will focus on sharing the stories of Latino communities in the United States. Exhibitions will present bilingual stories for multigenerational and cross-cultural audiences featuring multimedia, physical objects, and first-person voices. An introductory entry point will provide a framework for the histories and concepts presented in the gallery and foster a dialogue with the core history exhibition. The inaugural exhibition, “Making Home: Latino Stories of Community and Belonging,” will explore how Latinos have shaped the nation since before its founding. Visitors will be invited to reexamine what they know about Latinos and US history through digital immersive elements, such as interactive timelines and maps. Program types will include distance learning, mixed-reality immersion, podcasts, and mobile broadcasts.
Plus: The Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum (LVM) is a cross-platform immersive education initiative based on bilingual mixed-media experiences created to enhance knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of Latino cultural heritage through innovative and engaging online experiences. A Bilingual Teacher Training Tool Kit guides educators in integrating the collection of transmedia and virtual exhibits into existing STEM programming. The tool kit includes animation shorts of Smithsonian projects, teacher-training e-publications, immersion games, web books, and digital objects that apply 3D augmented-reality technologies. The LVM offers two versions of the tool kit—an interactive web version and a print version, both in English and Spanish.
The Best Resources I’ve Used In Lessons About Race & Racism
¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States is from The Smithsonian Learning Lab.
Hispanic Heritage: Addressing Inequities and Celebrating Culture is from NAESP.
Best Free Hispanic Heritage Month Lessons and Activities is from TechLearning.
Latino History is from the National Museum of American History.
Latino Americans is from PBS.
Hispanic Heritage Teaching & Learning Resources
Hispanic Heritage
Links to Hispanic resources
Mexican American Voices
Resources from Spanish exploration to modern culture and issues.
Hispanic Heritage Teaching Resources
Includes thematically arranged teaching resources.
La Causa and Cesar Chavez Resources
- Viva la Causa is a free DVD and lesson plan packet available for free from Teaching Tolerance.
- The Best Sites For Learning About Cesar Chavez & The United Farm Workers Union.
- El Civics has a good Cesar Chavez Lesson.
- The Library of Congress has some nice accessible features on Chavez.
- The United Farm Workers Union itself has a great resource page on Chavez, including videos and E-Cards.
- The Cesar Chavez Foundation has a lot of multimedia available, as well as recommended lessons.
- The California Department of Education has a Model Curriculum and Resources For Teachers on Chavez that you may find useful.
- Here’s an online lesson for English Language Learners on Chavez from Famous People Lessons.
- The National Museum of American History has a great activity related to Chavez and the banning of the terrible short-handled hoe. Students can create their own online virtual museum exhibit.
- Harcourt has a short, accessible biography.
- Rose Named After Farmworkers’ Hero is a fascinating story by CBS News.
- Here’s an online lesson for English Language Learners on Chavez from Famous People Lessons.
- A very nice new addition to this list is a proclamation issued by President Obama in 2010. Here’s an excerpt:
- The Poway Unified School District has an excellent listing, with links, of additional Chavez resources.
- President Obama issued a new proclamation for 2011 declaring Cesar Chavez Day.
- California Governor Jerry Brown did the same.
- A Not-Quite National Holiday: Eight States Celebrate Cesar Chavez Day is from TIME Magazine.
- Si Se Puede: Cesar Chavez’s Work Is More Relevant Than Ever is from GOOD Magazine and includes some useful links.
- PBS has a nice timeline of his life.
- “Remember Cesar Chavez” is a photo gallery from The Los Angeles Times.
- The Poway School District also has a nice list of Chavez resources.
- You might also want to see The Best Resources For Hispanic Heritage Month.
- Watch Know Learn has several Chavez videos.
- “Obama Creates Monument To Cesar Chavez: ‘He Cared'” is a CNN multimedia report on the creation of a monument to honor Cesar Chavez:
Biography Channel Hispanic Heritage
Smithsonian Institution’s Ojos
CNN Special Report: The Hispanic Experience
Scholastic’s Celebrate Hispanic Heritage
Smithsonian Latin Center’s Kids Corner The Smithsonian also has another site filled with related teaching resources.
Teaching Tolerance has a lesson plan at on Latino Heritage Month.
American Sabor is a neat new site from The Smithsonian that’s designed to celebrate Latino music heritage. It has tons of multimedia features and a nice interactive.
The National Education Association has a number of related resources.
Colorin Colorado has a page of useful resources.
The New York Times Learning Network has published a very useful resource, La Vida Latina: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month With The New York Times.
“Latino Americans” Looks Like A Great PBS Series
5 Takeaways About Hispanic Heritage You Probably Didn’t Know is from NBC News.
The Anti-Defamation League has a number of related resources.
Lessons for Hispanic Heritage Month is from Education World.
Our Latino Authors: Recognizing Rudolfo Anaya, the Godfather of Chicano Letters is from NBC News.
6 Ways Latino Advocacy Has Shaped Our Education Policies is from NBC News.
On Hispanic Heritage Month, a spotlight on Chicano authors is from NBC News.
Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction
The Underground Railroad Escape from Slavery takes students on a virtual trip from a southern plantation to freedom in Ohio.
ContextU and its purpose is to help students see the greater context for significant events in history. The first iteration of ContextU is focused on the American Civil War.
On ContextU students select from a table of contents an event, piece of legislation, or theme to see it in the context of other events, pieces of legislation, and themes leading to the start of the Civil War. Through timelines, Google Maps, diagrams, flow charts, timelines, and text ContextU provides context for each chosen event, piece of legislation, or theme. Students can jump from event to event or from theme to theme by following the hyperlinks within each diagram.
National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum also provides Juneteenth resources
The Valley of the Shadow gr- 7-12
Comparison of two communities during the Civil War. Thought provoking resources of the people and issues on both sides of the war.
Civil War PBS
Create your own movie using images from PBS Civil War by Ken Burns
HistorySimulation.com has interactive simulations and engaging PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations. The American Civil War, European Imperialism, WWI, WWII and The Cold War. In these simulations, students are assigned roles as world leaders and given objectives that mirror the national interests of those countries
Civil War Daily Gazette Blog about the war
Civil War Online
Civil War Online is a military, economic, and political simulation of the American Civil War involving both wargaming and roleplaying aspects
Camp Life: Civil War Collections from Gettysburg
Step back in time, and try to imagine yourself a soldier in the Civil War. Where do you sleep? How do you pass the time? What personal items did you bring from home? Camp Life reveals the daily life of both Union and Confederate soldiers with an online exhibition of common everyday items. Learn what a "housewife" is, and why infantrymen were only issued half a tent.
American Civil War Home Page
A broad range of sites
Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War
Provides a personal view from a diary of the Civil War. Includes lesson ideas.
The Center for Civil War Photography
find photo essays about the US Civil War.
Instructional Modules Decoding the Civil War President Abraham Lincoln was America’s first “technology” president. He used emerging telegraph technology in war, politics, and even his personal life. The Decoding the Civil War project at The Huntington Library is focused on using transcribed and decoded Civil War telegrams to engage new and younger audiences to spark their curiosity and develop new critical thinking skills. The educational modules incorporate content from telegrams that were transcribed through the work of citizen archivists on the Decoding the Civil War website. The project offers three types of instructional materials: Inquiries, Explainers, and Activities.
Selected Civil War Photos
Underground Railroad about the Underground Railroad including maps and routes
Africans in America
Part of PBS's African-American Journey site, here you'll find part one of a rich collection of resources -- images, documents, stories, biographies, and commentaries -- on the experience of slavery in America. There is also a useful teacher's guide and activities for students. There are three other parts to explore: The Terrible Transformation: 1450-1750, Revolution: 1750-1805, and Brotherly Love: 1791-183
Making of America
A collection of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction.
Breaking Barriers: Reconstruction explores the efforts of individuals and groups to overcome racial, economic, and political barriers during the years immediately following the Civil War. Resources highlight influential people and organizations, the intentional and unintentional consequences of policies that resulted in the construction of new barriers for some, and competing perspectives over the best path toward reuniting the United States.
The University of North Carolina’s “North American Slave Narratives” is a collection of slave biographies and autobiographies published as books or pamphlets.
The Library of Congress’ “Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories” features audio of 20th century interviews of 23 former slaves.
ContextU and its purpose is to help students see the greater context for significant events in history. The first iteration of ContextU is focused on the American Civil War.
On ContextU students select from a table of contents an event, piece of legislation, or theme to see it in the context of other events, pieces of legislation, and themes leading to the start of the Civil War. Through timelines, Google Maps, diagrams, flow charts, timelines, and text ContextU provides context for each chosen event, piece of legislation, or theme. Students can jump from event to event or from theme to theme by following the hyperlinks within each diagram.
