327 history-culture-americas results | sort by:
return to subject listingStatue of Liberty Virtual Tour - National Park Service
Grades
K to 12tag(s): american revolution (82), art history (89), landmarks (20), virtual field trips (96)
In the Classroom
In the age of shrinking opportunities for field trips, jump right in! Find out about the partnership between the United States and France and how they collaborated together. Explore partnerships between countries. Add this amazing piece of art into a unit about American Revolution and determine its significance.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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PBS Newshour Classroom - PBS NewsHour Productions LLC
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): civil rights (200), elections (82), holocaust (42), memorial day (12), news (227), pearl harbor (14), poetry (191), veterans (29), video (262), women (142), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Watch the news together on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Allow students to watch independently on laptops or at a learning station. Use any video or article as a current events writing prompt. Challenge students to create blog posts about them. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, replace pen and paper and have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Webnode, reviewed here. Don't forget the many free lesson plans (already aligned to Common Core standards). Click on the Lesson Plans link to explore the countless topics available (Poetry, Veterans, Elections, Ebola, Civil Rights, and more). For articles and videos about conflicts and tension, extend student learning by having your students engage in a debate using a tool such as Virtual Debate, reviewed here, which has online examples and resources for conducting virtual debates. Keep your class up-to-date on the news using this site. Provide this link on your class website for students (and families) to access both in and out of your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List - 20th Century America, Part 1 (1900-1945) - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): 1900s (74), 1910s (7), 1920s (15), 1930s (20), 1940s (14), 20th century (62), book lists (165), great depression (30), independent reading (86), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Make the first half of the 20th century come alive during your unit on American History. Have students choose a book from this list and present their impressions from it in the form of a blog post from the times. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Tumblr, reviewed here. Collect the links to all the student posts on your class web page for students to browse and gather a "human" experience of history.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching History with 100 Objects - The British Museum
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): archeology (26), britain (27), europe (77), great britain (16), history day (39), local history (14), museums (47), oral history (14)
In the Classroom
While the objects are classified with an eye toward their relevance to British history, there are plenty of connections to historical inquiry regardless of geographic area. If you are not focusing on British history yourself, consider using this concept to challenge students to select 100 (or some more manageable number) objects to represent their area of interest. What 100 objects might represent their community's history? Their school's history? Their family's history? From a historian's perspective, how do objects represent historical themes? How can we discover more about a culture or historical time period by examining the objects of that time? Why and how do historians choose particular objects to put into museums, and how do those objects tell a story? How could you create a "museum" of your school or of your community using objects?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Remember Pearl Harbor - New York Times: The Learning Network
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): japan (56), pearl harbor (14), roosevelt (15), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plan for use in your World War II unit or Pearl Harbor lesson. Use this site to differentiate activities for students. Be sure to "mine" the links within the site for additional resources to add to your current lesson plans. Exchange paper and pen brainstorming by having students or groups collect ideas and findings about the Day That Will Live in Infamy using Padlet, reviewed here. The Padlet application creates free online bulletin boards. Extend student learning and have them create a simple infographic about Pearl Harbor using Venngage, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Year We Had Two Thanksgivings - Marist College
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): primary sources (119), roosevelt (15), thanksgiving (22)
In the Classroom
Use information from the article and documents as part of any lesson about Thanksgiving. Share the documents as part of a unit on primary resources. Print and share documents with students and challenge them to present an opposing point of view or write a reply from President Roosevelt. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast different points of view. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook "as" President Roosevelt or one of the writers of letters to the president.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Stuff You Missed in History Class - Tracy Wilson and Holly Frey
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): archeology (26), black history (130), civil rights (200), civil war (136), cross cultural understanding (167), mental health (36), native americans (95), podcasts (103), religions (85), vikings (10), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Use podcasts from Stuff You Missed in History to enrich current lessons or lure students into thinking history can actually be "cool." Provide a link on class computers or your class website for students use. Have students use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of one of these events (with audio stories and pictures included)! Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about one of the people in these lesser known historic events.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List: Alaska and Hawaii - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): alaska (21), book lists (165), hawaii (7), independent reading (86)
