History / Geography

• Mastering Maps
  Maps are everywhere, but our students seem to need a little voice to tell them how to follow them. Excite your students to master maps of all kinds as they follow Geo and Meri on Globetracker's Mission. The daring teens have just arrived in Vegas as they try to locate Louie, the mapmaker. As your students in grades 2-6 follow the teens' travels, they will see many maps. Let them navigate the Mission each week on an interactive whiteboard or project it and learn more.
  The link to Globetracker's Mission is always "Ready to Go" in the lower center of the TeachersFirst home page.
  http://www.teachersfirst.com/
  
  
• Cleopatra - A Multimedia Guide to the Ancient World
  There's more to this Chicago Art Institute site than the title suggests. The site contains artifacts from Egyptian, Roman, and Greek civilizations. There are Quicktime movies for each object that explain is origin and use, and Quicktime images let users zoom in to examine the artifacts in detail.
  http://www.artic.edu/cleo/index.html
  
  
• Interactive Map of Auschwitz
  This interactive slide show pulls together the geography of German expansion and Hitler's "Final Solution" into a classroom-ready presentation that gives students an overview of German death camps with a particular focus on Auschwitz. Beginning with maps of Europe showing Germany's spreading power and leading into increased control of Jews within the Germany Empire, the presentation finishes with an overview of the Auschwitz death camp. It makes a good introduction to a discussion of the Holocaust within the context of World War II. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/genocide/launch_ani_auschwitz_map.shtml
  
  
• You are the Historian Investigating the First Thanksgiving
  Investigating the First Thanksgiving - What was it really like?? Plimoth Plantation museum has added a new Flash-based Thanksgiving lesson that will introduce students to the cultures and customs of both the Pilgrim and Wampanoag peoples. This presentation blends information about lots of everyday activities and customs with a look at what the actual "first Thanksgiving" might have looked like. A message on the site warns that traffic near Thanksgiving can make the site very sluggish and offers directions to download it to your local computer. You can avoid Internet traffic slow-downs by downloading the application onto a flash drive at home and playing it at school from your flash drive. This site is really worth a look.
  http://www.plimoth.org/education/olc/index_js2.html
  
  
• Big Huge Labs: Map Maker
  Create maps -- for multiple reasons -- with ease. As you ‘travel’ through your geography or history course, create an ongoing map of the places you've visited and embed/post it on your blog or any web page. Simply type in the title of your map, choose the land masses you wish to include, and then click on the correct boxes for your particular locations. When finished, click the You're Ready box at the bottom of the screen. Now scroll to the top to see what your map will look like. The embed code (geek-speak term for computer gobble-dee-gook that tells your computer how to find and display the map you have made) for your map is ready to copy and paste into your web page. You can find the embed code to the right of the map. There is also a button to Reset and Start Over.  Explore the rest of this site - it has a lot to offer.
  http://bighugelabs.com/map.php
  
  
• Time Line Index
  Students do not always have a very good sense of time in a historical sense. This site provides timelines for any possible historical subject and allows you to search by keyword, date or category to find different timelines. Search philosophers, painters, science, religion, middle ages, industrial age, Africa, Oceania, CDs, and countless others. Using the familiar five Ws (Who, When, What, Where, and Which) as a starting point, you can access timelines that are nested and hyperlinked allowing you to get more and more specific or general. In addition, most entries have links to outside websites that relate to the topic. There is also a “This Day in History” section, “Today’s Birthday,” and a “Quotation of the Day.”
  http://www.timelineindex.com/content/home.php
  
  
• When Weather Changed History
  Weather's impact on the course of history sometimes goes unnoticed. A heat wave brings about public policy change; a hurricane alerts the public to the need for better planning and an improved safety net; a father of our country dies due to extreme weather. This collection of full episodes and shorter (2 minute) clips from the Weather Channel's regular series is ideal for use in the classroom to help students make connections between climate, geography, and history. The collection includes more obvious events such as Hurricane Katrina as well as numerous others: heat waves, George Washington, the Hindenberg, American colonial times, Nagasaki, D-Day, the Dust Bowl, smog, the Titanic, the Nome Serum Run and the green movement in the wake of tornado devastation.
  http://www.weather.com/multimedia/videoplayer.html?collection=257
  
  
• The American Heritage Education Foundation
  Social studies, history, and government teachers - the highlight of this site is ready-to-go lesson plans (with standards) divided by age level (elementary, middle, and high school). These FREE lesson plans are available online via a PDF file or you may order a FREE CD (they say it is a $150 value).
  
  The elementary topics range from Colonial America to U.S. Presidents (with a focus on George Washington) to the History of Thanksgiving to The Pledge of Allegiance and MANY others. The middle school topics include the Declaration of Independence, Our National Documents, The Gettysburg Address, Religious Expression in School, and several others. The high school topics vary from the Mayflower, to Federalists 47, the First Amendment, and more. Each grade level also includes lessons on character education. There are also links to some fantastic social studies sites and a wealth of research information about America.
  http://www.americanheritage.org/
  
  
• Abraham Lincoln for Primary Children
  Here's a site about Lincoln by and for elementary students. Easy for young ones to use, with just enough information to make it all interesting. This site is FULL of fun and educational activities to do as a class or for individual research: online quiz, full animation of the addition of states to the USA, "Ask Lincoln a Question" section, picture gallery, ready to go classroom activities, and an online treasure hunt! If you are preparing for the 200th birthday of Lincoln, President's Day, or research on the 16th president - don't miss this site.
  http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/lincoln/index.html
  