National Museum of African American History and Culture. The museum also provides Juneteenth resources
The Valley of the Shadow gr- 7-12
Comparison of two communities during the Civil War. Thought provoking resources of the people and issues on both sides of the war.
Civil War PBS
Create your own movie using images from PBS Civil War by Ken Burns
HistorySimulation.com has interactive simulations and engaging PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations. The American Civil War, European Imperialism, WWI, WWII and The Cold War. In these simulations, students are assigned roles as world leaders and given objectives that mirror the national interests of those countries
Civil War Daily Gazette Blog about the war
Civil War Online
Civil War Online is a military, economic, and political simulation of the American Civil War involving both wargaming and roleplaying aspects
Camp Life: Civil War Collections from Gettysburg
Step back in time, and try to imagine yourself a soldier in the Civil War. Where do you sleep? How do you pass the time? What personal items did you bring from home? Camp Life reveals the daily life of both Union and Confederate soldiers with an online exhibition of common everyday items. Learn what a "housewife" is, and why infantrymen were only issued half a tent.
American Civil War Home Page
A broad range of sites
Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War
Provides a personal view from a diary of the Civil War. Includes lesson ideas.
The Center for Civil War Photography
find photo essays about the US Civil War.
Instructional Modules Decoding the Civil War President Abraham Lincoln was America’s first “technology” president. He used emerging telegraph technology in war, politics, and even his personal life. The Decoding the Civil War project at The Huntington Library is focused on using transcribed and decoded Civil War telegrams to engage new and younger audiences to spark their curiosity and develop new critical thinking skills. The educational modules incorporate content from telegrams that were transcribed through the work of citizen archivists on the Decoding the Civil War website. The project offers three types of instructional materials: Inquiries, Explainers, and Activities.
Selected Civil War Photos
Underground Railroad about the Underground Railroad including maps and routes
Africans in America
Part of PBS's African-American Journey site, here you'll find part one of a rich collection of resources -- images, documents, stories, biographies, and commentaries -- on the experience of slavery in America. There is also a useful teacher's guide and activities for students. There are three other parts to explore: The Terrible Transformation: 1450-1750, Revolution: 1750-1805, and Brotherly Love: 1791-183
Making of America
A collection of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction.
Breaking Barriers: Reconstruction explores the efforts of individuals and groups to overcome racial, economic, and political barriers during the years immediately following the Civil War. Resources highlight influential people and organizations, the intentional and unintentional consequences of policies that resulted in the construction of new barriers for some, and competing perspectives over the best path toward reuniting the United States.
The University of North Carolina’s “North American Slave Narratives” is a collection of slave biographies and autobiographies published as books or pamphlets.
The Library of Congress’ “Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories” features audio of 20th century interviews of 23 former slaves.
Industrial Revolution - Gilded Age - Progressive Movement
American Memory Collection--Child Labor
Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Industrial Revolution
Extensive international resources
A Place-Based Study of the Industrial Revolution for Elementary Students Doing a deep dive into the industrial revolution allows students to understand the history of their city and of child labor.Past/Present game thrusts students aged 10–15 into the everyday hustle and bustle of life in a fictional mill town in 1906. While studying American history, students become fictional characters in this free immersive online game designed to impart decision making and critical thinking skills.
Edison: Miracle of Lights
Edison's inventions impact of the quality of life.
Industrial Revolution History Mystery Website
Become an investigator and use the clues provided to solve the mystery about this period in U.S. history. Grade Level: 3 - 7
What Is It?Website
Find out more about objects used in daily life in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Grade Level: 2 - 5
Progressivism Resources
Broad resources. Scroll down for the lessons and activities.
Daily Life in the Poor Industrial Cities
Students analyze an account of tenement life during the Industrial Revolution in the United States. A printable worksheet is provided
Gilded Age WebQuest
Creating a documentary. Includes resources
etween a Rock and a Hard Place Website
A history of American sweatshops from 1820 to the present.
Grade Level: 5 - 12
Protecting and Providing
Students research organizations formed to help society during the Industrial Revolution in the United States
Gilded Age Resources gr. 7-12
Covers industrial development, immigration, labor conditions, westward expansion, politics, impact of the Civil War and reconstruction, ...
Gilded Age and the Progressive Era Resources 9-12
Lists of Web sites for labor unions, culture, business, living conditions and more.
Unit: Industrial Revolution
Middle School students participate in activities to learn about inventions, the workplace, business, labor, and production during the Industrial Revolution
Mark Twian on War and Imperialism gr 9-12.
Mark Twain's writings on America's imperialism.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook: Industrial Revolution
Extensive international resources
A Place-Based Study of the Industrial Revolution for Elementary Students Doing a deep dive into the industrial revolution allows students to understand the history of their city and of child labor.Past/Present game thrusts students aged 10–15 into the everyday hustle and bustle of life in a fictional mill town in 1906. While studying American history, students become fictional characters in this free immersive online game designed to impart decision making and critical thinking skills.
Edison: Miracle of Lights
Edison's inventions impact of the quality of life.
Industrial Revolution History Mystery Website
Become an investigator and use the clues provided to solve the mystery about this period in U.S. history. Grade Level: 3 - 7
What Is It?Website
Find out more about objects used in daily life in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Grade Level: 2 - 5
Progressivism Resources
Broad resources. Scroll down for the lessons and activities.
Daily Life in the Poor Industrial Cities
Students analyze an account of tenement life during the Industrial Revolution in the United States. A printable worksheet is provided
Gilded Age WebQuest
Creating a documentary. Includes resources
etween a Rock and a Hard Place Website
A history of American sweatshops from 1820 to the present.
Grade Level: 5 - 12
Protecting and Providing
Students research organizations formed to help society during the Industrial Revolution in the United States
Gilded Age Resources gr. 7-12
Covers industrial development, immigration, labor conditions, westward expansion, politics, impact of the Civil War and reconstruction, ...
Gilded Age and the Progressive Era Resources 9-12
Lists of Web sites for labor unions, culture, business, living conditions and more.
Unit: Industrial Revolution
Middle School students participate in activities to learn about inventions, the workplace, business, labor, and production during the Industrial Revolution
Mark Twian on War and Imperialism gr 9-12.
Mark Twain's writings on America's imperialism.
World War I
Hezzie Goes to War
World War I through the Eyes of a soldier. Parallels can be drawn between current world conflicts and conflicts of the past. This website gives some insight into one soldier's experiences during WWI.
Songs sung in the US during World War One.The flip side of protest songs might be to have students look at how governments use music to rally support or as propaganda. Perhaps compare and contrast the music of the Allies and Axis governments during World War Two. Look at songs sung in the US during World War One.
The United States in World War I is a video in which Tom provides students with an overview of why the United States got involved in the war, why U.S. involvement was significant, and Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points. It's hard to provide depth in a ten minute, but Tom does a great job.
Posters from World War One and artwork created by illustrators power of visuals to encourage critical thinking and to support long-term retention. Integrate visuals such as art and propaganda posters into instruction Recent online articles from the Smithsonian focus on posters from World War One and artwork created by illustrators sent France by the US military. Good contextual background stuff and the images themselves
HistorySimulation.com has interactive simulations and engaging PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations. The American Civil War, European Imperialism, WWI, WWII and The Cold War. In these simulations, students are assigned roles as world leaders and given objectives that mirror the national interests of those countries
World War One Centenary: Continuations and Beginnings
This educational website provides a substantial collection of learning resources. A rich variety of materials, including expert articles, audio and video lectures, downloadable images, interactive maps and e-books are available under a set of cross-disciplinary themes that seek to reappraise the War in its cultural, social, geographical, and historical contexts.
World War I
Includes a broad range of sites from personal accounts, life in the trenches, photographs, and more.
WorldWar I: Over the Top
An interactive adventure game that allows you to experience life in the trenches during the First World War. As a young Canadian soldier stationed somewhere along the Western Front in the late fall of 1916, you will live through some of the excitement, despair, brutality and sheer horror of trench warfare
World War I through the Eyes of a soldier. Parallels can be drawn between current world conflicts and conflicts of the past. This website gives some insight into one soldier's experiences during WWI.
Songs sung in the US during World War One.The flip side of protest songs might be to have students look at how governments use music to rally support or as propaganda. Perhaps compare and contrast the music of the Allies and Axis governments during World War Two. Look at songs sung in the US during World War One.
The United States in World War I is a video in which Tom provides students with an overview of why the United States got involved in the war, why U.S. involvement was significant, and Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points. It's hard to provide depth in a ten minute, but Tom does a great job.
