Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

At first glance, this site may look a bit "plain vanilla," but dig a little deeper and you will find some real gems! The site (all about Martin Luther King, Jr.) offers research information and videos of several of King's famous speeches. There are also coloring pages for younger students. Find links to learn more about King, Rosa Parks, and the MLK Jr. Holiday. Be aware: this site does have numerous advertisements. At the time of this review, all advertisements were appropriate.

tag(s): african american (119), black history (135), civil rights (217), holidays (194), martin luther king (46)

This site offers information for those visiting the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. However, even if you can't physically go to the museum there are some create resources! If you click on the Teacher Resources, you will find several activity guides to use in your classroom. Learn more about the Gettysburg Address, First Ladies, Women's History Month, Black History Month, Christmas at the Whitehouse, and more! Most of the guides require Adobe Acrobat. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

tag(s): lincoln (67), presidents (136)

Those interested in the Civil War will enjoy this one. The simple timeline offers a comment about the events of the day drawn from Civil War history. From the menu on the right, find interesting topics like Civil War Facts, Trigger Events of the Civil War, The Reason for Secession, and others, with links to additional information.

tag(s): civil war (140), lincoln (67)

This site, created by The History Place offers a chronological listing of Civil War events (with pictures) and is easy to navigate. This site features topics such as Fort Sumter Attacked, Gettysburg, Shiloh, and several others. The timeline format is easy to understand. The photos are authentic and informative.

tag(s): civil war (140), lincoln (67)

Although this site is "plain vanilla," it offers some nice research information and photos of five "Lincoln" topics: Lincoln Becomes President, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Dred Scott Decision. Nearly all of this site is displayed in a timeline format. There are some basic advertisements at this site, nothing too distracting.

tag(s): emancipation proclamation (14), gettysburg (15), gettysburg address (12), lincoln (67)

This site provides information on the Civil War Confederate submarine "Hunley" and the efforts to find, raise, and restore the vessel. Used to attack Union ships blockading the Charleston, SC harbor, the Hunley successfully sank the USS Housatonic, then mysteriously disappeared. This site is worth a look for both its scientific and historical possibilities. This site requires QuickTime. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.

tag(s): civil war (140), lincoln (67)

Explore this extensive online collection of Lincoln information. This site has nearly everything you could want to learn about Lincoln. Some of the highlights include speeches, lectures, and ideas, "This Week in History" (Lincoln history, that is), and more. Be sure to check out the Education link at the top to find many classroom resources.

tag(s): lincoln (67)

Enjoy Nonsense as only Edward Lear, the mid-1800s artist and poet, mastered it. This site highlights his Book of Nonsense and many others of his nonsense limericks and poetry. Original covers of his books have been scanned and shown at this site. Your students will appreciate nonsense verse through this near-complete compilation of his works.

tag(s): literature (221), poetry (196)

This site offers information for touring regional Civil War historical sites, from Virginia through Pennsylvania. Lists events, reenactments, new openings, and self-guided tours. Also includes a timeline and links. This site is frequently updated.

tag(s): civil war (140), lincoln (67), pennsylvania (6), virginia (15)

Here's a site about Lincoln by and for elementary students. Easy for young ones to use, with just enough information to make it all interesting. This site is FULL of interactive educational activities to do as a class or for individual research: slavery, The American Civil War, log cabins, Word Searches, Crosswords and a Jigsaw Puzzle. There is a picture gallery and a 10 question quiz! If you are preparing for the 200th birthday of Lincoln, President's Day, or research on the 16th president - don't miss this site.

tag(s): lincoln (67)

This site, designed especially for middle school students, includes a HUGE amount of social studies topics. Although this site is recommended for middle school students, it is also appropriate for high school students studying the subject areas. It is mainly a "text" site, without interactives. However, this is a great resource for explaining complex topics, researching specific topics in social studies, and much more. Some of the general areas of the site include: Mesopotamia, North America, Ancient Africa, Ancient Egypt, Medieval Europe, Islamic Empire, Ancient China, Ancient Rome, and Ancient Greece. Each general area includes countless sub-topics. There is a search box available at the top of the page. There are also links to activities for students, project ideas, and Teacher's Guides. There are two caveats: there are some advertisements, nothing too distracting AND some of the suggested activities include "buying" a book from Amazon. You do NOT need to purchase anything to take advantage of this free resource!

tag(s): europe (84), greece (47), medieval (33), mesopotamia (32)

