Social Studies Sites

Slavery in New York
NY Historical Society's exhibit on the years before NY abolition in 1827.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2006/r0206-15.shtml

URL:
http://www.slaveryinnewyork.org/index.html

REVIEW: A+
This is a rich resource of information and primary documents dealing with slavery in New York City where the heart of the slave trade existed for close to two hundred years. The online exhibit includes original artifacts and art objects, original documents, and reproductions of historic documents and images from the New York Historical Society as well as other repositories. The experiences of Africans and African-Americans in New York City are explored in depth as visitors look at the nine individual galleries. Gallery two includes an interactive map (1741) where visitors can explore the city. Gallery three features an ad for a runaway slave and users can roll the mouse over the text for more information. Gallery six is a picture gallery that shows how black New Yorkers were portrayed in pictures of the city beginning in the 1790s. Gallery eight features articles on some of "freedom's people", those who built the black community into a thriving part of New York City's daily life. Each of the galleries includes New-York Stories on such topics as The Route to the Emancipation Day Parade and a visit a merchant's house to view the artifacts that have both white and black stories. The Education section provides materials written for middle school children that include a teacher's guide, informational articles, fact sheet, glossary, photo cards, life stories, and more

World War I primary documents

This archive of primary documents will be of interest to historians, history teachers, students or anyone interested in the “Great War”. The archive contains hundreds of documents that are grouped into categories such as diaries, commentaries, maritime war and medical front to name a few. One section groups the documents by year from pre-1914 to post 1918. Visitors can peruse everything from a letter personal letters of a driver at the front to fleet deployments to brief biographical sketches and photographs of prominent people of the Great War era. The photograph area includes more than 1800 photos that are grouped into fifteen categories such as troops, commanders, aviation, individuals and locations.

http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/

National Archives historic video clips

http://video.google.com/nara.html

Free online access to hundreds of historic films, including old WWII newsreels and NASA documentaries thanks to google.

Webcasts from the Library of Congress cover topics across the school curriculum!

http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberic/index.php

300 plus recordings that can be searched for using keywords. Examples include a 14 minute talk about the evolution of "Rosie the Riveter".

Timelines
www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html
www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/timeline/timeline.cfm
www.metmuseum.org/toah/splash.htm
http://www.foodtimeline.org/ (Food)

Database of Up-To-Date Thematic Literature
http://www.dawcl.com/
http://www.google.com/
http://www.gutenberg.net/

Web sites for Films
www.unitedstreaming.com
www.digitalcurriculum.com
(Must have Windows Media Player or QuickTime)
www.reelclassics.com/gallery/video.htm
www.apolloguide.com
www.aifisf.com

Virtual Classroom Site

Mark Neal from Winterset High School in Winterset, Iowa, shares a great Social Studies site: For the past few years I have been developing a Social Studies web site for use by students and teachers. My goal was to give free access to as many students and teachers as possible. I have heard from both teachers and students from several countries. The site covers most of the areas of Social Studies and contains over 50 PowerPoint lectures, over 50 web-based activities, research links, projects, etc. It currently receives an average of 80,000 - 100, 000 hits per month from 40-50 countries. I have found it to be a valuable resource for my own work and that of my students, and would like to make it known to others. It can be found at

http://www.virtualclassroom.net

Making of America – Through Primary Sources:

Reviewed at http://www.education-world.com/awards/past/2001/r0601-01.shtml

GRADE LEVEL: 6-8, 9-12, Advanced, Professionals

This collection of more than 3 million pages of text in more than 8,000 volumes is

available as scanned versions of original texts or uncorrected plain text. The primary sources cover the antebellum period through Reconstruction, 1850-1877. Both the book collection and the journals are fully searchable via a simple search, Boolean search, or proximity search. The site also offers an extensive Help section, with tips for searching and finding information quickly. History teachers, students, and researchers will find this site useful when studying this era of U.S. history.