Posters from World War One and artwork created by illustrators power of visuals to encourage critical thinking and to support long-term retention. Integrate visuals such as art and propaganda posters into instruction Recent online articles from the Smithsonian focus on posters from World War One and artwork created by illustrators sent France by the US military. Good contextual background stuff and the images themselves
HistorySimulation.com has interactive simulations and engaging PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations. The American Civil War, European Imperialism, WWI, WWII and The Cold War. In these simulations, students are assigned roles as world leaders and given objectives that mirror the national interests of those countries
World War One Centenary: Continuations and Beginnings
This educational website provides a substantial collection of learning resources. A rich variety of materials, including expert articles, audio and video lectures, downloadable images, interactive maps and e-books are available under a set of cross-disciplinary themes that seek to reappraise the War in its cultural, social, geographical, and historical contexts.
World War I
Includes a broad range of sites from personal accounts, life in the trenches, photographs, and more.
WorldWar I: Over the Top
An interactive adventure game that allows you to experience life in the trenches during the First World War. As a young Canadian soldier stationed somewhere along the Western Front in the late fall of 1916, you will live through some of the excitement, despair, brutality and sheer horror of trench warfare
1920's
Roaring 20s and the Great Depression History Resources
1920s and Great Depression US History research resource links for high school students, undergraduates and history buffs
New Guide to the Great Migration! Find pictures from Library of Congress
In the 1920s America, Jazz Music Was Considered Harmful to Human Health, the Cause of “Neurasthenia,” “Perpetually Jerking Jaws” & More It was within this early 20th century milieu that institutional powers—some of the country’s most powerful—declared a war on jazz for supposed reasons of public health. (A movement, incidentally, given to an enthusiasm for eugenics and forced sterilization at the time.)
Depression Quest is a website that features an interactive story designed to educate people about depression. The story puts you in the place of a twenty-something person that is struggling with depression. Throughout the story you are presented with choices to make that influence the next phase of the story. The story has 150 different scenarios and five possible outcomes at the end based on the choices you make as you read through the story.http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/freetech4teachers/~www.depressionquest.com/
The Roaring 20's WebQuest
The tasks to create authentic radio broadcasts are appropriate for middle and high school students. You can take the concept a step further and create podcasts.
Blues Classroom
A true American art form, "the Blues" makes a great interdisciplinary study, and this site's lesson plans provide a well-researched foundation for that study.
Lessons and Activities
Projects include the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz, thematic magazine, ...
1920s and Great Depression US History research resource links for high school students, undergraduates and history buffs
New Guide to the Great Migration! Find pictures from Library of Congress
In the 1920s America, Jazz Music Was Considered Harmful to Human Health, the Cause of “Neurasthenia,” “Perpetually Jerking Jaws” & More It was within this early 20th century milieu that institutional powers—some of the country’s most powerful—declared a war on jazz for supposed reasons of public health. (A movement, incidentally, given to an enthusiasm for eugenics and forced sterilization at the time.)
Depression Quest is a website that features an interactive story designed to educate people about depression. The story puts you in the place of a twenty-something person that is struggling with depression. Throughout the story you are presented with choices to make that influence the next phase of the story. The story has 150 different scenarios and five possible outcomes at the end based on the choices you make as you read through the story.http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/t/0/0/freetech4teachers/~www.depressionquest.com/
The Roaring 20's WebQuest
The tasks to create authentic radio broadcasts are appropriate for middle and high school students. You can take the concept a step further and create podcasts.
Blues Classroom
A true American art form, "the Blues" makes a great interdisciplinary study, and this site's lesson plans provide a well-researched foundation for that study.
Lessons and Activities
Projects include the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz, thematic magazine, ...
1930's - Depression
America in the 1930's
Looks at the 1930's through films, radio, and many other forms of cultural expressions
The Dust Bowl interactive, which complements The Dust Bowl, the PBS series produced by Ken Burns, students are about to embark on an experience that will show them what life was like on the southern Great Plains during the Dust Bowl. On their journey, they will learn about the changing market and weather conditions and be asked to make decisions about whether to play it safe and keep their farm the same size or expand it for greater profit. They will also meet several of their “neighbors,” who are doing their best to make it. Some will stay on the land, trying to scrape out a living. Others will say “enough” and head west. What choices will your students make? Click Here to Access Free Interactive
Old Time Radio Shows
Free downloadable shows from the 30's and 40's
New Guide to the Great Migration! Find pictures from Library of Congress
Washington University has digitized and archived 148 first person accounts of the Great Depression. The accounts cover events from 1929 to the beginning of U.S. involvement in WWII.
America in the 1930's
Looks at the 1930's through films, radio, and many other forms of cultural expressions
FDR Cartoon Collection
A collection of political cartoons dealing with Franklin Roosevelt from 1932-1943.
New Deal Network
Documents the social and cultural legacy of the New Deal era during the administration of FDR.
The New Deal Network (NDN)
A research and teaching resource on the World Wide Web devoted to the public works and arts projects of the New Deal, based at Columbia University.
Picturing the 1930's is a Smithsonian exhibit about 1930's cinema. In Picturing the 1930's students can walk through a virtual museum exploring paintings, documents, music, and film. While walking through the virtual museum students will be greeted by "tour guides" who will explain various aspects of the exhibit. The virtual museum is easy to navigate by using the arrows at the bottom of the screen or clicking through doorways. After exploring the art work in the virtual museum, students can create their own documentary-style film using images, text, and narration using the Picturing the 1930's film editor.
Looks at the 1930's through films, radio, and many other forms of cultural expressions
The Dust Bowl interactive, which complements The Dust Bowl, the PBS series produced by Ken Burns, students are about to embark on an experience that will show them what life was like on the southern Great Plains during the Dust Bowl. On their journey, they will learn about the changing market and weather conditions and be asked to make decisions about whether to play it safe and keep their farm the same size or expand it for greater profit. They will also meet several of their “neighbors,” who are doing their best to make it. Some will stay on the land, trying to scrape out a living. Others will say “enough” and head west. What choices will your students make? Click Here to Access Free Interactive
Old Time Radio Shows
Free downloadable shows from the 30's and 40's
New Guide to the Great Migration! Find pictures from Library of Congress
Washington University has digitized and archived 148 first person accounts of the Great Depression. The accounts cover events from 1929 to the beginning of U.S. involvement in WWII.
America in the 1930's
Looks at the 1930's through films, radio, and many other forms of cultural expressions
FDR Cartoon Collection
A collection of political cartoons dealing with Franklin Roosevelt from 1932-1943.
New Deal Network
Documents the social and cultural legacy of the New Deal era during the administration of FDR.
The New Deal Network (NDN)
A research and teaching resource on the World Wide Web devoted to the public works and arts projects of the New Deal, based at Columbia University.
Picturing the 1930's is a Smithsonian exhibit about 1930's cinema. In Picturing the 1930's students can walk through a virtual museum exploring paintings, documents, music, and film. While walking through the virtual museum students will be greeted by "tour guides" who will explain various aspects of the exhibit. The virtual museum is easy to navigate by using the arrows at the bottom of the screen or clicking through doorways. After exploring the art work in the virtual museum, students can create their own documentary-style film using images, text, and narration using the Picturing the 1930's film editor.
World War II
World War II
Comprehensive listing of sites that range from personal accounts of people in the war, nazism, resistence, women roles, and much more.
The War - PBS Broad coverage of issues including civil rights
What the soldiers heard before storming the beach on D-Day.
HistorySimulation.com has interactive simulations and engaging PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations. The American Civil War, European Imperialism, WWI, WWII and The Cold War. In these simulations, students are assigned roles as world leaders and given objectives that mirror the national interests of those countries
World War II: The Home front
This simulation will follow the lives of five families during the school year of September 1943-June 1944. This specific time period was chosen because the war was in full swing, yet it was not yet clear what way it would go.
Japanese American Internment Curriculum Grades 6 to 12
Developed by the National Japanese American Historical Society, this page is a well-organized meta-list of lessons relating to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The lessons include material for all grade levels, and they address the historical, literary, and constitutional aspects of these Americans' experiences. Today's students can learn much from this experience.
Japanese Americans and the Constitution Grades 6 to 12
The Smithsonian presents this nicely-designed site describing the internment and discrimination against Japanese Americans during World War II. Students can listen to an audio introduction which provides a summary of the events of the period, and sets the stage for the larger presentation. This one is well worth a visit.
Untold Stories of D-Day Grade 7 to 12
National Geographic covers a wealth of topic areas in this elegant presentation about the Normandy invasion. While primarily a teaser for a print project, this site offers images, a downloadable map, a good variety of D-day trivia, and a 10-minute movie suitable for those with high-speed connections. There is also an extensive bibliography and listing of other web resources.
