1289 american-history results | sort by:
return to subject listing25 Moments That Changed America - Time Magazine
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1900s (73), 20th century (62), civil rights (200), presidents (133), womens suffrage (46)
In the Classroom
Use this site to introduce any lesson or unit on 20th century America with an interactive whiteboard or projector. At the end of a 20th century unit, have students create their own list individually or as a group before sharing this site. This site contains many events that may be unfamiliar to most younger Americans, use it as an opportunity to explore these events further. Have students create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here, to share information from different events. 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.This is a good informational reading source to help meet your Common Core Standards.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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A Day in the Life: Dress the Part - History.org
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use this activity to introduce the idea of social classifications during the 1700's. Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects. Challenge students to create an interactive map and tell a digital story about a society member's ancestry and movements. Use a tool such as Tour Builder, reviewed here. With Tour Builder, you can add locations, text, images, and videos to build the story. A simpler project would be to ask students to use Cube Creator, reviewed here, and design a Bio Cube about different members of Virginia society.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pantheon People Rankings - MIT Media Lab
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): cultures (145), explorers (66), politics (114), scientists (63), sociology (24), sports (81)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use throughout the year when looking for ideas for research projects, biographies, and more. Have students create a list of whom they think is most influential and compare their lists to the actual results. Use information to find the most influential people around the globe or throughout time. Have students modify their learning and create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Five Myths - The Washington Post
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): journalism (72), myths and legends (24)
In the Classroom
Share Five Myths on an interactive whiteboard or projector as an excellent starting point for lessons on the subjects included. Be sure to review comments on each section before sharing since they are unmoderated. After viewing the articles on this site, start a discussion about what students know about urban legends and Snopes. Have students research and find five myths for any topic, then create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Snappa, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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State of the Union Bingo - National Constitution Center
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): presidents (133), speeches (21)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of this free lesson plan as a supplement to your current events lessons. The Bingo sheet was created in 2012, you may need to modify some terms to adapt to current events. Divide students into groups and compare State of the Union addresses from throughout any one president's terms. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Venngage, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Andrew Carnegie's Story - Carnegie Corporation of New York
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): 1900s (73), biographies (95), business (51), railroads (14)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Include this resource with a study of the 19th Century, famous businessmen, or philanthropy. Have students create maps of libraries in your state funded by the Carnegie Foundation using MapHub, reviewed here. Students can add text, images, and location stops! Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Andrew Carnegie and his peers. Use this site as a starting point to compare Andrew Carnegie to current businessmen and philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Classroom Materials - Primary Source Sets - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): 20th century (62), authors (105), black history (130), civil war (136), constitution (89), evaluating sources (28), hispanic (32), history day (39), immigration (68), jefferson (19), lincoln (65), new deal (5), primary sources (119), Research (84), segregation (18), thanksgiving (22), veterans (29), washington (28), westward expansion (39), womens suffrage (46), wright brothers (16)
In the Classroom
When introducing a new unit, show students photos from the era (on the left menu) and have them describe what they see and what period they think it is. Find plenty of questions and activities (including a blank analysis organizer for students) in the Teacher's Guides. Also look at Library of Congress: for Teachers, reviewed here. Encourage your students to use this tool for projects. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted for reproduction), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Google Slides, reviewed here. Google Slides allows you to narrate a picture (choose Insert from the top menu, then audio) modifying student learning. Include this site on your class webpage for students and parents to access as a reference.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Khan Academy YouTube Channel - Khan Academy
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): computers (109), equations (119), financial literacy (89), probability (97), STEM (279), test prep (68), video (262)
In the Classroom
Flip your classroom and use a video as homework. Have students take notes about the material and write down questions they still have and topics that confuse them. That activity can uncover misconceptions. Show the video to the class, and then discuss the concept at length. For more advanced classes, provide time for students to choose a video to view and research the underlying concept. Set up a video chat time using one of these YouTube videos and a tool such as Watch Together, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Social Studies Virtual Field Trips - CSISD Tech
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): africa (142), cultures (145), museums (47), rome (23), virtual field trips (96), white house (15)
In the Classroom
Immerse your students in your studies with a close-up in-depth look through virtual field trips. Visit places where time, money, and mileage inhibit your dreams for bringing your students into wondrous worlds. Find ways to visit where your class has never gone before. Find ways to motivate your most reluctant learners. For history teachers who teach ancient Rome, the history of the Islamic religion, ancient China, or just about any other historical topic, this would be a real treat for students. Help them recognize that these cultures were once real people, with skills, and goals. World languages teachers will be able to introduce different cultures from a new perspective. Small groups or individual students can focus on one of the tours. ENL/ESL learners will appreciate the visit. Reach all types of learners through a class visit. Use field trips as a whole class anticipatory guide, a center activity, a home connection, or even as extra credit. Challenge your gifted students to be guides to their own learning. Make your class go global!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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OldNYC - Mapping Historical Photographs of New York City - New York Public Library's Milstein Collection
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1900s (73), 20th century (62), images (260), new york (24), photography (118)
In the Classroom
If you teach about local history, inspire students by sharing this site first, then have them create a wiki about your town! Not comfortable with wikis? Check out TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through. Get your interactive whiteboard or projector ready for this photographic journey. Share photos from different time periods as you study different eras from the 19th and 20th centuries.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The American Civil War: Then and Now - The Guardian
