Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This PDF file offers a traditional (but reliable) look at Cinco de Mayo, beyond the food and fun! Learn about the historical impact of the holiday and its significance to Mexicans (and folks from other countries, as well). This pdf is set up as a study guide. It includes historical information, curriculum links (history, world cultures, and social studies), vocabulary words, discussion questions, extension activities, map challenges, related literature, and websites for additional information.

tag(s): cinco de mayo (10), mexico (37)

In an age where digital maps are ubiquitous and take us down to house-by-house detail, we can forget how difficult it was to create accurate maps before satellite imaging. Historical maps are another tool for understanding the frame of reference of those who lived before us, and are important primary source documents. This collection includes over 50,000 historical maps, with an emphasis on 18th and 19th century maps of North and South America. The collection can be viewed from several platforms. Over 120 of the maps can be accessed using the Google Maps interface. A Georeferencer utility allows you to view a historical map laid over a modern map of the same area. And finally, the site's LUNA browser allows you to view multiple maps together, create embeddable links or Web Widgets that can be used in other applications, create slide shows of collections of maps, and annotate specific maps in the collection.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), map skills (63), maps (220), north america (15), south america (49)

Ducksters is a safe, extensive, educational portal for kids. Find a wide choice of content such as interactives, sports, movies, and music. Begin by choosing a category to explore choices. The study category includes extensive information such as world history, many biographies, science explanations, and information on all continents and many countries. Interactive subjects include math times tables, checkers, and guess the country. There is a TON here to explore.
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tag(s): addition (129), african american (116), american revolution (82), animal homes (57), animals (294), artists (84), biographies (94), china (81), civil rights (209), civil war (139), cold war (31), continents (33), countries (73), data (151), division (98), egypt (56), elements (33), energy (133), environment (252), explorers (64), fractions (160), friction (9), geometric shapes (134), greece (47), habitats (92), human body (93), inventors and inventions (80), keyboarding (28), mean (19), median (16), mode (13), multiplication (122), planets (113), presidents (136), puzzles (150), recycling (45), renaissance (38), rome (37), solar system (107), sound (72), sports (82), subtraction (110), sun (70), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)

Retronaut is an archive of historical photos, though not your typical photos. These images are sometimes quirky, and generally unexpected. Many have explanations about the period. View images of 1970's rock stars with their parents (Elton John, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton to name a few). See Selma's Children, What Parisian Fancy Ladies wore in 1906, history's first women aviators, and much more. Explore the site by Most Popular, Featured, or The Latest. Click on an image to view a "capsule" with other related images. Some of the images have links under them for attribution, and you can see and read even more about that topic. Under latest, this reviewer found topics that were just added five days before, so you may want to check back if you do not find what you're looking for. Warning: At the time of this review there were two topics that may be inappropriate for the classroom. Use the URL of the topic you wish to share in a new window or tab of your web browser.
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tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), advertising (26), cultures (181), images (264), maps (220), medicine (57), politics (118), transportation (31)

What was it like to be a sailor aboard the USS Constitution? Take an interactive tour of "Old Ironsides" and meet the sailors, see where they live and work, and learn about the ship from their perspective. Or, Meet Your Shipmates and find out about the men needed to crew a ship like the Constitution. You'll even meet the ship's dog! Finally, there is an interactive game, playable either as a one-time-only game, or by creating a log in and being able to save a game in progress. There are resources for teachers with lesson plans and suggestions for using components of the site for classroom activities. This activity is available for download on your iPad.

tag(s): transportation (31), war of 1812 (15), whales (11)

Click "Add to Cart," enter your credit card information, and a package arrives at your doorstep as soon as the next day. But it wasn't always that way. The Smithsonian Postal Museum provides a look at the history of package delivery in the United States, with an emphasis on the early 20th century. How did the US Postal Service deliver goods across long distances? Why did Congress authorize a government agency to deliver packages? And don't miss the section detailing some of the strangest packages ever mailed!

tag(s): transportation (31)

Discover a wealth of information about the Bandelier National Monument, the Pueblo people in New Mexico and their historical significance beginning 15,000 years ago. Gorgeous pictures bring the history of the Pueblo people to life in screens with short, informative pieces to read. Be sure to click the "Learn About the Park" tab at the top to find virtual tours, multimedia, more images, history and culture, and other topics of interest.

tag(s): archeology (28), geology (62), native americans (109)

History on the Net contains a wide variety of resources for a broad range of history topics. Begin a search by exploring history topics or by searching resources such as online lessons or worksheets. Explore the Titanic, World War I, Vikings, Mayans, and so much more! Look through a large selection of reference materials: dictionaries, timelines, and more. History on the Net is a great starting point when looking for lessons and materials for teaching history across the ages!
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tag(s): african american (116), aztecs (9), battles (18), black history (133), britain (26), civil rights (209), cold war (31), egypt (56), elizabethan (13), greeks (46), mayans (23), myths and legends (37), native americans (109), olympics (45), romans (52), victorian (16), vikings (10), worksheets (70), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)