Comprehensive listing of sites that range from personal accounts of people in the war, nazism, resistence, women roles, and much more.
The War - PBS Broad coverage of issues including civil rights
What the soldiers heard before storming the beach on D-Day.
HistorySimulation.com has interactive simulations and engaging PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations. The American Civil War, European Imperialism, WWI, WWII and The Cold War. In these simulations, students are assigned roles as world leaders and given objectives that mirror the national interests of those countries
World War II: The Home front
This simulation will follow the lives of five families during the school year of September 1943-June 1944. This specific time period was chosen because the war was in full swing, yet it was not yet clear what way it would go.
Japanese American Internment Curriculum Grades 6 to 12
Developed by the National Japanese American Historical Society, this page is a well-organized meta-list of lessons relating to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The lessons include material for all grade levels, and they address the historical, literary, and constitutional aspects of these Americans' experiences. Today's students can learn much from this experience.
Japanese Americans and the Constitution Grades 6 to 12
The Smithsonian presents this nicely-designed site describing the internment and discrimination against Japanese Americans during World War II. Students can listen to an audio introduction which provides a summary of the events of the period, and sets the stage for the larger presentation. This one is well worth a visit.
Untold Stories of D-Day Grade 7 to 12
National Geographic covers a wealth of topic areas in this elegant presentation about the Normandy invasion. While primarily a teaser for a print project, this site offers images, a downloadable map, a good variety of D-day trivia, and a 10-minute movie suitable for those with high-speed connections. There is also an extensive bibliography and listing of other web resources.
Civil Rights Era
Civil Rights Resources
Web sites, WebQuests, and lessons (scroll down)
Mission US: No Turning Back. This mission will immerse your students in the 1960s civil rights movement as they experience it through the eyes of a fictional teen in Mississippi.
The Greensboro Sit-Ins – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources
VIDEO DOCUMENTARY: “FANNIE LOU HAMER: STAND UP” on youtube 28 minutes
Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle Click Here to Visit Website Reflect on the Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement provides free access to documentary films highlighting some of the most dramatic events in recent American history. NEH has introduced a website making four outstanding NEH–supported documentaries about the civil rights movement . Together, these nationally acclaimed documentaries trace the story of the civil rights movement from its early period in the 1820s to the United States Supreme Court decision in 1967 overturning laws barring interracial marriage. The website provides not only selected film clips suitable for use in schools and other venues, but also extensive resources for community film screenings and public discussions reflecting on the civil rights movement in American history. An extensive section offers teachers opportunities to use the site to meet the Common Core State Standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. The site provides a collection of background essays by distinguished civil rights scholars, along with lesson plans, including speeches, images and letters to stimulate and guide classroom discussions.
New Guide to the Great Migration! Find pictures from Library of Congress
Resources Sharing The History Of Teens Organizing For Justice.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Legacy Project is an impressive website this week, including lesson plans.
Power of Popular Music in the Struggle for Civil Rights Participants of the civil rights movement recognized the power of song and performance and used this form of cultural communication in their quest for equal justice under law. The popular music of the early 1960s offers a unique and engaging entry point into the politics surrounding equal rights in mid-twentieth century America. Through collaborative activities and presentations in a lesson from the National Endowment for the Humanities, students will find the meaning behind this music and compare and contrast the major figures, documents, and events of the day to better understand the political and cultural messages.
Music of the Civil Rights Movement The New York Times Learning Network has a lesson that models what this might look like in your classroom.
Ava DuVernay Unveils Site Which Will Develop Lessons To Accompany Her Films
Voices Of The Civil Rights Movement describes itself: Voices of the Civil Rights Movement, a multimedia collaboration of Comcast NBCUniversal and the Equal Justice Initiative, honors the legacy and impact of the men and women who championed racial equality in the United States….Today, Voices of the Civil Rights Movement presents more than 16 hours of gripping firsthand accounts, historical moments and stories submitted by the public.
Sites To Learn About The Greensboro Sit-Ins.
10 Resources for Teaching the Legacy of MLK
Little Rock 9 – Here Are Related Teaching & Learning Resources
Resources For Learning About The Birmingham Church Bombing,
Why “There Is No Better Superhero – Fictional or Not” Than John Lewis
Civil Rights Virtual Learning Journey transports students to a critical period of time in our history. The site is loaded with comprehensive content including 14 videos, primary source images and documents, compelling photo galleries, interactive maps, artwork, music, and more. The collection invites students into an engaging exploration of some of the most significant events of the Civil Rights Movement.
Best Resources For Learning About Ruby Bridges.
History: Freedom Riders Freedom Riders tried to use 'whites-only' restrooms and lunch counters at bus stations in Alabama, South Carolina and other Southern states. The groups were confronted by arresting police officers – as well as horrific violence from white protestors – along their routes, but also drew international attention to their cause." Visit History.com for a video of historian Yohuro Williams describing the Freedom Rides and the Supreme Court decision that inspired them.
Music of the Civil Rights Movement The New York Times Learning Network has a lesson that models what this might look like in your classroom.
Resources Sharing The History Of Teens Organizing For Justice
Mississippi Department of Archives and History: Freedom Rides Revisited
"How Far Would You Go?" is an interactive lesson that takes you step-by-step on a virtual Freedom Ride. "Your goal is to integrate the stations and terminals throughout the South, although you know you will face major resistance ahead." For example, after being attacked by an angry mob in the Rock Hill Greyhound station, will you continue the journey, or take the next bus home?
PBS: Freedom Riders Coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the bus rides, the PBS film Freedom Riders premiers on May 16, 2011. The film tells the "inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever." Visit for short bios of the "Players" which include the Freedom Riders, civic rights leaders, and key government figures and a timeline of important events. "Explore the Issues" explains Jim Crow laws, discusses the role of the Cold War, and why this particular nonviolent dissent was so effective.
Smithsonian: The Freedom Riders, Then and Now A photographic look at the Freedom Riders fifty years later. Visit for the five-minute video "Riding to Freedom" (embedded in the story just after the opening paragraph) and the photo gallery of then and now shots of the Freedom Riders. Eric Etheridge tracked the riders down, and created a tribute to them in a book titled "Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders.
SNCC Digital: Nashville Students and SNCC Pick Up Freedom Rides The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) began in 1960 when student leaders from all over the South got together to dedicate themselves to racial justice. This digital archive tells the story of their participation in the Freedom Rides. In addition to the main article, be sure to explore the primary sources displayed in the right-hand column. "Over three hundred student activists were jailed mostly in Mississippi, but the one of the major effects of the Freedom Rides was to inspire and shape the consciousness of young people, which led to a great expansion of SNCC's work.
John W. Mosley was a photo journalist in Philly from the 1930s - 1960s. He worked for the black newspapers and chronicled the lives of black Americans during very turbulent decades. His collection lives online at Temple University. These are some WONDERFUL images that show alternate sides of Dr. Martin Luther King as well as ordinary black Americans going about their daily lives.
Behind the Civil Rights Act
This annotated, interactive look at the language of the Civil Rights Act can help your students understand the current implications of this historic legislation.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) provides free access to documentary films highlighting some of the most dramatic events in recent American history. NEH has introduced a website making four outstanding NEH–supported documentaries about the civil rights movement available for use in communities and schools across the nation. Together, these nationally acclaimed documentaries trace the story of the civil rights movement from its early period in the 1820s to the United States Supreme Court decision in 1967 overturning laws barring interracial marriage. The website provides not only selected film clips suitable for use in schools and other venues, but also extensive resources for community film screenings and public discussions reflecting on the civil rights movement in American histor y. An extensive section offers teachers opportunities to use the site to meet the Common Core State Standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. The site provides a collection of background essays by distinguished civil rights scholars, along with lesson plans, including speeches, images and lettersto stimulate and guide classroom discussions. The resources are made available from the archives of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and EDSITEment, NEH’s K–12 educational website.
Click Here to Visit Website
The Sounds of Change explores this question by telling the stories behind classic soul songs recorded at Stax records in Memphis during the civil rights movement. Learn more.
Freedom Riders : video 2 hrs A courageous band of civil rights activists called Freedom Riders who in 1961 challenged segregation in the American South.
Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle brings four outstanding films on the long civil rights movement to communities across the United States. As part of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)’s Bridging Cultures initiative, Created Equal will encourage communities across the country to revisit the history of civil rights in America and to reflect on the ideals of freedom and equality that have helped bridge deep racial and cultural divides in our civic life.