In the Classroom
Include these books for independent reading during a unit on U.S. geography, multiculturalism, or the states. Compare the life of children living in Alaska or Hawaii to the students in your own class. The conversations will easily evolve into projects where students can compare and contrast or create "profiles" of childhood in different states and cultures.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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40 Maps That Explain World War I - Vox
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): europe (77), map skills (56), maps (207), world war 1 (78)
In the Classroom
These maps are perfect for use on an interactive whiteboard. If you are teaching World War I, these maps need to be among your "go to" bookmarks for illustrating important highlights about the War. Consider also providing a link to the maps as part of materials students can access to learn more, as extra challenge, or for independent or group projects. The maps illustrating important technology first used in World War I will fascinate students who enjoy learning how things work. Have students create a multimedia presentation about the aspects of WWI that fascinate them most.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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JFK American Experience - PBS American Experience
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1960s (26), civil rights (200), kennedy (20), presidents (133)
In the Classroom
The 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy provides an opportunity to refresh students' knowledge of JFK as a man and a President. What important policy innovations can we attribute to his Presidency? How might the remainder of the turbulent decade of the 1960s have been different had he lived? And from a different perspective, while we all want to romanticize the legacy of "Camelot" and the glamour of the Kennedy family, what were his failings? This site provides some rich primary sources to include in a discussion of the Kennedy Presidency, as well as a brief preview of the American Experience film itself. Whether you choose to view the episode with your class or not, you are certain to obtain excellent information at this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Big History Project - Big History Project LLC
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): agriculture (48), geologic time (11), industrialization (11), Project Based Learning (26), Research (84), solar system (109)
In the Classroom
Use Big History Project as a complete year-long course in your high school. Adapt portions of the project for use within current classroom content. Share videos or use lessons or animations as part of any unit. If you employ Project Based Learning activities, use the three PBL learning activities embedded within the project. Be sure to read through the FAQ provided on the site for guidance on using the Big History Project in your classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Created Equal - National Endowment for the Humanities
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): bill of rights (28), black history (130), civil rights (200), civil war (136), cultures (145), emancipation proclamation (11), segregation (18)
In the Classroom
The documentaries, or the excerpts presented, are all available to stream from the site. While they may be too lengthy to show in their entirety during one class period, they have also been divided into clips according to themes. For example, Equality is part of the full video about Law and the Strategy of Nonviolence. This makes them more adaptable for classroom use. Share the videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector, or flip your class using EdPuzzle, reviewed here, and have students watch clips at home and come back to class ready to discuss. EdPuzzle is a great way to take sections of videos and add your own voice or add questions within the video. Alternatively, you could use VideoAnt, reviewed here, to enhance student learning with students asking questions about the parts where they need clarification. The issues raised by these Created Equal documentaries may be easily incorporated into lessons related to the Civil Rights Movement, modern U.S. history, Black History Month, or civics and government. Use these videos as conversation starters in the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GDP: Measuring the human side of the Canadian Economic Crisis - National Film Board of Canada
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): canada (23), media literacy (106), photography (118)
In the Classroom
This site can put a human face on the numbers for students studying current events, economics, or social studies. The site may also be useful as an example of how to tell stories related to history. Consider asking students to analyze HOW the stories are told, either using film or still photography. How can we use these media to illustrate a historical event? For students considering a History Day exhibit or documentary, these stories may provide inspiration and direction. As Common Core calls on students to engage in digital writing, showing these examples to help students plan student-made media will be more meaningful than simply talking about it.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Places We Live - Jonas Bendikson
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): africa (142), cross cultural understanding (167), india (25)
In the Classroom
Be sure to include The Places We Live with any unit on poverty around the world or in a general world cultures class. Share this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class for further exploration. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare life in your area to the life of teens shown here. Share the images, with no sound, as writing prompts for students to imagine themselves in the slums. What would their lives be like? What would be the same or different? What could they do to help their family to get out of those living conditions? Is there anything anyone can do to help?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Historical Marker Database - HMdb.org
