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John Roberts Nominated as Chief Justice - NPR
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): senate (11), supreme court (31)
In the Classroom
Though there have been judges nominated and appointed more recently than Roberts, this site provides some excellent information that makes it a great resource for a lesson on judicial nominations. Use this site as a hands-on activity after a class discussion or lecture on the topic. Have cooperative learning groups explore the site with the intentions of showing how Roberts moved through the processes to become a judge. Have students create graphic organizers or concept maps demonstrating the process. Use a tool such as bubbl.us (reviewed here) to create and share the concept maps.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Watergate Revisited - Washington Post
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): 1970s (30), politics (124), presidents (152)
In the Classroom
Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Have students explore the site with the intentions of creating a summary of the most important events. Have cooperative learning groups create online books using a tool such as Bookemon, reviewed here. Students can write the book from the perspective of Nixon or Deep throat...a great way to introduce the topic in a non-lecture format.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History Explorer - Smithsonian
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): agriculture (54), american revolution (92), civics (128), famous people (40), japan (62), japanese (53), jazz (17), lincoln (67), politics (124)
In the Classroom
Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects. There is enough information in "exhibit" details to provide a starting point for students trying to decide what to base a research project on. Recommend the site to students who are having difficulty picking a project subject.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Civil War Lesson Plans: Elementary - American Battlefield Trust
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): 1700s (38), 1800s (86), american revolution (92), civil war (145), Juneteenth (33), lincoln (67), perspective (30), slavery (79), states (128), war of 1812 (15)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plan ideas and activities on this site. There are printables and PowerPoints to download. Refer to this site if ever looking for activity ideas in a Civil War unit. Analyze primary source documents from a lesson and have students determine the author's perspective, purpose, and historical significance. Use the site's battle maps and historical resources to create a digital timeline using the Timeline Infographic Templates by Canva, reviewed here that includes key events from the Revolutionary War or Civil War.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Painless Guide to the Branches of Government: Judicial Branch - United Learning
Grades
5 to 8tag(s): courts (25), supreme court (31)
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America's Founding Documents - National Archives
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): american revolution (92), declaration of independence (18), evolution (86)
In the Classroom
Use the "Meet the founding fathers" section as the basis of character roles for a in-class town hall meeting, recreating the events of the constitutional convention. Assign students different roles, i.e. founding fathers, and have them use the biographies of this site to allow them to research who their role was and what their beliefs were for a debate as to whether or not to sign the Declaration of Independence. If students stick to their assigned perspectives, the town-hall meeting can be a great way to review the important reasons for independence and the various perspectives that existed.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Vote: The Machinery of Democracy - Smithsonian
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): civics (128), college (44), elections (87), electoral college (22)
In the Classroom
Use the interactive exhibition portion of this site as a learning center or station during a unit on the US election process. (extra bonus if your class is specifically studying the 2000 election!) Have cooperative learning groups create 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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The Life Picture Collection - LIFE
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): cultures (292), great depression (32), photography (135), politics (124)
In the Classroom
Use the photos found on this site for writing prompts. Search within the site or browse the subjects offered to find one that corresponds to a unit being studied. A good example is the images taken during the Great Depression. Pull up a select few of the images and prompt students to tell the story of what is happening in each image, the emotions it conveys, and the impact it is meant to have on the viewer. This site would benefit teachers of nearly any subject, especially history, language arts, civics, and science.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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U.S. Capitol Tour - U.S. Senate
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): house of representatives (7), senate (11)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on the branches and houses of government. Students will be able to connect the visual images with the content, and also gain more insight from the text. To highlight whats more important from the site, have students complete a follow-along guide of questions. For help creating one, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Presidency in Action - American Presidents - University of Virginia
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): presidents (152)
In the Classroom
This site has a variety of uses within a US government or history classroom. To begin with, teachers can use this site as a resource for research projects; a source for speeches and writings, as well as a learning center during a unit on a particular president or time period. A very useful and flexible source that can easily be worked into your curriculum!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Rulers
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): countries (74), presidents (152)
In the Classroom
