Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This unit enhances awareness and appreciation of various cultures through a study of film. Writing is the main activity with a large emphasis on poetry.

tag(s): cultures (180), video (266)

This unit is designed to help elementary students learn to use the Internet for research, as well as broaden their understanding of history. In the first lesson, students gather and discuss personal artifacts to gain an understanding of what makes a "collection." During the second lesson, students use their local archives to discover how collections are organized, then try organizing some documents themselves. In the final lesson, students transition to a national topic and research the archives online. The gradual steps of the lesson help make it easier to search through the immense amount of material available online.

tag(s): local history (14)

This site will show the pervasive influence of World War II on children's literature.

tag(s): world war 2 (161)

Students will learn a little about Langston Hughes and the events of his time in the introductory Narrative of this lesson. The lesson explores Langston Hughes' poetry, setting it as a "vehicle by which students are exposed to the African-American experience in the United States of the 1920s through the 1960s."

tag(s): poetry (193)

Through the use of films, recorded books, and literary readings, this unit exposes students to the oral tradition of storytelling, provides facts about African American contributions to this tradition, and offers a comprehensive approach to understanding African American folklore.

tag(s): folktales (34)

Here's a treasure-trove of lessons, materials, ideas, units and resources. Lots and lots of great material here from sources as various as the academy Curriculum Exchange, Houghton Mifflin, Addison Wesley, AskERIC, Encarta and the Peace Corps. Print 'em out and turn 'em loose on the kids! This is definitely worth a browse!

tag(s): black history (133), oral history (13)

The Smithsonian presents a very complete look at the historical role of nuclear subs as peacekeepers.

tag(s): navy (8)

Visit the New Orleans-based museum all about World War II via the web site and its various interactive components. While some areas feature information about visiting the actual museum, there is a rich collection of information and multimedia experiences to make World War II history meaningful. Scroll down the page to From the Collection to the Classroom and sign up for a free account. Then, find lesson plans and multimedia resources for the classroom. Click WWII History button at the right to find many pages of information and a timeline. Don't miss many choices under Student Programs.
This site includes advertising.

tag(s): d day (11), veterans (27), world war 2 (161)

American History teachers everywhere will appreciate this site with its great coverage of all topics about American history. Although it's designed to be used with history day projects, it's a great general resource.

tag(s): history day (39)

This site provides video and written coverage of many Presidential Debates starting in 1960 and moving forward.

tag(s): debate (42), presidents (135)

This site is the homepage for teachers using the Library of Congress, the nation's largest library. Find primary source sets on various topics, professional development opportunities, thematic collections, and extensive materials and lesson plans for TPS (Teaching with Primary Sources) The teacher resources highlight nearly 10 million primary source resources available on line through this site.

tag(s): primary sources (117), Research (87)

This page offers a number of lesson ideas linked to the Mythweb site for Greek mythology studies. There are a number of suggestions on how to integrate the material into other classroom activities.

tag(s): greek (47), greeks (46)

The state's home page.

tag(s): states (124)

The state's home page.

tag(s): north carolina (4), states (124)

The state's home page.

tag(s): states (124), virginia (15)

The state's home page.

tag(s): mexico (37), states (124)

This is an extremely comprehensive site covering an assortment of African American historical and cultural topics. Developed by a charter school and housed at the University of Chicago, the site offers a thematic look at the social, political, and cultural history of African Americans in the US. This site is well-organized and comprehensive enough to be meaningful to any student.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115)

This site from the Library of Congress provides transcripts of oral history interviews conducted with former slaves in the 1930s as part of the WPA projects. The site includes more than a dozen interviews, along with commentaries on the material which help provide context and suggest areas for further study. Excellent primary resource for students trying to understand what slavery was really like.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115)

This is the web site for the 1998 PBS series of the same name. The information is closely tied to the series, which covers the history of Africans in America from its earliest settlements through the Civil War.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115)

The Library takes an overview of African American experiences over the past 300 years in American history. Emphasis is on selected primary sources and their relationship to overall black and American development.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115)