1717 american-history results | sort by:
Cuban Missile Crisis - Avalon project
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Primary sources could be used to teach both the content and historical thinking skills in your classroom. Divide students into 5-6 groups, with each group assigned a different primary source to read and evaluate. (Sources should come from various perspectives to make the game more interesting, but should have the same general topic) Have the groups present quick summaries of their source to the class, making sure to mention who the author is and whether or not there could be bias. After all have presented, have each team pick a representative to argue in front of the class as to why their source is the most reliable and valid. After all have made their argument, have the class vote off the least reliable "survivor style" until you are left with just one!You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Rare Book Room - Octavo
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): literature (208)
In the Classroom
Use a projector or interactive whiteboard so everyone can view the Rare Book Room at once. Small groups can write down their observations about the art and text, and then share out with the whole class. You can also have small groups of students investigate Rare Books from certain authors or time periods. Navigating and annotating the books on the interactive whiteboard and sharing their findings with the whole class. The interactive whiteboard is the ideal tool for annotating. Older students can also annotate them using an online tool such as Fine Tuna, reviewed here : reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Shmoop - Civics - Shmoop University Inc
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): branches of government (60), constitution (98), politics (120), presidents (150)
In the Classroom
Students will not be bored when you turn them on to this site. The links can be put on a classroom webpage or blog. Use the primary resources section under Best of the Web to help students make real world connections. Students can use the photos provided on the site to create a PhotoStory or iMovie. The provided questions would be great to use for a classroom debate. To make learning more accessible, students can even download the guides to any handheld device that supports ebooks such as ipod touches or Kindles. Please note that some videos are from You Tube so they may be blocked by your school's filter.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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US Census Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
2 to 12tag(s): census (13)
In the Classroom
Whether you spend one class or an entire unit on the census, the ideas included within the "In the Classroom" portion of reviews will launch discussions and meaningful projects for student-centered learning. Consider other census connections, such as using a data or graphing resource to collect and manipulate data from a school mini-census, learning math skills at the same time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Better Future - Let's Be Counted - Steven J. Logwood
Grades
2 to 12In the Classroom
Share this video and song on your projector and screen, or whiteboard, as students come into the classroom. Use it as a lead-in to a discussion about the importance of the census. You can post some of the information from "Statistics - Census in Schools," reviewed here. From this same site you can go to "Fun Facts," that you can use in elementary, middle school, and high school classrooms. One last suggestion: Once you've completed your census unit, discussion, etc. You might want to have your class participate in the "100 People: A World Portrait" reviewed here. Don't forget about the possibility of using the census in math class to understand data and graphing, as well.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Statistics - Census in Schools - U.S. Census Bureau
Grades
K to 12tag(s): census (13), statistics (125)
In the Classroom
The K-4 lessons are perfect to use the way they are, or you might want to do some comparing of information between the different grade levels within your school. Another idea is to pair up third and fourth graders with the kindergartners or first and second graders to read the story and work on the worksheets together. Of course, using your projector and interactive whiteboard with the whole class is a must for explanations of the lessons. This site is very colorful, so project what you can! You may want to introduce this unit with a catchy, educational song and video about the census. For teachers of older students there are "Lessons Using the 2000 Census Data," "Quick Facts," and much more. One last suggestion: Once you've completed your census unit, discussion, etc. You might want to have your class participate in the "100 People: A World Portrait" project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Prezi - Prezi
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): artificial intelligence (232), graphic organizers (53), slides (38), visualizations (15)
In the Classroom
You could map your entire lesson, chapter or unit in one Prezi. Once you introduce the concept with this tool, you can go back to it often with your students as you move to different parts of the unit. It would provide a great way to connect prior knowledge with the next step if you share this on your interactive whiteboard or projector throughout the unit. Or you could post it to your web page or give kids the URL so they can review as often as they need it. Try having the students map a concept or chapter with this tool. In history class, create timelines of relevant events, or in science or math class have them map steps in a process. Have students create Prezis for different events, and then have them post the link to their product on a class blog or wiki. Add a peer review component and require students to comment on at least two other Prezis. The possibilities are endless!If you have gifted students n your class, offer Prezi as one alternative for sharing extensions to the regular curriculum. If they already know the material, have them investigate a related process or example and share it in the form of a Prezi.
Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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Dare to Compare - Nation Center for Education Statistics
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector as a pre-assessment for a new unit or as a mind bending class challenge. Reinforce and review lessons previously learned with your students. This is a terrific site during the run-up to high stakes testing. Use the questions as classroom conversation starters after taking the quizzes. Print out questions from the quizzes and provide your students with the correct answers and see if they can match them up with the questions. List this link on your class website for students to practice at home. Challenge small groups of students to create their own set of 5 questions about a current unit of study and create a multimedia presentation. Why not have cooperative learning groups create online books (one question per page) using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Create a Hero Trophy - Swati Mody-Thirteen Ed Online
Grades
6 to 8In the Classroom
This hero unit includes endless ideas, from comparing and contrasting real life heroes with fictional superheroes. Have your students try an online Venn diagram tool.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Marco Polo's Route to China and Back - EDSITEment
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): explorers (63), marco polo (2)
In the Classroom
Incorporate this site into a web quest to build student knowledge of Marco Polo, interesting geography facts, and the history of Asia. Create a class wiki about Marco Polo and have students add different facts they learned or questions they might have. Not sure how to create a class wiki? Check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Family Farm Album: The Photographs of Frank Sadorus - Illinois State Museum
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): agriculture (50), genealogy (8), photography (131), primary sources (117)
In the Classroom
This site is a good site to use if you want to introduce more primary sources into your teaching. There is an extensive activities and resource section that covers the topics of photography, history, farming and genealogy. In addition, the PDF entitled the Turning Point would be a good resource to use in a lesson on narrative writing. Share the photos in art (or photography) class on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students create blog entries from the perspective of Frank Sadorus. Use the pictures for creative writing exercises. Why not have a photo of the week and have students write a short piece on the class wiki about what they feel the picture represents, what is happening in the photo, what the animal or person was doing/thinking in the photo, or whatever else is applicable in your class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Visual Thesaurus Vocab Grabber - Thinkmap,Inc.
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): maps (217), reading comprehension (143), synonyms (15), vocabulary (248), writing (305)
In the Classroom
Teachers and students can use the VocabGrabber on an interactive whiteboard, projector, or individual computers to highlight vocabulary specific to a literary work or curricular subject area, to improve reading comprehension by choosing key concepts and literary terms, and to build background knowledge for a given text. As an added benefit, have students click on the VocabGrabber when typing their own assignments such as a poem or an essay, to avoid repeating the same word. They simply type in a word and generate a list of synonyms and more descriptive words. VocabGrabber enables students to see how words are used in context, instead of memorizing word lists. Additionally, VocabGrabber is extremely helpful for students preparing for standardized tests. Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class for further practice.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Westward Ho - Cyberbee and Darlene Andre, The Wagonmistress
Grades
2 to 9tag(s): pioneers (13), westward expansion (41)
In the Classroom
Plan to use this site as the hub of your social studies units on westward expansion or related American History topics. What makes this site exciting is that students interact with other students from around the country. Through technology they get to meet online to make decision and chat with each other. At the end of the 5 weeks students could create a living museum by dressing up in character and present to parents how they accomplished their "journey." Have students videotape the living museums and share them using a resource such as SchoolTube reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Law Focused Education, Inc. - Law Focused Education, Inc
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): constitution (98)
In the Classroom
The lesson plans are in PDF format, so they can easily be saved and printed. While the lesson plans are aligned to Texas State standards, they can easily be adapted to other state standards. The activities are easy to follow, and all the materials needed are generally supplied in the PDF document. The interactive activities can used in conjunction with many lesson plans for grades 5-8. They are perfect for your interactive whiteboard or projector. Have cooperative learning groups investigate various parts of this site and create multimedia presentations such as podcasts demonstrating their understanding of one of the concepts. Use a site such as PodOmatic.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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iCivics - iCivics Inc.