Civil Rights Historical Investigations, developed by Facing History and Ourselves, includes three units that require students to “do” history—to gather evidence from primary documents, use that evidence to make claims about the past and then apply what they learn to their lives today. In the first unit, students learn about the murder and trial of Emmett Till. This material asks students to consider the historical context that contributed to the growth of the civil rights movement in the 1950s. In the second unit, students explore voter discrimination in the South and the philosophy of nonviolence that guided civil rights activists’ responses to this injustice, culminating in the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965. The third unit exposes students to the civil rights movement in the North by focusing on the struggle over school desegregation in Boston in the 1960s and early 1970s. A journey through all units allows students to trace the development of the civil rights movement from the 1950s to the 1970s. Click Here to Download Free History Investigations
Teaching Unit on Emmett Till, Racial Justice, and Civic ParticipationWhat can we learn from the murder of Emmett Till as we work to achieve racial justice in America today? Teachers can use this newly released teaching unit from Facing History & Ourselves to tackle this important essential question with their students.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Includes background and references dealing with the man, the civil rights movement, and the holiday
Struggle in the Fields video documentary of the Grape Boycott and the rise of the Chicano Rights Movement - La Raza
Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement
Information on the events of the Civil Rights movement
Voices of Civil Rights Grade 8 to 12
Use this site as an on-line classroom resource for an in-depth study of the civil right movement in America. Essays, interviews, and special reports provide historical and contemporary perspectives. The Stories section of the site, which contains an array of personal stories from America's civil rights past, is especially riveting. An interactive, illustrated timeline details America's struggle with civil rights issues from 1868 to the present, and the Photo Gallery provides striking images, complete with captions. Use the interactive quiz to test for prior knowledge or as a review.
Unseen.Unforgotten Grade 8 to 12
This stunning collection of never-before-published images from the Civil Rights era puts a very human face on a painful chapter in American history. The photographs, recently discovered in a storage closet at the Birmingham News, are organized by theme and year and include detailed captions, but you must provide the background information. Topics include school segregation, voting rights, and Freedom Riders.
March on Washington Lesson Grade 6 to 12
The fortieth anniversary of the civil rights march on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream..." speech offers a fresh context in which to re-visit the civil rights and integration struggles of the 1960s. This lesson, from the web site for the PBS Newshour, offers both a set of structuring questions about integration and racism and a set of resources that documents Dr. King and the struggle for equal rights in America. While not a complete presentation, this lesson would be a good starting point for a middle school history or social studies class.
First published in 1958, Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story was created by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR).The comic book, which helped to inspire the American civil rights movement in the 1960s, features full-color panels depicting the Montgomery Bus Boycott and ends with a section on “how the Montgomery Method works,” outlining essential techniques of nonviolence. The original comic book may be downloaded, free of charge, from Stanford University’s website.
Click Here to Download Free Comic Book
Plus: An accompanying Teachers/Parents Guide is available for free downloading from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s website.
Click Here to Download Free Guide
Return to the Dawn of the Civil Rights Movement Hallmark Channel and Walden Media have partnered with Cable in the Classroom to create a customized school curriculum revolving around the civil rights movement, featuring Hallmark Channel’soriginal movie The Watsons Go to Birmingham. The film chronicles the experiences of an African American family traveling from Flint, Michigan, to racially charged Birmingham, Alabama, in the summer of 1963. An accompanying Teacher Guide, set to launch this fall, will offer parents and educators a turnkey lesson plan, streaming video resources and archivalphotographs designed for students in grades 4–12 that give fresh context to the dawn of the civil rights movement. The Teacher Guide will be offered free of charge on a dedicated Hallmark Channel micros ite and the Walden Media website. Click Here to Visit Website | Click Here to Meet the Watsons
Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute Grade 8 to 12
This is the site for the foundation created by Rosa Parks to assist children in learning about the civil rights struggle. The site also includes biographical information on Rosa Parks and her achievements.
Resources For Teaching About Rosa Parks & The Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Justice Demands an End to Segregation, But it Does Not End Grade 7 to 8 - Yale University- 1645
This unit centers on the civil rights movement of the nineteen sixties and uses this as the foundation for understanding Constitutional rights and the history of legal cases that clarified rights as we know them today.
Black History Month Grade 4 to 8
This highly interactive site provides a kid-friendly overview of Black history, the fight for Civil Rights, and those Americans who have made a major impact on the African American dream. Students can listen to audio clips from pivotal speeches in African American history, participate in an interactive quiz on the fight for equal rights, and explore an interactive timeline.
Powerful Days in Black and White Grade 9 to 12
This site brings the many faces and struggles of the Civil Rights Movement into focus with riveting images by photographer Charles Moore. These moving scenes of riots, segregation, and triumph will make an unforgettable impact on your students. Use to generate reactions and open discussion in a 20th century American history clas
Citizen King Grade 8 to 12
This companion site to a PBS special focuses on the last five years of Dr. Martin Luther King's life, from his "I Have a Dream" Speech in 1963 to his assassination in 1968. Highlights include a discussion of his non-violence philosophy, video perspectives, an interactive map of civil rights hot spots throughout the United States, and a teacher's guide. Great resource or a 20th century American history class
Brown v. Board of Education Grade 9 to 12
The University of Michigan chronicles the landmark Supreme Court case in this on-line archive. Historical events related to this case are documented through articles and images from 1896 (Plessy v. Ferguson) to the present. Main areas of interest on the site include Supreme Court cases, school integration efforts, and recent re-segregation trends in American schools. Use as a springboard for a discussion on Civil Rights or the American Justice System.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - lesson ideas Grade 6 to 9
Here's an excellent site for any teacher looking for a variety of activities related to the civil rights movement. English teacher Gretchen Lee has posted 3 sets of project activities for this touching story by Christopher Paul Curtis that portrays the life of an African American family in 1963. The projects can be teacher directed or for individual student use, and span from terrific pre-reading research activities to post reading activities that direct students to create material central to the theme of the story. We are sorry not to see the relevant print outs mentioned in the Post Reading activities are not accessible to the general web browsing teacher
The Best Resources For Learning & Teaching About Malcolm X.
Malcolm X Project Grade 9 to 12
Explore the life and legacy of Malcolm X with this thought-provoking site that presents archival video footage from 1961 through 1965, dozens of video interviews with his contemporaries, an illustrated time line, and transcripts of FBI files. The result is a very personal, very authentic portrait of the civil rights leader - created for the purpose of illuminating new research that will be used in a forthcoming biography of Malcolm X.
Seattle's tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. Grade 6 to 12
This site's Electronic Classroom has a very useful study guide for teachers and students, interactive quiz, comments from other students around the country and links. Other parts of the site details city streets named in his honor, the Sonics and their audio comments about Martin Luther King, Jr.
America's Justice System - for Kids and Youth Grade 3 to 12
This appealing and interactive site provides a clear overview of America's justice system along with information about Cyberethics; the role of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Civil Rights and the law; the functions of the FBI; and what actually happens inside of a courtroom. Follow Teachers and Parents link to find a collection of resources and lesson plans that correspond to the site topics.
Separate is Not Equal Grade 4 to 12
The 50th anniversary of the historic Brown vs. the Board of Education decision is commemorated in this site that traces the history of segregation, the battle for education, and the events leading to the Supreme Court decision. Visit the teacher's guide (click on Resources) to find downloadable unit and lesson plans (aligned to national standards) which address the time period from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights movement. Teacher briefing sheets and student handouts are included - in fact, nearly everything required for an engaging and purposeful learning experience is there! This site is an online companion to a Smithsonian National Museum of American History exhibit. If you can't take your students to Washington, take them to the computer lab or project this site in class, and spend some time with this outstanding resource.
Baseball and Jackie Robinson Grade 6 to 12
This Library of Congress collection has information on Jackie Robinson and lots more. As always, the images are the star of the show, and there are pictures of early teams, documentation on Robinson's entry into the big leagues, and much more. Well worth a visit.
History of Jim Crow Grade 6 to 12
This is the companion site to a PBS program of the same name. It offers an introduction to the Jim Crow laws that effectively institutionalized segregation throughout the South. There are also numerous images of African American life in the South during the early 1900s.This looks like a promising resource, especially as a backgrounder for the study of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
An Analysis of Jim Crow Laws and their Effects on Race Relations Grade 1 to 2
Through language arts activities and discussion, young students learn about Jim Crow laws and the devastating impact of discrimination on society and individuals.
Guide t African American Documentary Resources Grade 6 to 12
Cornell University's database of web resources on African Americans offers 70+ web sites on African American themes. Browse - (searching seems problematic) to find resources of interest. We hope this site will get further additions and refinements soon.
