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ArtsAlive - The Stage is Yours - National Arts Centre
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): acting (19), design (78), plays (32), shakespeare (99)
In the Classroom
Use a projector or interactive whiteboard to present this outstanding site to your students. Students of drama, English, history, art, and architecture will find something of interest. Although the site is text heavy in places, you could employ a tool like From Text to Speech, reviewed here, for the interview transcripts to help weaker readers access information. Have students choose a category (design and production, playwright's corner, Shakespeare's plays, acting, etc.) of interest to investigate. Group students by interest. Within their small groups students can jigsaw, each taking a different facet of the category to learn about. After that they can put together a mini-presentation using one of many TeachersFirst Presentation tools reviewed here. Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Presentious. Once everyone is done studying their categories, suggest producing a play by one of the scriptwriters from the group.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Carlisle Indian Industrial School - Dickinson College
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): colonial america (95), cross cultural understanding (172), difficult conversations (57), diversity (39), history day (39), identity (29), native americans (108), westward expansion (39)
In the Classroom
Too often US history survey classes broadly consider Native Americans and their role in the original colonization of North America, or their role in Westward Expansion, without taking the time to understand the differences among nations, or the impact of European settlement on these pre-existing societies. Even if there isn't time for in depth study, consider asking students to study the individual record of one young man or woman approximately their own age who attended the Carlisle Indian School. How old was he when he left home? What skill was she trained in? What happened to him after he left Carlisle? Enhance student learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about the individual they researched. This personal contact with the real life of another student from another time and another culture will reduce the tendency to stereotype Native Americans as they so often are during the study of US History. Of course, the site is also a wonderful resource for in depth research such as a National History Day project. Were the identities of these people stolen? Use the resources Analyzing Before and After Photographs... and the Telling Lives: The Lost Ones Documentary Film to discuss identity and whether or not that was taken from these students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nazi and East German Propaganda Guide Page - Randall Bytwerk
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): germany (28), history day (39), holocaust (42), nazis (8), primary sources (116), propaganda (8), world war 2 (160)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use throughout your World War Two unit. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Challenge students to find examples of the Allies' use of propaganda and exchange paper and pen by using an online tool such as Canva, reviewed here, to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers comparing the uses of propaganda. Enhance learning by having students create a word cloud of the propaganda terms they learn from this site using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here. Save this one in your favorites to suggest if you have students who need primary sources projects for National History Day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Golden Gate and San Francisco Bay Bridge Construction 1934-1936 - The Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bridges (11), california (16), engineering (127), great depression (30)
In the Classroom
These are great primary source images and documents for the study of 1930s construction projects related to the rebuilding of the US during the final years of the Great Depression. Share the PowerPoint and photographs on your interactive whiteboard. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Presentious, reviewed here. This tool allows narrating and adding text to a picture. To find Creative Commons images (with credit, of course), try Wikimedia Commons, reviewed here. Use the photos as part of a physics or technology unit about bridges. Include this as one of several structures for students to research and analyze using their new-found concepts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Florida Memory - The State Archives of Florida
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil war (138), florida (13), hurricanes (32), states (124)
In the Classroom
In the classroom, integrate primary documents in addition to your text to get a broader picture of history, even if you are not teaching specifically about Florida. Take a closer look at history, through the multiple aspects of video, audio, laws, and land grants. Look at perspectives of Civil War from a southern state. Make biographies of Florida residents come alive with the culture of their time. Compare and contrast Florida and another state. Use an online tool such as the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. Examine the history of space through NASA. You and your students can discover how Civil Rights progressed in Florida. Look at the history of the Seminole tribe as you study native Americans. Enhance learning by challenging students to create an infographic using Snappa, reviewed here about a certain period in Florida's history or to compare Florida and other states. Before beginning the infographic, have students brainstorm or collect ideas on a collaborative bulletin board like Witeboard, reviewed here. Use this resource to meet Common Core standards about primary sources or writing. Challenge students to produce digital writing and interact with others online.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teaching Florida - Florida Humanities Council
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): explorers (65), florida (13), maps (215), native americans (108)
In the Classroom
