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Lewis and Clark National Bicentennial Exhibition - Missouri Historical Society
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): lewis and clark (14), louisiana (6), louisiana purchase (5)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and classroom activities hosted on this site! This would be a great resource for a US history site, regardless of the grade level. Save this site as a favorite on your classroom computer to allow for easy retrieval when necessary.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Drawing from Life - Smithsonian
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): comics and cartoons (55)
In the Classroom
Art and History teachers will love this online collection of comic drawings houses by the Smithsonian. In a class discussion of validity of sources select a few images that were created to reflect on society or satire it. (We recommend Hogarth's engravings if your class is mature enough) Share the images on the interactive whiteboard or projector with the class. Start a discussion as to what students think the meaning and purpose of the image is. Do a few as a class and have students complete the rest of the images on their own. Have students write up a few quick sentences on the remaining images. Teachers can either finish the activity there or have students share their answers later in a discussion.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Slates, Slide Rules, and Software: Teaching Math in America - Smithsonian
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station at the beginning of the year in an algebra class to get students thinking about the materials they use and how they can aid learning. This could be a fun accompaniment to syllabus-day or later on in the first week.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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America in Caricature: 1765 - 1865 - University of Indiana
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): comics and cartoons (55), politics (117)
In the Classroom
Select the images that correspond to the unit being covered in your classroom. Print out the caricatures, laminate and bring to class. Seperate students into groups and have them all work on at least one of the images obtained from the class. Have students analyze and dissect the images to gauge the meaning, purpose and intent. This is an activity that does require some substance of background knowledge, so do this more towards the end of a unit as review.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Presidency in Action - American Presidents - University of Virginia
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): presidents (135)
In the Classroom
This site has a variety of uses within a US government or history classroom. To begin with, teachers can use this site as a resource for research projects; a source for speeches and writings, as well as a learning center during a unit on a particular president or time period. A very useful and flexible source that can easily be worked into your curriculum!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Dream of Flight - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): air (102), aircraft (16), aviation (40), flight (34), wright brothers (16)
In the Classroom
Within the section entitled "the dream" is a collection of primary resources that reflect society's obsession with flight. Print out or download these images separately on the interactive whiteboard or projector. Once students are in groups, assign each student a resource - with each group analyzing and interpreting the meaning of the pieces of art. After each group has dissected their resource, have a classroom debate as to which is the most reflective of human desire to fly? Which is the most inspirational? Which was the most scientific? Not only will the debate explore each of the sources but it will depend on students background knowledge of the history of flight. Because of this, this activity is probably best served at the end of a unit when it can be used as an informal review.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Voices from the Days of Slavery - Library of Congress
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): africa (147), african american (110), civil war (138), oral history (13), slavery (78)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on the interactive whiteboard during a unit on slavery in the 19th century. Have students explore the site in cooperative learning groups, with the intentions of presenting a summary of the information they've seen. Students can present the information from a particularly perspective or as though they're reteaching it to their peers. Have the groups present with a podcast, using a site such as PodOmatic.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Gullah Net - South Carolina ETV
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): africa (147), african american (110), black history (130), georgia (3)
In the Classroom
Use the stories and materials on this site as a writing prompt. Open the site and introduce it on the interactive whiteboard or projector before allowing students to explore it individually. Allow students to listen to the stories in groups or individually on classroom computers. Once students have explored the Gullah Tales, have them create their own stories on the website. The stories students can create on the site have pre-determined story titles and themes, making them more appropriate for lower-level readers. However, if there are a lot of advanced students in your class, use a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. This allows them to be a little more creative and put more work into designing their books. An interesting site for English class!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cryptography - Historical Ciphers - Trinity College, Hartford
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): cryptography (5)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a quick lesson during a history or statistics class, in an attempt to teach students about how some ciphers were solved and how it affected history. Peruse a few of the ciphers as a class on the interactive whiteboard, as a challenge have students try to make or solve one on their own! Students can present their ciphers on the interactive whiteboard, and try to stump their peers!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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America on the Move - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): air (102), railroads (14), transportation (31)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and activities hosted on this site! Most detail specific ways to use the site itself in a lesson & would compliment a unit based on transportation and the effect of technologies such as railroads and the automobile.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lewis & Clark Lesson - National Park Service