Other primary Source Sites:

The library of Congress is a great source for historical documents: use their "Thomas" service www.thomas.loc.gov to access a wide variety such as the Declaration of Independence. Their American Memory section ( www.memory.loc.gov/ammen )has "free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music, that document the American experience."

The American Museum of Natural History in NYC has an amazing virtual tour web site, www.amnh.org where you may access all the educational resources of the museum by going to the Kids & Families and Education sections of the home page.

Native American Web links:

http://www.education-world.com/a_special/native_americans.shtml

User's Guide to the Declaration of Independence

http://www.founding.com/home.htm

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12

CONTENT: A+

This site, from the Claremont Institute, is a valuable resource to history or social science teachers that features a large collection of writings from the early American period.

AESTHETICS: A+

The patriotic theme of red, white, and blue dominates the pages, and the link icons resemble campaign buttons. The layout is simple and user friendly, and no special plug-ins are needed.

ORGANIZATION: A+

The site is well-organized with links to the various areas of the site clearly displayed as buttons on the main page. Each main area has a top navigation bar for moving from one area to another and a table of contents for moving within an area. The site is also fully searchable by keyword.

REVIEW: A+

The User's Guide to the Declaration of Independence provides a great resource for teaching a better understanding of the ideas on which American democracy is founded. The Declaration of Independence is fully hyperlinked to explanations of the terms and phrases and their historical context. Scanned copies of the original document are available in draft, engrossed, and printed forms. The site includes clear explanations of the essential ideas contained in documents. The Interactive Timeline chronicles the founding era of American history from 1763-1791. Included in this section are short biographies of historical figures of the time. The Issues section provides information on the relevance of issues of the day and contemporary issues. If visitors can't find the answer to a question, there is a link for sending it in to an "expert.

RELATED REVIEWS:

History: American History

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/history.shtml#United States

Social Sciences: Political Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/soc_sci.shtml#Political Science

Five Times Five: Five Activities for Teaching Geography's Five Themes

Looking for activities to teach the five themes of geography? We've got them for you -- 25 of them! Included: Activities for students at every level!

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson071.shtml

Sites to See: Geography
Geography Web sites offer teachers and students minds-on -- and often hands-on --opportunities to study Earth's characteristics and inhabitants, and learn how they affect one another. The sites below offer a world of geographical resources and information for the classroom, including fact sheets, maps, lesson plans, interactive games and activities, quizzes, and a variety of visual and audio resources.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/sites/sites025.shtml

GEOGRAPHY A TO Z ACTIVITY

Education World presents three fun printable geography features for your students. These work sheet series will challenge students to learn about geography as they explore famous places around the world one letter at a time, learn about Europe's most famous landmarks, and track Mrs. Waffenschmidt to all corners of the Earth. Click each headline below to see our three different Geography A to Z features.

Places That Start with...
All Around Europe
Where in the World Is Mrs. Waffenschmidt?

Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms
Map-based resources and lessons for social studies, history, and geography.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2005/r0505-09.shtml

GRADE LEVELS
Pre-K-2
3-5
6-8
9-12

SITE URL
http://www3.newberry.org/k12maps/

CONTENT: A+
Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms is a project of the Newberry Library’s Hermon Dunlap Smith Center for the History of Cartography. It features lesson plans built around historically significant map documents that support a variety of social studies, history and geography curricula.

SITE DESIGN: A+
The site’s content is divided into two main sections: Instructions for teachers and the Map and Lesson Plan Index. Both links are available on the main page. The Map and lesson plan index is arranged by theme making it easy to find the information you need. Core maps open in separate windows that allow for enlarging and panning the image to reveal details. Macromedia Flash Player is required.

REVIEW:
Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms is a rich resource for teachers and students. Teachers will want to read through the information in the Instructions for Teachers section before using the site in the classroom. It includes the general organization and use of the site, National Standards for geography and social studies, information on displaying and printing images and text at the site, how to read historical maps and general resources on cartography as well as fair use policies. The lesson plans consist of eighteen modules organized into six major themes: discovery and encounter, migration and settlement, environmental history, the historical geography of transportation, political and military history, and the geography of American communities. Each module has four age specific lesson plans (k-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12) based on one or more of the primary map documents, curators notes that provide historical background about the map, and other resources including supplemental images

FDR Cartoon Archive

This site contains political cartoons from the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

New Cartoons! Updated 11/25/99
Over 2,400 Cartoons Added!

