Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

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 The site is absolutely packed: historical documents, photographs, oral histories, information about policies and procedures, and biographies.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)

The Civil War is a site full of original Civil War resources. Content includes photographs, newspaper articles, documents, and eye-witness accounts. View all of Harper's Weekly newspapers throughout the Civil War period. Find them using links for each year from 1861-1865. Search the site using your own search terms. You can also explore options under categories such as Confederate or Union Generals, Civil War Medicine, or Lincoln Assassination.
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tag(s): civil war (139), emancipation proclamation (13), gettysburg (15), gettysburg address (12), lincoln (66), slavery (79)

Civil War 150 is part of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. The site includes online exhibits, videos, educational resources, and blog posts. Choose from any topics to explore links that include images, photographs, and short essays.

tag(s): 1800s (75), civil war (139), lincoln (66)

If it Were My Home compares living conditions of one country to those of another. Allow the site to use your location when accessing the home page. This allows a comparison from your location to others places around the globe. Select a region on the globe to compare. Choose from countries included in that region. View a map comparison. See statistics and comparisons such as oil consumption, economic statistics, and birth rates. Expand comparisons by clicking on the arrow. Scroll down the page to view more information and suggested reading materials about your chosen country. Share comparisons using social media buttons located below the map or email using the link provided.
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tag(s): africa (148), asia (116), australia (28), canada (24), cross cultural understanding (173), diseases (66), europe (84), globe (12), hiv/aids (15), south america (47), statistics (121)

The 360Cities panoramas are a new way to showcase places, businesses, and events from around the world. Looking for a new virtual field trip? 360Cities will have your students spinning in circles with excitement. The pictures are out of this world! View 360 degree panoramic pictures from Mars or under the sea. Travel to snowy mountain tops and many more of the Internet's largest collection of uploaded panoramic images. 360Cities panoramic aerial shots are also available as well as navigable views of cities, natural landscapes, and more. The most popular panoramic pictures are listed for your convenience. This website has panoramic views of all Seven Wonders of the World, which include the Colosseum in Rome, The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan, The Taj Mahal in India, Machu Picchu in Peru, Christ Redeemer in Rio, and Chichen Itza in Mexico. Are you looking for a site to showcase your own panoramic shots or do you want to learn how to take panoramic shots? 360Cities "how to" section offers tools to create and upload your own panoramic pictures. View the existing pictures for free or use an email address to create a free account to upload your own panoramic pictures. Paid upgrades are available. 360Cities also has an app for iOS devices. View the 360Cities blog linked on the site for more information.
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tag(s): images (263), landforms (39), landmarks (22), virtual field trips (128)

Discover American History lessons correlated to Common Core reading and social studies literacy standards, especially those that require close reading and evidence. The goal of these lessons is to use primary resources, background information, and the analytical strategies suggested to meet the Common Core standards. In addition to these outstanding American History lessons, also find free online seminars and secondary sources. The secondary sources, under TeacherServe, include essays on topics in American literature and history.

tag(s): abolition (7), american revolution (82), civil war (139), colonial america (95), colonization (21), democracy (24), native americans (108), primary sources (117), religions (95), slavery (79), women (151)

The Civil War Interactive Poster uses historical images and primary source documents as an entry point for conversation about this period in American History. Click on any of the four quadrants to view items up close. Click on any asterisk within a quadrant for links to further images, related learning, and teaching resources. Each asterisk also contains a question to begin thoughtful conversations about the images.

tag(s): civil war (139), emancipation proclamation (13), gettysburg (15), history day (39), lincoln (66), slavery (79)

Discover interactive and animated representations of historic events and time periods. Choose from American, European, Latin American, or African history. Within each of these choices is a list of modules. Each module provides information and interactive content such as timelines or maps that guide you through the specified time frame. The slideMapHub, at the bottom of the map allows you to move in time.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), africa (148), alaska (21), american revolution (82), central america (20), civil war (139), cold war (30), colonial america (95), colonization (21), explorers (64), great depression (30), greece (47), greeks (46), hawaii (9), industrialization (12), italy (30), maps (220), native americans (108), romans (52), slavery (79), south america (47), spain (13), war of 1812 (15), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

