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After the Deluge - Smith Magazine
Grades
6 to 12Warning: Be sure to PREVIEW each section before you show it to the class since there is some profanity in the speech of some characters.
In the Classroom
In light of the increase of hurricane activity, this is a wonderful resource to introduce this weather topic. Use it also in art class, graphic design, and with ESL and ELL students learning to tell stories. Use this site to introduce the world of graphic novels to students who are reluctant readers. Have your class make their own graphic novel about another catastrophic or historical event, either in groups or individually. Check with your administration to be sure it's OK to use this site at student computers since there are spaces for students to respond and also to submit their own work. If that's a problem, use it with your classroom computer and project the novel on the whiteboard (avoiding scenes with questionable vocabulary). Extend the lesson by having students create their own collaborative graphic account of a local history event or fictional tale in small groups.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Abolitionism in America - Cornell University
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a "picture walk" in your classroom, introducing the topic of Abolitionism. Select 10-15 of the more powerful and diverse images, hanging them up in different locations around your classroom. Have students rotate around the classroom every 30-45 seconds, jotting down what they observe and infer about each image until the entire class has completed the circuit. After the class is back in their seats, have a class discussion based on what they observed and what this says about abolitionism as well as slavery. A great way to get students thinking about the content in a way that's more personal and lecture-less!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Inventor of the Week - MIT Lemelson Center
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use the Inventor Archive as an activator at the beginning of every week in a science or Physics classroom. This could be used as an activator over the interactive whiteboard, a projector, or as a learning center or station. This could be used every week or before inventive projects, serving as a motivator!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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DocsTeach - Digital Vaults - National Archives
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set for a unit in history or on inventions. Share a collection of images or invention drawings on a projector or whiteboard and ask what the invention will do. Or use the site as the starting point for individual or group projects. After demonstrating on an interactive whiteboard or projector, have students use laptops or lab computers to "collect" resources related to their assigned inventor, decade, or era in American history. Check your school policy regarding accessing student email. If students cannot have their own email accounts, consider using a "class set" of GMail subaccounts (managed by you), explained here. This tells how to set up GMail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. This would provide anonymous interaction within your class. Students can use their log-ins to collect resources.Since the documents are in the public domain (are not copyrighted), students may also download and use the files as part of other projects, such as video compilations, Powerpoint presentations, or multimedia of any sort. To access the resources in non-Flash format, click the small link to "research this record in ARC" in the detailed view of the item. You can then view and Save As for use elsewhere. Be sure you teach students about copying the URL and relevant information from this ARC page to cite the source and give credit in any presentation they make. This site is excellent for enrichment or projects for the gifted, as well. Include it on your teacher web page for students to access both in and out of class for students who are working in History Day projects or other assignments for your class.
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D-Day: Teachers' Sources - Imperial War Museums
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a World War II unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Extend learning by having students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a soldier, commander, or loved one during the D-Day invasion. Modify learning by challenging students create timelines (it can include text, images and collaboration) using Sutori, reviewed here. Make your D-Day lessons interdisciplinary by using the search bar to find Science and Technology lessons and share with science teachers at your site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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September 11: Bearing Witness to History - Smithsonian
Grades
10 to 12In the Classroom
The portion of this site that was the most impactful was the video posted with live footage of an ABC broadcast as the events of 9/11 were unfolding. You can access the Encyclopdeia Britanica's version of the video on YouTube here. Play the video on an interactive whiteboard or projector, for students as a way to introduce the topic. The advantage of this is it brings everyone to the same page, as some kids may not remember the details or may have forgotten the extreme emotion involved in that moment. It is a very powerful video, and really relays the significance and the pure shock on the part of airline personel (actual audio of First Responders, Air Traffic Controllers, Dispatch Personnel, Airline Employees ...) on that day. Use the video to lead into a lecture or conversation about what followed the report using the Bearing Witness to History site. Are you using blended learning in your class? Having students view the video at home and discussing it in class is perfect for blended learning if your district blocks YouTube. Whether viewing in class or at home you may want to use Moocnote, reviewed here, to add comments, links, and questions to the video.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Case Files - The Franklin Institute
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
Why not use this website as a resource for "case file" research projects. Assign each student (or groups of students) a different person to investigate. Weaker readers may need a partner with strong reading skills. Then have the students present a multimedia presentation about their "case file." Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online. Or have a day when students actually portray their scientist and interact with others "in character."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Omaha Beachhead - US Army
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
