Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

This interactive provides up-to-date information about global conflicts, and specifically the impact on U.S. interests. Colors display the impact on the U.S. with red being more critical and green as limited. Hover over any highlighted area to learn the area affected. Click to find out more such as the number of people affected, recent developments, and background about the conflict. Use filters to view information by region or different types of conflict.

tag(s): conflict resolution (9), cross cultural understanding (173), cultures (180), journalism (74), maps (220), terrorism (41), terrorist (12)

Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization dedicated to getting young people out to vote. Their home page includes information for voters across the country about voter registration, where to vote, and election information. Other links direct you to contact information for local and national elected officials. Are you registered to vote? It's easy to find out through Rock the Vote, enter your address and date of birth and find out your registration status.

tag(s): elections (82), politics (118)

Data USA provides a comprehensive and in-depth look at data across the United States using public government data. Search for data using cities, states, or topics such as education or occupations. When searching for locations, Data USA provides an exhausting overview of demographics, economy, health, and more for the locations. In addition to searching for data, this site also offers many maps demonstrating statistics for population, median age, workforce, and much more. Choose the stories link to read stories written using the data found on the site.

tag(s): cities (17), communities (35), data (151), demographics (13), population (51), states (124), statistics (121)

Many students (and adults) don't fully understand the electoral college process; this short video explains the electoral college in easy to understand terms. The moderator delves into some of the complications and misunderstandings involved with the electoral college and discusses how some U.S. citizens don't have electoral college representation. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable.
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tag(s): elections (82), electoral college (22)

Electing a President in Plain English is a video describing, in simple terms, how the US electoral process works during a presidential election. The video focuses on the influence of population on the overall voting process and provides a quick overview of the general vote and the electoral college. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable.

tag(s): elections (82), electoral college (22)

Discover, create, and share digital resources from the Smithsonian Museum, the National Zoo, and nine major research centers with this visually appealing site. Use the search feature to find digital resources including photos, recordings, videos, and text. Sign up to create your own collections, including those found on the site and your own resources. Also, click Discover and use the search bar to find topics already on the site your class is studying like dinosaurs, explorers, black history, volcanoes, etc. Add annotations and develop quizzes. Easily share your creations or curated collections using social networking links provided. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): animals (294), architecture (75), art history (102), aviation (40), black history (133), civil war (139), dinosaurs (43), explorers (64), images (263), inventors and inventions (80), Learning Management Systems (20), oceans (149), scientists (67), shakespeare (99), Teacher Utilities (198), volcanoes (55)

Discover and watch publicly funded radio and television programs from America's past with the American Archive of Public Broadcasting. Built as a means to preserve public broadcast programs from the 1940's through the present, over 7000 programs are available for streaming with additions ongoing. In addition to streaming programs, this site also includes curated exhibits on topics of historical significance, such as Climate Change and Voices from the Southern Civil Rights Movement.

tag(s): 1900s (72), earth (184), radio (20), religions (95), sports (82), video (266), women (151), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

Stay up to date with current elections and learn about the electoral process with this all-inclusive site from PBS Learning. View a short video to explore the constitution and how the government gets its power from its citizens. Scroll down the page and launch the Electoral Decoder to explore 58 past presidential elections. Another feature is KQED Call for Change Youth Media Challenge, where middle and high school students share their ideas on issues that matter to them. Be sure to scroll down the page to explore other election categories like Voting Rights, The Party System, a Current Issues and Debate toolkit, and more.

tag(s): debate (42), elections (82), electoral college (22), presidents (135), speech (69)

Learn something new each day with Highbrow's unique course delivery system. Sign up for a course, then receive an email each day with a five to ten-minute lesson. Each course is completed in ten days making learning quick and easy! Choose from many different course options in subjects such as art, literature, languages, history, tech and coding, photography, and several others. Highbrow only allows one course per user at a time to encourage complete focus on each topic. If you don't see what you like, choose the Create Course option and create your own learning experience using your expertise!

tag(s): 20th century (62), architecture (75), authors (107), business (52), differentiation (84), endangered species (27), equations (119), financial literacy (93), greeks (46), human body (93), inventors and inventions (80), logic (161), medicine (57), mental math (19), numbers (120), photography (130), poetry (193), psychology (65), short stories (18), surrealism (2), weather (160), women (151)

Mr. Moore's Classroom shares resources used in his social studies courses which include AP US History, Debate, and World History. Each content area includes a course syllabus, learning calendars, and information by unit. Some sections include more information and activities than others. Choose the Presentations link to find links to videos, Prezi presentations, and interactive games and simulations. If your district blocks YouTube, then the videos may not be viewable.

tag(s): 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 1900s (72), 20th century (62), advanced placement (26), american revolution (82), aztecs (9), civil rights (209), civil war (139), debate (42), industrial revolution (22), industrialization (12), speech (69), world war 1 (77), world war 2 (161)

