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return to subject listingDo's and Don'ts of Teaching Black History - Learning for Justice
Grades
K to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (200), cross cultural understanding (167), cultures (145), difficult conversations (61), martin luther king (45), politics (114), racism (79), rosa parks (9)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and use the information provided in the article as a guideline for teaching Black history, not just during Black History Month but throughout the year. Find many Black History resources at the TeachersFirst Black History Special Topics page, found here, or within many of the Reading Treks, found here. The Reading Treks share virtual field trips of resources based upon literature and include many Black history selections. Celebrate your students' learning throughout the year using digital tools to create virtual field trips using Google My Maps, reviewed here, or creating interactive infographics using Canva Infographic Templates, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Social History for Every Classroom (SHEC) - American Social History Project/Center for Media and Learning
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1600s (20), 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (73), american revolution (82), civil rights (200), comics and cartoons (53), great depression (30), immigrants (34), immigration (68), industrial revolution (22), politics (114), racism (79), railroads (14), slavery (78), underground railroad (15), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site to find lesson ideas and teaching activities to use in any American History Class. Include the ideas found on SHEC to apply to other history lesson topics. For example, one activity looks at slave life using primary source images and short text. As part of this activity, students create found poems using the keywords found in the documents. Adapt this strategy to learning about the American Revolution, World Wars, or any other significant events. Using lesson ideas and information on SHEC, engage students to start a new learning unit using a polling tool to create a word cloud. Answer Garden, reviewed here, is a free tool that creates word clouds based on students' short answer responses to an initial question. Ideas might include, "What words come to mind when you think about slave life?" or "What do you think life was like for the first colonists arriving from England?" Enhance student learning using Curipod, reviewed here, to create interactive lessons that include videos, quizzes, and learning activities. Extend learning by asking students to demonstrate learning using a multimedia tool such as Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Offer students options to "show what they know" by creating a website, video, or graphic images that share their understanding of the content.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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World History Encyclopedia - World History Foundation
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): china (62), climate change (93), colonial america (94), egypt (49), explorers (66), greeks (32), japan (56), maps (207), medieval (32), primary sources (119), religions (85), romans (36), slavery (78), vikings (10), women (142)
In the Classroom
This site is a must-have for any history teacher. First, bookmark the site for students to use as a multimedia encyclopedia and media resource. Then, include it with your other teaching resources to find engaging classroom lessons. Have students use the images on this site when creating presentations (using proper attribution, of course). Enhance student learning by having them use Genially, reviewed here, an excellent tool for students to use to create interactive and multimedia presentations. Have students add images to presentations, then create "hotspots" that link to outside resources such as videos, articles, or student-created texts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Living New Deal - Dept of Geography, University of California Berkeley
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): 1900s (73), great depression (30), new deal (5), roosevelt (15)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site as a resource to include lessons about the New Deal, the Great Depression, and America in the 1900s. As you introduce information about the New Deal, engage students and provide deeper understanding by creating an interactive timeline using Time Graphics Timeline Maker, reviewed here. This timeline creation tool has many features so you can include videos, images, links, and more. Enhance learning by taking a broader look at the New Deal, as shown on the site's timeline. Create groups for students to explore the periods before, during, and after the New Deal. Ask these groups to share presentations about what they learned using Genially, reviewed here. Use Genially features to create interactive presentations that include the timeline you created and add more detailed information on the focus of the period studied. As a final activity, extend learning by creating a series of podcasts that discuss the different aspects of the New Deal. Examples might include podcasts that explore the different portions of the timeline, a look at programs and their impact on bolstering the economy, and a look back from the current time to analyze lessons learned from this social program. Consider using a podcast tool such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Interdisciplinary Civics Education Lessons - United4SC