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): battles (18), civil war (136), photography (118)
In the Classroom
It is tempting to scroll through the photographs quickly, but each deserves time for study and reflection. What is pictured in the original photograph? What is being communicated to the viewer? Challenge students to predict what the modern photo will show (you will need to hold the slider button to keep the photograph from changing automatically). What would Civil War-era soldiers think if they could see the modern photograph? What responsibility do we have to preserve sites like these in their original condition?Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Black History Month Resources - PBS
Grades
K to 12tag(s): black history (130), civil rights (200), cultures (145), martin luther king (45), racism (79), video (262)
In the Classroom
Explore this site for many different lessons and resources to use during Black History Month and with lessons on racism and bias throughout the year. Use lessons found here to differentiate for students of different levels. Be sure to check out the Discrimination - fair or unfair? lesson plan that is designed specifically for students who have difficulty with verbal and written expression.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Preparing For The Oath - Smithsonian National Museum of American History
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): immigration (68)
In the Classroom
Share this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on US history or citizenship. Take advantage of the video lessons on this site to teach and review topics pertaining to the United States. Be sure to share with your school's ESL/ELL teacher as an informative resource for students and parents.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Earliest Voices - Michigan State University
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): biographies (95), inventors and inventions (77), oral history (14), politics (114), sound (73)
In the Classroom
Bringing early voices to life in the classroom can help connect students with these important figures from history. Do their voices sound as you expected? Along with the audio records, you'll find important contextual information about early audio recordings, and about the circumstances surrounding each speech or recording.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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George Washington's Mount Vernon - Virtual Tour - Mount Vernon
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1700s (36), presidents (133), virginia (14), virtual field trips (96)
In the Classroom
Ideal for use on an interactive whiteboard or for students to access individually, this virtual tour has many features. You can explore the buildings, zoom in on items in the buildings, access stories and discussions that highlight features of the property and the daily lives of those who lived at Mount Vernon. Enhance learning by having students share their impressions of and questions about Mount Vernon and more with video, using a tool like Flip, reviewed here. Flip provides a means for video responses to a question along with comments from peers. There are additional links to lesson plans and other student resources.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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DK Learning - Dorling Kindersley Limited
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animals (288), climate change (93), immigration (68), musical instruments (49), racism (79), timelines (56)
In the Classroom
In the classroom, teachers can access lesson plans on climate change, timelines, wellness, and how to be an engineer. Students can engage in Kahoots on musical instruments, explorers, and ancient Rome. Students can also watch videos on hot air balloons, jellyfish, and lighting.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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NationStates - Max Barry
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): foreign policy (12), money (114), politics (114), sociology (24)
In the Classroom
Students can use this interactive individually, making connections to their choice, results, and connections to actual world events, present and past. Additionally, students can join a region and see how their decisions affect other nations. A great lesson is to allow students to run their nation according to their political views and see the results as they unfold through play. Be sure to treat this seriously as the issues presented here are actual issues that governments must deal with daily. Even making a decision within your political viewpoint can lead to results that are not anticipated. Require students to discuss their viewpoint, why they believe they are right, the resulting consequence, and how it has changed what they believe. Following the play, give time for students to research an initiative or action a country made and the resulting consequences that have resulted. Present, discuss, or debate these with the class. Allow every student in class to have a voice by using a student response system such as Infuse Learning, reviewed here, or GoSoapBox, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wide Angle Window Into Global History - PBS
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): cross cultural understanding (167), cultures (145), maps (207)
In the Classroom
These resources and videos are extremely flexible for classroom use. Use the film clips for current events, and to also highlight events from the past. Use a video segment to get students thinking about past incidents, solutions, and whether today's environment has changed from that of the past. View a variety of clips from one theme and discuss events in the clip or use a writing assignment to provide time to process the events. Discuss in what ways these clips are similar and other societal, economic, and political factors that affected them. Use any of these videos to find any current events that are still dealing with the same issue today. Be sure to brainstorm how different people, in other areas of the world, would view these issues. Research these issues using resources from other areas of the world to see editorials and news clippings that are not American. Note: Use the country code after your search term or use this news search. Were there other people interviewed about any of these issues? Who are they and what did they say? Consider creating videos showcasing a variety of viewpoints using Typito, reviewed here. Besides the viewpoint of each video, what would be a common question that all videos within the theme have in common? How does the bubble of our American culture hamper our understanding of other people both here in the U.S. and abroad? Research the history and culture of the various areas to identify factors responsible for the themes portrayed by this resource.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Zoom In! - Education Development Center
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): american revolution (82), civil war (136), constitution (89), immigrants (34), immigration (68), lincoln (65), slavery (78), vietnam (38), westward expansion (39), world war 2 (161)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of these free lesson plans for use in teaching social studies aligned to Common Core Standards. Even if you cannot use whole lessons, browse through to find resources to add to your current lessons. Create classes and assign different lessons to different groups of students based on ability and interest. After completing a unit, have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here.Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Includes teacher tools for registering and/or monitoring students
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The Roosevelts - PBS
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1900s (73), presidents (133), roosevelt (15)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans offered to supplement your current lessons based on the Roosevelt family. Have groups of students complete different Snapshot Lessons then share with the class. Have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Multimedia Edge tools, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a member of the Roosevelt family.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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