Grades
5 to 10tag(s): bill of rights (36), branches of government (60), congress (38), constitution (98), courts (23), democracy (24), elections (83), game based learning (266), presidents (150), supreme court (30)
In the Classroom
As you study the Constitution or U.S. government, have students participate in the activities, stopping to write blog entries as their legal character discussing the results they have achieved in court or in their role within other interactive simulations. Students can work individually or with a partner. Be sure to demonstrate the activities on an interactive whiteboard or projector so students understand how they work. Another option is to enhance student learning and modify classroom technology use by having students create a multimedia guide to one of the constitutional rights learned in the games. Use a tool such as Canva Infographic Maker, reviewed here, to make an interactive poster or infographic on each right. If your class is remote learning, try using Zoom, reviewed here, or another video conferencing tool, to demonstrate or introduce your class to iCivics and the individual activities.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Google for Education - Google
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): Google (21), organizational skills (82), professional development (290)
In the Classroom
Even those familiar with the Google tools will find information and uses they did not know about. Consider posting a link to your class web page for parents and students to access. Also, share this resource with your colleagues.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Moviesheets - Christopher Sheehan
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): business (47), climate (95), geology (61), holidays (246), movies (51)
In the Classroom
Use the worksheets to get students thinking about the science (or math, or other subjects) beyond these videos. Encourage students to create their own questions from the movie (reminding them of its relevance to your subject area), choose the best worksheets to use, and submit them. Require students to add thought-provoking questions tied to the content for further consideration. Use questions that go beyond factual recall to tie concepts together, explain phenomena, or uncover misconceptions. Continue the discussion of concepts beyond the paper through open discussion or blog posts. Rather than creating a worksheet, have your students create an interactive online poster using Genially, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Exploring Florida in 3D - Florida Center for Instructional Technology
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site with any social studies curriculum related to Florida locations to provide a sense of scale, make measurements of items seen, provide an overview of areas being studied, and a better context for what they are studying. For earth science, view pictures of landscapes to identify geologic structures learned in class. In any curricular area, view the 3D pictures to gain perspective into the structures, environment, and lives of the people in Florida's history. Challenge cooperative learning groups to explore one of the many topics presented at this site and create a multimedia presentation. Have groups create an interactive online poster using Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Legends of America - Legends of America.org
Grades
6 to 9tag(s): 1800s (82), 1910s (26), 1920s (25), 1930s (40), 1940s (68), 20th century (168), louisiana purchase (6), photography (131), westward expansion (41)
In the Classroom
This website would be an excellent resource for researching in American History courses. Challenge students to take the information beyond plain vanilla. Try having students create an online tour of places along the Oregon Trail or a tour of mining towns of the gold rush. Have students use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of the historic locations (with audio stories and pictures included)! Or challenge students to narrate an image using Thinglink, reviewed here. Thinglink site allows users to narrate a picture.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Explore - Annenberg
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): heroes (23)
In the Classroom
Find photos that speak to students and use them as an activator at the start of class. After viewing the picture, provide time for writing questions about the picture These questions will lead to search terms to find more information about culture, pollution, and socioeconomic problems. Encourage students to create poster or blog campaigns outlining problems and possible solutions. Why not create multimedia posters using a site such as Padlet, reviewed here. Find other areas in the world where similar or related problems are occurring. Identify the historical, economic, or geographical reasons for the problems. Challenge students to create a thematic Zeemaps, reviewed here. Zeemaps allows you to create a map with audio! Students can use this site as inspiration for "I believe..." style essays, photos, or videos. Looking for a FREE video sharing tool? Check out TeacherTube, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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