Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Be inspired to love American History! Development citizenship and awareness by using this ten-part curriculum of short stories, speeches, and songs. The curriculum consists of three categories. The Meaning of America explores the American character and identity through the "close reading" of classical short stories such as "To Build a Fire" and "Man Without a Country." The American Calendar examines the purpose of the American holiday, proposing the celebrations help to unite us and attach us to our country. Songs for Free Men and Women scrutinizes national songs for meaning and how they emotionally attach us to our nation. All of this curriculum is inquiry based. It also offers suggested discussion questions, study guides, author biographies, and video discussions to model how higher-level-thinking conversations about each text should sound. What So Proudly We Hail uses primary texts, has rigor, is inquiry based, and has many essay topics and writing prompts aligned to the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies. A few of the blog entries include helpful information about the Common Core standards.
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tag(s): democracy (24), guided reading (33), holidays (187), literacy (121), literature (221)

Problem-Attic is a resource for finding and compiling the best questions from NY Regents, State Assessments, Academic Competitions, and more for classroom or individual use. Select, arrange, and format questions as desired. Select questions by browsing topics or exams. Add items as desired to your document with the link provided. Drag and drop selections into any order such as easy to hard, all multiple choice items together, etc. Choose a template for how questions should look. Choose other options such as allowing room for students to show work and printing an answer key. Preview your document until it is complete then print in PDF format. Create lesson plans, too.

tag(s): assessment (147), Teacher Utilities (198), test prep (69)

Discover the music of the Civil War as a real musician. This collection of sheet music links, Army guidebooks, and more are intended for re-enactor musicians who plan to "go to school" to become field musicians. See the importance of music as a communication tool before, during, and after a battle. You can even try your own hand at playing a drum cadence. Many of the files are Acrobat scans of original music. These are not "beginner" pieces, but a musician with moderate experience could play at least some of them. Clicking on the link to Other Resources and Links can lead you to some musical re-enactor videos on YouTube. See listings under Civil War Field Music/Fife and Drum Corps. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): civil war (139)

U.S. History Images is a large site of Public Domain images beginning with Native Americans up to the Civil War. Choose from categories offered to locate images within the different choices. For specific searches, use the search bar or site map to locate content. Be sure to view the Terms of Use for understanding of proper use of images.
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tag(s): 1800s (75), american revolution (82), civil war (139), colonial america (95), colonization (21), emancipation proclamation (13), images (263), industrial revolution (22), industrialization (12), lincoln (66), native americans (109), pioneers (9), states (124), transportation (31), washington (28)

With Congress (and its low approval ratings) in the headlines, you might wonder if it were always like it is today. This site offers a historical look at the US House of Representatives from its first session in 1789 to the present. Who has served? Who have the leaders been? What does the House do? How has that changed over time? The site is absolutely packed: historical documents, photographs, oral histories, information about policies and procedures, and biographies. There are also important artifacts highlighted on this site: paintings, sculpture, and the trappings of US political power, as well as insight into the personalities of those who have served in the House. There are lesson plans, time lines, a glossary, and printable fact sheets. The videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): branches of government (65), congress (40), house of representatives (8)

This American Presidents website contains lesson plans for teaching about each of the US presidents from Barack Obama (with a note that Donald Trump is coming soon) all the way through George Washington. The site uses the informational text about each president to teach, reinforce, and review English language concepts. This resource is directly geared toward ENL/ELL students. However, all users will benefit from materials provided. Choose any president to view a short biography. There are also language lessons such as fill in the blank and writing activities. Choose from links at the top of the page to print the lesson in PDF format, hear the article read in mp3 format, and view additional activities such as flash cards and word jumbles. There is some advertising, but this site is worth a look as a resource for activities and lessons about US presidents.
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tag(s): jefferson (19), kennedy (20), lincoln (66), presidents (135), reading comprehension (149), washington (28)