  
• United States District Court
  This social studies/government site is simply amazing! Numerous topics abound: current events, monthly highlights, lessons, interactives, and more. Learn the story of America, the branches of the US government, about the FBI, The Great US Seal, and much more. Try some of the interactives like the Native American Quiz, Constitution Jeopardy, Million Dollar Citizen, Presidential Word Search, and several others.
  http://www.ncwd.uscourts.gov/kidscourt/
  
  
• Oswego City School District Regents Exam Prep Center
  The goal of this nonprofit site is to help high school students meet the New York State Regents requirements in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. This project is supported by a federally-funded Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant and the Learning Technology Grant. Practice questions are available for all Regents exams.
  http://regentsprep.org/
  
  
• 10 X 10 - (Middle/Upper Grade Levels)
  Current events at the global level are updated hourly on this visual grid of words and pictures that highlights leading international news. Click on a thumbnail photo to read the related story. More compelling than a scan of the daily headlines, this ever-changing, unbiased site would be an excellent addition to a daily discussion of world events.
  http://www.tenbyten.org/10x10.html
  
  
• The CIA's World Factbook is a collection of information about the geography, climate, people, governments, and customs of the world, arranged by region and country. It's updated annually.
  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
  
  
• By The People
  Is it possible to get kids excited about the Electoral College or campaign finance? Can students truly appreciate political humor? Browse through more than thirty interactive and creative lesson plans, organized by topic and grade level. Topics include the campaign trail, political polling, primaries and caucuses, political ads, and voting rights. Adobe Acrobat required for some activities.
  http://www.pbs.org/elections/kids/index.html
  
  
• eHistory
  This incredible resource is not just for history fans! The comprehensive and well organized site includes a timeline of events, a glossary, battle outlines, biographies, and thousands of images and maps. Topics include ancient history, the Civil War, World War II, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and much more. A true gold mine for history teachers and students.
   http://www.ehistory.com/
  
  
• Around the World in 80 Seconds
  This math/ geography practice activity challenges students to answer several math questions in 80-seconds. Each correct answer flies Maggie and her plane to a new destination in the world. Students can choose a difficulty level of easy or hard. They can also choose to play the game using addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or a mix of all four.
  http://www.missmaggie.org/scholastic/roundtheworld_eng_launcher.html
  
  
• The United States Mint - History In Your Pocket
  Strike it rich and help your students make heads and tails of coins! The United States Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ Web site was launched in July 1999. H.I.P. Pocket Change is a fun educational tool for students and teachers that generates interest in coins, the United States Mint, and U.S. history. This is a teacher friendly site with adaptable lesson plans whatever the grade level.
  http://www.usmint.gov/kids/flashIndex.cfm
  
  
• Inventing Modern America: From Microwave to Mouse
  These two interactive games, "Invention Connection" and "Which Came First," introduce students to the world of inventions while challenging them to use higher-level thinking skills. They're much tougher than they look! Consider using them as the basis for a group activity in the computer lab.
  http://www.mit.edu/afs/athena/org/i/invent/www/ima/games.html
  
  
• My Hero
  Here is proof that you need not be famous to be a hero. This site offers capsule biographies of hundreds of people who have made remarkable contributions to our world through their lives and activities. There are featured heroes and a large collection of biographies indexed by theme. This is a great site for students who ask, “Sure, but what can I do…?”
  http://www.myhero.com/home.asp
  
  
• American History AP Quizzes
  This collection of interactive multiple-choice challenges has something for every AP history student. Topics cover U.S. history from early discovery and settlement to Kennedy's New Frontier and the Americas since 1970.
  http://www.historyteacher.net/USQuizMainPage.htm
  
  
• Eternal Egypt
  Explore the people, places, and artifacts of 5,000 years of Egyptian civilization with this outstanding site. Start with the Guided Tour which introduces the site's many features and options for beginning the virtual journey, then investigate the maps, timelines, multimedia offerings, sites and museums, virtual library, and more. Try the interactive "Connections" option which illustrates the complex links between the characters, places, and objects that define Egypt.
  http://www.eternalegypt.org/EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action.display.splash
  
  
• Inside Tunnel "Harry"
  Experience one of World War II's most daring prison breaks with this interactive site that takes visitors to the Nazi POW camp Stalag Luft III. There students can take learn about the clever construction of a 300 foot escape tunnel - engineered by Allied airmen, and built using tools fashioned from tin cans. resource: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/greatescape/harry.html
  
  
• Odyssey Online
  This extensive source, designed especially for elementary and middle school students, provides excellent information about the ancient cultures of the Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. An additional section explores 19th - 20th century sub-Saharan Africa. Images of museum artifacts from each region are liberally distributed throughout the site, along with some interactive maps, occasional videos, and games. The Teacher Resource section provides lesson plans (aligned to national standards), suggestions for integrating art into the social studies curriculum, and helpful tips on using the site.
  http://www.carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/index.html
  
  
  
• The World War II Memorial
  The site offers a fitting tribute to all those who served in World War II.  While the current web site for the memorial deals almost entirely with dedication events, I assume it will evolve into a useful resource for classes studying the history of the second world war.   
  http://www.wwiimemorial.com/

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