Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

PBS Learning Media's The Story of China is an interactive quiz featuring questions related to the Shang, Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. There are twenty-four questions in the quiz. Share the quiz via Google Classroom or a link. An account is required to build lessons.

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Twinkl's Mesopotamia page offers students a variety of activities about Mesopotamia. Activities include a social classes worksheet, Hammurabi's code writing activity, student response activity, advancements made in Mesopotamia, and kings of Mesopotamia fact file creation activity. To access the material, you must set up a free account.

tag(s): asia (124), cultures (209), mesopotamia (32)

This Mesopotamian Smartboard Review Google slide presentation can help students review key facts about ancient Mesopotamia. The slides include maps, pictures of artifacts, links to websites and quizzes, and summaries of important topics like the geography, government, writing, religion, and daily life of Mesopotamians. Teachers can use these slides to guide class discussions, play review games, or ask questions to check students' understanding. Using this presentation in a classroom is a great way to make reviewing fun and easy for students while preparing for a quiz or test.

tag(s): asia (124), cultures (209), mesopotamia (32), slides (43)

This video explains how writing changed ancient civilizations. It shows how systems like cuneiform in Mesopotamia helped people keep records, trade, and run governments. Writing made it easier to organize societies and share ideas, laying the foundation for modern communication. This video is a great way to teach students how important writing has been in shaping history. The video is shown through YouTube, so if your district blocks it, you may not be able to view it.
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tag(s): asia (124), mesopotamia (32), writing (326)

The History.com page on Mesopotamia provides an engaging overview of one of the world's first civilizations, situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The article explores Mesopotamia's key contributions, including the development of cuneiform, the wheel, and legal systems like the Code of Hammurabi. It also highlights the region's cultural achievements, such as monumental architecture like ziggurats, and its influence on future civilizations. The page includes visuals and related resources, making it a valuable tool for teachers to introduce students to the history of ancient Mesopotamia and its lasting impact on the modern world. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.
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tag(s): asia (124), cultures (209), mesopotamia (32)

View this video for a quick and clear summary of the Persian Empire's history. It covers important leaders like Cyrus the Great and Darius I, explains how they ruled such a large empire using satrapies (regional governors), and shows their cultural and architectural achievements. The video uses easy-to-follow narration and helpful visuals, making it an excellent resource for students learning about ancient civilizations. However, if your school blocks YouTube, you may be unable to access the video and might need to find another way to share the content.
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tag(s): asia (124), cultures (209), mesopotamia (32)

The Crash Course website offers a comprehensive video series on world history, including a detailed lesson on Mesopotamia. This episode explores the origins of one of the world's first civilizations, covering its development along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, its advancements in writing, governance, and law, and its impact on later societies. The content is presented in a fast-paced, engaging style, making it suitable for middle and high school students. Teachers can use this resource to introduce or reinforce key historical concepts, stimulate discussions, and encourage students to reflect on the significance of early civilizations. If your district blocks YouTube, then the video may not be viewable.
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tag(s): asia (124), mesopotamia (32)

Storyboard That offers an engaging resource for teaching about Ancient Mesopotamia through the G.R.A.P.E.S. framework (Geography, Religion, Achievements, Politics, Economy, and Social Structure). The lesson plans help students explore key aspects of Mesopotamian civilization with creative activities like storyboards, timelines, and graphic organizers. Featured activities include creating visual summaries of Hammurabi's Code, mapping the Fertile Crescent's geography, and illustrating Mesopotamia's social hierarchy.

tag(s): asia (124), digital storytelling (155), mesopotamia (32)

Short History Of... is a weekly podcast that takes listeners back in time to learn the stories behind historical events. Hear about diverse topics like Elvis Presley's rise from a working-class truck driver to one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the cultural and economic factors leading to the French Revolution of the late 18th century. Each podcast runs about an hour long and is available on most podcast streaming sites.

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Step into ancient Egypt without leaving the classroom! The website 3D Mekanlar offers a captivating virtual tour of the Pyramids of Giza, where students can explore stunning 3D models and even venture inside the Great Pyramid. Perfect for bringing history to life, this interactive experience lets students discover the engineering marvels of ancient Egypt in vivid detail. Use this website to enhance lessons on ancient civilizations, sparking curiosity and wonder about the iconic pyramids and their historical significance. Some videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): asia (124), egypt (59), pyramids (24)

Skyline Webcams provides a selection of five different live webcams showcasing various breathtaking locations across the Maldives. Use these real-time views to explore diverse landscapes and environments, such as beaches, lagoons, and island resorts. The live feeds can enrich lessons on geography, ecosystems, or climate, offering students an exciting virtual exploration of one of the world's most beautiful destinations. Additionally, use the webcams as engaging visual aids for writing prompts or discussions on topics like tourism, conservation, and island life. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.
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tag(s): asia (124), webcams (19)