Grades
5 to 8tag(s): lewis and clark (14), native americans (108)
In the Classroom
Teachers will need to spend some time customizing these lesson materials for their own circumstances.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), 1900s (72), aviation (40), flight (34), wright brothers (16)
In the Classroom
Share this site on an interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to a lesson on the Wright Brothers and their impact on flight. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Assign each group a "wing" or subsection to read and research with the intent being for them to present their findings to their peers. Enhance learning by having students create a multimedia presentation using PowerPoint Online, reviewed here. This site allows you to narrate a picture. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report that their classmates know virtually nothing about. To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try Pikwizard, reviewed here. This makes the most sense if the reports and presented chronologically so students can piece together the history of the Wright brothers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Railroad Pictures
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): railroads (14)
In the Classroom
Use the images from this site to supplement a lecture on transportation and the railroads. They are extremely detailed images and can be searched to find those that meet the time period being studied.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Electronic New Jersey
Grades
6 to 9tag(s): american revolution (82), civil war (138), evolution (89)
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Washington State Pioneer Life - University of Washington
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site to search for primary sources during a unit on the Gold Rush that brought so many people to the Alaskan frontier. Primary sources could be used to teach both the content and historical thinking skills in your classroom. Divide students into 5-6 groups, with each group assigned a different primary source to read and evaluate. (Sources should come from various perspectives to make the game more interesting) Have the groups present quick summaries of their source to the class, making sure to mention who the author is and whether or not there could be bias. After all have presented, have each team pick a representative to argue in front of the class as to why their source is the most reliable and valid. After all have made their argument, have the class vote off the least reliable "survivor style" until you are left with just one!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Changing the Face of Medicine - NIH
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans offered in this site! There is also a recommended book list which could be a great addition to a classroom reading list, or as a list students can choose from for a book report. This is an excellent site for any study of women in the workplace and the evolution of the medical field.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Churchill - PBS
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): churchill (8), middle east (49), world war 2 (160)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on WWII. Because there is a lot of information on this site, it would probably work best if students had a graphic organizer to guide them through. For help creating graphic organizers, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker, (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Historic Wings - Feature Stories
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): air (102), aircraft (16), aviation (40), explorers (65)
In the Classroom
Each of the individual web explorations could easily be used to introduce separate units within a history class. When applicable, select the exploration you would like students to work on and save it as a favorite on classroom computers. Have students go through the information and make a quick and small poster to show what they have learned. We recommend an online poster creator such as Padlet, reviewed here. The site offers information commonly left out of textbooks, but still relevant enough to apply to the Standards of Learning. They definitely make for interesting activators or introductions to units.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Blues - PBS
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): africa (147), african american (110), blues (22), harlem (9), jazz (16)
In the 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. Our only regret is that sites on this subject so rarely include sound files for the music they're describing. You and your students could explore the Blues music offered at Perfect Blues: 1920s, 30s and 40s Vintage Blues; Duke Ellington; Leadbelly, reviewed here. There are still the biographies and resources list available on this PBS site. Enhance student learning by having students select a blues musician to complete a brief biography on, using the list provided on this site as a starting point. There is plenty of information, and students with little inspiration are sure to find someone of interest here. Enhance learning by having students share what they learn using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, an easy to use free tool for creating infographics using pre-designed templates or by starting from scratch.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Perilous Fight - World War II in Color - PBS
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1900s (72), 1940s (14), world war 2 (160)
In the Classroom
Save this site on classroom computers and use it as a learning center or station. Some of the content does have sound, so make sure to include headphones for student use. This site does have a lot of information, and would perfectly be utilized during a unit on WWII or on the evolution of aircrafts in general. Tech-geeks will love this one!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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