The site is: http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/fdr/

A Top Regents Review & NY State Standards Web Page with Lots of supporting Resources- Don’t Miss this one!

http://oswego.org/ is a huge website with every curriculum area covered and with a full Regents review section with a huge databank of Regents questions. It has information on every subject as it relates to the state standards as well as links and lesson plans to help you. A must see site!

The E Pluribus Unum Project
Site focused on three key periods of U.S. History: 1770s, 1850s, and 1920s.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2005/r0505-11.shtml

GRADE LEVELS
9-12, Advanced

SITE URL
http://www.assumption.edu/ahc/

CONTENT: A
The E Pluribus Unum Project offers teachers and students resources about how Americans tried to make “one from many” during three pivotal decades in U.S. history: the 1770s, 1850s, and the 1920s. It includes lesson plans and primary documents.

SITE DESIGN: A
The site’s content is organized into three sections, one for each decade, as well as topical clusters: primary sources, teaching and learning, links and search tools. Users need to scroll to the bottom of the main page to find the links to the various sections.

REVIEW:
Teachers and students will find lots of resources at this site for learning about three pivotal decades in American History. Materials cover the Revolutionary period of the 1770s and focus on different modes of communication. Other materials cover the reform period of the 1850s, including the women’s rights movement and the abolition of slavery, and the 1920s and the cultural battles that took us through Prohibition and brought us women’s right to vote. Each time period has an introductory essay with links to key topics and primary documents such as the Declaration of Independence, newspapers of the times, speeches, advertisements, broadsides, diaries and letters, interviews, testimony at trial, and personal accounts. Included are tips for using the site in the classroom and an excellent secondary lesson plan on the Boston Massacre.

National Geographic Society Web Site:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/

The National Geographic site is an incredibly extensive and thought out site with amazing photos as you would expect. It has a search engine to help you find topics and regions, as well as an amazing collection of printable world maps and atlases. The “outpost” project takes kids to Africa in search of the origin of human life and there are other virtual trips as well! There is a search for educational material by subject, grade level and resource type!

Social Studies School Service helps find the best multimedia collection of Social Studies materials on the web, with sample lessons, video previews and thematic teaching units such as Black history. But particularly valuable is the “online activities” section, with its resources on world history and global studies, U.S. History and government. Check it out:

http://socialstudies.com/

The Constitution: A Living Document-

a complete unit with lesson plans, activities, and assessments for students studying this important document

http://www.yahooligans.com/tg/constitution.html

National Constitution Center: Resources for Educators and Students
Includes the new Constitution Day site.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2005/r0905-13.shtml

REVIEW: A+
This site provides lesson plans, discussion starters and other materials for teaching and learning about the Constitution of the United States.

User's Guide to the Declaration of Independence:

Reviewed at http://www.education-world.com/awards/2001/r1101-26.shtml

GRADES: 6-12

The User's Guide to the Declaration of Independence is a great resource for teaching a better understanding of the ideas on which American democracy is founded. The Declaration of Independence is fully hyperlinked to explanations of terms and phrases and their historical context. Scanned copies of the original document are available in draft, engrossed, and printed forms. The site includes clear explanations of the essential ideas contained in documents. The Interactive Timeline chronicles the founding era of American history from 1763-1791. Included in this section are short biographies of historical figures of the time. The

Issues section provides information on the relevance of issues of the day and contemporary issues. If visitors can't find the answer to a question, the site offers an "ask an expert" option.