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 20th century (62), american revolution (82), anthropology (10), california (16), civil rights (200), civil war (136), disasters (37), explorers (66), heroes (25), hispanic (32), immigration (68), labor day (5), mexico (30), native americans (95), natural disasters (16), natural resources (38), texas (7), vietnam (38), war of 1812 (15), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Use the Historical Marker Database to find information and locations of important events near your hometown or relating to any area of study. For example, choose the Civil Rights link to find markers noting important events related to Civil Rights. Then have students enhance their learning and create a simple infographic sharing their findings. Use Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here. Have students create maps using Zeemaps, reviewed here. This tool allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location on a map (Alaska) where the report takes place. Transform learning by having students create timelines of historic events near your school; use Timeline JS, reviewed here. Timeline JS also offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps making it interactive.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Hiroshima Peace Museum - Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): atomic bomb (8), japan (56), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Take your class on a digital field trip to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to get a first-hand look at the effects of an atomic bomb. Display on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Provide students time to explore on their own. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a survivor of the bomb. Have students create interactive timelines using Preceden, reviewed here, for events leading up to the bombing and following. Be sure to include a look at the museum during your World War II unit. This site would also provide good research material for a class debate about nuclear weapons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Edward S. Curtis - The North American Indian - Northwestern University
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): difficult conversations (61), native americans (95)
In the Classroom
We have come a long way from the study of Native Americans as a single generic group. Careful use of the images and narratives from Curtis' work can help illustrate that outdated mindset and provide a contrast to today's understanding of the contributions indigenous Americans have made to US history and culture. Share these images on your interactive whiteboard or projector as part of a guided discussion.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Seeing America - Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): art history (89), artists (82)
In the Classroom
Aside from its obvious usefulness to an art history class, consider choosing an image from an era under study in a history course --or from the time period of a piece of American literature --and incorporating a look at the time through the eyes of an artist. How did events from that time influence the artist's vision of the world? What was America like to that artist? How is that different today? These are great "plug and play" resources that can be used to design an entire unit around using one of the themes or can be as short as an activating activity at the beginning of a class. Ask: When do you think this was painted? What tells you that? What is the artist trying to tell us about his or her view of America? The only limitation here is that it's difficult to view the images in full screen; you will need to use your browser's zoom function to use the images effectively on an interactive whiteboard (or projector).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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American Car Brochures - Hans Tangerud
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 20th century (62), advertising (26), history day (39), transportation (31)
In the Classroom
Teens are fascinated with cars. Why not give them the opportunity to research the design and features of cars from a historical era being studied in a history class, or that match the time period with that of literary work. What did the cars look like when the Joad family made its way to California? What did Jay Gatsby drive? What was the "hottest ride" during the Vietnam War? As you try to communicate the culture of an era, consider using an image or two on the whiteboard (or projector) from the appropriate year to help students envision the world of that time. Cars and the way they are advertised also speak volumes about trends in graphic design and advertising. How does automobile advertising today differ from that in the 1950s? What emotions and needs were marketers appealing to? This resource would also be great as a springboard for a National History Day project comparing car design (or advertisements) across the 20th century and linking it to events of that time period. Teacher-librarians will love this resource to teach about primary sources and actually have students be interested!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Truman Library: Idealogical Foundations of the Cold War - The Truman Library
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): cold war (31), europe (77), primary sources (119), russia (35)
In the Classroom
While much of what you find here will be useful for your own lesson planning, the photograph archive will be useful for images related to the Cold War era. Some of the documents could be printed and used for small group discussions or analysis. Consider referring students who are doing research for a National History Day project to this resource. Challenge students to research the information shared at this site and create blogs as Cold War personalities. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Tumblr, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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