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): branches of government (63), civil rights (200), constitution (89), democracy (20), diseases (69), elections (82), environment (246), ethics (21), media literacy (106), pilgrims (12), psychology (67), racism (79), slavery (78), supreme court (27)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this excellent resource for use throughout the year to engage students as they learn about various social studies topics. Luckily, this site includes a link to each of the videos that are shared on edpuzzle, reviewed here. Use these links to create and share video lessons with your students, including notes, quizzes, and comments extending learning. Use the included lesson plans as a starting point for your lessons, then ask students to extend learning by sharing information through various choices. For example, offer students options for creating a podcast teaching about one of the topics using Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Buzzsprout includes options to personalize podcasts, such as the ability to add links to show notes and the option to schedule episodes for release at specific times and dates; in addition offer Genially, reviewed here, where students can choose to create interactive presentations, images, infographics, charts, and anything else you can think of.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Untold History - Driving Force Institute for Public Engagement
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): democracy (20), great depression (30), medicine (56), presidents (133), speeches (21), sports (81), symbols (14), women (142)
In the Classroom
These short videos are perfect to use in many different classroom settings to engage students in various history topics. Share a video at the beginning of a lesson, then use Google Jamboard, reviewed here, to gather student's questions for further investigation of the concept. Extend learning by asking groups of students to go further in-depth to learn more about the content of the shared video. Have students share resources by creating a collection in Wakelet, reviewed here. Use Wakelet's templates as a starting point for student presentations. Enhance student learning by creating short video presentations based on a different unknown event in history. Use Renderforest, reviewed here, to create animated videos, or Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here, as a resource for easily creating video explanations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Evaluating Art as Historical Evidence - Digital Inquiry Group
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): american revolution (82), art history (89), artists (82), assessment (148), china (62), civil rights (200), civil war (136), colonial america (94), comics and cartoons (53), declaration of independence (15), egypt (49), france (40), japan (56), mayans (11), mexico (30), native americans (95), nazis (8), thanksgiving (22), womens suffrage (46)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this list for use throughout the year with many different history lessons. Include these art activities to provide context and visual perspective to important events. Use a curation tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to create an ongoing resource for students to use for review and as a guide for understanding history through a wider lens. For example, when using Padlet, choose the timeline feature and add a piece of art onto the timeline. Upload videos, text, and additional images to create an interactive timeline that tells a story through art. As a final project, ask students to share their learning using Sway, reviewed here to write a reflective piece on the use of art throughout any period in time. Have students include student work, images, links, maps, and more in Sway projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thomas Nast's Political Cartoons - Digital Inquiry Group
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), civil war (136), comics and cartoons (53), politics (114)
In the Classroom
Use cartoons to engage student learners and as a resource for providing deeper context to complicated issues such as Reconstruction. Upload images of each cartoon onto an interactive whiteboard tool such as Whiteboard Chat, reviewed here, that provides many tools for sharing and creating digital annotations. Upload each cartoon and add student comments and use drawing tools to draw attention to specific portions of cartoons. As a culminating project, ask students to create political cartoons representing different views of Reconstruction. Use Canva's Comic Strip Templates, reviewed here, as a starting point for templates and ideas or have students create cartoons from a blank slide.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Manifest Destiny - Digital Inquiry Group
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), native americans (95), westward expansion (39)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource to include with American History lessons. Engage students in the optional learning activities through the use of technology tools such as Google Jamboard, reviewed here. Use Jamboard to create templates to accompany the discussion activities for students to list the similarities and differences between the textbook information and what is found in the primary documents. Enhance student understanding of the concepts by creating a visual timeline using eStory, reviewed here. Tools included with eStory offer the ability to use maps as a starting point to create paths and add links to tell the story of historical events. Extend learning further by asking students to create videos usingAdobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here with audio and templates, to share their responses to the final activity of evaluating the painting, "American Progress." Ask individual students or student groups to create a video sharing their ideas on the importance of this artwork and their judgement as to its representation of westward expansion in a good light.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Brother Against Brother: Books to Help Teach Civil War - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): book lists (165), civil war (136), underground railroad (15)