Virtual World Tours of almost every country and city- facts, pictures, charts, video clips! http://www.virtualfreesites.com/world.countries.html

“Eyewitness: History through the eyes of those who lived it” puts you right there.

http://www.ibiscom.com/

This interactive site gives you first hand accounts of what it was like in the ancient world, medieval times, the Civil War, and many other historical times. Things are brought vividly to life through eyewitness accounts, maps, diagrams, actual pictures as well as actual audio tapes of famous persons throughout history. A top resource for authentic documents and resources for your DBQ’s! Every social studies teacher should have this site on your favorites list.

Places Teach!

[Graphic] Part of the Teaching with Historic Places banner. Image of the St. Louis Courthouse.

Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) uses properties listed in the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places to enliven history, social studies, geography, civics, and other subjects. TwHP has created a variety of products and activities that help teachers bring historic places into the classroom.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/ has lots of pictures and primary sources for use in DBQs!

Anatomy of a Murder -- OVERALL: A+

Viewers follow a murder case, from the discovery of the body up to through the trial of the accused. Every aspect of the tale is researched and legally accurate, which makes it a great resource for educators. The murder and characters are fictional but nothing about the legal process is made up or embellished. Because of the subject matter, some of the material is for mature audiences and educators should preview the site. This is an interesting and original way to teach the basics of the American justice system.
GRADE LEVEL: 9-12

			Academy of Achievement -- OVERALL: A+ The centerpiece of this inspiring site is the "Gallery of Achievement," which showcases the lives and achievements of legendary persons who have contributed to the development of the 21st century. The purpose of the exhibit is to show that those achievers were ordinary people who did extraordinary things, thereby inspiring others to greatness.
		Discoverer's Web -- OVERALL: A This site has a ton of links to information on discoverers and explorers, from prehistoric man to modern day. The site's main page has information grouped by geographic location including the East Indies and North, Central and South America. The site even includes information about the Polar Regions and ocean discoveries. Discoverer's Web is quite a find for history, geography, and social studies teachers and students.

Geography World -- OVERALL: A+
Many different aspects of geography are featured here. The contents are divided by topic. Topics include erosion, plate tectonics, and weather. The site also deals with issues such as population, the environment, and conservation. The site has links to maps, games, and quizzes that teachers could easily incorporate into an interactive lesson plan. Younger students will be excited by the information on earthquakes and tsunamis, and by the space photos. Older students can handle more complex topics such as rain forests, the Greenhouse Effect, and mining. This site shouldn't be missed!

GlobaLearn™ -- OVERALL: A+
This is the Web site for GlobaLearn™, a non-profit company sponsoring live expeditions all around the world. The company maintains this Web site so students can interact with expedition teams. The explorers follow a set route and at each stopping point a local school child acts as host. The child provides information about local history, traditions, industries, and physical resources. The expeditions generally follow more populated routes so users can learn about the people of the area as well as its geography.

Jason Project -- OVERALL: A+
The JASON Project was founded by Dr. Robert D. Ballard after he discovered the RMS Titanic. Ballard founded the site in response to the queries he'd received about his discovery from children. The site was set up to enable teachers and students to take part in global explorations. The project emphasizes an approach to teaching and learning in which teachers become "facilitators" or "managers" of their students' learning.

Geographia -- OVERALL: A+

This is a revision of the InterKnowledge Web site. Some of its old units are available from the main page, listed under "Destinations," and categorized by continent. Each section of the site houses a complete unit. The site is still a little confusing to navigate because each unit uses different navigation tools. However, navigation within each unit is fairly simple. A few of the sections have sound and movie files. Users will find immense amounts of information on a number of countries and places. This is a great smorgasbord of information for history, political science, culture and area studies, and geography teachers and students. The site brims with content and is quite pleasing to look at.
GRADE LEVEL: 5-12

Explore the pyramids and the pharaohs at “Ancient and Modern Egypt”

http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/egypt.htm

This site is a one-stop shop for everything Egyptian, providing links to almost every useful site on ancient and modern Egypt. Students or educators who want to explore this once great civilization or modern Egypt may choose from one of many theme based resources. There are links and lesson plans on such topics as Pharaohs, pyramids, sculptures, schools, gods, museums, etc..

