496 history-culture-americas results | sort by:
George Washington's Mount Vernon - Virtual Tour - Mount Vernon
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1700s (39), presidents (152), virginia (16), virtual field trips (153)
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 Gravity, reviewed here. Gravity 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.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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DK Learning - Dorling Kindersley Limited
Grades
K to 12tag(s): animals (285), climate change (112), immigration (86), musical instruments (63), racism (82), timelines (60)
In the Classroom
In the classroom, teachers can access lesson plans on climate change, timelines, wellness, and how to be an engineer. Studetns can engage in classroom discussions on empathy and then create comics using Cartoon Comic Maker, 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 (175), cultures (299), maps (222)
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 FlexClip, 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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The Roosevelts - PBS
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1900s (87), presidents (152), roosevelt (16)
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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The Digital Declaration of Independence - David McClure
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): american revolution (99), declaration of independence (26), franklin (12), jefferson (20)
In the Classroom
Challenge students to find other paintings depicting famous events in United States (or another country). Have cooperative learning groups create a multimedia presentation about the paintings. Create fictitious blog entries from one character in a painting to another character within another painting at another famous event. What would John F. Kennedy write to Benjamin Franklin? Assign students different roles, i.e. founding fathers, and have them use the biographies on this site to allow them to research what their role was and what their beliefs were for a debate as to whether or not to sign the Declaration of Independence.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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From Wood Cabin to White House: An Abe Lincoln Timeline - National Park Service
Grades
5 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): elections (87), lincoln (65), presidents (152)
In the Classroom
Have students brainstorm ideas to create a book about Lincoln's life. Use and online bulletin board like Dotstorming, reviewed here. With Dotstorming students are allowed to vote and make comments. Then challenge younger students create an online book of images and captions about Lincoln's life using Book Creator, reviewed here,. For older students - challenge cooperative learning groups (or partners) to create a similar story about another president using pictures, themes, and other prompts generated by the site My Storybook, reviewed here. To find Creative Commons images for student projects (with credit, of course), try Vecteezy, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Journey to a New Land - Simon Fraser University Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): archeology (26), native americans (162)
In the Classroom
Include this resource as you teach about Native Americans. These peoples did not divide themselves as "Canadian" or "American," so much of the information here is applicable in a U.S. classroom as well! Differentiate for high or low students easily using the different levels of the site. The primary level requires far less reading so offers a good introduction for weaker readers or ESL/ELL students. Have students write a script and create a video or simply compose a blog post about daily life as one of the people migrating into North America (but be sure to talk about the fact that they probably did not actually know how to write). Extend learning by using a visual blogging tool such as Telegra.ph, reviewed here, for students to share their learning and understanding. With Telegra.ph you just click on an icon to upload images from your computer, add YouTube or Vimeo links. This blog creator requires no registration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Triangle Factory Fire - Cornell University Kheel Center
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): 20th century (171), immigrants (50), immigration (86), industrial revolution (21), industrialization (14), labor day (6), safety (63), women (192)
In the Classroom
A particularly rich source of primary documents, photographs, and interviews with survivors, add this to your resources for lessons on the labor movement, stories of early 20th century immigration, and women's history. There is a helpful section for students on using primary documents and resources, and an excellent bibliography. During Women's History Month challenge students to compare women's labor issues in 1911 with the labor issues women have today. Use an online tool such as Lucidchart, reviewed here, or the Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. Be sure and include this information as a resource for Women in History Month or National History Day projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Battle of Appomattox - Civil War Trust
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1800s (90), civil war (148), DAT device agnostic tool (133)
In the Classroom
Use one of the short videos hosted by National Park Service historians to give students the context and details about the Battle of Appomattox and Lee's surrender. Share the video clips on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Some nice graphics give a summary of the battle, a map shows troop movements, and a gallery of photos can give students a look at the battlefield today.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Sakura: Cherry Blossoms as Living Symbols of Friendship - Library of Congress
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): japan (62), japanese (54), trees (19), washington (33)
In the Classroom
Cherry Blossoms are both a symbol of spring, and a legacy of the historical relationship between the people of Japan and the United States. Make a brief detour during a lesson on Asian history, on the development of Washington, D.C. as the US capital, or on important American cultural symbols, and look at the roots of this tradition. There are primary sources to explore, and links to contemporary photos of the Cherry Blossom Festival.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture - University of Virginia
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): 1800s (90), abolition (14), african american (131), civil rights (224), civil war (148), history day (38), racism (82), slavery (82)
In the Classroom
