808 government-civics-us results | sort by:
return to subject listingInvasion of Normandy - Naval History and Heritage Command
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): d day (11), navy (8), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Be sure to help your weaker readers and ENL/ESL students by sharing the vocabulary words prior to reading, either in a handout or by using Read Ahead, reviewed here, and projecting the reading on an interactive whiteboard. The text portions are challenging, so you should pair weaker readers with a partner as they research on this site. Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Have them share their findings with a simple infographic using Venngage, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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What Was D-Day? Teachers' Sources - Imperial War Museums
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): d day (11), veterans (29), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a World War II unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Extend learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a soldier, commander, or loved one during the D-Day invasion. Modify learning by challenging students create timelines (it can include text, images and collaboration) using Sutori, reviewed here. Make your D-Day lessons interdisciplinary by using the search bar to find Science and Technology lessons and share with science teachers at your site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National D-Day Memorial - National D-Day Memorial Foundation
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): d day (11), veterans (29), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Feature this site during a single lesson on D-Day or as part of any World War II unit. Enhance student learning by challenging students to make a multimedia presentation about what they learned using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here. A few of our favorites would be to create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Image Annotator, reviewed here. Alternatively, use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of local landforms (with audio stories and pictures included)! Or, extend learning and have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a soldier, leader, or politician involved with D-Day events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Best and Worst Places to Grow Up: How Your Area Compares - New York Times
Grades
10 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): demographics (13)
In the Classroom
Share this interactive on students' devices for them to discuss in small groups. Share on a projector/interactive whiteboard for whole class discussion of the factors that might lead to these results. Why do poor children have greater income mobility than richer children in some areas? What about gender? What might be misleading about these statistics? Take a broad look at the country to talk about what cultural factors may be different in different areas. For a good exercise in digital citizenship and critical thinking, ask students to find out where the data came from and to write three questions that might dig into the "why" behind these stats. Ask them what else they would like to know after seeing this map -- and how it might influence their own decisions and future plans (if at all). In a government/civics class, the discussion naturally will move to how this information might influence elections and candidates' strategies in one county vs another. This same interactive is also important for teachers as professionals. Know your community and what happens to the children you teach. You may want to share it with administrators for some staff conversations about the impact of your school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Black History Month Resources - PBS
Grades
K to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (200), cultures (145), martin luther king (45), racism (79), video (262)
In the Classroom
Explore this site for many different lessons and resources to use during Black History Month and with lessons on racism and bias throughout the year. Use lessons found here to differentiate for students of different levels. Be sure to check out the Discrimination - fair or unfair? lesson plan that is designed specifically for students who have difficulty with verbal and written expression.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Preparing For The Oath - Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): immigration (68)
In the Classroom
Share this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on US history or citizenship. Take advantage of the video lessons on this site to teach and review topics pertaining to the United States. Be sure to share with your school's ESL/ELL teacher as an informative resource for students and parents.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Betty H. Carter Women Veterans Historical Project - University of North Carolina Greensboro
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): afghanistan (8), iraq (27), memorial day (12), middle east (43), oral history (14), primary sources (119), terrorism (42), veterans (29), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Use this archive for rich, authentic primary source material on the lives of women in the military. Consider having students, individually or in groups, choose a veteran and present her story to classmates. Replace paper reports and enhance learning by using a tool like Slides, reviewed here. Supplement classroom materials associated with a wartime era with the photographs, posters, and diaries provided here. Use these stories as part of a special focus for Veterans Day, Memorial Day, or Women's History Month. The archive would also be a particularly rich resource for students considering National History Day Projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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George Washington's Mount Vernon - Virtual Tour - Mount Vernon
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1700s (36), presidents (133), virginia (14), virtual field trips (96)
In the Classroom