The Library of Congress offers this daily look at historical events - mostly American. There is typically more than one event listed per day, and the text integrates cultural, literary, and political trends into the daily reporting. The story links have real depth and are well written for easy comprehension. Pictures make the history come alive and support the information given. This makes this daily nugget far more than just a collection of "factoids."

tag(s): history day (39)

This site offers some basic research on MANY "Amazing" Americans. Click to learn more about "Amazing" Leaders & Statesmen, U.S. Presidents, Activists & Reformers, Adventurers & Explorers, Musicians & Composers, Writers & Artists, Industrialists & Entrepreneurs, Scientist & Inventors, or Athletes and Entertainers. Be prepared: when you click on one of the topics you may have a few people pop up OR more names than you can count! This is an excellent site for research, teaching students about American heroes, or using to enhance your social studies, science, or music curriculum. There are pictures and short articles of information. There are a few interactives that require Flash, however most of them don 't and the articles are well worth your time to investigate.

tag(s): composers (18), explorers (64), inventors and inventions (82), presidents (136), scientists (71)

The stories of America's past come alive in this fun and entertaining site that is filled with interactive activities, engaging glimpses of historical figures, music, animation, and more! Students can jump back in time to experience a historic era, explore America's favorite pastimes, or investigate some vintage music, cartoons, and films. Throughout the site, visitors are presented with interesting side trips, glimpses of historic documents and photographs, and interactive trivia questions. Some of the interactives require Flash, but there is a lot of information, audio, and images to learn from at this site that doesn't need it.

tag(s): animation (66), comics and cartoons (55), songs (46)

This simple site provides historical information about Anoka, Minnesota. Do you know what makes Anoka so interesting? It has the unique nickname of the "Halloween Capital of the World." Do you want to know why it is the capital? Visit the site and read all about the history, celebrations, and more. Suddenly a community's claim to fame can become a way to introduce your students to the process of tracing local history.

tag(s): halloween (33), minnesota (3)

This informative website presents the students with information on numerous "Pilgrim" topics. There are authentic pictures and a lot of information. Topics include "Who Were The Pilgrims," "Who Were The Wampanoag," "The Mayflower," "Building a Home," and more!

On the right side of the website, there is a list of other relevant topics (Thanksgiving, Growing Food, What to Wear, Playing and Learning, What's for Dinner, and several others).

tag(s): colonial america (95), pilgrims (12), thanksgiving (24)

This site allows you to create and customize online quizzes. Once registered, create quizzes using the shared templates or make your own from scratch. Current templates for educators include quizzes in several subjects, including geography, math, and language arts. This site also consists of an extensive database of ready-made questions to use. Customize your quizzes by adding images, changing backgrounds, and more. Use the preview feature to review your quiz before sharing. Share quizzes with a link, use the embed code to embed onto a website, print, or share with social media links.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): quiz (66)

This site, created by Maryland Public Television, offers the history of Frederick County, Maryland. There is also detailed information about transportation of the past and present, civil rights movements in Frederick County, primary sources and secondary sources, architecture, and more. There are lesson plans (with Maryland standards), printable pages, information to use if you choose to share any videos with your students (which is not necessary to use this site), links to learn about the Revolutionary times, War of 1812, The Underground Railroad and the Civil War, and much more.

There is a link for Web Links , these lead to other sites that provide research information. Some of the links include forums, so watch students carefully.

tag(s): civil rights (217), maryland (7), transportation (30)

This site takes students on a web hunt throughout Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Visit BWI airport, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, and several other famous landmarks. On the homepage, there are links for kids and teachers. The Kids link takes you directly to the web hunt. The Teachers Page includes ways to implement the lessons into your curriculum, resource links, project ideas, and more.

tag(s): maryland (7)

This informative and interactive website provides information about Maryland's role in the Underground Railroad. Some of the highlights include video clips about Harriet Tubman, lesson plans and class activities, printable pages, reference information, details about signs and symbols of the Underground Railroad, and MUCH more. If you are teaching about the Civil War and the Underground Railroad - this site is a must see. Another interesting activity is the "Make Your Own Secret Quilt Message." Be sure to check out the link Classroom Resources for some interesting ways to incorporate this site into your lessons. There is much to learn here, so don't let the occasional Flash resource bother you.

tag(s): 1800s (75), civil war (140), lincoln (67), maryland (7), slavery (79), underground railroad (15)