Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Annenberg Classroom Civics Games offer a small but excellent selection of games about the Constitution and related topics. Topics include Death Penalty, Citizenship, Discrimination, Immigration, Freedom of the Press, Free Speech, Guns, and many others. You can try to be the leader of the Legislative Branch. Choose three main issues and the most productive way to succeed in your cause. Most activities begin with a short video followed by questions. Most activities also include a glossary of terms used.

tag(s): bill of rights (33), branches of government (65), constitution (96), game based learning (205), supreme court (27)

The Washington Post offers an interesting timeline detailing events of the day of JFK's assassination as well as the effect on how the Secret Service protects the president. Scroll through the page to view the story from the president's arrival through the time Oswald flees the scene. Along the way listen to short audio clips from a former director of the Secret Service with how each event impacts changes to the security of the president.
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tag(s): kennedy (20), presidents (135)

Ducksters is a safe, extensive, educational portal for kids. Find a wide choice of content such as interactives, sports, movies, and music. Begin by choosing a category to explore choices. The study category includes extensive information such as world history, many biographies, science explanations, and information on all continents and many countries. Interactive subjects include math times tables, checkers, and guess the country. There is a TON here to explore.
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tag(s): addition (129), african american (115), american revolution (82), animal homes (57), animals (294), artists (84), biographies (94), china (81), civil rights (209), civil war (139), cold war (30), continents (33), countries (73), data (151), division (98), egypt (56), elements (33), energy (133), environment (252), explorers (64), fractions (160), friction (9), geometric shapes (134), greece (47), habitats (92), human body (93), inventors and inventions (80), keyboarding (28), mean (19), median (16), mode (13), multiplication (122), planets (113), presidents (135), puzzles (149), recycling (45), renaissance (38), rome (37), solar system (110), sound (72), sports (82), subtraction (110), sun (71), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

Retronaut is an archive of historical photos, though not your typical photos. These images are sometimes quirky, and generally unexpected. Many have explanations about the period. View images of 1970's rock stars with their parents (Elton John, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton to name a few). See Selma's Children, What Parisian Fancy Ladies wore in 1906, history's first women aviators, and much more. Explore the site by Most Popular, Featured, or The Latest. Click on an image to view a "capsule" with other related images. Some of the images have links under them for attribution, and you can see and read even more about that topic. Under latest, this reviewer found topics that were just added five days before, so you may want to check back if you do not find what you're looking for. Warning: At the time of this review there were two topics that may be inappropriate for the classroom. Use the URL of the topic you wish to share in a new window or tab of your web browser.
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tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), advertising (26), cultures (180), images (263), maps (220), medicine (57), politics (118), transportation (30)

Where have you been? Create a color-coded map of the United States or Canada that highlights states that you have visited. Go through the list of states and choose a color for each state. There are four colors to choose from indicating your amount of time spent in that state. Just click on the state and then find your color. Or use the list of states found under the map. Choose an image width and pick the "Create" button to make your personalized image map. Save the map to your computer in png format. Please note: this is part of an individual's travel blog, and posts are not moderated for school use. Be sure to check out content links before sharing or student use. Or better yet, advise students NOT to click on any external links.

tag(s): maps (220), north america (15), states (124)

Click "Add to Cart," enter your credit card information, and a package arrives at your doorstep as soon as the next day. But it wasn't always that way. The Smithsonian Postal Museum provides a look at the history of package delivery in the United States, with an emphasis on the early 20th century. How did the US Postal Service deliver goods across long distances? Why did Congress authorize a government agency to deliver packages? And don't miss the section detailing some of the strangest packages ever mailed!

tag(s): transportation (30)

History on the Net contains a wide variety of resources for a broad range of history topics. Begin a search by exploring history topics or by searching resources such as online lessons or worksheets. Explore the Titanic, World War I, Vikings, Mayans, and so much more! Look through a large selection of reference materials: dictionaries, timelines, and more. History on the Net is a great starting point when looking for lessons and materials for teaching history across the ages!
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tag(s): african american (115), aztecs (9), battles (18), black history (133), britain (26), civil rights (209), cold war (30), egypt (56), elizabethan (13), greeks (46), mayans (23), myths and legends (37), native americans (108), olympics (45), romans (52), victorian (16), vikings (10), worksheets (69), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

Discover some of the world's best online courses with Springboard's search engine. Enter what you want to learn into the search bar. Explore the offerings provided or browse by subject, university, or providers. Narrow results down by starting date, teaching method, or credentials. Each entry includes a short description of the course, fees (many are free!), start dates, length of course, and skill level required. Many classes also include reviews from other Springboard's users. Click the "Enroll" link to go directly to the course or save to your wish list after creating a free account. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. Most do not require Flash. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): professional development (385), search engines (48)

Find thoughtful articles written to explain today's news, especially the stories that are most difficult to understand. The article topics vary widely and include offerings from sports, politics, pop culture, public policy, world affairs, food, business, health, and many other topics. Just as the news may include tough or adult topics, so may Vox. You might want to preview or direct less mature young people to a specific article instead of allowing them to browse the entire site.
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tag(s): news (228)

With the normalization of relations between the US and Cuba, it's helpful to understand the context of the often-troubled relationship between these two countries since the onset of the Cold War. This interactive timeline provides images, historical information and links for further explanation for the time period from 1959 through the present. It's also possible to share the timeline or to embed it into a website or blog.

