Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Discover book titles to use with elementary level Social Studies content. Choose from grade level bands and the topics of Civics, History, Geography, and Economics. Each link leads to a list of book titles including author, subject, and a brief description. Some titles also include a "more" link leading to a short article referring to use of the book. This site includes a great mix of genres. Don't miss the nonfiction/informative text, perfect for meeting your Common Core standards.

tag(s): book lists (167), branches of government (65), guided reading (33), independent reading (81), literature (221)

Toporopa provides educational and entertaining quizzes about Europe. The quizzes vary in focus but include Countries of Europe, Rivers of Europe, Ports of Europe, Monarchies of Europe, Volcanoes of Europe, and many others. The maps offer a variety of focus from political, geographic, historical, and even economical, making this tools useful in a variety of class/subjects. Most activities are in drag and drop or multiple choice format.
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tag(s): countries (73), europe (84), maps (220), rivers (16), volcanoes (55)

Learn about George Washington's early military career through this interactive that takes him on a mission to bring peace to the Ohio Valley. Along the way, stop to brainstorm items that he may have brought with him. Use the maps to find details, learn about clothing of the time, and meet other people involved with the mission.

tag(s): american revolution (82), native americans (109), presidents (136), washington (28)

As its name implies, Nixon Tapes and Transcripts is dedicated to the collection of the tapes secretly recorded by Richard Nixon during his presidency. The collection contains over 700 audio files containing 2300 hours of conversation. There are various file formats: mp3, pdf, and others.The site is searchable. Choose audio & transcripts to find conversations by primary participants or selected themes. Each conversation includes information on date and time as well as links to download audio or a transcript.

tag(s): 1960s (26), presidents (136)

Next Vista offers Learning videos for teachers looking for alternatives to YouTube. At the time of this review, they offered over 1,000 videos (most useful for in the classroom). Videos are made by teachers and/or students. Search by three main topics: Light Bulbs, Global View, or Seeing Service. Better yet, use the right sidebar to search by topic: Math, Science, World Languages, History & Culture, Performing Arts, and more.Next Vista offers an extensive collection of career videos to use as a resource for exploring and discovering career opportunities. View videos directly on site or share using the link or embed code provided. Throughout the school year, Next Vista hosts video creation contests for students and teachers. Submit your own videos less than 5 minutes in length using directions provided. They even offer small prizes for winners.

tag(s): africa (148), asia (116), careers (157), computers (109), europe (84), literature (221), musical instruments (52), musical notation (34), north america (15), parts of speech (39), poetry (194), shakespeare (99), south america (49), speech (69), video (266)

Founders Online is an archive from the National Archives of over 119,000 fully annotated primary source documents from six of the nation's founding fathers: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. Enter any search term or browse by author, recipient, or time period. Each document includes information such as author, recipient, date, and links to other similar documents if available.

tag(s): american revolution (82), colonial america (95), colonization (21), constitution (98), declaration of independence (16), franklin (12), jefferson (19), primary sources (119), washington (28)

The Cuban Missile Crisis offers a great resource for learning and teaching about the 1962 missile crisis. Explore the site to find many primary documents, an excellent timeline, and lessons. The Educators section of the site includes many tools such as lesson plans, reading lists, and videos. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): 1960s (26), kennedy (20), presidents (136)

Find a thorough lesson plan guide aligned with the Common Core standards and so much more. Through this guide, middle school students will learn about the U.S. court system and the anatomy of a criminal trial. They will also learn about the rights of the accused, the jury system, and career opportunities. The materials support the book by providing more accurate and state-specific information on the legal process. There are plenty of interactive activities suggested so students are not just passive readers.
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tag(s): careers (157), civil rights (209), courts (20), critical thinking (128), guided reading (33), reading comprehension (149)

This site offers curricular resources to teach about John F Kennedy for all grade levels. Choose from resources: elementary, middle, or high school. Each level includes several lesson plans as well as links to biographical resources. Lesson plans link to a PDF version for easy download and printing. Check out the full details including objectives and connections to national history standards. The elementary resources include a downloadable pdf "picture book" about Kennedy that would work well on tablets or on a projector or interactive whiteboard.

tag(s): civil rights (209), cold war (31), kennedy (20), presidents (136), vietnam (38)

Find several short activities related to John F. Kennedy. Read a short article about his presidency. Complete a fill in the gap or correct the spelling on an activity. Several writing prompts are included as well as homework extensions.
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tag(s): 1960s (26), kennedy (20), presidents (136)

Explore John F. Kennedy's desk interactively, examining treasured mementos and important documents. Don't miss the comprehensive resource guide for classroom use. Click on highlighted areas of the desk to view videos, read documents, and explore important events from John F Kennedy's history. Download the PDF resource guidefor lessons, transcripts, and copies of included documents.