The National Geographic interactive website on the Son Doong Cave offers a stunning virtual exploration of the world's largest cave, located in Vietnam. Through panoramic images, videos, and detailed descriptions, students can discover unique ecosystems, ancient formations, and underground rivers. This resource is ideal for earth science, geography, or environmental studies classes, providing a real-world example of geological processes and biodiversity.
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tag(s): asia (124), biodiversity (36), caves (7), ecosystems (83), vietnam (38)

Crash Course World History is a free digital tool that includes thirty world history videos. This series includes videos on rethinking civilization, drought and famine, Congo and Africa's World War, nonviolence and peace movements, democracy, authoritarian capitalism, and China. The videos range from twelve to fourteen minutes. This site uses YouTube and has commercials before each video. This is part 2 of a two-part series of videos. This site uses YouTube and has commercials before each video.
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tag(s): africa (170), world war 1 (79), world war 2 (161)

Crash Course World History is a free digital tool that contains forty-two world history videos. This series includes videos on the Agricultural Revolution, The Indus Valley Civilization, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Rome, The Fall of Rome, the Renaissance, capitalism and socialism, globalization, and World War 1. The videos range from ten to fourteen minutes. This is part 1 of a two-part series of videos. This site uses YouTube and has commercials before each video.
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tag(s): agriculture (52), renaissance (38), world war 1 (79)

Theater and Drama, from Crash Course, offers a collection of YouTube videos related to many famous (and not-so-famous) dramas. Find video titles, such as Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson, The Spanish Golden Age, Greek Comedy, Satyrs, and Aristophanes, among many others. The videos include a short paragraph describing the content; some also have lesson stems. What a great collection for secondary English teachers or anyone looking for short videos related to Shakespeare and the history of drama. Be aware - some of the videos include short advertisements before they begin. As these videos are hosted on YouTube, if your school does not allow YouTube, this site would not work well for you. There is an option on the site to download the video to view off of YouTube.
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tag(s): acting (19), plays (32), shakespeare (99)

HistoryMaps provides an extensive collection of historical maps that span a wide range of periods and geographic locations, from ancient civilizations to modern-day nations. Easily navigate and search for specific maps based on various criteria, such as region, period, and theme. The maps are also presented in high resolution, allowing for a detailed examination of each map's cartographic features and historical context. HistoryMaps also provides valuable educational resources, including articles on the history of cartography and tutorials on how to read and interpret historical maps. These resources are a great way to deepen one's understanding of maps' role in shaping history. In addition, information is available in several languages, including Spanish, French, Portuguese, and more.

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Felt is a free map creator that makes it easy for anyone to create and work with maps. Under the Use Cases tab on the top right, you'll find Education with ideas for teaching with Felt. Easily share your maps with others by sharing a link or embedding them in another tool. Felt's simple toolbar makes it easy to map data or routes and add notes, links, or images. Pinning locations, adding notes, coloring specific areas, clipping out any location to emphasize, and adding layers to your maps allows you to map just about anything you could imagine! You must be at least thirteen years old to create a free account to create maps. This site is currently in a public beta version.

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Georgia Virtual Learning is the online education headquarters for the Georgia Department of Education and offers over 100 virtual courses for middle and high school students. Choose from studies in all core content areas and the fine arts and world languages. An additional option features courses in CTAE/Electives. These offerings include classes in finance, computer science, fitness, and more. After selecting a course to view, use the module to proceed through the contents. Each module includes an introduction featuring essential questions and interactive content and concludes with final assessments and a module test.

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Open-Ended Social Studies is an Open Educational Resource (OER) textbook designed to foster critical and historical thinking skills through interactive content. Find resources related to the United States and World History in many ways: browse lessons by concept, country, films, travel writing, or search the library of lessons by keyword. The lessons are designed to be used by students and include many hyperlinks, images, and videos that support the included content. In addition to the teaching materials, this site contains a beneficial blog with content that supports the site's philosophy, which is to teach students through a broader world lens.

tag(s): 1600s (20), 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 20th century (62), american revolution (83), civil war (140), colonial america (95), colonization (21), gettysburg (15), gettysburg address (12), native americans (117), OER (43), washington (28), westward expansion (39)

The World History Encyclopedia takes encyclopedias to the next level through the addition of media, timelines, teaching materials, and much more. Use the keyword search to find specific information or select the index to find content in alphabetical order or by region or date. Explore interactive maps of prehistoric sites, the Roman Empire, and more. This encyclopedia also shares many downloadable lessons and curated collections. Finally, don't forget to visit the media library to find images, videos, 3D images, and audio recordings.

tag(s): china (81), climate change (100), colonial america (95), egypt (59), explorers (64), greeks (46), japan (60), maps (225), medieval (33), primary sources (120), religions (111), romans (52), slavery (79), vikings (10), women (152)