History Place -- OVERALL: A+

Similar to a museum, the History Place™ changes its exhibits frequently to highlight specific eras, events, or people in history. Timely special presentations are displayed at the site as well. Topics are examined in depth and are generally divided into units for easier studying. The site has other features such as a photo and speech of the week; essays on history from historians; and a tourism guide to historic places in America. Users can find homework help. This is a great resource for history and current events teachers. Entire lesson plans could be created based on the information at this site. The site could also be used as an interactive tool to supplement history classes.
GRADE LEVEL: 5-12+

See why “History Matters”

http://historymatters.gmu.edu

Designed for high school and college history survey courses, this site serves as a gateway to web resources and offers unique teaching materials, first person primary documents, and threaded discussions on teaching U.S. History.. This site is an excellent resource for authentic primary resources because it emphasizes materials that focus on the lives of ordinary Americans and it actively involves students in analyzing and interpreting evidence. This site provides an annotated list of helpful history sites, a “digital blackboard” of lessons that use existing web resources, interactive exercises, secrets of great history teachers, and tips on creating a history syllabus. Currently most of the materials cover the periods from 1876 to 1946.

Electoral College Website:

A social studies teacher recommends:

After my students and I have researched the history and workings of the Electoral College, I have them complete a web activity from the following site: www.jump.net/~jnhtx/ec/ec.html

The site is an Electoral College Calculator with information and a color-coded map showing how each state's electors voted in the 2000 Presidential election. The students must answer questions concerning information on the site as well as from the map. Then the students are instructed to "clear" the map of all results; afterwards they can click on a state and assign it to the candidate of their choice--noting how many votes each state holds. They can assign a state to Gore of the Democratic party, Bush of the Republican party, Nader of the Green party, or Buchanan of the Reform party. The map lights up in color as they assign each state to a candidate until finally they are able to see which one reached the coveted 270 votes to win the college and election! Over and over again they play with this calculator to determine a new winner. This site is excellent for demonstrating how the college works and allows the student to put the system to the test!

A&E Television Network’s Biography Web Site: They're all in here...
Just waiting to be found! Search the Biography.com database for over 25,000 of the greatest lives, past and present. A great resource for student writing or research projects.

http://www.biography.com/search/index.html

Awesome Stories: Use Authentic Documents and Actual Stories to Make History Come Alive!

http://www.awesomestories.com/intro1.htm

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12

CONTENT: A+

AwesomeStories.com uses stories of people, places, and events to create an interactive learning tool that allows users to explore the primary documents that are the basis for the narratives.

AESTHETICS: A+

This flashy site uses the latest technology to make the site colorful and interactive. Visitors can view the site with the Flash plug-in or in a static version.

ORGANIZATION: A+

The site is organized into eight channels that are listed on the main page. Each internal page has a top menu that makes it easy to return to the main directory or the subdirectory of the channel.

REVIEW: A+

AwesomeStories.com takes the stories of history, biographies, movies, religion, and trials and links them to the actual manuscripts, paintings, historical maps, illustrations, data, and graphics that make them come alive for users. Each of the eight channels offers the stories behind the events or people. Users are encouraged to read the stories, examine the primary source material, and draw their own conclusions. Such topics as the Cuban missile crisis, the Great Depression, the history of flight, the trial of Lizzie Borden and Plessy v. Ferguson, the biographies of Sacajawea and Benedict Arnold, the stories that such popular movies as Jurassic Park and Pearl Harbor are based on, and much more are covered.

Black History Month Activities:

Teacher-Submitted Lesson: Famous African-American Fabric Portraits

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tsl/archives/03-1/lesson007.shtml

Doris Metcalf, a retired teacher (Florence City Schools, Alabama) submitted this week’s lesson, which uses a "hands-on" approach to teach students about famous African Americans. Students research a person's life and then make fabric transfer portraits and informational booklets.

Black History Lessons

http://www.educationworld.com/a_special/black_history_2001.shtml

Dozens of lesson ideas from the Ed World archives.