Take a 2,428 mile road trip along the US/Mexican border to see and read the stories, culture, and goods that come together at the meeting points of these two countries. These 12 stories tell the tale of individuals along the border as told to reporters accompanied by US Border Patrol Agents. Each story includes stunning photography along with personal stories of those living on the border or attempting to cross into the US. The main page also includes a ticker that shows how many vehicles cross the border legally, how many pedestrians cross the border legally, how many people are detained for crossing illegally, and drug information. All of the numbers shown occur during your visit to the site Be sure to preview information before displaying for students as there is some content that may be inappropriate for younger classes.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (173), immigrants (34), immigration (68), mexico (37)

Ask the Judge provides information and answers for teens relating to the law. Scroll through the homepage to view the latest blog entries relating to court and law issues. Choose the Teen Help Network link to find resources by state, including attorneys, classes for teens, drug treatment programs, and more. Receive answers to questions about the law in the teen chat room by posting your question or reading through questions and responses provided by Judge Tom. Be sure to check out the "Your Rights" portion of the site with extensive information about teen rights at school, on the Internet, and much more.
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tag(s): bill of rights (33), civil rights (209), courts (20), digital citizenship (85)

Two friends with opposing political views created I Side With as a resource for engaging in political discussion and learning about different points of view. Take the online quiz to learn which candidate aligns with your beliefs the most. Explore the many polls on the site to view results from across the country. Break down information from the polls into additional information such as by state, city, party affiliation, ethnicity, and income.

tag(s): elections (82), politics (118), polls and surveys (49)

Make history relevant to the world today and learn more about First Amendment issues at the same time. Find lesson plans, a multimedia collection of primary sources and artifacts, interactive tools, and worksheets. These are searchable by type, topic, collections, and time-period. The focus of the lessons is historical connections, media literacy, and civics and citizenship. There are several EdCollections with titles like "Election 2016: Stumped!?," "Making a Change," "Women, Their Rights and Nothing Less," and "Freedom in the Balance." The latter focuses on teaching and learning about 9/11 and the attacks in Paris, France 2015, and adhering to the First Amendment freedoms and concerns for safety and the public good. All of this is free with an email sign up. Check back frequently to see NewseumEd's newest EdCollections.

tag(s): civil rights (209), elections (82), evaluating sources (29), freedom of speech (14), media literacy (109), politics (118), primary sources (117), sept11 (18), terrorism (41), terrorist (12)

Over the years Tom Richey has taught several different history courses. His site shares many of his teaching materials. Choose the Courses drop-down box to go directly to different courses including AP History, AP European History, Modern World History, and more. Each course includes assignment information, primary sources, videos, and all information needed to set up a curriculum. Click on the PowerPoint selection to find a large variety of PowerPoint presentations for free download. Other links lead to review guides, video lectures, and flashcards. Be sure to check out this site when you have lots of time to explore the many resources included! If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.
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tag(s): advanced placement (26), american revolution (82), colonial america (95), europe (84), greece (47), israel (14), medieval (32), native americans (108), primary sources (117), renaissance (38), romans (52)

You don't need to take an actual visit to Mount Vernon to enjoy a look at the life and times of America's first president with this comprehensive website. Choose from The Estate and Gardens or George Washington links to explore information about Washington's life and home. Each section includes full articles, including images and some videos. Be sure to check out the Educational Resources for students and teachers including lesson plans, interactive maps, animated presentations, and more.
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tag(s): american revolution (82), presidents (135), primary sources (117), slavery (79), washington (28)

Explore America's History of Immigration through the thirty-two interactive events on this timeline beginning in 1492. Scroll the timeline bar to any area on the timeline to view events for that period. Click the arrows on each box to read more about that event.
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tag(s): immigrants (34), immigration (68), timelines (56)

TPS Teachers Network is a social networking site for social studies and history teachers. The Library of Congress funded this as part of their Teaching With Primary Sources Program. Create an account to begin using features on the site (email and password required). Once enrolled, options include participating in a chat, adding friends, and searching using keywords. Use the search from the top right menu after logging in on the main page to find specific information topics such as primary source sets or political cartoons. Create albums on the site, including primary and secondary sources, and videos to easily share with students or fellow teachers. Be sure to check out the Help section by clicking the question mark at on the top menu bar when you first get started for Quick Tips to all sections of the site.

tag(s): bookmarks (43), primary sources (117), professional development (385), social networking (61), Teacher Utilities (198)

Teaching World War I With The New York Times is a resource for teaching about World War I using historical articles and social media. The site offers topics paired with New York Times articles and slide shows for use in exploring the causes and effects of the war. Click on highlighted links to get access to all resources included on the site including Common Core Standards.

tag(s): europe (84), middle east (50), world war 1 (77)

This YouTube channel offers over 300 videos for U.S. and World History, current events, political science, and American Government. Click the Playlist link to easily find one of the categories. Other videos teach test-taking and essay writing skills. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable.
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tag(s): china (81), classroom management (120), constitution (96), elections (82), foreign policy (13), politics (118), presidents (135), russia (36)