tag(s): 1960s (26), civil rights (209), kennedy (20), presidents (136), vietnam (38)

American Presidents: Life Portraits is a site created to accompany C-Span's series of the same name. Search for any president or choose from the drop-down box to begin. View and print teachers guides and lesson plans for all 41 programs, explore facts related to specific presidencies, view C-Span programming, and much more. This site does require a bit of exploration to find exactly what you are looking for. However, it is worth the time!

tag(s): presidents (136)

This site accompanies an episode of the PBS series Frontline which examines the life of Lee Harvey Oswald, the presumed killer of John F. Kennedy. Because Oswald himself was assassinated before a full examination of the crime could be completed, mystery surrounds the man and his possible motivations for killing the President. Did he act alone? Here you will find a summary of the major conspiracy theories, a timeline of Oswald's life (including a psychiatric report from his teenage years), and an overview of the events surrounding the assassination. You can search YouTube and find Frontlines' video for free, if your district doesn't block YouTube.
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tag(s): kennedy (20), presidents (136)

It's said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This site from the Associated Press brings together a large collection of photographs related to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The photos are copyrighted, and therefore carry a watermark, but they do represent a good cross section of the photos taken by journalists of the events surrounding the assassination.

tag(s): kennedy (20), presidents (136)

Beyond the Bubble offers a new generation of history assessments that work hand in hand with Common Core Standards to provide a window into student thinking and promote academic literacy. Refered to as "HATS" (History Assessment of Thinking), assessments go beyond recall to applying facts in context. Choose the assessment link to explore topics such as "Civil Rights Movement in Context" or "Edison and a Kansas Housewife." Lessons also include an interactive rubric and sample student responses. Don't miss the going deeper activities, such as videos. Click links to download materials available in PDF format.

tag(s): 1920s (15), assessment (148), civil rights (209), civil war (139), cold war (31), colonial america (95), immigrants (34), immigration (68), racism (79), rubrics (38), slavery (79), thanksgiving (24), war of 1812 (15), womens suffrage (52)

The White House Tapes takes a look at the secret tapes recorded by three American presidents and how each president used one on one politics to shape history. Listen to conversations recorded by John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Read an introduction to each president, then go in-depth to explore particular events such as the Vietnam Dilemna and Watergate. Note: Although the transcripts are available on the site, the option to play the actual audio files requires Real Player. Check your computer to be sure you have this plugin.
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tag(s): kennedy (20), presidents (136), vietnam (38)

Smithsonian's Artifacts & Analysis offers strategies and resources for incorporating historical documents and resources into the teaching of U.S. history, particularly the decades of the 20th century. Use the details of everyday life to help focus understanding of a time period. Choose from the four main sections: Artifacts & Documents, Teaching Guide, Writing Assignments, or Essay. The sample artifacts offered include a Furnace Salesman's Kit (1920s), Fiestaware (1930s-40s), Pennants (1950s-60s), Barbie Doll (1958), Jeans (1970s), and Lunchboxes (1950s-80s).

tag(s): 1930s (20), 1960s (26), 20th century (62), cultures (180), decades (7)

The Center for History Education offers this resource to teach a variety of topics in American History via an inquiry approach. Use the Resources Timeline to search by Eras (from beginnings to 1620 through 1968 to today); sample topics include Native Americans, Colonization, Civil Rights, Slavery, the American Revolution, and many more. All labs include central questions, source materials, and step by step explanations to implement the lab. The approach is well suited to social studies literacy standards of Common Core, as students explore and evaluate sources (informational texts) and eventually "Develop, present, defend, and refine their evidence-based answers." Choose from History Labs or Lesson Plans to find resources then scroll through the dates to view available materials. Use links to print materials in PDF format. Although the site title indicates materials for all levels of students, most resources are geared toward middle and high school grades. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.

tag(s): african american (116), american revolution (82), civil rights (209), civil war (139), colonial america (95), colonization (21), great depression (30), iran (8), jefferson (19), kennedy (20), native americans (109), roosevelt (15), slavery (79), washington (28), womens suffrage (52), world war 2 (161)

Watch full length documentaries online for free. Find your favorites through daily suggestions, browsing the top 100, or searching categories: 9/11, activism, art, aviation, business, comedy, crime, disaster, drugs, economics, environmental, food/drink, health, media, medicine, music, nature, performing arts, philosophy, political, religion, science, social, sport, strange, technology, travel, and many more. Look at film festivals and films featured in each. If you do not find what you are looking for, submit your request. A link to Amazon brings you to DVD's. Some are free, and others are for sale.
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tag(s): video (266)