Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This lesson plan from the Library of Congress helps students develop an understanding of the Civil War as they study primary sources and works of historical fiction. Students begin by viewing a multimedia slide show, then examine and interpret photographs of Civil War-era children. Finally, students are asked to read several literary selections, and discuss the various war-time perspectives that are represented. A well-organized teacher's guide, links to on-line resources, and complete lesson plans aligned to national standards are provided.

tag(s): civil war (139)

If taking your students to Washington, D.C., just isn't a possibility, this site is the next best thing to being there. The interactive and viewer friendly tour provides panoramic photos, fascinating historical information, and interesting details about many of the objects encountered along the way. This is an extensive tour, so a teacher-created plan with explicit directions is strongly suggested before students embark on the field trip.

tag(s): house of representatives (8), senate (10)

This small but creative collection of activities spans a diverse range of topics from American history and taps into the imaginative minds of elementary students. Visit the "Activities" section to learn about great women of the past, WWII Japanese interment camps, or slave life and the Underground Railroad. Each topic includes background information, links to related children's literature, and ideas for hands-on activities. The some of the "Activities" provide interactive activities that immerse students in creating Native American buffalo hide paintings, building a sod home, and looking at life through the eyes of an historian.

tag(s): immigration (68), native americans (108), underground railroad (15), women (151), world war 2 (161)

This entertaining and informational site about that famous residence on Pennsylvania Avenue is filled with something for everyone. Younger students can focus on the colors and shapes found throughout this historic home while meeting some "first kids" and famous "first pets." Older students can listen to audio clips of presidents during the last century, take several outstanding White House tours, and discover many historic treasures located throughout this famous home. All students will enjoy the colorful virtual tours.

tag(s): 1800s (75), 1900s (72), presidents (135), virtual field trips (128), white house (16)

American society experienced a tremendous amount of change and growth during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This site is filled with primary source images from the Library of Congress and interactive exercises that bring the era to life. The "Image Detective" activity is especially impressive. After selecting a picture from the collection, students are presented with a critical question and guided through the process of gathering clues, reading background information, and drawing conclusions. The Investigations link challenges students to interact with visual sources to gain perspective and understanding. This is an outstanding resource for strengthening skills in historical research and critical thinking! The Exhibit Builder link apparently no longer functions, but students can copy images under Fair Use (check the collection information) to create a slide show or exhibit using images from the site and their own explanatory text.

tag(s): 1900s (72), 1920s (15), history day (39), immigration (68), industrialization (12), womens suffrage (52), world war 1 (77)

World history, U.S. history, rhetoric and debate, health, and technology are addressed by this comprehensive examination of some of the greatest disasters in maritime history - the Titanic, the Lusitania, and the Empress of Ireland. Full lesson plans (these are really outstanding!), aligned with national standards are provided. Topics include The Blame Game (a great role-playing experience), Bigger, Faster, Stronger, Higher (a comparison of the Titanic and Challenger disasters), and Titanic Artifacts (what we've discovered about the lives of those lost). Students can even learn about effective Internet search strategies in the Lost Liners scavenger hunt activity.

tag(s): disasters (37), oceans (149)

This incredible resource is not just for history fans! The comprehensive and well-organized site includes a timeline of events, a glossary, battle outlines, biographies, and thousands of images and maps. Topics include ancient history, the Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and much more. A true gold mine for history teachers and students.

tag(s): battles (18), maps (220), timelines (56)

Take a unique approach to American History! Games have been used for generations to advance political agendas and propaganda, or to solicit support for social causes. This site includes early nineteenth-century geographical board games; a Civil War game; suffrage games that aided in the battle for women's votes; and a selection of games inspired by television programming. Explore these selections in class and challenge students to consider games that are popular today. What will our pastimes reveal to the historians of the future? Though some of this site requires Flash, there is still a lot of information here to learn about games way in the past and in the recent past.

tag(s): civil war (139), women (151), womens suffrage (52)

Explore images, documents, and rare materials in this impressive collection of on-line archives. Search for a specific topic of interest by using the Digital Collection search, tour the many on-line exhibitions that cover a wide range of topics by scrolling down the page ro find themes ranging from Recently Digitized and Updated Collections, Nature Collections, Fashion Collections, and several others. Use for your own background research or as a resource for your students.

