Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

A comprehensive guide developed by the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Appropriate for teachers/media specialists/librarians - This is an excellent resource guide for any teacher/ librarian planning a unit of folklife. It is a copy of a publication available free from the Library of Congress. There is a wealth of information and addresses for planning purposes. State Folklife Centers are also included in the list of addresses.

tag(s): communities (35)

Suitable for Halloween, Valentine's, or any chocolate-covered holiday, All About Chocolate offers basics about how chocolate is made and an excellent collection of lessons in the "Educator's Resources" area (click at the right). Lessons delve into the South American cultures and environments in which the cacao bean grows. Students can explore chocolate's impact on the economies and environment of these countries, and can also examine chocolate's ancient cultural connections. Sweet!

tag(s): chocolate (4), halloween (32), south america (47)

At this site you will find a wealth of material about the culture of Spanish America. This includes color images, short videos, an interactive timeline, essays (Library), and a glossary. The Spanish American culture thrived from the 16th century to the early 19th century, and ran from California to Chile. This site can be viewed in English or Spanish. There are DVDs offered with primary documents, more images, etc., but these are not free. This review is for the free internet site only.

tag(s): cross cultural understanding (173), cultures (180), explorers (64), hispanic (36), resources (83), spanish (109)

Cool Earth is an organization that works to protect the Rainforest from deforestation and prevent climate change. The site is a valuable resource for information about the Rainforest. There is a variety of ways for schools to participate. The site contains valuable information useful for research projects, short videos, galleries full of rainforest imagery, submit questions, and read blog entries written by visitors currently in the Amazon. Cool Earth also explains ways to cut carbon emissions. Scroll to the bottom menu to Learning and Resources to find activities for your classroom. Be aware: this site also includes some items for sale. You may want to advise students to steer clear of these links.

tag(s): carbon (17), climate (84), ecology (103), environment (252), sustainability (50)

The Anne Frank House has been a museum since 1960. The history of the former hiding place where the Frank family and four other Jews lived in secrecy comes alive on this website. Starting with 1940 photographs of the building known as Opekta factory, see and learn how the office space was transformed into the Secret Annex where Anne Frank hid for more than two years until the betrayal and arrest by the Nazis. Find out about the four employees who risked their lives to make the hiding possible. The rooms of the Secret Annex have been preserved in their authentic state and salvaged documents and objects belonging to the eight people in hiding are on display. Three short films are included on the website to place the significance of this personal story in a historical context. See Anne Frank's hiding place in 3D and meet the people that helped those hidden inside. After clicking on the secret bookcase, you will be taken behind the scenes of the house to see how Anne and others lived in the communal room, the front office, the attic and more. View the painstaking ways that were taken to keep them safe, and by looking at the space where Anne ate, slept, and hung her pictures.

tag(s): anne frank (10), holocaust (42), remembrance day (5), women (151), world war 2 (161)

Take a journey through the life of Frank Sadoras. This site has a wonderful collection of photographs and biographical documents that chronicles Frank's life growing up on a farm in Illinois from 1898-1912. By using this site, you and your students will get a view of what life was like growing up on a farm as well as the photographic techniques Frank used to take his photos.

tag(s): agriculture (49), genealogy (8), photography (130), primary sources (117)

Find Native American nations' own sites and information in this alphabetical index by tribe(with notes as to most recent updates).

This online tool lets you create a timeline of an individual's life using dates from 1000 AD to the present year. Enter the person's name and dates, add events (historic or personal) and their beginning/ending dates, and click the "generate" button.

tag(s): timelines (56)

This multimedia site explores various facets of American history through Lessons, interactives, Themes and more. Visitors can view objects that are part of the Smithsonian collection, navigate between historical eras, or filter the information by selected themes (Arts and Culture, Politics and Reform, etc.) Items in the exhibit are linked to National Museum of American History websites that provide more in-depth information.

tag(s): agriculture (49), american revolution (82), famous people (19), japan (56), japanese (47), jazz (16), lincoln (66), politics (118)

Click on the interactive map of the United States to select a time zone and view the exact time (within .02 seconds) as well as a map of the world that shows where the sun is shining and where it is night.

tag(s): time (91)

From volcanoes to marine turtles, explore some of Costa Rica's natural wonders. Two lesson plans - one on frogs, the other on volcanic soil - are included in the Teacher Resources section. While a bit heavy on text, and a bit lacking in photographs, the site has great content for student research. Aligned to national standards.

tag(s): oil (22), soil (16), volcanoes (55)

Participate in an amazing exploration with this virtual field trip of the Arctic. Follow the Team Arctic Transect 2004 and their 31 polar huskies on an unforgettable 3,000-mile adventure as they explore Nunavut, Canada's newest territory. Learn about arctic climate changes, meet Inuit Elders and students in remote communities, and discover the ecology of this isolated region. The team consists of six educators and explorers who comprehensively document their experiences on this interactive site. Free registration is required to download the curriculum and activity guide, and to participate in the on-line classroom features.

tag(s): arctic (40), canada (24)

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)

This truly engaging site will whet your students' appetites for learning. The history and origin of chocolate (from its start in the Amazon rainforests to its invasion of Europe) is presented through photographs, images, and an easy to understand text. Possible health effects, both positive and negative, are discussed, and the process of "tempering" is explored with a step by step experiment that can be reproduced in the classroom. A virtual tour takes visitors inside the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Factory in San Francisco for an up-close look at the chocolate making process. Created by the Exploratorium. (Requires RealVideo)

tag(s): chocolate (4)

This site has wonderful resources for learning about Canadian history and Canadian explorers. Whether you're interested in early exploration in general, or specific history of the Nation, this site has information on each of Canada's multiple explorers, as well as a sequential look at the evolution of the landmass. A great site for social studies resources from the 11th through 20th Centuries.

tag(s): canada (24), landforms (39)

Here's a guide to Peru created by a pair of students. There are links on Peruvian history, climate, and lots more. While not fully authoritative, this content seems well suited to a student-to-student application.

tag(s): peru (5)

This searchable site provides resources for teaching geography and culture. Currently, the page's "expeditions" are limited to Baja California, American Southwest, Southern Africa, Oaxaca Mexico, and Peru.

tag(s): africa (148), mexico (37), peru (5)

The National Park's site on the Boston Naval Shipyard.

tag(s): navy (8)

National Park Service's site on Valley Forge.

tag(s): american revolution (82)