Web sites, WebQuests, and lessons (scroll down)
Mission US: No Turning Back. This mission will immerse your students in the 1960s civil rights movement as they experience it through the eyes of a fictional teen in Mississippi.
The Greensboro Sit-Ins – Here Are Teaching & Learning Resources
VIDEO DOCUMENTARY: “FANNIE LOU HAMER: STAND UP” on youtube 28 minutes
Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle Click Here to Visit Website Reflect on the Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement provides free access to documentary films highlighting some of the most dramatic events in recent American history. NEH has introduced a website making four outstanding NEH–supported documentaries about the civil rights movement . Together, these nationally acclaimed documentaries trace the story of the civil rights movement from its early period in the 1820s to the United States Supreme Court decision in 1967 overturning laws barring interracial marriage. The website provides not only selected film clips suitable for use in schools and other venues, but also extensive resources for community film screenings and public discussions reflecting on the civil rights movement in American history. An extensive section offers teachers opportunities to use the site to meet the Common Core State Standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. The site provides a collection of background essays by distinguished civil rights scholars, along with lesson plans, including speeches, images and letters to stimulate and guide classroom discussions.
New Guide to the Great Migration! Find pictures from Library of Congress
Resources Sharing The History Of Teens Organizing For Justice.
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Legacy Project is an impressive website this week, including lesson plans.
Power of Popular Music in the Struggle for Civil Rights Participants of the civil rights movement recognized the power of song and performance and used this form of cultural communication in their quest for equal justice under law. The popular music of the early 1960s offers a unique and engaging entry point into the politics surrounding equal rights in mid-twentieth century America. Through collaborative activities and presentations in a lesson from the National Endowment for the Humanities, students will find the meaning behind this music and compare and contrast the major figures, documents, and events of the day to better understand the political and cultural messages.
Music of the Civil Rights Movement The New York Times Learning Network has a lesson that models what this might look like in your classroom.
Ava DuVernay Unveils Site Which Will Develop Lessons To Accompany Her Films
Voices Of The Civil Rights Movement describes itself: Voices of the Civil Rights Movement, a multimedia collaboration of Comcast NBCUniversal and the Equal Justice Initiative, honors the legacy and impact of the men and women who championed racial equality in the United States….Today, Voices of the Civil Rights Movement presents more than 16 hours of gripping firsthand accounts, historical moments and stories submitted by the public.
Sites To Learn About The Greensboro Sit-Ins.
10 Resources for Teaching the Legacy of MLK
Little Rock 9 – Here Are Related Teaching & Learning Resources
Resources For Learning About The Birmingham Church Bombing,
Why “There Is No Better Superhero – Fictional or Not” Than John Lewis
Civil Rights Virtual Learning Journey transports students to a critical period of time in our history. The site is loaded with comprehensive content including 14 videos, primary source images and documents, compelling photo galleries, interactive maps, artwork, music, and more. The collection invites students into an engaging exploration of some of the most significant events of the Civil Rights Movement.
Best Resources For Learning About Ruby Bridges.
History: Freedom Riders Freedom Riders tried to use 'whites-only' restrooms and lunch counters at bus stations in Alabama, South Carolina and other Southern states. The groups were confronted by arresting police officers – as well as horrific violence from white protestors – along their routes, but also drew international attention to their cause." Visit History.com for a video of historian Yohuro Williams describing the Freedom Rides and the Supreme Court decision that inspired them.
Music of the Civil Rights Movement The New York Times Learning Network has a lesson that models what this might look like in your classroom.
Resources Sharing The History Of Teens Organizing For Justice
Mississippi Department of Archives and History: Freedom Rides Revisited
"How Far Would You Go?" is an interactive lesson that takes you step-by-step on a virtual Freedom Ride. "Your goal is to integrate the stations and terminals throughout the South, although you know you will face major resistance ahead." For example, after being attacked by an angry mob in the Rock Hill Greyhound station, will you continue the journey, or take the next bus home?
PBS: Freedom Riders Coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the bus rides, the PBS film Freedom Riders premiers on May 16, 2011. The film tells the "inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever." Visit for short bios of the "Players" which include the Freedom Riders, civic rights leaders, and key government figures and a timeline of important events. "Explore the Issues" explains Jim Crow laws, discusses the role of the Cold War, and why this particular nonviolent dissent was so effective.
Smithsonian: The Freedom Riders, Then and Now A photographic look at the Freedom Riders fifty years later. Visit for the five-minute video "Riding to Freedom" (embedded in the story just after the opening paragraph) and the photo gallery of then and now shots of the Freedom Riders. Eric Etheridge tracked the riders down, and created a tribute to them in a book titled "Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders.
SNCC Digital: Nashville Students and SNCC Pick Up Freedom Rides The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) began in 1960 when student leaders from all over the South got together to dedicate themselves to racial justice. This digital archive tells the story of their participation in the Freedom Rides. In addition to the main article, be sure to explore the primary sources displayed in the right-hand column. "Over three hundred student activists were jailed mostly in Mississippi, but the one of the major effects of the Freedom Rides was to inspire and shape the consciousness of young people, which led to a great expansion of SNCC's work.
John W. Mosley was a photo journalist in Philly from the 1930s - 1960s. He worked for the black newspapers and chronicled the lives of black Americans during very turbulent decades. His collection lives online at Temple University. These are some WONDERFUL images that show alternate sides of Dr. Martin Luther King as well as ordinary black Americans going about their daily lives.
Behind the Civil Rights Act
This annotated, interactive look at the language of the Civil Rights Act can help your students understand the current implications of this historic legislation.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) provides free access to documentary films highlighting some of the most dramatic events in recent American history. NEH has introduced a website making four outstanding NEH–supported documentaries about the civil rights movement available for use in communities and schools across the nation. Together, these nationally acclaimed documentaries trace the story of the civil rights movement from its early period in the 1820s to the United States Supreme Court decision in 1967 overturning laws barring interracial marriage. The website provides not only selected film clips suitable for use in schools and other venues, but also extensive resources for community film screenings and public discussions reflecting on the civil rights movement in American histor y. An extensive section offers teachers opportunities to use the site to meet the Common Core State Standards in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. The site provides a collection of background essays by distinguished civil rights scholars, along with lesson plans, including speeches, images and lettersto stimulate and guide classroom discussions. The resources are made available from the archives of The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and EDSITEment, NEH’s K–12 educational website.
Click Here to Visit Website
The Sounds of Change explores this question by telling the stories behind classic soul songs recorded at Stax records in Memphis during the civil rights movement. Learn more.
Freedom Riders : video 2 hrs A courageous band of civil rights activists called Freedom Riders who in 1961 challenged segregation in the American South.
Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle brings four outstanding films on the long civil rights movement to communities across the United States. As part of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)’s Bridging Cultures initiative, Created Equal will encourage communities across the country to revisit the history of civil rights in America and to reflect on the ideals of freedom and equality that have helped bridge deep racial and cultural divides in our civic life.
Civil Rights Historical Investigations, developed by Facing History and Ourselves, includes three units that require students to “do” history—to gather evidence from primary documents, use that evidence to make claims about the past and then apply what they learn to their lives today. In the first unit, students learn about the murder and trial of Emmett Till. This material asks students to consider the historical context that contributed to the growth of the civil rights movement in the 1950s. In the second unit, students explore voter discrimination in the South and the philosophy of nonviolence that guided civil rights activists’ responses to this injustice, culminating in the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965. The third unit exposes students to the civil rights movement in the North by focusing on the struggle over school desegregation in Boston in the 1960s and early 1970s. A journey through all units allows students to trace the development of the civil rights movement from the 1950s to the 1970s. Click Here to Download Free History Investigations
Teaching Unit on Emmett Till, Racial Justice, and Civic ParticipationWhat can we learn from the murder of Emmett Till as we work to achieve racial justice in America today? Teachers can use this newly released teaching unit from Facing History & Ourselves to tackle this important essential question with their students.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Includes background and references dealing with the man, the civil rights movement, and the holiday
Struggle in the Fields video documentary of the Grape Boycott and the rise of the Chicano Rights Movement - La Raza
Timeline of the Civil Rights Movement
Information on the events of the Civil Rights movement
Voices of Civil Rights Grade 8 to 12
Use this site as an on-line classroom resource for an in-depth study of the civil right movement in America. Essays, interviews, and special reports provide historical and contemporary perspectives. The Stories section of the site, which contains an array of personal stories from America's civil rights past, is especially riveting. An interactive, illustrated timeline details America's struggle with civil rights issues from 1868 to the present, and the Photo Gallery provides striking images, complete with captions. Use the interactive quiz to test for prior knowledge or as a review.
