Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Smithsonian's Artifacts & Analysis offers strategies and resources for incorporating historical documents and resources into the teaching of U.S. history, particularly the decades of the 20th century.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)

Find lesson plans at the Pulitzer Center for grades 3-12 that identify global issues and ways to address them. Topics include subjects such as International Adoptions: Ethics and Effects and America's Responsibility for the Welfare and Safety of Chinese Workers and many other intriguing topics. Each lesson plan includes big ideas, essential questions, Common Core standards, vocabulary, assessments, and additional resources. Bring lessons to life through journalist visits (in larger cities) or Skype visits.

tag(s): africa (148), careers (156), china (81), debate (42), earthquakes (46), ethics (21), food chains (19), hiv/aids (15), india (32), journalism (74), media literacy (109), water (102), women (151)

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 (115), 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 (108), roosevelt (15), slavery (79), washington (28), womens suffrage (52), world war 2 (161)

The New Bedford Whaling Museum focuses on the impact of the whaling industry and specifically the interaction between whaling and the port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Of interest to those studying one of the 18th and 19th century's leading industries, the museum also offers insight into the material culture of New England, the life and habitat of whales, and the craft of ship building. The site offers a closer look at a number of current and past special exhibits, as well as a searchable database of artifacts in the current collection. Don't miss the special reading lists and other resources.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), colonial america (95), marine biology (31), whales (11)

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)

The Media History Digital Library and the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Communication Arts have scanned over 80,000 pages of classic media periodicals to create this searchable archive. Traditionally, history is the story of battles and politics, famous names and important dates. But the history of a culture must also include how people spent their free time and what kind of entertainment they enjoyed. This archive, which spans the period from 1896 through 1978, includes fan magazines, print media related to radio, television and film broadcasts, and theatre and vaudeville. The archive can be searched by date, format, title, and collection. The collection is limited to print media and does not include any audio or video files.

tag(s): cultures (180), decades (7), journalism (74), media literacy (109), movies (54), radio (20)

Ultimate Titanic is a site put together by teachers and historians dedicated to giving a clear understanding of the people and the events related to RMS Titanic. The site contains hours of footage from survivors, animations, and documentaries as well as hundreds of photographs and documents to explore. Use the categories listed at the top of the page to find and narrow information to view. Choose from options such as the ship, the tragedy, or news. Within the education section are links to teaching ideas, a timeline, and several documentaries. The site has a few occasional typos but is still worthwhile. (Give bonus points to students who find a typo!) Some of the video clips are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): 1910s (6), 20th century (62), disasters (37)

View an interactive map and timeline of decisive moments of the Battle of Gettysburg. Click on each numbered event to view the location on the map. Display the map in either satellite or historical view. Each event includes links to a panoramic view of the area along with a short description of events taking place and important figures in the battle. View the sources link for a PDF including maps and atlases used for research.

tag(s): civil war (139), gettysburg (15)

Choose from almost 300 courses to take for free at Saylor. Topics range from general education to computer science and professional development. There is a K-12 area that includes Common Core information (for teachers or parents), test prep, and English lessons. Explore a specific area of study to find courses or choose the course list to view all offerings. Some courses include a full textbook and/or a full set of video lectures and are listed on the content matrix. Each course lists learning outcomes, course requirements, and a course overview. Create your own eportfolio to enroll in courses, track progress, download transcripts, and engage with the online community. Pass the final exam of each course to receive a certificate of completion.

tag(s): professional development (385)

The World Digital Library makes it possible to discover, study, and enjoy digitized cultural treasures from around the world. Resources include manuscripts, maps, rare books, musical scores, recordings, films, prints, photographs, and architectural drawings. Browse by place, time, topic, type of item, and contributing institution, or use the open-ended search available in many languages. Information included with items includes a description, place of event or item, date, location of the item, and tags for viewing items similar in nature or topic. Move the timeline to view items for specific time periods.

tag(s): 1600s (20), 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), africa (148), asia (116), australia (28), china (81), cross cultural understanding (173), europe (84), images (263), north america (15), south america (47)

Manifest Destiny is an excellent interactive map site demonstrating the growth of the United States from March 1789 through the present. Click on each of the maps to view and highlight changes. Click on highlighted words to view areas on the map. Use the legend on the right side of the page to help interpret what each color represents on the map. Jump ahead to the Civil War (or a few other notable US History events), by clicking the links on the main page. Read "about" to learn about the Swiss information scientist who created this page from information available on Wikipedia.

tag(s): 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), civil war (139), colonization (21), maps (220)

3D Toad offers many images for viewing items in both 3D and 360 degree rotation. The site offers an assortment of categories such as Dissections, Human and Animal Skeletons, Fossils, and an extensive listing of Chemicals. There are also categories not typically associated with a "toad" such as: Yoga, Music, Dental Hygiene, History, Ballet Positions, Computer Networking, Emergency Preparedness, and more! The History link is interesting and includes American 1700-1800 and American Civil War: both packed with artifacts. Choose any image then drag your mouse to view or zoom in and out as desired.
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tag(s): 1700s (36), body systems (40), chemicals (39), civil war (139), coral (11), dance (31), dissection (6), elements (33), fossils (41), rocks (35)