Teacher-Submitted Lesson: Famous African-American Fabric Portraits

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tsl/archives/03-1/lesson007.shtml

Celebrating African American History Month: Is Racism Dead?

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson252.shtml

Help your students recognize the achievements of African Americans and appreciate the ongoing struggle for unity.

Ten Activities Celebrate Achievements of African Americans!

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson159.shtml

Ten lessons, including a black history crossword puzzle and lessons to teach about point of view.

Martin Luther King Jr. Teaches Many Lessons:

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson248.shtml

Teaching tolerance and Martin Luther King? Check this out:

Teaching @ Tolerance

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson294.shtml

Martin Luther King, Jr., dreamed of a world more tolerant than the one he lived in. This week’s lessons are designed to teach kids about King’s dream of tolerance. Included: Lessons on stereotyping, appreciating differences, recognizing how words can hurt (or heal), and more!

WebQuest on: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/webquest033.shtml

Do you think Dr. King's dreams for America have been achieved?

Race and Place: An African-American Community in the Jim Crow South: Charlottesville, VA
An in-depth look including multimedia.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2005/r0205-14.shtml

URL:
http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/afam/
raceandplace/index.html

REVIEW: A+
This multimedia collection of digitized materials provides a rich resource for teachers and students or anyone interested in the topic of segregation. It seeks to connect race with place "by understanding what it was like to live, work, pray, learn, and play in the segregated South”. Manuscript collections and oral histories help to construct the social, political, and economic history to promote a better understanding of race in the context of place. The site profiles the African American community in Charlottesville, Virginia, during the era of the “Jim Crow” laws from the late 1880s until the middle of the 20th century. The site includes oral histories, maps, census data, city records, political materials, newspapers, personal papers and images that offer insight into the life of the black community during this time

Kulture Kidz : African Culture

http://www.kulturezone.com/kidz/

GRADE LEVEL: K-8, Parents

CONTENT: A

Kulture Kidz is "dedicated to teaching African American culture to children."

AESTHETICS: A

The site is set in frames with a colorful background and text that work well together.

ORGANIZATION: A

A text menu in the left frame provides navigation for the site. Pages are displayed in the main frame.

REVIEW: A

Kulture Kidz is a safe, fun, interactive site for children, teachers, and parents. It is designed to help students understand the African American culture. A-Z History gives a snapshot of an important African American for each letter of the alphabet. A timeline of black inventors, a calendar of black events, book reviews, and a photo gallery of downloadable photos of famous African Americans are featured. Students will enjoy the interactive games and puzzles in the Kool Korner. A special section for teachers includes links to multicultural lesson plans and a section with articles of interest to parents.

RELATED REVIEWS:

Social Sciences: Culture

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/soc_sci.shtml#Culture

History: General History

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/history.shtml

History: American

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/history.shtml#United States

Do a Virtual Tour of The Smithsonian to Find Historical Objects to Help Understand a Particular Time Period: History Wired

http://historywired.si.edu/index.html

GRADE LEVEL: 3-12

CONTENT: A+

HistoryWired offers a virtual tour of a large collection of objects from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

AESTHETICS: A+

This cleverly designed site features a grid on the home page that uses JavaScript rollovers to display the contents of the site. Users need Real Player for the multimedia parts of the site and an up-to-speed browser, though there is also a text version available.

ORGANIZATION: A+

The site is organized into 12 broad categories that can be accessed through the top navigation bar and a drop-down menu. The clickable object map offers access to individual objects within each area, and an interactive time line appears above the top navigation bar.

REVIEW: A+

HistoryWired displays a few of the vast collection of objects at the American Museum of Natural History. Objects were chosen for the "interesting stories they had to tell." Visitors can liken the virtual tour to an actual tour of the storage areas of the museum, by rolling the mouse over the object map and choosing the objects of interest. Clicking on a square of the map gives visitors the choice of learning more about the object or viewing it in different sizes. Most of the object information offers the opportunity to view more similar objects. Users who are looking for objects of a particular time period can use the interactive time line by dragging the slider to the time period of choice and highlighting the squares that contain objects from that period. Students will certainly enjoy the interface as they browse the contents but for quick accessibility there is a search feature.