In the Classroom
Create a list of suggested books for students using Padlet, reviewed here. Encourage students to add comments in short book reviews for other students to use as a resource. Enhance learning by incorporating books found on this list into your other resources to create a learning unit using Curipod, reviewed here. Use Curipod to add videos, articles, quizzes, and more to create engaging multimedia lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native American Month Resources for Teachers - Library of Congress
Grades
K to 12tag(s): native americans (95), primary sources (119)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to use not only for Native American Heritage Month but as a supplement for any lessons that include activities that teach about Native Americans. Take advantage of the many free primary source Strategy Guides available at Read Write Think, reviewed here, for teaching with primary sources. For example, search for the Inquiry Charts (I-Guide) Strategy Guide to download and use the printout that helps students focus on the content of any primary source. Create an inquiry chart using Google Slides, reviewed here, or Jamboard, reviewed here, for students to complete as a group. Enhance learning through the use of a video add-on tool such as edpuzzle, reviewed here. edpuzzle offers options to add comments and questions into videos to help students focus on important concepts. Extend learning by asking students to share their understanding of Native Americans using a variety of online tools. For example, ask students to use Google My Maps, reviewed here, to create maps sharing information of different tribes found around the United States. Another option is to use Adobe Express for Education, reviewed here, and offer students options for creating videos Adobe Express Video Maker, or web pages sharing facts and information learned during your unit.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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How the West Was Won: Using Literature to Enhance the Study of Westward Expansion - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): louisiana purchase (5), native americans (95), railroads (14), westward expansion (39)
In the Classroom
When teaching about the westward expansion, you and your students will enjoy and learn from this site's many resources and ideas. Check with your school's media specialist to see if your library, or the public library, contains the suggested books to share with students at a literacy center. Extend student learning using Canva Infographic Creator, reviewed here, and ask students to create infographics and timelines to share facts about this period of growth of the United States. Extend learning by asking students to create multimedia projects such as digital books created using Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator includes many tools for students to personalize projects by including video, images, audio recording, and text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Picking Up the Pieces: Exploring Reconstruction Through Literature - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): 1800s (75), civil war (136), lincoln (65), literature (218), slavery (78)
In the Classroom
Be sure to see all of the many ideas and activities shared on this site to engage students as they learn about Reconstruction. Organize and share resources with students using a curation tool such as Netboard, reviewed here. Netboard makes it easy to share links, documents, text, and more into one easily accessible location. Extend learning by asking students to share their knowledge using the tools found at Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Options include tools for creating videos, web pages, and graphics to demonstrate understanding of learning objectives.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Whole New World: Using Books to Help Teach Students About Colonial America - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): colonial america (94), colonization (21)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this resource to use when teaching about Colonial America. Engage students in learning by incorporating suggested book titles that help students understand colonial times through a personal perspective. Help students compare and contrast current times to the colonial time period using a Venn Diagram. Canva's Venn Diagram Creator reviewed here, includes easy to use tools for creating and sharing a variety of Venn Diagrams. Extend learning by asking students to create animated videos using Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here to tell the story about a character or event from colonial times.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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BlackPast - BlackPast.org
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): african american (110), biographies (95), branches of government (63), civil rights (200), inventors and inventions (77), journalism (72), racism (79), sports (81), STEM (279)
In the Classroom
BlackPast is a must-have for any social studies classroom. Bookmark this resource to use when learning about Black history, African-American biographies, important events, and more. Consider creating a Padlet, reviewed here, to save different articles from BlackPast for students to easily access specific information. Use the shelf option to divide your Padlet into sections by date, topic, or events. Padlet also has a timeline feature when creating biographies or highlighting important dates within a specific time. Ask students to create blogs using Edublogs, reviewed here, to share information learned from this site. As students prepare to "show what they know," modify their technology use by asking them to use Sway, reviewed here, as a presentation tool and include images, videos, and student writing to share their learning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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RealClearHistory - RealClear