Ideal for use on an interactive whiteboard or for students to access individually, this virtual tour has many features. You can explore the buildings, zoom in on items in the buildings, access stories and discussions that highlight features of the property and the daily lives of those who lived at Mount Vernon. Enhance learning by having students share their impressions of and questions about Mount Vernon and more with video, using a tool like Flip, reviewed here. Flip provides a means for video responses to a question along with comments from peers. There are additional links to lesson plans and other student resources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wide Angle Window Into Global History - PBS
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (167), cultures (145), maps (207)
In the Classroom
These resources and videos are extremely flexible for classroom use. Use the film clips for current events, and to also highlight events from the past. Use a video segment to get students thinking about past incidents, solutions, and whether today's environment has changed from that of the past. View a variety of clips from one theme and discuss events in the clip or use a writing assignment to provide time to process the events. Discuss in what ways these clips are similar and other societal, economic, and political factors that affected them. Use any of these videos to find any current events that are still dealing with the same issue today. Be sure to brainstorm how different people, in other areas of the world, would view these issues. Research these issues using resources from other areas of the world to see editorials and news clippings that are not American. Note: Use the country code after your search term or use this news search. Were there other people interviewed about any of these issues? Who are they and what did they say? Consider creating videos showcasing a variety of viewpoints using Typito, reviewed here. Besides the viewpoint of each video, what would be a common question that all videos within the theme have in common? How does the bubble of our American culture hamper our understanding of other people both here in the U.S. and abroad? Research the history and culture of the various areas to identify factors responsible for the themes portrayed by this resource.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zoom In! - Education Development Center
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): american revolution (82), civil war (136), constitution (89), immigrants (34), immigration (68), lincoln (65), slavery (78), vietnam (38), westward expansion (39), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free lesson plans for use in teaching social studies aligned to Common Core Standards. Even if you cannot use whole lessons, browse through to find resources to add to your current lessons. Create classes and assign different lessons to different groups of students based on ability and interest. After completing a unit, have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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The Roosevelts - PBS
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1900s (73), presidents (133), roosevelt (15)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans offered to supplement your current lessons based on the Roosevelt family. Have groups of students complete different Snapshot Lessons then share with the class. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Multimedia Edge tools, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a member of the Roosevelt family.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Digital Declaration of Independence - David McClure
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): american revolution (82), declaration of independence (15), franklin (12), jefferson (19)
In the Classroom
Challenge students to find other paintings depicting famous events in United States (or another country). Have cooperative learning groups create a multimedia presentation about the paintings. Create fictitious blog entries from one character in a painting to another character within another painting at another famous event. What would John F. Kennedy write to Benjamin Franklin? Assign students different roles, i.e. founding fathers, and have them use the biographies on this site to allow them to research what their role was and what their beliefs were for a debate as to whether or not to sign the Declaration of Independence.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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edX - Anant Agarwal
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): aeronautics (10), architecture (65), artificial intelligence (145), china (62), circuits (21), civil rights (200), computers (109), electricity (62), engineering (126), environment (246), evolution (88), folktales (34), greeks (32), magnetism (37), medicine (56), nutrition (137), poetry (191), psychology (67), religions (85), shakespeare (95), solar energy (34), speech (68), statistics (120), terrorism (42)
In the Classroom
Share with students on your interactive whiteboard and take the demo course together. This is perfect for use with gifted and advanced students as an option for college level courses and enrichment. Allow gifted students to enroll in courses that interest them or that provide enrichment beyond classroom content. Share with others, in your building, as a resource for professional development. Explore the topics yourself for some new, engaging topics to round out your own expertise. Allow students to enroll in a course that would fit into their career goals as an exploratory opportunity in that field.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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From Wood Cabin to White House: An Abe Lincoln Timeline - National Park Service
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): elections (82), lincoln (65), presidents (133)
In the Classroom
Have students brainstorm ideas to create a book about Lincoln's life. Use and online bulletin board like Dotstorming, reviewed here. With Dotstorming students are allowed to vote and make comments. Then challenge younger students create an online book of images and captions about Lincoln's life using Book Creator, reviewed here,. For older students - challenge cooperative learning groups (or partners) to create a similar story about another president using pictures, themes, and other prompts generated by the site My Storybook, reviewed here. To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try Vecteezy, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Branches of Power - Annenberg Classroom