The Civil War is a site full of original Civil War resources. Content includes photographs, newspaper articles, documents, and eye-witness accounts. View all of Harper's Weekly newspapers throughout the Civil War period. Find them using links for each year from 1861-1865. Search the site using your own search terms. You can also explore options under categories such as Confederate or Union Generals, Civil War Medicine, or Lincoln Assassination.
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tag(s): civil war (139), emancipation proclamation (13), gettysburg (15), gettysburg address (12), lincoln (66), slavery (79)

Experience images of the Civil War musicians accompanied by authentic fife and drum music of the times. As the caption explains, "Fifers drummers and buglers provided the beat to everyday life of the soldier." The creator of this video is a self-described Taps Historian and Bugler. If your district blocks YouTube, then this may not be viewable.

tag(s): civil war (139), video (266)

Showcase the history of the American Flag through images and stories at Rare Flags. Visit the galleries of American and Civil War flags. Search the collection using the search bar. Click on the flag image to view a description of the image with an approximate date, location, and information about construction. Don't miss the Timeline. Although it isn't interactive, it does provide a wealth of information.

tag(s): american flag (7), flags (18)

Civil War 150 is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. The site includes online exhibits, videos, educational resources, and blog posts. Choose from any topics to explore links that include images, photographs, and short essays.

tag(s): 1800s (75), civil war (139), lincoln (66)

The 360Cities panoramas are a new way to showcase places, businesses, and events from around the world. Looking for a new virtual field trip? 360Cities will have your students spinning in circles with excitement. The pictures are out of this world! View 360 degree panoramic pictures from Mars or under the sea. Travel to snowy mountain tops and many more of the Internet's largest collection of uploaded panoramic images. 360Cities panoramic aerial shots are also available as well as navigable views of cities, natural landscapes, and more. The most popular panoramic pictures are listed for your convenience. This website has panoramic views of all Seven Wonders of the World, which include the Colosseum in Rome, The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, The Taj Mahal in India, Machu Picchu in Peru, Christ Redeemer in Rio, and Chichen Itza in Mexico. Are you looking for a site to showcase your own panoramic shots or do you want to learn how to take panoramic shots? 360Cities "how to" section offers tools to create and upload your own panoramic pictures. View the existing pictures for free or use an email address to create a free account to upload your own panoramic pictures. Paid upgrades are available. 360Cities also has an app for iOS devices. View the 360Cities blog linked on the site for more information.
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tag(s): images (263), landforms (39), landmarks (22), virtual field trips (129)

Discover American History lessons correlated to Common Core reading and social studies literacy standards, especially those that require close reading and evidence. The goal of these lessons is to use primary resources, background information, and the analytical strategies suggested to meet the Common Core standards. In addition to these outstanding American History lessons, also find free online seminars and secondary sources. The secondary sources, under TeacherServe, include essays on topics in American literature and history.

tag(s): abolition (7), american revolution (82), civil war (139), colonial america (95), colonization (21), democracy (24), native americans (109), primary sources (117), religions (95), slavery (79), women (151)

The Civil War Interactive Poster uses historical images and primary source documents as an entry point for conversation about this period in American History. Click on any of the four quadrants to view items up close. Click on any asterisk within a quadrant for links to further images, related learning, and teaching resources. Each asterisk also contains a question to begin thoughtful conversations about the images.

tag(s): civil war (139), emancipation proclamation (13), gettysburg (15), history day (39), lincoln (66), slavery (79)

Mark Twain in His Times is a large archive of materials focusing on Mark Twain and how his works were created. Read about specific books. You can also navigate your way through the various other topics: Mark Twain on stage, marketing Mark Twain, or search using one of five different search tools. Choose one of the books to learn background on the book's roots, sources used, and other contextual information. View book agents kits used in marketing Mark Twain books, publisher's scrapbooks, and other images from this time period. Learn how books were bought and sold during Mark Twain's time (very different from today's e-readers!). Play the Mark Twain's memory builder game, designed by him to help people keep historical facts straight.

tag(s): literature (221), mark twain (8)