Find animated online tours of notable battles and strategies and the outcomes of each battle from Prelude to War through The Battle of Yorktown. Choose from dates and battles included on the list at the bottom of the page to begin each animation. View instructions for each animation. Some require pushing play for each slide while others play to the end with one click of play. The animated online tours now reside on YouTube. If your district blocka YouTube, they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): 1700s (36), american revolution (82), map skills (63), maps (220)

Listen to famous speeches by influential leaders of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Choose from the list of leaders including Winston Churchill, Richard Nixon, and Martin Luther King, Jr, and many others. View a short biography and background along with links to a famous speech (or speeches) given by that person. Some speeches are audio only, others are YouTube videos. If your district blocks YouTube, videos may not be viewable.
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tag(s): churchill (8), declaration of independence (16), inauguration (10), kennedy (20), martin luther king (45), persuasive writing (58), presidents (135), roosevelt (15)

The Digital Public Library of America is a central portal pulling together the collections of US libraries, archives and museums. These individual collections are available in a single large database. The DPLA does not actually have any collection of its own; rather it provides direct links to individual artifacts that reside in other collections across the US. Artifacts include text, images, video clips, and more. You can search the DPLA using a timeline, using a map, or using a more traditional search box. The timeline feature makes accessing topics such as "civil rights" by decade very helpful. Creating a free account allows you to save searches. The DPLA also "collects" groups of artifacts into exhibitions.

tag(s): 1910s (6), 1920s (15), 1930s (20), 1940s (14), 1950s (8), 1960s (26), 1970s (10), 1980s (7), 20th century (62), data (151), museums (52), primary sources (117), Research (87)

Be inspired to love American History! Development citizenship and awareness by using this ten-part curriculum of short stories, speeches, and songs. The curriculum consists of three categories. The Meaning of America explores the American character and identity through the "close reading" of classical short stories such as "To Build a Fire" and "Man Without a Country." The American Calendar examines the purpose of the American holiday, proposing the celebrations help to unite us and attach us to our country. Songs for Free Men and Women scrutinizes national songs for meaning and how they emotionally attach us to our nation. All of this curriculum is inquiry based. It also offers suggested discussion questions, study guides, author biographies, and video discussions to model how higher-level-thinking conversations about each text should sound. What So Proudly We Hail uses primary texts, has rigor, is inquiry based, and has many essay topics and writing prompts aligned to the Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies. A few of the blog entries include helpful information about the Common Core standards.
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tag(s): democracy (24), guided reading (33), holidays (187), literacy (121), literature (221)

Use this colorful map to locate and read newspapers from around the world. Click on map pins to locate newspapers or search using filters such as languages. Use the key to locate newspapers in each language. Yellow pins indicate English language newspapers, Spanish pink, etc. Don't worry if newspapers are not in a language you need. Choose the links provided to translate into one of many options. When ready, click on a pin to go to the newspaper's home website.

tag(s): arabic (13), cross cultural understanding (173), french (75), german (49), japanese (47), media literacy (109), newspapers (93), portuguese (22), russian (26), spanish (109)

ESL Discussions is a resource of over 600 discussion questions. They could be used in ESL/ELL lessons, speaking practice, debate clubs, and as needed for any speaking activities. Categorized alphabetically, topics include everyday themes such as donuts as well as more controversial topics such as marijuana. Teachers working with K-12 students will want to select the questions rather than sending students to the site since there are also some very sensitive topics. Choose a topic to view two sets of questions to spark conversations: one for student A and another for student B. Choose the link to print questions in either Word or PDF. Although this site has a lot of advertisements, there are some very interesting topics to discuss/share.
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tag(s): debate (42), speaking (26)

U.S. History Images is a large site of Public Domain images beginning with Native Americans up to the Civil War. Choose from categories offered to locate images within the different choices. For specific searches, use the search bar or site map to locate content. Be sure to view the Terms of Use for understanding of proper use of images.
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tag(s): 1800s (75), american revolution (82), civil war (139), colonial america (95), colonization (21), emancipation proclamation (13), images (263), industrial revolution (22), industrialization (12), lincoln (66), native americans (108), pioneers (9), states (124), transportation (30), washington (28)

With Congress (and its low approval ratings) in the headlines, you might wonder if it were always like it is today. This site offers a historical look at the US House of Representatives from its first session in 1789 to the present. Who has served? Who have the leaders been? What does the House do? How has that changed over time? The site is absolutely packed: historical documents, photographs, oral histories, information about policies and procedures, and biographies. There are also important artifacts highlighted on this site: paintings, sculpture, and the trappings of US political power, as well as insight into the personalities of those who have served in the House. There are lesson plans, time lines, a glossary, and printable fact sheets. The videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable.

tag(s): branches of government (65), congress (40), house of representatives (8)