Whether you are approaching Uncle Tom's Cabin from a literary perspective or a historical perspective, the primary sources here are deep and offer a variety. Listen to minstrel songs, view advertisements for performances, or read poems and other literary responses to the work. Because much of the site contains material that is rooted in a 19th century perspective on race, you should screen images, texts, and lyrics, and ensure that students understand their context before using them in the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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David Rumsey Historical Map Collection - Cartography Associates
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1700s (39), 1800s (90), map skills (66), maps (222), north america (15), south america (79)
In the Classroom
Use this historical map collection to highlight contemporary views of places featured in your history, literature, or geography lessons. Consider asking students to create a slideshow of maps that show how a location has changed over time, or how political boundaries have changed. Use a tool like Google Slides, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Sailor's Life for Me! - USS Constitution Museum
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): transportation (31), war of 1812 (14), whales (12)
In the Classroom
The great sailing ships of the 18th and 19th century were important both to the nation's defense and to the growth of the US economy. There are hours of content here and the frustration will be selecting what you can use within the classroom timeframe you have. Consider introducing the site with some small portions on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Allow accelerated students to spend time with further exploration for enrichment.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Jewish Women's Archive - Jewish Women's Archive
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): biographies (100), jews (65), women (192), womens suffrage (64)
In the Classroom
This site offers an outstanding addition to your resources for student biographical projects, particularly focused on Women's History Month. Students will find stories of women from every walk of life, whose stories have not been often told. Consider browsing the lesson plans and incorporating one of them into a preexisting unit to provide balance and diverse viewpoints.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Ancestral Pueblo People - National Park Service
Grades
6 to 10tag(s): archeology (26), geology (60), native americans (162)
In the Classroom
Assign this activity in pairs when studying native Americans. The student challenges teach about the Ancestral Pueblo people and how they adapted to their harsh environment. The text portions might be challenging. Pair weak readers with a strong reader. Allow your ENL/ESL students to try using a text to speech program such as Text to Speech Reader, reviewed here, that will allow these students to follow the text as the article or passage is read to them.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List - 20th Century America, Part 2 (1945-2000) - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12tag(s): 1950s (33), 1960s (54), 20th century (171), book lists (167), independent reading (85), kennedy (25), vietnam (41)
In the Classroom
Make the 1950s and beyond come alive during your unit on American History. Have students choose a book from this list and present their impressions from it in the form of a blog post from the times. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Webnode, reviewed here. Have students interview parents about different times that they learn about. Have students include the interview in the blogs. Collect the links to all the student posts on your class web page for students to browse and gather a "human" experience of history.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History on the Net - Heather Wheeler
Grades
7 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): african american (131), aztecs (10), battles (19), black history (133), britain (24), civil rights (224), cold war (40), egypt (60), elizabethan (12), greeks (45), mayans (31), myths and legends (44), native americans (162), olympics (49), romans (54), victorian (15), vikings (11), worksheets (70), world war 1 (88), world war 2 (169)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects. This site is a perfect addition to use with President's Day activities, when learning about the Olympics, or as part of a Black History Month lesson. Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class. Enhance students' learning by having them use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president, a passenger on the Titanic, a famous scientist, or another person learned about on this site. Have students modify their learning by creating an interactive, multimedia infographic sharing their findings using Venngage, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Timeline: US-Cuba Relations - Council on Foreign Relations
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 20th century (171), cold war (40), communism (3)
In the Classroom
No lesson on the Spanish American War, the Cold War, or US diplomatic relations within the Americas is complete without an examination of the tensions between the US and Cuba. The timeline is suitable for use on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Share or embed this tool into a classroom website or blog.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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LearnEnglish232.com YouTube Channel - learnenglish232.com
Grades
8 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): idioms (29), slang (16), vocabulary development (106)
In the Classroom
Share the video clips on your interactive whiteboard or projector. In pairs have students list idioms they did not understand. Create another list of new vocabulary words. Have students try Funnelbrain, reviewed here, to create flashcards of the new idioms and vocabulary to help them bring the words into their active vocabulary.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Magna Carta 800th Anniversary - Magna Carta 2015 Committee
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): branches of government (70), civics (131), democracy (29), great britain (14)
In the Classroom
No study of modern democratic political systems is complete without an understanding of Magna Carta. On its anniversary, incorporate the interactive timeline into a discussion of the roots of the US Declaration of Independence or the post WW2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Compare and contrast the different ways the principles that underpin Magna Carta have been transformed into democratically elected governments across the world.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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