Unseen.Unforgotten Grade 8 to 12
This stunning collection of never-before-published images from the Civil Rights era puts a very human face on a painful chapter in American history. The photographs, recently discovered in a storage closet at the Birmingham News, are organized by theme and year and include detailed captions, but you must provide the background information. Topics include school segregation, voting rights, and Freedom Riders.
March on Washington Lesson Grade 6 to 12
The fortieth anniversary of the civil rights march on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream..." speech offers a fresh context in which to re-visit the civil rights and integration struggles of the 1960s. This lesson, from the web site for the PBS Newshour, offers both a set of structuring questions about integration and racism and a set of resources that documents Dr. King and the struggle for equal rights in America. While not a complete presentation, this lesson would be a good starting point for a middle school history or social studies class.
First published in 1958, Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story was created by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR).The comic book, which helped to inspire the American civil rights movement in the 1960s, features full-color panels depicting the Montgomery Bus Boycott and ends with a section on “how the Montgomery Method works,” outlining essential techniques of nonviolence. The original comic book may be downloaded, free of charge, from Stanford University’s website.
Click Here to Download Free Comic Book
Plus: An accompanying Teachers/Parents Guide is available for free downloading from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s website.
Click Here to Download Free Guide
Return to the Dawn of the Civil Rights Movement Hallmark Channel and Walden Media have partnered with Cable in the Classroom to create a customized school curriculum revolving around the civil rights movement, featuring Hallmark Channel’soriginal movie The Watsons Go to Birmingham. The film chronicles the experiences of an African American family traveling from Flint, Michigan, to racially charged Birmingham, Alabama, in the summer of 1963. An accompanying Teacher Guide, set to launch this fall, will offer parents and educators a turnkey lesson plan, streaming video resources and archivalphotographs designed for students in grades 4–12 that give fresh context to the dawn of the civil rights movement. The Teacher Guide will be offered free of charge on a dedicated Hallmark Channel micros ite and the Walden Media website. Click Here to Visit Website | Click Here to Meet the Watsons
Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute Grade 8 to 12
This is the site for the foundation created by Rosa Parks to assist children in learning about the civil rights struggle. The site also includes biographical information on Rosa Parks and her achievements.
Resources For Teaching About Rosa Parks & The Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Justice Demands an End to Segregation, But it Does Not End Grade 7 to 8 - Yale University- 1645
This unit centers on the civil rights movement of the nineteen sixties and uses this as the foundation for understanding Constitutional rights and the history of legal cases that clarified rights as we know them today.
Black History Month Grade 4 to 8
This highly interactive site provides a kid-friendly overview of Black history, the fight for Civil Rights, and those Americans who have made a major impact on the African American dream. Students can listen to audio clips from pivotal speeches in African American history, participate in an interactive quiz on the fight for equal rights, and explore an interactive timeline.
Powerful Days in Black and White Grade 9 to 12
This site brings the many faces and struggles of the Civil Rights Movement into focus with riveting images by photographer Charles Moore. These moving scenes of riots, segregation, and triumph will make an unforgettable impact on your students. Use to generate reactions and open discussion in a 20th century American history clas
Citizen King Grade 8 to 12
This companion site to a PBS special focuses on the last five years of Dr. Martin Luther King's life, from his "I Have a Dream" Speech in 1963 to his assassination in 1968. Highlights include a discussion of his non-violence philosophy, video perspectives, an interactive map of civil rights hot spots throughout the United States, and a teacher's guide. Great resource or a 20th century American history class
Brown v. Board of Education Grade 9 to 12
The University of Michigan chronicles the landmark Supreme Court case in this on-line archive. Historical events related to this case are documented through articles and images from 1896 (Plessy v. Ferguson) to the present. Main areas of interest on the site include Supreme Court cases, school integration efforts, and recent re-segregation trends in American schools. Use as a springboard for a discussion on Civil Rights or the American Justice System.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - lesson ideas Grade 6 to 9
Here's an excellent site for any teacher looking for a variety of activities related to the civil rights movement. English teacher Gretchen Lee has posted 3 sets of project activities for this touching story by Christopher Paul Curtis that portrays the life of an African American family in 1963. The projects can be teacher directed or for individual student use, and span from terrific pre-reading research activities to post reading activities that direct students to create material central to the theme of the story. We are sorry not to see the relevant print outs mentioned in the Post Reading activities are not accessible to the general web browsing teacher
The Best Resources For Learning & Teaching About Malcolm X.
Malcolm X Project Grade 9 to 12
Explore the life and legacy of Malcolm X with this thought-provoking site that presents archival video footage from 1961 through 1965, dozens of video interviews with his contemporaries, an illustrated time line, and transcripts of FBI files. The result is a very personal, very authentic portrait of the civil rights leader - created for the purpose of illuminating new research that will be used in a forthcoming biography of Malcolm X.
Seattle's tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. Grade 6 to 12
This site's Electronic Classroom has a very useful study guide for teachers and students, interactive quiz, comments from other students around the country and links. Other parts of the site details city streets named in his honor, the Sonics and their audio comments about Martin Luther King, Jr.
America's Justice System - for Kids and Youth Grade 3 to 12
This appealing and interactive site provides a clear overview of America's justice system along with information about Cyberethics; the role of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Civil Rights and the law; the functions of the FBI; and what actually happens inside of a courtroom. Follow Teachers and Parents link to find a collection of resources and lesson plans that correspond to the site topics.
Separate is Not Equal Grade 4 to 12
The 50th anniversary of the historic Brown vs. the Board of Education decision is commemorated in this site that traces the history of segregation, the battle for education, and the events leading to the Supreme Court decision. Visit the teacher's guide (click on Resources) to find downloadable unit and lesson plans (aligned to national standards) which address the time period from Reconstruction to the Civil Rights movement. Teacher briefing sheets and student handouts are included - in fact, nearly everything required for an engaging and purposeful learning experience is there! This site is an online companion to a Smithsonian National Museum of American History exhibit. If you can't take your students to Washington, take them to the computer lab or project this site in class, and spend some time with this outstanding resource.
Baseball and Jackie Robinson Grade 6 to 12
This Library of Congress collection has information on Jackie Robinson and lots more. As always, the images are the star of the show, and there are pictures of early teams, documentation on Robinson's entry into the big leagues, and much more. Well worth a visit.
History of Jim Crow Grade 6 to 12
This is the companion site to a PBS program of the same name. It offers an introduction to the Jim Crow laws that effectively institutionalized segregation throughout the South. There are also numerous images of African American life in the South during the early 1900s.This looks like a promising resource, especially as a backgrounder for the study of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
An Analysis of Jim Crow Laws and their Effects on Race Relations Grade 1 to 2
Through language arts activities and discussion, young students learn about Jim Crow laws and the devastating impact of discrimination on society and individuals.
Guide t African American Documentary Resources Grade 6 to 12
Cornell University's database of web resources on African Americans offers 70+ web sites on African American themes. Browse - (searching seems problematic) to find resources of interest. We hope this site will get further additions and refinements soon.
Cold War Era
Cold War Era
Web sites and near the bottom of the page are lessons and activities
Vietnam
Web sites and lessons
Teaching the Vietnam War Grades: 6-13+ This collection of videos and lesson plans can help students explore the social and political dynamics of the Vietnam War. Students will examine why, how, and by whom the Vietnam War was fought, how it affected U.S. citizens at home, and how factors shifted over the course of the war. Explore Resources
HistorySimulation.com has interactive simulations and engaging PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations. The American Civil War, European Imperialism, WWI, WWII and The Cold War. In these simulations, students are assigned roles as world leaders and given objectives that mirror the national interests of those countries
Vietnam Project
Presents the Vietnam War from a very personal, human perspective, consider using this on-line archive. The site also provides a collection of historical photographs and tips for conducting Oral History interviews
Lessons from the Vietnam War The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the nonprofit organization that founded and preserves the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall, has released new curriculum materials that are available to teachers to teach Vietnam in their classroom. The Echoes From The Wall curriculum set explores the Vietnam War and era through 14 lesson plans that include background readings, in-class and extension activities tied to national learning standards, and lecture presentations incorporating primary source audio and video. The lesson plans cover a range of topics, from Motivations for US Involvement to the Legacy of the War in Vietnam. Educators can review and download individual lesson plans or the full curriculum from the VVMF website.
Click Here to Access Free Lesson Plans
Berlin Wall Grades 6 to 12
A fascinating presentation with plenty of primary sources on the origins of the wall from both western and Soviet perspectives. The Shockwave version may be slow and choppy, depending on your system. Choosing the HTML version results in less waiting and clearer presentation.