Integrate fiction and nonfiction sources into your studies of explorers, Native Americans, or Spanish influences. Compare and contrast the differences between primary and secondary sources. Integrate units of English Language Arts Common core standards and Social Studies standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Authentic History Center - Michael Barnes
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1600s (20), 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), civil war (138), cold war (30), great depression (30), photography (121), vietnam (38), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (160)
In the Classroom
The Authentic History Center is excellent for making history real. Share this information on your projector or interactive whiteboard (or speakers) during lessons on any time period of US History. Play Bing Crosby singing "God Bless America" to help students feel the pre-WWII era or nationalism. Make the Angry era of McCarthyism real by letting student explore the collection. Include this entire collection on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Use the sources for students to experience a multi-sensory tour of any era in U.S. history and create their own project about it incorporating the artifacts (with proper credit) and their own explanations. You could modify student learning by having students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Livegap Chart, reviewed here. Or, have students create online posters about an era individually or together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard, reviewed here, or PicLits, reviewed here. Enhance learning by having students create timelines using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Timeline JS offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps making it interactive. If you participate in National History Day, this site is an outstanding start point. If you are the advisor for your high school play, bookmark this site as a great source for authentic era images and sounds. Need background music for a play (or video) set during WWII? Here it is!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Barat Primary Source Nexus - Barat Education Foundation
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): advertising (26), black history (130), cross cultural understanding (172), history day (39), immigration (68), journalism (73), Juneteenth (22), lincoln (66), martin luther king (45), poetry (192), presidents (135), primary sources (116), professional development (373), roosevelt (15), slavery (78), writing prompts (61)
In the Classroom
Take a look at the free professional development for using primary sources for teachers. Search for Connecting to the Common Core, where there are writing prompts for K-5 plus a link to the triangle activity. Download and use the PDF for the Thinking Triangle. Have older students research an interest and report to the class using a tool like Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum - 2012 Seminole Tribe of Florida
Grades
2 to 10This site includes advertising.
tag(s): florida (13), native americans (108)
In the Classroom
Explore the Seminole Tribe through the online collections and museums. Use the sources as primary and secondary to supplement other class materials. Use the Seminole Tribe to compare and contrast the native American tribes found in your area. Explore the Seminole Tribe in your unit on Civil Rights. Use this site to discover the leadership that lead to the Seminole Tribe of today. Be sure to begin your study with an anticipation guide. End your unit with a post assessment dispelling the myths in the anticipation guide.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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News for Kids - News for Kids.net
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): news (228)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a resource for current events. The reading level of the stories is generally upper elementary, but the topics are of interest through high school. These short articles would be great for practice with informational texts. Keep this site as part of a list for students to access, including weaker readers and ENL/ESL students. Have students research whats going on via this news site, and present a small presentation at the beginning of class. Students can either present orally or, for the technologically inclined, create a short video summarizing the same information. Consider using a bookmark site such as Diigo, reviewed here, to share newsworthy items that correlate with your class curriculum.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Presidential Classroom - Miller Center, University of Virgina
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): jefferson (19), kennedy (20), lincoln (66), presidents (135), space (216), vietnam (38), washington (28), white house (16)
In the Classroom
If your students do Presidential biographies or projects, this is a perfect site to share. Have students explore the exhibits while doing research on presidents and historical events. Enhance student learning by having students create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. Have students use Fakebook,reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Letters of Note - Shaun Usher
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): acting (19), authors (106), europe (84), letter writing (19), politics (117), primary sources (116)
In the Classroom
Find letters from authors to read when studying their novels. Choose letters from different time periods to share with students as an authentic look at life during that time (primary sources!). Have students share what they learned using a tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (on a map) where the story takes place. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president, famous scientist, or nearly any other real or fictitious person.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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antiAtlas of borders - Migrations Map - Martin De Wulf
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): immigration (68), maps (215), population (50)
In the Classroom