Save this site as a favorite on your class wiki or webpage and refer students to it for reference. It's best use would be to help students compile the executive history of a country and search that way, rather than searching for information on a specific ruler. This would be a great starting point for a student studying monarchy in a particular country such as Britain or Saudi Arabia.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Project Vote Smart
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): civics (128), college (44), elections (87), electoral college (22)
In the Classroom
Use this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to discuss and informally assess prior knowledge as you start your study of representative democracy. Select a few choice politicians from your state through the "Issue Positions" section. This activity would work even better if politicians selected were representative of your local area or hometown. Seperate students into groups and have them research the politicians based on certain issues. We recommend using issues such as crime, guns, and immigration. Have students compare and contrast the politicians stance to voting records in their area, or teachers can have students vote on the issues just in their classroom to determine their own "public opinions." Have the groups compare the public opinion to the voting record of the politician via venn diagram. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram. Have students use their results in a class discussion of the pros and cons of a representative government. Where are potential problems? What are the benefits? This would be extremely useful in a AP Government or Civics course.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Indian Parliament - Government of India
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
A World History or government class could use this site to compare and contrast India's government structure with that of the United States. Share the site on the interactive whiteboard or projector and use an online Venn diagram to compare what they're reading about India to what they already know about the US. Use an online tool such as the 2 and 3 Interactive Venn Diagrams by ClassTools, reviewed here. This would be a great segue into a discussion of the effects of globalization, the influence of diverse cultures, or even a dialogue on how India came to have the government it does.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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American Leaders Speak - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1910s (26), 1920s (17), 20th century (168), elections (87), politics (124), world war 1 (87)
In the Classroom
Beyond the audio files themselves, there is also a "collections connections" section that provides teachers with helpful advice for integrating the speeches into American History, critical thinking, and humanities lessons. Hearing the actual voices can be a powerful experience for students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Supreme Court Historical Society
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): civics (128), constitution (103), supreme court (31)
In the Classroom
This would be a great resource in a civics or government class. Open the site on the interactive whiteboard and tour students through the make-up of the court today. Each Judge has his own separate biography that can also be explored to demonstrate the political alliances of the court. Assign cooperative learning groups different judges to research, with the intent of presenting the material to the class. Try something new, like a podcast! Use a site such as PodOmatic.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Military Fact Files from BBC - BBC
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): middle east (51)
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Mideast Maps from BBC - BBC
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): middle east (51)
In the Classroom
Use these maps on the interactive whiteboard or projector as a supplement to text for a discussion or lecture on the war in the Middle East. Because of the focus on the Iraq War, these maps do a great job of emphasizing the impact of the military in these regions. These would be a great addition to a World History or Cultural Geography class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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WorldoMeters - Osearth
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): ecology (118), population (53), resources (80)
In the Classroom
This is a really great way to demonstrate a lot of the concepts taught in a Cultural Geography or US government class. Assign cooperative learning groups to investigate a portion of this site, based on what's being taught at the time. A good example would be having environmental sustainability group looking at water and land resources, as well as the growing population. Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts demonstrating their understanding of one of the concepts. Use a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed hereAdd your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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What is it Like to Live in the White House? - US Government
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): white house (14)
In the Classroom
Have cooperative learning groups explore this site during a lesson on the White House and its' history. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here. Microsoft PowerPoint Online allows you to narrate a picture. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted to be reproduced), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report - summarizing the history of the White House. To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try 4 Free Photos, reviewed here, or Bing Images, reviewed here. This would be a great review activity before an end of the year assessment, or a quiz on the topic.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Civil War Classroom Activities - PBS
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans and classroom activities offered in this site! The majority are somehow tied into the video, but there are some that also are broad enough that showing the video is not necessary.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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