tag(s): 20th century (62), cold war (30), communism (3)

2015 marked the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, one of the founding documents of modern democratic society. In recognition of this anniversary, this committee collected a number of resources for celebrating and understanding its significance to history. There is a timeline that highlights events prior to and following the signing of Magna Carta. Essays discuss Magna Carta's impact on modern democracy. A map places events in geographic contexts. And perhaps you're planning a trip to the UK for the celebrations? Find visitors' resources and a calendar of commemorative events. Check out the resources under Schools, including biographies of those involved (including a whole section on women) in the development of the document. There are lesson plans aligned with the UK's school system, and a quick Q&A overview of the importance of Magna Carta today. Don't miss the YouTube video explaining the work of Britain's Parliament in just over 60 seconds. If your district blocks YouTube, then this video (and others) may not be viewable.

tag(s): branches of government (65), democracy (24), great britain (16)

See photographs and captions of current daily news from around the world. In addition to showing professional pictures, you can contribute your own special photos. Each photo included a clickable caption. Click on the caption to view more photos and read simple explanations.
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tag(s): news (228), newspapers (93), photography (130)

Build your understanding of the U.S. economy through a creative, well-organized collection of short films (5-8 min) designed to explain 20 key concepts that any informed citizen needs to understand. Unlike many informational films, these are quite engaging. The collection is divided into five chapters on Economy, Money, The Role of Government, Globalization, and Inequality. All of us can better understand how our economy works from watching these films and exploring some of the follow-up discussion suggestions, even among adults. Teachers can obtain a link to free, downloadable lesson materials, activities, and extensions by filling out a form with their email address. (The email comes within a few minutes, but watch your SPAM filter. Requesting the link via a home email may be better to avoid school filtering!) The teacher materials include correlations to CCSS standards in ELA, Math, and Writing. The content of the films and lessons supports many major concepts of economics and government included in state and other standards. App versions are available for both iOS and Android.

tag(s): DAT device agnostic tool (147), financial literacy (93), money (113), supply and demand (5)

Indiana University's Center on Congress partners with the Library of Congress and its effort to promote teaching with primary sources to provide a rich set of resources, lesson plans, and activities related to the history, function, and actions of the US Congress. Activities are divided by theme, such as citizen participation, criticism of Congress, and the impact of Congress. Many activities include comics to keep your attention. There is a good overview of using primary sources in teaching. Lesson plans are tied to state standards. In addition to the lesson plans developed by the Center on Congress, there is also a bank of teacher-submitted lesson plans.

tag(s): branches of government (65), civil rights (209), comics and cartoons (55), congress (40), politics (118), primary sources (117), womens suffrage (52)

Find news and resources for grades 7-12 at PBS Newshour Classroom. Search the site by Subject Area, Videos, Arts and Media, Science, and more. Explore news articles written for students with the background and context needed to understand complex topics. The Daily Videos are ad-free and have related stories along the right side of the page. Read the current events news stories and follow the Extra X (formerly Twitter) feed. Don't miss the many free lesson plans including current events, American history, health, government, holidays, and more. Lesson plans are all aligned to the Common Core standards. Lesson plan topics vary from "Personal reflections on the poetry of Maya Angelou" to "Selma to Montgomery: An introduction to the 1965 marches" and countless others! Look for the Student Voices and Student Reporting Labs for those who would like to be published or to help a local PBS station produce the news.
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tag(s): civil rights (209), elections (82), holocaust (42), memorial day (11), news (228), pearl harbor (14), poetry (193), veterans (27), video (266), women (151), world war 2 (161)

The Annenberg Learner Foundation's goal is to advance excellent teaching in American schools. Annenberg Learner's multimedia resources help teachers increase their expertise in their fields and improve teaching methods in all grade levels in all subjects. There are video resources for all subject areas. Find lesson plans for all subjects by grade level. A variety of interactives accompany lessons or can also stand alone. Follow the monthly updates and blogs for the latest information.
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tag(s): art history (102), butterflies (13), conversions (37), critical thinking (127), dna (43), earth (184), environment (252), geometric shapes (134), immigrants (34), medieval (32), native americans (108), patterns (61), periodic table (44), renaissance (38), rocks (35), russia (36), south africa (13), spelling (98), statistics (121), volcanoes (55), weather (160)

Learn about the states of our nation through maps and charts exploring who we are and how we live. Maps explore financial situations through income, number of millionaires, and home ownership. Other maps display political and religious divisions by state, tax rates, and housing statistics. Some maps delineate topics more suited for adult readers. Click links in each map description to view articles with more in-depth information. Preview specific maps before you share, as some content may not be appropriate for your classroom.
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tag(s): demographics (13), financial literacy (93), maps (220), politics (118), religions (95)

The Newseum pulls together an enormous collection of primary sources about the women's suffrage movement, with rich resources for using these primary sources in an educational setting. There is an interactive timeline, a "media map" that plots primary sources on a US map for a visual representation of the geography of the movement, and nearly a dozen lesson plans (including videos) that feature the use of primary sources to broaden understanding. The site requires registration to use, but there is no cost.

tag(s): civil rights (209), women (151), womens suffrage (52)