Use Migrations Map during your study of any country to view immigration and emigration statistics in social studies, science, health, or even world language classes. Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Ask WHY these immigration patterns exist. What factors lead to immigration? What environmental impacts does it have? Be sure to point out the data lag -- is from 2007. You can also send them to find updated stats at the World Bank and other online sources. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, or Venngage, reviewed here. Have students collaborate to create interactive maps using MapHub, reviewed here. Students can add icons, text, images, and location stops!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Smithsonian Digital Volunteers: Transcription Center - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): local history (14), primary sources (116)
In the Classroom
A wonderful extension or enrichment project for responsible high school students, the Transcription Center allows students to interact with primary sources, learn about the importance of everyday records of the lives of those who go before us, and have the satisfaction of knowing they are contributing to the universe of information that will be available to future scholars. Small groups of students could share a transcription project and check each other's before submitting, or discuss the texts they have transcribed. Students interested in independent research might find a transcription project that adds to their understanding of a particular subject. You might even consider using transcription as a community service project or an initiative in your gifted ed class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Museum of Modern Art - Khan Academy - Khan Academy and The Museum of Modern Art
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): art history (99), artists (83)
In the Classroom
Display and use these very short videos on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to introduce and explore the world of art to students. Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos based on other famous works of art and share them on a site such as TeacherTube reviewed here. Do a collaborative project with your school's art teacher, having students write in English/LA class and discuss art in that class. Have older students explore areas of this site to find artwork from time periods studied in Social Studies classes. Display one of the works of art and view the short video. Use the art piece as inspiration for a creative writing project. Use videos during career exploration units to demonstrate the different career options available within the field of art. Create a link to videos on classroom computers for students to view on their own or use the embed code to add a video on your class website or blog for additional exploration. Teachers of gifted who have students interested in visual arts can use this site to take them further, even if art is not your expertise!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Nixon Tapes and Transcripts - Luke Nichter
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): 1960s (26), presidents (135)
In the Classroom
Use portions of tapes and transcripts during lessons on the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon, presidents, the 1960s and 70s, and more. Share a link to specific conversations on your class website, and have students create blogs. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration. Have students use Fakebook (reviewed here) to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about participants in conversations during the Nixon era.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cuban Missile Crisis - Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): 1960s (26), kennedy (20), presidents (135)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site (or save it in your favorites). Use the resources for any unit that includes the Cuban Missile Crisis, presidents, or John F. Kennedy. Watch videos on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Share a link on your class website for students to view at home. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about any of the characters involved with the crisis. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare the point of view of the U.S. vs Cuba or to compare outcomes based on possible decisions made during the crisis.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Lesson Plans and Activities for Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer - Penguin Group
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): careers (141), civil rights (201), courts (20), critical thinking (122), guided reading (33), reading comprehension (149)
In the Classroom
Use this unit as a whole, or pick and choose the activities you think your students will be most interested in. Collaborate with your social studies teacher to teach about the judicial system as you read this book. If you have students who have previously read "Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer," they can still read along and will learn so much more from the activities. Or those who have read this book may want to read another book in the series but can still follow the activities from this guide.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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John F Kennedy Curricular Resources - John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Grades
K to 12tag(s): civil rights (201), cold war (30), kennedy (20), presidents (135), vietnam (38)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this resource for use when teaching about John F Kennedy, the presidency, Civil Rights, or the Vietnam War. Share with teachers at other grade levels (k-12) for use with lesson planning.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The President's Desk - John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): 1960s (26), civil rights (201), kennedy (20), presidents (135), vietnam (38)
In the Classroom
Use the President's Desk as a highly engaging resource for getting to know more about John F. Kennedy's presidency. Show on your interactive whiteboard or projector and include suggested lesson activities to accompany the site. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about John F Kennedy. Have students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here). Be sure to add a link to the site on your class website for students to access on their own or from home. Have your class create a presidential desk for another historic leader, creating their own annotated photo of the desktop using Google Drawings, reviewed here, to explain the items on the desk. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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