tag(s): images (263), primary sources (117)

This on-line exhibition allows visitors to follow the footsteps of Lewis and Clark, explore the cultural landscape they encountered, and browse through a collection of over 350 artifacts that document the first transcontinental journey across North America. Highlights of this beautifully designed site include an interactive map, audio clips providing sounds associated with each place along the journey, and readings from words written by members of the expedition. Links to related themes are provided throughout the site. This is an outstanding resource that accurately presents many facets of this pivotal even in American history. Though this is a Legacy Unit and no longer supported, the information is excellent and well worth your visit.

tag(s): lewis and clark (14), louisiana (6), louisiana purchase (5)

Spice up a history class and generate discussion with cartoons taken from the Smithsonian Institution's American Art/Portrait Gallery Library Collection. Images, dating from 1862 to 1955, reflect the power and popularity of this medium throughout American history. Can be browsed by title, artist, or subject.

tag(s): comics and cartoons (55)

Create an interdisciplinary link between math and social studies with this informative site that chronicles the development of teaching tools to help students master abstract mathematical concepts. Simple text and graphics make this a very usable site for students of any level. Created by the National Museum of American History

This site, by the Lily Library of Indiana University, features the wry wit and artistic talents of America's best political cartoonists. Three distinct and turbulent periods in American history are represented: The Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. Especially notable are the political cartoons from election years 1860 and 1864. Challenge students to think about how these caricatures compare with those found in today's newspapers.

tag(s): comics and cartoons (55), politics (118)

This is a thematic look at the conduct and evolution of the American presidency since the founding of the republic. It examines the executive structures that manage domestic, economic, foreign, and legislative activities in more than enough detail for secondary students. Even a quick tour will demonstrate the current complexity of the executive branch. Be sure to check out Issues and Policy form the menu in the upper left corner.

tag(s): presidents (135)

Highlighting the incredible courage, ingenuity, and determination of Orville and Wilbur Wright, this Library of Congress site traces the importance of flight through history as it chronicles the brothers' amazing achievement in Kitty Hawk, NC. Rich in text, photographs, and primary source documents, this electronic exhibit could form the basis for a teacher-created Web hunt, or serve as a visual supplement for a unit on American history and inventors.

tag(s): air (101), aircraft (16), aviation (40), flight (34), wright brothers (16)

This collection of digital sound recordings (in MP3, RealAudio, and wav formats), corresponding transcripts, and photographs provide an authentic experience in the study of slavery in America. Interviews conducted between 1932 and 1975, reveal how former slaves felt about their owners, their families, and their freedom. All recordings are taken from the American Folklife Collection of the Library of Congress.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115), civil war (139), oral history (13), slavery (79)

Gullah is the unique culture of African Americans living on and along the coastal waters of South Carolina and Georgia. This site offers a look at the traditions, customs, and folk tales of the Gullah people in a treatment that students will find both respectful and entertaining. Try it as an example of a regional American culture, or as part of a study of African American history. Find Gullah lesson plans, music and tales in video format.

tag(s): africa (148), african american (115), black history (133), georgia (3)

This presentation by students and faculty at Trinity College, Hartford includes discussions of some of history's more famous cipher and encryption machines, including the infamous German enigma machines. Along the way, there's a presentation on some of the basics of encryption. Students interested in math or computer security will find this one an interesting introduction to a hugely complex topic.

tag(s): cryptography (5)

Here's an extremely well-designed site about the history of American transportation that really moves. You can approach the content in several ways: an eighteen part chronology filled with images, thematic presentations on immigration, technology, etc., or a sizeable collection of reproducible lessons and teaching materials. Middle schoolers should handle the writing level adequately, and the site is sufficiently visual that upper elementary users will follow the presentation. This one should be a welcome addition to anyone's transportation unit.

tag(s): air (101), railroads (14), transportation (30)

A part of the Teaching with Historic Places series from the National Park Service, this lesson presents artifacts, maps, and images from the Lewis and Clark expedition and asks students to draw conclusions about the nature of the expedition and its activities. There is a wealth of other supplementary material and background information as well.

tag(s): lewis and clark (14), native americans (108)