A Day That Will Live in Infamy: The Bombing of Pearl Harbor:

Reviewed at http://www.education-world.com/awards/past/2001/r1001-04.shtml

GRADE LEVEL: 3-8

This is a great history resource written by kids for kids. Background information includes historical video and photographs. An oral history includes video interviews with survivors and eyewitnesses. Users will also find interactive maps, a photo and video archive, an opinion poll, and a list of resources for further study. A section on Keeping the Peace encourages students to "strive for peace and become more aware of our own actions as well as our interactions with others" to create a more peaceful world. It includes a story about peace with original illustrations.

Ancient China
A British Museum site on this most venerable civilization.
http://www.educationworld.com/awards/2005/r0905-30.shtml

REVIEW: A+
The Ancient China Web site utilizes objects from the British Museum's collection to present this online resource for teachers and students. It includes resources that can be used independently by students aged 9-11 as well as background information and support for teachers.

Cuban Missile Crisis: The Real Thirteen Days :

Reviewed at http://www.education-world.com/awards/past/2001/r0401-10.shtml

GRADE LEVEL: 9-12

Students can view the reconnaissance photos, listen to recordings of the actual White House security briefings, and read the full text of the declassified documents at the Web site The Real Thirteen Days. Included are historical essays and a chronology that begins in 1959 and describes the evolution of relations between the United States and the Soviet Union through the crisis in 1962. This is an excellent resource for students reporting on the Cuban missile crisis, teachers who want to supplement a history lesson, or anyone with an interest in this historical event.

History and Politics Out Loud

http://www.hpol.org

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12

CONTENT: A+

History and Politics Out Loud (HPOL) is a "searchable archive of politically significant audio materials for scholars, teachers, and students." It is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Teaching With Technology Program in collaboration with Michigan State University and the National Gallery of the Spoken Word.

AESTHETICS: A+

The site has an attractive, clean layout with patriotic colors. Real Player or QuickTime Player is required for the streaming audio.

ORGANIZATION: A+

Visitors can browse the site by date, speaker, or title or can search by keyword, title, date, subject, or speaker.

REVIEW: A+

Do you want to add a little variety to your history and government classes? Students can listen to the stirring words of Franklin D. Roosevelt as he asks Congress to declare war on Japan, John F. Kennedy's inaugural address, Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, Winston Churchill on the "sinews of peace," and more. Each authentic audio clip, delivered in streaming audio for quick access, is accompanied by a short description and transcript. These audio files cover significant events of the 20th century and vary from "formal addresses delivered in public settings to private telephone conversations conducted from the innermost recesses of the White House." This is one to bookmark for future reference

RELATED REVIEWS:

Social Sciences: Political Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/soc_sci.shtml#Political Science

History: General History

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/history.shtml#General

An incredible interactive site on Ancient Civilizations:

I've designed a new web site for my seventh grade Ancient Civilizations

classes at the Seneca Valley Middle School in western Pennsylvania. I

created the site almost entirely in Macromedia Flash so that the content

is presented in a dynamic and interactive fashion, almost like a CD-ROM. I

would like to share my site with other educators.

http://www.seneca.k12.pa.us/~msteam4/main.htm

Make US History come alive with this site- Each period of history is linked to actual places and people-

http://www.ustrek.org

This group has sent a team of eight educators across the US to trek

through US History and bring back dispatches (with photos and video) to

the classroom. The itinerary is aligned with a typical US History

year-long curriculum. The team visits sites that are off the beaten path

and bring the often-overlooked parts of history (women, minorities, the

poor) to life. The dispatches are well written and interesting for high

school students. Plus, the group's "Making A Difference" dispatches help

to excite students about making a difference in the world today. I love

this site!

