1421 american-history results | sort by:
return to subject listing
National Museum of American History - Jazz - Smithonian Institution
Grades
2 to 12
tag(s): africa (147), african american (111), harlem (9), jazz (16)
In the Classroom
Use the audio on this site to supplement a lecture or class discussion about the Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz era. Click Education from the left menu then use the next menu on the left to allow students to explore an area of interest. Enhance learning by having students use Flip, reviewed here, to share what they learned and comment on their peers' contributions.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow - PBS
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1900s (72), africa (147), african american (111), civil rights (203), segregation (18)
In the Classroom
True to its claim, this is an educator's site; it contains lesson plans, simulations, narratives, and picture galleries and more. The site may be useful for both American History and American Literature classes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
The Day After Pearl Harbor
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): pearl harbor (14), world war 2 (160)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a way to discuss how life may have been for families on the home front and how they were affected by more than rationing. Some of the letters are touching, so be aware if you have quite a few sensitive girls in your class when to stop. But the letters show a different side of the war than normally discussed in class. Teachers can also have students use this as a writing prompt - have students write a letter from the perspective of a soldier on different fronts. Letters can be used to detail the different experiences of soldiers or even how varying locations were subject to more or less warfare. A touching side to war - who would have thought?!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
CensusScope
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): census (13), demographics (13), population (51)
In the Classroom
Share these visuals on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students investigate one area of this data and contribute to a class wiki. Not comfortable with wikis? Have no wiki worries - check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Eleanor Roosevelt - National Park Service
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
If looking for a way to introduce Eleanor Roosevelt, try the slideshow of scenes from her life on this site! Eleanor Roosevelt is an interesting character in history as the slides show, and this could be used during a unit on her husband or during Women's history month. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard in order to show your students a brief slideshow representing who she was.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Atomic Archive
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): atomic bomb (8), energy (131), world war 2 (160)
In the Classroom
Save this site in your favorites on your class computers and use it as a point of reference for students working on research projects or papers. The information is reliable and plentiful, spanning all issues of atomic energy - from the Manhattan Project to Nuclear Facilities, this site has it all. It is a little advanced, but science and history teachers in the upper levels of high school will appreciate the resources this site has to offer.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Council on Foreign Relations
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): terrorism (41)
In the Classroom
Open this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector during a unit on modern politics. This link specifically focuses on Terrorism, but there is abundant information on other subjects that can be accessed by simply clicking on the other subject headings. Select an article and share it with the class. Once students have read the article, begin a class discussion based on their reaction and opinions. Teachers could also assign students articles, and have them report their findings to the class the next day as a news report.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Japanese Americans at Manzanar - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): japan (57), japanese (47), world war 2 (160)
In the Classroom
Teachers will need to supply the context for these images, but they are an important historical resource.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
George Washington - A National Treasure
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): washington (28)
In the Classroom
There is a very complete teachers' section with more than a dozen lesson plans. (How about Washington's Rules of Civility for a starter?) and teachers can order an education kit based on the exhibit. Lots of possibilities at many grade levels for this one.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Declaring Independence - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): american revolution (82), declaration of independence (15), evolution (89)
In the Classroom
Open this site on the interactive whiteboard or projector and go through the "exhibits" offered with students. Allow students to peruse it on their own in cooperative learning groups. This would be a great review activity, as students may only grasp the importance of the primary documents once they have learned the greater context. To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online infographic to share using Visme.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Twain's Hanibal - Library of Congress
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): mark twain (8)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans on this site! Be sure to save it as a favorite on your desktop to allow for easy retrieval.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
AMDOCS - Univ. of Kansas
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): american revolution (82), history day (39)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the hundreds of available primary sources on this site. History teachers can use these documents for a variety of activities, from supplementing the text to using them to teach students how to analyze the validity of sources. The documents are organized by date, and can benefit both World History classes in addition to American History.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
September 11, 2001 - New York Times
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
Try using it with students as a springboard for writing or other creative expression.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Mark Twain in his Times - University of Virginia
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): biographies (94), mark twain (8)
In the Classroom
Good site for lesson ideas, or for independent use by students. Bookmark this site for biographical information about Mark Twain for student projects and papers. Check out the links to his writings as well, available as complete texts on the internet.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Wrapped in Pride - Kente Cloth - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): africa (147), african american (111), cross cultural understanding (172), holidays (187), kwanzaa (11)
In the Classroom
Use this activity Kente Cloth Lesson Plan for Kids in your own classroom during a unit on African culture. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector to guide the classroom on how and when to wear Kente cloth. Students can do this with their own cloth, just so long as they are still grasping the significance of the real thing. This would be a fun activity during a class period that's devoted to presentations & the like.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Japanese Americans and the Constitution - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): constitution (93), japan (57), japanese (47), world war 2 (160)
In the Classroom
This site is a great way to address the topics of racism and the Japanese internment in your classroom. Teachers can either save this and use it as a learning center or have the students do it together on classroom computers. Don't teach this topic without looking at this site first!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Emergence of Advertising in America - Duke University & Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): advertising (26), industrialization (12), news (229), newspapers (92)
In the Classroom
Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector during a unit on the Industrial Revolution. The site shows the growth of the economy and its impact on the private sector in a way students most likely have not thought about. Separate students into cooperative learning groups and have them create advertisements for the many inventions and technologies that were developed during the time period. Use the site for inspiration!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
History Matters - George Mason University
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): history day (39), states (124)
In the Classroom
This site offers a treasure trove of primary sources that would be useful for any history classroom. Teachers can either use the sources to supplement their lectures, or can use them to start a debate with students on the qualities of effective primary sources. Separate students into groups, and provide each group with a different primary source, although from the same time frame you are studying in class. Have the groups analyze the sources, and a list of reasons as to why or why not their source is a reliable source. From then on, have the groups debate in class which is the most reliable by way of class debate. Not only will the kids synthesize the important information within the sources, but they will also get a handle as to what makes a source reliable.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Inventors of the Industrial Revolution - TeachersFirst
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): evolution (89), industrial revolution (22), inventors and inventions (80)
In the Classroom
See the lesson ideas page for ways to use this on your interactive whiteboard or with students working on their own. There are several ideas for projects and competitions to engage, challenge, and assess. You will definitely want to share this link on your teacher web page as a review tool, as well.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Inventing Entertainment - the Edison Recordings - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): inventors and inventions (80)
In the Classroom
Download some of the sounds and recordings from the database, and use them as part of a learning center during a unit on Inventions & Inventors. Have students listen to the recordings (make sure to include headphones) on classroom computers, writing a short reflection afterwards about what they heard and what their impression was. Students could also compare and contrast the quality of the recordings, noting the vast differences in technology between then and now. This would be a very interesting resource for a US history classroom!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Close comment form