With the normalization of relations between the US and Cuba, it's helpful to understand the context of the often-troubled relationship between these two countries since the onset of the Cold War. This interactive timeline provides images, historical information and links for further explanation for the time period from 1959 through the present. It's also possible to share the timeline or to embed it into a website or blog.

tag(s): 20th century (62), cold war (31), communism (3)

Teaching about World War I usually involves a little international politics, a little national politics, and a side trip into the innovations of waging war. Why not include something a little more personal and relatable--like food? Four short (under 5 minutes) videos introduce the idea that Americans' role in providing food aid to Europe in the early stages of the war was part of the larger Progressive movement. The videos also focus on the actual preparation of a World War I era meal. Information about the actual recipes is interwoven with further political and cultural commentary about life in the US during the World War I era. Videos are hosted on Vimeo, so Flash isn't required.

tag(s): nutrition (140), world war 1 (78)

Indiana University's Center on Congress partners with the Library of Congress and its effort to promote teaching with primary sources to provide a rich set of resources, lesson plans, and activities related to the history, function, and actions of the US Congress. Activities are divided by theme, such as citizen participation, criticism of Congress, and the impact of Congress. Many activities include comics to keep your attention. There is a good overview of using primary sources in teaching. Lesson plans are tied to state standards. In addition to the lesson plans developed by the Center on Congress, there is also a bank of teacher-submitted lesson plans.

tag(s): branches of government (65), civil rights (209), comics and cartoons (55), congress (40), politics (118), primary sources (119), womens suffrage (52)

Can't take a field trip to NYC? Visit the Statue of Liberty virtually! View the virtual tour and photo gallery for Lady Liberty. See the site for specific instructions on how to use this interactive.

tag(s): american revolution (82), art history (102), landmarks (22), virtual field trips (130)

Find news and resources for grades 7-12 at PBS Newshour Classroom. Search the site by Subject Area, Videos, Arts and Media, Science, and more. Explore news articles written for students with the background and context needed to understand complex topics. The Daily Videos are ad-free and have related stories along the right side of the page. Read the current events news stories and follow the Extra X (formerly Twitter) feed. Don't miss the many free lesson plans including current events, American history, health, government, holidays, and more. Lesson plans are all aligned to the Common Core standards. Lesson plan topics vary from "Personal reflections on the poetry of Maya Angelou" to "Selma to Montgomery: An introduction to the 1965 marches" and countless others! Look for the Student Voices and Student Reporting Labs for those who would like to be published or to help a local PBS station produce the news.
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tag(s): civil rights (209), elections (82), holocaust (42), memorial day (11), news (228), pearl harbor (14), poetry (194), veterans (27), video (266), women (151), world war 2 (161)

If you could have 100 objects from throughout history, how would you use them in your teaching? The British Museum delves into its collections and provides a rotating group of 100 objects. Each object is categorized by time period, theme, and place. The objects can be searched and grouped accordingly. Each object has extensive supporting information, lesson plan ideas, essential questions, and suggestions for linkages to other objects. A PDF download for each object is available for classroom handouts. Finally, there are links to outside resources for further study. There are also connections to Key Stage (grade level) and Curriculum area that are specific to the British educational system. If you aren't familiar with Key Stages: Stage 1 is K-2, Stage 2 is grades 3-5, Stage 3 is grades 6-8, Stage 4 is grades 9-10, and Stage 5 is grades 11-12. Since this site was created in the UK, American English speakers may notice some slight spelling differences.

tag(s): archeology (28), britain (26), europe (84), great britain (16), history day (39), local history (14), museums (53), oral history (13)

Remember Pearl Harbor is a lesson plan for teaching about Pearl Harbor using historic articles and social media. The complete lesson includes many ideas for deep student learning such as creating a gallery walk, a Twitter project, and a historic headlines project. Click on highlighted links to get access to all resources included on the site including Common Core Standards. If your district blocks YouTube, some links may not be viewable.
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tag(s): japan (56), pearl harbor (14), roosevelt (15), world war 2 (161)

Learn the story behind the year with two U.S. Thanksgivings from this simple, yet interesting site. The short article tells the tale of President Roosevelt's journey to declare the official date for all states to celebrate Thanksgiving. View several documents, including letters and telegrams to the president voicing opinions on setting an official date for Thanksgiving.

tag(s): primary sources (119), roosevelt (15), thanksgiving (24)

Explore interesting history tidbits and background information about world events including topics from Atlantis to Vikings. Scroll through the list of topics and find links to various podcast episodes with archives going back to 2008. Click to play the episodes or download any episode in mp3 format using the download link. Episodes are approximately 30 minutes in length. You can also search for specific topics using the search tool.
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tag(s): archeology (28), black history (133), civil rights (209), civil war (139), cross cultural understanding (173), mental health (48), native americans (109), podcasts (111), religions (95), vikings (10), world war 1 (78), world war 2 (161)