Use the maps and images offered at the bottom of the site to aid presentations and lectures about D-day. The images are in black and white, but are still useful for discussing troop movements and the geography of the land and the battle scenery. When sharing the text with students use a tool like Read Ahead, reviewed here, to create a guided reading activity presentation using vocabulary, keywords, and phrases.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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One Life: The Mask of Lincoln - Smithsonian
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard or projector to take your students on the audio tour of the exhibit which features several podcasts. Art teachers, share the pictures with your students (especially the podcast about the cracked portrait). This site also provides some excellent research information. Have students work in cooperative learning groups to explore this site and then create a project: blog entry, wiki, video, PowerPoint, or something more "traditional."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Timeline of Art History - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Art teachers will find it easy to search for themes. History teachers can access items by date. Any of the "thematic essays" could be projected on an interactive whiteboard (or projection screen) to accompany a lecture in class. Or have students use this excellent resource for independent research or to illustrate their own presentations. Challenge groups to choose a time period and create blogs about the "mood" of the art. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Telegra.ph, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration! Or have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students - Holocaust Memorial Museum
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to design a picture walk in your classroom about the holocaust. Select 10-15 of the more powerful images, choosing a variety of subjects. Assign students to begin at specific numbers, before allowing the class to rotate around the classroom every 30-45 seconds. At each image, students should quickly write down what they observe, infer and predict about each image. At the end of the picture walk, have a class discussion based on the notes students took during the walk. This would be a very interesting way to introduce the topic in a non-lecture format. For help creating the graphic organizers, we recommend using Graphic Organizer Maker, (reviewed here).Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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1968 - The Whole World was Watching - Brown University
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Play these interview within your own classroom to supplement text or lecture material about Vietnam, Civil rights or Women's Rights. Play the interviews over the interactive whiteboard or projector, allowing students to follow along with the transcripts for better comprehension. One way to assess what students are hearing and learning from the interviews is to have students create an online graphic to share using Visme, reviewed here. This would be an excellent resource for a US history course.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Prints and Photographs On Line - Library of Congress
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a "picture walk" in your classroom, introducing any number of the topics hosted. Select 10-15 of the more powerful and diverse images, hanging them up in different locations around your classroom. Have students rotate around the classroom every 30-45 seconds, jotting down what they observe and infer about each image until the entire class has completed the circuit. After the class is back in their seats, have a class discussion based on what they observed and what this says about historical events. A great way to get students thinking about the content in a way that's more personal and lecture-less!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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American Rhetoric
Grades
9 to 12Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National Hispanic Heritage Month Resources - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use the resources in the collection to supplement classroom material during a unit on Hispanic Heritage. The resources listed here can be used for webquests, learning centers, lesson plans & the like!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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4000 years of women in Science
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use this biographies on this site to assist students working on research projects or papers about women in science. The lists are in ABC order and can would be a great addition to a class wiki or web page, allowing students to access the information both in and out of the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History for Middle School Kids - Kidipede
Grades
4 to 10In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set in your history classes studying these topics. The information is simple to understand and would be useful for students struggling with a topic. Use the site for research about specific topics. Have teams of students explore each of the "sub-topics" within the main topic and then create an interactive presentation (Powerpoint, video, or blog) to share the information with their class. Why not list this link on your class website, so students can access the page both in and out of the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native Tech: Native American Technology and Art - Tara Prindle
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Give students a scavenger hunt to learn the basics about the culture you are studying, then allow them to try some of the interactive games, ass based on the content of the site. This would be a great way to build background knowledge while studying American history or literature that deals with Native Americans.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Time of Remembrance - Elk Grove Unified School District
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
There are lesson plans (tied to California standards) and good resource lists for students and teachers. Skip the "guided tour" of the website, however, unless you are very new at using the Internet. Share this resource as one of several when studying civil rights, discrimination, and the U.S. Constitution in theory and practice. Have students create products to compare the internment camps to similar acts in history or create a presentation on the constitutional violations of such camps. Or include this as part of a study of the decades of the twentieth century.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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September 11, 2001 - New York Times
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
Try using it with students as a springboard for writing or other creative expression.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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