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): biographies (95), civil war (136), constitution (89), history day (39), politics (114), presidents (133), religions (85), slavery (78), space (216), vikings (10), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Make this site available in favorites on your classroom computers for students to refer to for history-related resources. You may want to list this link on your class website for students to access the page both in and out of class. Consider using the site as an icebreaker at the beginning of a class: pick one of the articles or short video clips (share it on your interactive whiteboard or projector) and discuss. After doing research, have cooperative learning groups create podcasts or video commercials highlighting an interesting historical event. Create FREE podcasts using a site such as Spotify for Podcastors, reviewed here. This is also a good resource for reading informational text per the Common Core Standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media - Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 20th century (62), branches of government (63), civil rights (200), history day (39), primary sources (119), religions (85), sept11 (18)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a supplemental resource for any history lessons and teaching units. One portion of the site leads to Teachinghistory.org, reviewed here, which is an amazing resource for finding teaching materials, best practices, and history content. Be sure to visit it often to find many ideas for effective teaching of history concepts. Other links are perfect for sharing with students to use for locating and learning from primary sources. For example, Papers of the War Department (1784-1800) contains a large collection of images and transcriptions that provide context and understanding into files once considered lost in a fire at the War Department. Create a collaborative Padlet, reviewed here, and ask students to share primary documents and add comments discussing their relevance to historic events being studied. Padlet also includes a timeline feature; use this tool to create a visual timeline of events for any time. Extend learning by asking students to create podcasts using Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Options for podcast topics could include telling the story of historical events from the perspective of a man on the street and sharing perspectives on an event from the viewpoint of different participants.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ken Burns in the Classroom - PBS Learning Media
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (73), 20th century (62), authors (105), blues (22), civil rights (200), civil war (136), history day (39), industrial revolution (22), jazz (17), sports (81), vietnam (38), westward expansion (39), womens suffrage (46)
In the Classroom
Use this resource as a starting point to find many primary sources and videos of historical importance. Take advantage of the lesson ideas and activities to include with your current lessons and activities. Engage students in learning by asking them to watch videos and browse through images before teaching your lesson. Ask them to post their thoughts and questions on FigJam, reviewed here, to help guide the focus of your lesson. Extend learning and help students visualize the order of events by creating a digital timeline using Knights' Lab Timeline JS, reviewed here. Add media from online sites to your timeline from YouTube, Vimeo, Google Maps, and more.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Time Graphics Timeline Maker - Time.graphics
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): timelines (56)
In the Classroom
It may take some time for you to become comfortable with creating a timeline with this product. Share with students to allow them to explore the different options, then ask them to become the teachers creating and using this tool in various ways. Ask students to create screencasts using Free Screen Recorder Online, reviewed here, with directions for using certain features of the timeline. Add all of the student tutorials into a Wakelet collection, reviewed here, for easy access at any time. Create timelines to introduce material in any subject. If your school uses Google Apps or Docs/Drive, your students (or groups) can create their own very easily. Map specific battles in history (World War II or the Revolutionary War, perhaps?) Map significant scientific discoveries in the progress of understanding cell theory or genetics. Follow the works of various writers, artists, or musicians. Follow the life of famous people or noteworthy events such as elections, the Olympics, or even local history!Edge Features:
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Premium version (not free) includes additional features or storage
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
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The Evolution of the Oval Office Decor - American Home Shield
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): design (80), presidents (133), white house (15)
In the Classroom
Use this interesting look at Oval Office decor as an introduction to your unit on presidents. Ask students to compare and contrast decorating styles and tastes. What does that tell you about the president? After looking at the renderings, use Google search or Getty Images, reviewed here, to find actual images of the offices. Ask students to use Google Drawings, reviewed here, to draw their imagined Oval Office. Include their drawing on a simple webpage created with Carrd, reviewed here, explaining their drawings and wishes for an Oval Office design.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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