Search America's historic newspapers from 1836-1922. Use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information located within American newspapers published between 1690-present. The front page contains images and links to newspaper topics for the current date 100 years ago. Click on links to view more from each paper, such as additional pages or other issues. Use the search bar to narrow newspaper searches by date, state, and keywords. View content in PDF or text format, or clip image to print or download to your computer. If you get stuck on the site, click the "Ask a Librarian" button for advice and help.

tag(s): 1800s (75), 1900s (72), journalism (74), news (228), newspapers (93), primary sources (117)

Join John and Hank Green on the you Tube channel, Crash Course. Crash Course consists of highly engaging video presentations that explain the basics on many topics: about 10-15 minutes in length, humorous, and engaging! The general topic areas include World History, Literature, and US History. At the time of this review, biology topics include: the carbon cycle, water cycle, molecules, nutrition, animal and plant cells, photosynthesis, heredity, DNA, mitosis, meiosis, natural selection, evolution, genetics, taxonomy, evolution, simple animals, complex animals, animal behavior, various systems of the body, bacteria, protists, and even more. In literature, five videos cover subjects from Romeo and Juliet to The Great Gatsby. There are over forty world history topics: Agricultural revolution, Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, The Persians and Greeks, Buddha and Ashoka, Chinese History, Alexander the Great, The Roman Empire, Christianity from Judaism to Constantine, Fall of the Roman Empire, Islam the Quran, and the Five Pillars, Venice and Ottoman Empire, Russia, Columbus, The Spanish Empire, The French Revolution, Haitian Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Capitalism, Socialism, Imperialism, and many more. If your district blocks YouTube, they may not be viewable. Tip: to watch or share a video without the ads and clutter, use a tool such as ViewPure, reviewed here, to watch the video ad-free!
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tag(s): animals (294), bacteria (22), bill of rights (33), body systems (40), chinese (45), constitution (96), declaration of independence (16), evolution (89), genetics (80), greeks (46), literature (221), meiosis (8), mitosis (9), nutrition (140), religions (95), rome (37), romeo and juliet (3), russia (36), shakespeare (99), water cycle (22)

Longform recommends new and classic fiction and non-fiction from around the web. Read articles on a browser or save to read later with Readability, Instapaper, Pocket, or Kindle. Articles include every imaginable topic. There are publications as "well-known" as New York magazine and as "low-profile" as the Broward-Palm Beach New Times. Search for a topic using the search bar or scroll through current offerings on the home page. Narrow down choices by method of reading such as Instapaper or Kindle format. You can also find podcasts about featured publications and articles. Click on an article's title to read online or print using links provided. Choose the read later button to save to your Longform account. Registration using an email address and password is required for this option.

tag(s): expository writing (31), independent reading (81), poetry (193), reading lists (77), writing prompts (61)

See the history of the world from 3500BC to 2005AD! TimeMaps offers a look at every nation, empire, and civilization as one story using maps. Choose a date or time period to begin exploration. Use pinpoints located on the map to view specific information about that location. Use timelines located under the map to narrow down topics within a time period. For example, at 100 AD choose to view information by Ancient Rome, Mayan Civilization, Medieval India, or Ancient China. This is an excellent site for providing an overview and exploration of world civilizations during any given time period. Choose the "Are You a History Teacher" link to find several suggestions for using TimeMap in your classroom along several different lesson plans.
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tag(s): 1600s (20), 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), africa (148), asia (116), china (81), egypt (56), europe (84), greeks (46), india (32), israel (14), maps (220), mayans (23), north america (15), romans (52), timelines (56)

The Gettysburg School Bus is a blog for educators all about the Civil War created by an Education Specialist at Gettysburg National Military Park. Her stated purpose is to tell stories, answer questions, and provide information that creates interest in learning about the Civil War along with the people living through those times. Search the site through tags, recent posts, or archives. Be sure to check out the lesson plans for many classroom ideas.

tag(s): 1800s (75), battles (18), civil war (139), gettysburg (15), gettysburg address (12)

Understand the thoughts and emotions of the men who fought in the Civil War through poetry and music of the time. Choose from Confederate or Union Poetry or Music of the War links. Listen to popular music of the day such as Oh! Susanna and My Old Kentucky Home. Explore poetry separated into categories including battles, soldier life, and the home front. Other options for exploring the site include searches by title, first lines, and authors.