Discover interactive and animated representations of historic events and time periods. Choose from American, European, Latin American, or African history. Within each of these choices is a list of modules. Each module provides information and interactive content such as timelines or maps that guide you through the specified time frame. The slideMapHub, at the bottom of the map allows you to move in time.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), africa (148), alaska (21), american revolution (82), central america (20), civil war (139), cold war (30), colonial america (95), colonization (21), explorers (64), great depression (30), greece (47), greeks (46), hawaii (9), industrialization (12), italy (30), maps (220), native americans (109), romans (52), slavery (79), south america (49), spain (13), war of 1812 (15), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

Search America's historic newspapers from 1836-1922. Use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information located within American newspapers published between 1690-present. The front page contains images and links to newspaper topics for the current date 100 years ago. Click on links to view more from each paper, such as additional pages or other issues. Use the search bar to narrow newspaper searches by date, state, and keywords. View content in PDF or text format, or clip image to print or download to your computer. If you get stuck on the site, click the "Ask a Librarian" button for advice and help.

tag(s): 1800s (75), 1900s (72), journalism (74), news (228), newspapers (93), primary sources (117)

Join John and Hank Green on the you Tube channel, Crash Course. Crash Course consists of highly engaging video presentations that explain the basics on many topics: about 10-15 minutes in length, humorous, and engaging! The general topic areas include World History, Literature, and US History. At the time of this review, biology topics include: the carbon cycle, water cycle, molecules, nutrition, animal and plant cells, photosynthesis, heredity, DNA, mitosis, meiosis, natural selection, evolution, genetics, taxonomy, evolution, simple animals, complex animals, animal behavior, various systems of the body, bacteria, protists, and even more. In literature, five videos cover subjects from Romeo and Juliet to The Great Gatsby. There are over forty world history topics: Agricultural revolution, Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, The Persians and Greeks, Buddha and Ashoka, Chinese History, Alexander the Great, The Roman Empire, Christianity from Judaism to Constantine, Fall of the Roman Empire, Islam the Quran, and the Five Pillars, Venice and Ottoman Empire, Russia, Columbus, The Spanish Empire, The French Revolution, Haitian Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Capitalism, Socialism, Imperialism, and many more. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. Tip: to watch or share a video without the ads and clutter, use a tool such as ViewPure, reviewed here, to watch the video ad-free!
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tag(s): animals (294), bacteria (22), bill of rights (33), body systems (40), chinese (45), constitution (96), declaration of independence (16), evolution (89), genetics (80), greeks (46), literature (221), meiosis (8), mitosis (9), nutrition (140), religions (95), rome (37), romeo and juliet (3), russia (36), shakespeare (99), water cycle (22)

The Literacy Design Collaborative supports the development of literacy through a series of templates for use with text when writing. There are also templates for other subjects. Most templates address secondary levels; however, other offerings contain some elementary templates. Template tasks allow you to fill in the blank with learning skills addressed. When completed, you create and produce a high-quality assignment. Three collections are available by choosing the tasks link: the template task collection II, Common Core template tasks, and K-2 template tasks. Use links provided to view instructions and download templates in PDF format. Choose the modules link to view and download complete modules for instruction for English, Science, and Social Studies. Also available at the Literacy Design Collaborative is a series of videos demonstrating changing teacher practice and literacy. Most of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): american revolution (82), animals (294), biodiversity (36), canada (24), careers (156), china (81), civil rights (209), cold war (30), ecosystems (83), energy (133), evolution (89), gettysburg (15), gettysburg address (12), india (32), industrial revolution (22), lincoln (66), literacy (121), marine biology (31), photosynthesis (21), poetry (193), pollution (53), professional development (385), shakespeare (99)

Use this tool to search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today. Most of these photographs were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google. The original photographs were hard copies that have been scanned by Google. These images can be used for personal or research purposes (though at this time, images contain a Time Warner stamp that seems to limit its fair use.) Images are organized by decade and category but can be searched by name, date, subject, location, and even by photographer. View different channels of history: news, celebrity, travel, animals, and sports. The archive can be accessed through this website, or by simply adding the phrase "source: life" to any Google image search.

tag(s): black history (133), images (263), local history (14), photography (131), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)