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): bill of rights (28), branches of government (63), constitution (89), game based learning (181), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
Use the Annenberg Classroom Civics Games to introduce Constitution-related topics to your class using an interactive whiteboard or projector. View videos together and pause as needed to discuss information. Challenge students to try the interactive activities on individual computers or at home. Enhance learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Americans described in the games. Modify classroom technology use and enhance learning by having students create interactive timelines (with photos, text, and more) using Sutori, reviewed here, to trace the path of a bill or the writing of the Constitution.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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JFK Assassination Timeline - Washington Post
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): kennedy (20), presidents (133)
In the Classroom
This site is ideal for an interactive whiteboard or projector. Open the site and view together as a class during a study of the presidents or elections. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast presidential security for JFK to today's president. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here. Have them create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook from the perspective of John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, or a Secret Service agent documenting the day's events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ducksters - Technological Solutions, Inc. (TSI)
Grades
2 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): addition (127), african american (110), american revolution (82), animal homes (57), animals (288), artists (82), biographies (95), china (62), civil rights (200), civil war (136), cold war (30), continents (32), countries (73), data (147), division (97), egypt (49), elements (34), energy (132), environment (246), explorers (66), fractions (157), friction (9), geometric shapes (135), greece (28), habitats (87), human body (94), inventors and inventions (77), keyboarding (28), mean (19), median (16), mode (13), multiplication (121), planets (112), presidents (133), puzzles (142), recycling (45), renaissance (38), rome (23), solar system (109), sound (73), sports (81), subtraction (108), sun (71), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
This site is a perfect addition for use with a biography unit. Explore and share information categorized by topics such as Civil Rights, the Cold War, Ancient Greece, and WWII. Extend student learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president, famous scientist, or nearly any other real or fictitious person. Be sure to create a link to the site on your class webpage or newsletter for students to explore at home. Create a link on classroom computers for students to use the interactives during center time.Comments
Very safe and reliable. Everyone else is my school thinks ducksters is stupid but I love ducksters.Ry, CA, Grades: 6 - 12
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Retronaut via Mashable - Timescape
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (73), 20th century (62), advertising (26), cultures (145), images (260), maps (207), medicine (56), politics (114), transportation (31)
In the Classroom
Share Retronaut via Mashable with students to explore images from a given time or relating to any historic topic to get an interesting perspective not typically seen in textbooks. Create capsules using images to share for any classroom project or allow students to create their own in conjunction with classroom presentations. Use Wellcome Images, reviewed here, with over 100,000 historical images if you do not find what you want on Retronaut. Galleries are not moderated, so check before sharing on your interactive whiteboard or projector. You can always use the URL of the topic you wish to share on a new tab of your web browser.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Create Your Visited States Map - Jeremy Nixon
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): maps (207), north america (14), states (122)
In the Classroom
Creating this would make an interesting map to create as a class project when learning about the 50 states. Go through the states list on your interactive whiteboard and create your class map to print or share as a digital image on your class website. Do a map as a class to see which states MOST students have visited. If you feel students may be embarrassed at their lack of travel, this may be better done on individual computers or on a personal response form given to you to input privately. For a whole class activity, divide your class into groups to create separate maps. Compare and contrast states visited. Send home a link to the website for students to create a map with their families. For older students, use the map for content and reassign colors as needed. For example, create a map showing the birthplace of U.S. Presidents: assign red to states without a president, yellow with one president, and green with two or more. This same format could be used in nearly any subject while studying differences in states (democrat or republican, most popular agriculture product, how many - if any - NFL teams, teen pregnancy rate, and much more).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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100 Years of Parcels, Packages, and Packets, Oh My! - Smithsonian National Postal Museum
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): transportation (31)
In the Classroom
The ability to mail packages across the country is an important factor in the growth of the US and has contributed to an ever-more-mobile society. Incorporate some of the historic images here into a discussion of changes in transportation and communication over the 20th and early 21st centuries. Ask students to brainstorm the items in their own bedrooms that might have arrived via Parcel Post. How would their lives be different without package delivery? Why is it important for the US Government to be involved in package delivery? Have students share their findings and thoughts by creating online posters individually or together as a class. Use a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here) or PicLits (reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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