tag(s): 1800s (75), battles (18), civil war (139), poetry (193)

The Navajo Code Talkers Foundation site tells the story of young Navajo men who transmitted secret communications on the battlefields of World War II. Their unbreakable code played a pivotal role in saving countless lives and hastening the war's end. Choose the link to the "Code Talkers" to read their story from beginning, through the battles, and coming home. Understand more about the only unbroken code in modern military history by watching the various videos. Meet several of the code talkers through their bio, photos, and interviews available on the site.
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tag(s): cryptography (5), native americans (108), world war 2 (161)

See what the world was like at that time with Take Me Back To. Type in any date you want to visit. Results offer a short text passage about who was president and what music was popular (if available). See samples of movies, magazines, book charts, advertisements, and more. Unfortunately, the site doesn't go back beyond 1900, so any search before that time will default to that date in 1900. Searches can be done on dates up to the present. Note that clicking on some of the images offered takes you to paid services or current issues of the same magazine.
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tag(s): 1900s (72), 1910s (6), 1920s (15), 1930s (20), 1940s (14), 1950s (8), 1960s (26), 1970s (10), 1980s (7), 20th century (62), decades (7), timelines (56)

The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages you in historical inquiry. Each of the 130 lessons revolves around a central historical question. Each lesson features sets of primary documents modified for groups of students with diverse reading skills and abilities. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and more. Instead of memorizing historical facts, students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on issues from King Philip's War to the Montgomery Bus Boycott (and more). Next, they make historical claims backed by documentary evidence. Choose from the units menu to find lessons divided into 12 units: introduction through the Cold War Culture/Civil Rights. Read a short overview, then choose from the list of included lessons. Most lessons are in PDF format and may include PowerPoint presentations with additional images and/or maps to use with the lesson.

tag(s): american revolution (82), civil rights (209), civil war (139), cold war (30), colonial america (95), colonization (21), emancipation proclamation (13), new deal (5), reading strategies (96), slavery (79), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

The Center for Civic Education offers this site loaded with information and resources that support the democratic process. Choose the Resources tab to take advantage of many lesson plans for all grade levels on topics such as Constitution Day, Constitution Explained, Videos, Voting and Elections, Bill of Rights, and many more. Click the Resources link to Free Lesson Plans, then click More Lessons which are sorted by grade levels from K-12. Also under Teaching Resources find the 60 Second Civics option, reviewed here. 60 Second Civics is a daily podcast accompanied with a short question. Previous podcasts are archived for access at your convenience. Subscribe with iTunes or Podcast Alley or visit the page to listen.
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tag(s): branches of government (65), civil rights (209), constitution (96), democracy (24), elections (82), electoral college (22), lincoln (66), martin luther king (45), presidents (135), sept11 (18), washington (28)

This clever Flickr page shows a comparison of Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever published 28 years apart. Placing your cursor over the cover images will give you pop out descriptions of the differences in the two covers. You will also find images of some of the differences for the pages inside, with an explanation. Please note some schools block Flickr. So preview ahead of time! Also, remember Flickr does have comments from users.

tag(s): decades (7), images (263), sociology (23)

AirPano is a stunning collection of aerial panoramic 360-degree images of famous locations around the world. They incorporate Google map technology. Peer down at the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong harbor or the tranquil scenery of Fiordland in New Zealand. Use the search bar to locate the country or city you would like to see. Rotate any 3D image and zoom-in to see the details in finer clarity. Click on links within images to view nearby sites of interest. Read articles included with panoramas for an overview of locations. Embed a rotating image on to your site using the link found at the top left corner of each panoramic photo. Zoom in and out of photos, read articles about each location, turn sound on and off using links included with images. Based on the device used for viewing, choose from high or low resolution and iPhone or iPad links to view panoramas. Panoramas open in a new tab/window.

tag(s): africa (148), asia (116), australia (28), canada (24), china (81), england (50), europe (84), france (41), germany (28), images (263), india (32), italy (30), maps (220), new york (24), north america (15), pyramids (21), russia (36), south africa (13), south america (47)