This website offers a one-stop destination to all of your Olympic information. There are links across the top to learn about the athletes, sports, countries, and even a media player offering video clips and more. At the time of this review the media player had over 1,000 videos and nearly 10,000 photographs! This is an excellent site for research about the Olympics (both summer and winter). There is also a link to go back and learn about the past 46 Olympic games. Although there are no "student" or "classroom" links, this site truly has something for everyone: maps and geography, science behind the sports, research about events and countries, athete information, and more.
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The China Guide offers a fantastic panoramic video of the Great Wall of China. Throughout the panoramic video, viewers can choose to enter various areas of the structure and "walk" to other areas and towers along the wall. Snippets of history and other explanations are provided while taking the tour. The site provides a realistic opportunity for students to view the Great Wall of China in a manner other than pictures. Many of the photos appear in pop-up windows, so you need to turn off your pop up blocker for THIS site only.

Be aware: this site was created by a travel agency, so you will encounter some advertisements for booking trips. This site does require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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Art and world history come alive through this dazzling collection of the Yale University Art Gallery. The collections span time and continents: African art, American painting, sculpture and decorative arts, ancient art, art of the ancient Americans, Asian art, coins and medals, and early European, modern, and contemporary art. Each collection is easily viewed in a slide show format with detailed descriptions, which combine art and history. The “What is Art?” section of the website encourages students and teachers to explore the meaning of art through gallery tour podcasts produced by Yale students. The website includes resources for K12 educators with three language arts/social studies lesson plans and art detective games for students. The podcasts require Flash for viewing. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page..
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This official Olympic site supplies historical and current information about Olympic activities and venues. Centered mostly on the 2008 Olympics (August 08-24), it also offers general information about past Olympics. Students may play interactive Olympic games (click on Fun Page at the left).
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An admirable effort by a California school district to honor Japanese Americans who were discriminated against and sent to internment camps during World War II, this site contains a wealth of information for those doing research on this difficult chapter of American history. Although this site would be most useful for either teachers or students doing in-depth research on the topic, there are some more generally helpful gems here. Along with the wonderful interviews with people who were directly affected by discrimination, there are video clips and photographs that would be helpful in illustrating this time to students.
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A companion to an independent film focusing on the conditions facing workers who make blue jeans for the Western market, this site provides information about "sweatshops" in China and other developing countries. There is specific information about the sources for several well-known jeans manufacturers, and stories of the young workers in these factories and their brutal working conditions.

The site would be useful in an economics class during a discussion of the emerging global economy. In addition, it would be a good supplement to a discussion of China in general, or as part of a comparison with 19th century sweatshop labor in the United States and the development of the labor union movement. There are also links to other web-based sources on human rights, China, and the global economy.
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See annotated details of ancient and more recent weavings from many cultures using the interactive "exhibits" of the museum. See work from Egypt, Kashmir, Persia, and many more. Decode some of the iconography in Asian carpets. Some exhibits are text-heavy, while others offer many plates and details for your art students to study and use as references. World cultures classes will be able to envision ancient times by looking at the beautiful images on this site.
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The CIA's Factbook is pretty dry reading, but this site does provide some of the history of Korea, including the post-World War II division into North and South. There are other facts about culture, government, and economy, but North Korea remains one of the world's least-known and least-understood nations. Could be a useful reference for discussion of current events or a research source for projects on countries.
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This impressive and extensive multimedia site explores the history and culture of China and Japan, and provides a wealth of teaching materials and resources. Each featured topic is accompanied by a related lesson plan and an annotated list of supporting online sources. Browse by subject or by time period.
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Discover the culture of ancient China with this outstanding, interactive site that explores its artisans, geography, tombs, writings, and more. Each section of the site provides historical information, a story, an in-depth exploration, and a challenge. The challenge activities promote higher level thinking and are ideal for independent practice and review.
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The art and artifacts produced by travelers along this storied trade route are examined in this beautifully designed site. Five distinct themes focus on the lives and experiences of these ancient people: the invention of printing; languages and scripts; Buddhas and bodhisattvas; games; and astronomy. The student-friendly text and prolific images of manuscripts, artwork, maps, and charts make this a very approachable resource for in-class research.
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This dynamic and captivating site explores the history, art, architecture, religion, and warfare of India’s Mughal Empire. Visitors to the site will find themselves in a large virtual office filled with a variety of objects (including a globe, a filing cabinet, well-stocked book shelves, and a model of the Taj Mahal) that beg to be investigated. By clicking on each item, students can enter multimedia learning environments that address many facets of one of the most grand and productive periods in India's history. Outstanding features of the site include an interactive coin cabinet, a virtual slide projector, and a helpful glossary. Interested students could easily spend hours browsing through the many nooks and crannies of this engaging sight, so be sure to give some definitive guidance to focus the experience. Also, visit the Staff Room to browse through lesson plans, worksheets, and set-up advice.
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Although this site is still very much a work in progress, it contains some riveting resources that would be valuable for use in a 20th century American History class. The "Teachers’ Web" is not yet up and running, but the oral history interviews, available as audio files, are wonderfully revealing primary sources. If you are interesting in presenting 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 - an unforgettable learning experience for your students!
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Created by a photographer, this site offers an interactive tour of one section of China’s Great Wall. The opening image montage leads to a series of 360-degree views taken at various points along the wall. There’s no other text or information, but the images are great.
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The American Museum of Natural History offers this elegant, Flash-based examination of Vietnamese culture and life. The content includes both a story line and a look at how a culture that is thousands of years old has adapted to the new millennium. This one would be a great addition to a secondary world cultures class. This site requires Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
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While it deals specifically with the Korean War, this American Radioworks site’s interviews (both sound and transcripts) are an interesting window into the broader aspects of American and international life during the period immediately after World War II. Of these secondary themes, the information on the evolution of race relations in the United States in the 1950s is particularly interesting.
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American History teachers should turn their visual learners loose on this one. Based largely on collections of color still photos taken during World War II, the site – a companion to the PBS show of the same name – examines the progress of the war in Europe, in the Pacific, and on the home front. The narrative is secondary to the photos and provides only a synopsis of some events, but visually, this is powerful stuff.
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Those studying the Indian subcontinent may be interested in the home page of India’s constitutional government. It includes schedule and proceedings information for both houses of parliament, as well as links and other facts and information about government in India.
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Would-be explorers chained to their computers will find this British chronicle of mountain-climbing in Nepal a great escape. The photo collections are available thematically, and they include some interesting categories dealing with the culture of the Himalayas. Of course, there are the obligatory homages to the climbers, especially Hilary. Many of these images aren’t available elsewhere.
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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.
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