Internet Scavenger Hunt: Join the Lewis and Clark Expedition!

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/hunt/hunt059.shtml

Explore America's western frontier with Lewis and Clark

Terrorism Project

http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/

GRADE LEVEL: 6-12, Advance

CONTENT: A+

This site was developed by the Center for Defense Information (CDI) to educate the public about issues concerning terrorism.

AESTHETICS: A+

The site is mostly text but uses adequate spacing and font size to make online reading less tiresome. A printer-friendly version of most articles is available.

ORGANIZATION: A+

The site groups resources into ten major topics. A left-side navigation menu appears on each page and all pages have a link back to the home page. The top navigation bar takes users to other areas of the CDI site.

REVIEW: A+

CDI's terrorism project "will look at all aspects of fighting terrorism, from near-term issues of response and defense, to long-term questions about how the United States should shape its future international security strategy." Each of the major topics contains analytical articles and factual information that will help teachers and students explore and understand the issues involved in fighting terrorism. Such topics as Operation Enduring Freedom, Responding to Terrorism, Homeland Defense, and Legislation are covered. Also included are news articles and links to outside resources.

RELATED REVIEWS:

Social Sciences: Current Events

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/soc_sci.shtml#Current Events

Social Sciences: Political Science

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/soc_sci.shtml#Political Science

History: General

http://www.educationworld.com/awards/past/topics/history.shtml

"Alcatraz Island"

is home to one of the world's most infamous

prisons. From the 1930s to 1960s, Alcatraz was the premier maximum

security prison, housing inmates such as Al Capone & George

"Machine Gun" Kelly. Before the prison was created, the island was

home to American Indians. Today, it is one of San Francisco's most

prominent tourist attractions. (NPS)

http://www.nps.gov/alcatraz/index.html

"Future State"

is the U.S. State Department's website for youth.

It offers lesson plans on terrorism, Vietnam, & the Cuban Missile

Crisis & information about more than 50 international issues.

"Careers Representing America," games, & "Meet the Secretary of

State" are among the features. Links are provided for learning

about current events, geography, & the environment. (State)

http://www.future.state.gov/

"Veterans History Project"

is collecting oral histories, letters,

diaries, & photos of America's war veterans & those who supported

them. The project includes participants in World War I, World War

II, & the Korean, Vietnam, & Persian Gulf wars. Students,

citizens, & organizations are invited to contribute using the

Project Kit, which provides all information & forms needed to

interview a veteran. Libraries, museums, & civic groups can read

about model veterans projects & start a project in their community.

(LOC)

http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets//

"We the People Bookshelf"

invites schools & libraries to apply to

receive 15 thematically related books that depict universal themes

& key moments in American history. The 2003-4 theme is courage.

The deadline is October 22, 2003. (NEH)

http://www.neh.gov/wtp/bookshelf/index.html

White House Tour

"www.whitehousekids.gov" provides an online tour of the White

House, biographical information about the President & Vice

President, & games & quizzes. It includes special features on U.S.

Presidents & life in the White House, as well as a teacher's &

parent's guide. (WH)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/

Interactive, thematic, project

This site has some excellent resource links- Anne Frank, etc..

http://mlplatt.homestead.com/index.html is my 7th/8th grade Language Arts

class web page. It is an interactive, thematic, project based page. My

students use the homework calendar, homework vocabulary practice, and

novel study pages, daily. Parents and my students are able to contact me

between 5:30pm & 7:00pm every day. This makes for a great connection

between home and school for my students.

Ancient Civilizations:

An incredible interactive site on Ancient Civilizations:

I've designed a new web site for my seventh grade Ancient Civilizations

classes at the Seneca Valley Middle School in western Pennsylvania. I

created the site almost entirely in Macromedia Flash so that the content

is presented in a dynamic and interactive fashion, almost like a CD-ROM. I

would like to share my site with other educators.

http://www.seneca.k12.pa.us/~msteam4/main.htm

Make US History come alive

with this site- Each period of history is linked to actual places and people-