Teach Vietnam - The Learning Experience Grades 6 to 12
Created by the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund, the full title of this site is "Echoes From The Wall: History, Learning and Leadership through the Lens of The Vietnam War Era." The approaches the Vietnam War era with a focus on history, leadership, citizenship, and civic responsibility. The site has good primary source research materials and an interactive timeline, as well as a detailed teacher's guide with teaching modules.
Web sites and near the bottom of the page are lessons and activities
Vietnam
Web sites and lessons
Teaching the Vietnam War Grades: 6-13+ This collection of videos and lesson plans can help students explore the social and political dynamics of the Vietnam War. Students will examine why, how, and by whom the Vietnam War was fought, how it affected U.S. citizens at home, and how factors shifted over the course of the war. Explore Resources
HistorySimulation.com has interactive simulations and engaging PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations. The American Civil War, European Imperialism, WWI, WWII and The Cold War. In these simulations, students are assigned roles as world leaders and given objectives that mirror the national interests of those countries
Vietnam Project
Presents the Vietnam War from a very personal, human perspective, consider using this on-line archive. The site also provides a collection of historical photographs and tips for conducting Oral History interviews
Lessons from the Vietnam War The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF), the nonprofit organization that founded and preserves the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall, has released new curriculum materials that are available to teachers to teach Vietnam in their classroom. The Echoes From The Wall curriculum set explores the Vietnam War and era through 14 lesson plans that include background readings, in-class and extension activities tied to national learning standards, and lecture presentations incorporating primary source audio and video. The lesson plans cover a range of topics, from Motivations for US Involvement to the Legacy of the War in Vietnam. Educators can review and download individual lesson plans or the full curriculum from the VVMF website.
Click Here to Access Free Lesson Plans
Berlin Wall Grades 6 to 12
A fascinating presentation with plenty of primary sources on the origins of the wall from both western and Soviet perspectives. The Shockwave version may be slow and choppy, depending on your system. Choosing the HTML version results in less waiting and clearer presentation.
Teach Vietnam - The Learning Experience Grades 6 to 12
Created by the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund, the full title of this site is "Echoes From The Wall: History, Learning and Leadership through the Lens of The Vietnam War Era." The approaches the Vietnam War era with a focus on history, leadership, citizenship, and civic responsibility. The site has good primary source research materials and an interactive timeline, as well as a detailed teacher's guide with teaching modules.
Post Cold War Era
Lessons and Activities
Includes activities from the New York Times Education resources.
Life on Minimum Wage is for students to recognize how difficult it is to save money when your only job(s) pay minimum wage without benefits. To win (prize not determined yet) at Life on Minimum Wage the students have to reach five financial goals that they select. To earn money the students have to complete the tasks of their assigned jobs. The students then have to pay required bills before using money for their selected financial goals. As the game progresses students will be issued "surprise" cards which require them to spend money on things like speeding tickets, trips to a health clinic, and increases in rent.
Cuban Missile Crisis Interactive puts your kids in the role of President Kennedy, having to decide among several options for responding to the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Includes activities from the New York Times Education resources.
Life on Minimum Wage is for students to recognize how difficult it is to save money when your only job(s) pay minimum wage without benefits. To win (prize not determined yet) at Life on Minimum Wage the students have to reach five financial goals that they select. To earn money the students have to complete the tasks of their assigned jobs. The students then have to pay required bills before using money for their selected financial goals. As the game progresses students will be issued "surprise" cards which require them to spend money on things like speeding tickets, trips to a health clinic, and increases in rent.
Cuban Missile Crisis Interactive puts your kids in the role of President Kennedy, having to decide among several options for responding to the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba.
Women's Studies
Internet Women's History Sourcebook
This website explores women throughout history to modern feminism.
Iron Jawed Angels Full length feature movie The story of the women's suffrage movement in America during the period 1912- 1920 moves along crisply, and the acting is of high caliber. This is not your grandmother's civil rights history; it is contemporary, relevant and occasionally funny. These are powerful, intelligent women who launch a quixotic campaign
International Women's Suffrage
Discover what countries around the world have employed equal rights to men and women.
Williamstown Communications has produced an 18-minute video about the women's Suffrage movement and a teacher's discussion guide. http://www.willtown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Womens-Suffrage-Teaching-Aid.pdf
Digital Public Library of America and World Digital Library Massive list of primary sources searchable by keyword and visual map. Be sure to not miss the Black Women’s Suffrage Digital Collection.
19 Ways to Teach the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment is from The NY Times Learning Network.
Fight for the Right:100 Years of Women Voting is an interactive from The California Museum.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1775-1940
This website holds hundreds of primary documents that are organized to support and answer key historical questions, such as "Why Did Some Men Support the Women's Rights movement in the 1850s?
Women's Suffrage March Video
Suffragist remembers 1913 march around White House Audio interview
The Associated Press has a good interactive. Click on “milestones.”
Women Work For A Better America
A timeline of women’s right to vote – interactive comes from The Guardian.
Anti-Suffragette postcards is from History Extra.
100 Years Ago, The 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade is a photo gallery form The Atlantic.
Scholastic has lots of resources
Winning the vote for women is from the Smithsonian.
The Fight for Women’s Suffrage Videos is from The History Channel.
Check out this video and find lyrics and more info here
Genesis Find sources for women’s history with the Genesis dataset and extensive list of web resources.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1830-1930
A series of editorial questions dealing with women's history supported by the inclusion of primary source material
National Women's History Project
A site which provides links, promotional materials, and informational services dealing with women's history
American Women Home Page
Collection of material about researching and finding material within the Library of Congress' holdings dealing with American women's history.
Women Studies/Women's Resources Issues and Resource Sites
An annotated listing of Web sites
Celebrating Women's History
A collection of activities.
This website explores women throughout history to modern feminism.
Iron Jawed Angels Full length feature movie The story of the women's suffrage movement in America during the period 1912- 1920 moves along crisply, and the acting is of high caliber. This is not your grandmother's civil rights history; it is contemporary, relevant and occasionally funny. These are powerful, intelligent women who launch a quixotic campaign
International Women's Suffrage
Discover what countries around the world have employed equal rights to men and women.
Williamstown Communications has produced an 18-minute video about the women's Suffrage movement and a teacher's discussion guide. http://www.willtown.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Womens-Suffrage-Teaching-Aid.pdf
Digital Public Library of America and World Digital Library Massive list of primary sources searchable by keyword and visual map. Be sure to not miss the Black Women’s Suffrage Digital Collection.
19 Ways to Teach the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment is from The NY Times Learning Network.
Fight for the Right:100 Years of Women Voting is an interactive from The California Museum.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1775-1940
This website holds hundreds of primary documents that are organized to support and answer key historical questions, such as "Why Did Some Men Support the Women's Rights movement in the 1850s?
Women's Suffrage March Video
Suffragist remembers 1913 march around White House Audio interview
The Associated Press has a good interactive. Click on “milestones.”
Women Work For A Better America
A timeline of women’s right to vote – interactive comes from The Guardian.
Anti-Suffragette postcards is from History Extra.
100 Years Ago, The 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade is a photo gallery form The Atlantic.
Scholastic has lots of resources
Winning the vote for women is from the Smithsonian.
The Fight for Women’s Suffrage Videos is from The History Channel.
Check out this video and find lyrics and more info here
Genesis Find sources for women’s history with the Genesis dataset and extensive list of web resources.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1830-1930
A series of editorial questions dealing with women's history supported by the inclusion of primary source material
National Women's History Project
A site which provides links, promotional materials, and informational services dealing with women's history
American Women Home Page
Collection of material about researching and finding material within the Library of Congress' holdings dealing with American women's history.
Women Studies/Women's Resources Issues and Resource Sites
An annotated listing of Web sites
Celebrating Women's History
A collection of activities.
Women's Rights Grades 6 to 12
UC Berkeley's site on women's rights offers an interesting collection of resources. There's a time line showing women's accomplishments from the mid-eighteenth century onward, a collection of interviews transcribed from on-campus appearances by women in leadership roles, and an activities and introduction section which offers ideas and options for further study. Teachers will probably want to excerpt selected portions for their use, but students doing research on women's history will find lots of good things here.
UC Berkeley's site on women's rights offers an interesting collection of resources. There's a time line showing women's accomplishments from the mid-eighteenth century onward, a collection of interviews transcribed from on-campus appearances by women in leadership roles, and an activities and introduction section which offers ideas and options for further study. Teachers will probably want to excerpt selected portions for their use, but students doing research on women's history will find lots of good things here.
Virtual Field Trips