Social Studies

ConSourse.org - The Constitutional Sources Project: http://www.consource.org/
ConSource provides access to over one thousand of the United States of America's most important founding documents from archives across the eastern seaboard.

Museum of Online Museums: http://www.coudal.com/moom/
MoOM includes links to some of the most popular online exhibits around the world as well as a helalthy sample of off-the-beat displays, such as Toothpaste World and the Comprehensive Gallery of Airline Meals.

Adirondack Curriculum: http://adkcurriculumproject.org/
The Adirondack Curriculum Project is a not-for-profit organization aimed at encouraging teachers to incorporate the Adirondacks into their own curriculum. All grade levels and most subjects are covered. Most of the board members are active or retired teachers. The curriculum project also holds teacher workshops during the summer.

Playing House -- A History Resource: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/History/subcollections/ChildHomeEcAbout.shtml
In the late 19th and early 20th century, many books and manuals were created to instruct women and young girls in "the fine arts of
cookery, laundry, and other areas." At this webpage, you'll find a digital collection of five typical manuals from the era, including a 1917 book "Things Girls Like to Do" and a long-time classic from 1916, "Housekeeping." Works can be viewed in their entirety or searched by keyword across the the entire collection.

Geography Zone: http://www.geographyzone.com/new/index.php
"The Geography Zone has been created to help spread geographical awareness and an understanding of the places and cultures across our world in an exciting and dynamic atmosphere. Here you can find The Geography Challenge, the world’s largest online geography contest, as well as tons of the geography tools and facts to help make you a geography expert."

Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party: : http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/
This is a selection of 448 of the approximately 2,650 photographs in the Records of the National Woman's Party, housed in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. Representing the militant wing of the suffrage movement, the National Woman's Party effectively commanded the attention of politicians and the public alike through its aggressive agitation, relentless lobbying, creative publicity stunts and disarming examples of civil disobedience. It used tableaus, parades, demonstrations and picketing, as well as its members' arrests, imprisonment and hunger strikes, to spur public discussion and win publicity for the suffrage cause.

British History Online: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/
"The digital library of text and information about people, places and businesses from the medieval and early modern period, built by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust." Among the resources: Journals of the Houses of Commons and Lords, Office-Holders in Modern Britain, 1660-1939, a variety of documentary resources for the history of London and ecclesiastical history. Searchable.

Elementary sites about US government and elections
Ben's Guide to Government: http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/election/ presents The Election Process, a basic guide to the election of federal officials including the president, vice president, senators and representatives. This guide for grades 3-5 is provided by the U.S. Government Printing Office.

Kids Voting USA?: http://www.kidsvotingusa.org/ is a national nonprofit organization that aims to teach students about the concepts of citizenship, civic responsibility, democracy, and the importance of political participation. Participating students have the opportunity to cast a Kids Voting ballot on election day, voting on the same candidates and issues as the adults. The site includes information for teachers, as well as Civics Alive! activities for grades K-12 and Destination Democracy service-learning activities for high school students.

Middle and High School sites about government and elections Wisconsin Public Television and Public Radio present WisconsinVote: http://www.wisconsinvote.org/, an elections site that provides information on candidates running for state and federal office. Other sections include information on voter registration, audio clips of interviews with candidates, and lesson plans related to campaign advertising.

Project Vote-Smart: http://www.vote-smart.org/ provides information about candidates and elected officials in five categories: biographies, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances, and interest group ratings. Users can enter their zip code to see a list of their local elected officials and candidates, then click on a name for their voting records, speeches and public statements, and more.

The Voting and Elections site: http://www.firstgov.gov/Citizen/Topics/Voting.shtml from the U.S. Governments FirstGov portal includes basic facts about voting and elections, statistics such as voter turnout in recent elections, and links to many relevant government sites such as the Federal Elections Board.

The Wisconsin State Elections Board: http://elections.state.wi.us/ includes state elections information, such as downloadable registration forms, lists of candidates, and notes on campaign finance reform. A historical table shows the percentage of the voting-age population that voted in elections from 1948-2000.

DemocracyNet: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/e4/?, from the League of Women Voters and Congress.org, provides candidate statements about a range of issues such as health care, the economy, civil rights, the environment, homeland security, and so forth.

The Electoral College: How It Works in Contemporary Presidential Elections: http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/28109.pdf is an official report from the Congressional Research Service. This printable document includes a brief history of the electoral college system. It explains the allocation of electoral votes and the full electoral process, from the nomination of electors through the declaration by Congress.

Electionline.org: http://www.electionline.org/index.jsp offers an interactive map that shows numbers of registered voters, voting population by ethnicity, and voting systems used around the country. Information is displayed in color-coded map form by state or county. The map is from the Election Reform Information Project, funded by the Pew Charitable Trust.

Rock the Vote: http://www.rockthevote.org/ aims to encourage young people to take advantage of their right to vote. The Web site includes information on voter registration and election issues.

Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: http://www.gilderlehrman.org/index.html
Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. Increasingly
national and international in scope, the Institute's initiatives target audiences ranging from students to scholars to the general
public. The Institute creates history-centered schools and academic research centers; organizes seminars and enrichment programs for educators; produces print and electronic publications and traveling exhibitions; and sponsors lectures by eminent historians. The
Institute funds awards including the Lincoln and Frederick Douglass Book Prizes and offers fellowships for scholars to work in the Gilder Lehrman Collection and other archives.
The Institute maintains this website to serve as a portal for American history on the Web; to offer high-quality educational
material for teachers, students, historians, and the public; and to provide up-to-the-minute information about the Institute's programs
and activities.
The Gilder Lehrman Collection, on deposit at the New-York Historical Society, contains more than 60,000 documents detailing the political and social history of the United States. The collection's holdings include manuscript letters, diaries, maps, photographs, printed books and pamphlets ranging from 1493 through modern times.
The Collection is particularly rich with materials in the Revolutionary, Antebellum, Civil War and Reconstruction periods.
Highlights of the Collection include signed copies of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Thirteenth Amendment, a rare printed
copy of the first draft of the Constitution, and thousands of unpublished Civil War soldiers' letters. Letters written by George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass and others vividly record the issues and events of their day. The writings of such notable women as Lucy Knox, Mercy Otis Warren and Catherine Macaulay discuss a variety of military, political and social issues.

Election History
The New York Times Looks Back: Presidential Elections 1896-1996: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/specials/elections/ features historic articles, editorials, trivia quizzes, and facts about U.S. presidents.
The Presidential Elections, 1860-1912: http://elections.harpweek.com/ looks at historical political cartoons from Harper's Weekly and other publications. For each election, the site provides historical context, including a timeline of events, information on key issues, and brief biographies of the candidates. The site is from HarpWeek, an online index of Harper's Weekly from 1867-1916.
The Great Debate and Beyond: The History of Televised Presidential Debates: http://www.museum.tv/debateweb/html/index.htm, from the Museum of Broadcast Communications, includes a complete transcript and analysis of the first televised presidential debate between Nixon and Kennedy, as well as many video clips from 1960-1996 debates. A section titled "Memos and Spin" provides primary source documents related to the debates, and curriculum resources include glossary items, student activities, and teacher resources.
Election Connection 2000: http://web.archive.org/collections/e2k.html preserves an archive of relevant Web sites from the 2000 election. The site, from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine, includes the Web sites of the presidential candidates, news media sites from election day, and political party sites.

Obituaries 101: http://www.big101.com/OBITUARIES101.htm
This site offers state by state links to the obituary pages of online newspapers. Where the name of the newspaper does not specify the city, the editors add that information. The individual newspapers vary in their search capacities and the length of archives.

The Skyscraper Museum: http://www.skyscraper.org/home_flash.htm
The Skyscraper Museum has put online more than 2,000 documents about historic New York buildings by connecting the digitized images to an interactive map of Manhattan.

The LOCGOV Wise Guide: http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide
Designed to make learning about United States history fun, this web site from the Library of Congress is a monthly magazine-style publication that features short articles about a handful of historical events or people each month, complete with a brief history and links to primary-source materials and other background information from the Library's extensive online archives.

Eyewitness to History: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/
Each entry frames the eyewitness account with a brief description of the event and of the person recounting it and includes a bibliography and related links. Browse by time period. There's also a small audio archive of Voices of the 20th Century.

European Union Member States: http://www.europa.eu.int/abc/governments/index_en.htm
Introduces you to the history, purpose, and achievements to date of the European Union in 12 lessons; also includes key figures, maps, history, glossary, and texts of the treaties establishing the Union. This is the English language version, but you can choose other languages.

Teachable Moment: http://www.teachablemoment.org/
"TeachableMoment.Org provides educators with timely teaching ideas to encourage critical thinking on issues of the day and foster a positive classroom environment."

PictureAustralia: http://www.pictureaustralia.org/
"Search for people, places and events in the collections of libraries, museums, galleries, archives, universities and other cultural agencies, in Australia and abroad - all at the same time."

Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony (1820-1906) was a tireless leader of the women's rights movement, fighting over fifty years for women's suffrage (the right to vote), equal education, property rights and even dress reform. In 1851, she met Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who became a lifelong friend, and the two formed a partnership devoted to winning the right to vote.
*Famous Trials: Susan B. Anthony Trial: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/anthony/sbahome.html
The Nineteenth Amendment giving women suffrage was passed fourteen years after Anthony's death. "She would, however, once have the satisfaction of seeing her completed ballot drop through the opening of a ballot box. It happened in Rochester, New York on November 5, 1872, and the event and the trial for illegal voting that followed would create a opportunity for Anthony to spread her arguments for women suffrage to a wider audience than ever before." In addition to details about the trial, Famous Trials has an Anthony biography, and 100 year time line of women's struggle for the vote.
*Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond: Susan B. Anthony: http://www.rich.frb.org/econed/bookmarks/susan.html
On October 10, 1978, President Carter signed the bill that created the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin. It was minted four times: in 1979, 1980, 1981 and again in 1999. The coins are often called "Suzy Bucks" or "Carter's Quarters." Learn more about why they were created, and why they are no longer in production at this Federal Reserve Bank page, which also includes a time line of Anthony's achievements.
*PBS: Not for Ourselves Alone: http://www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/
"On November 2, 1920 over eight million American women voted for the first time in American history ... The two women who had fought longest for women's rights, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, did not live long enough to cast a [legal] ballot themselves." View the video by clicking anywhere on the front page and then peruse the sections listed in the horizontal menu at the bottom of the page. Resources includes classroom topics, biographies, and original documents.

SOSIG: EuroStudies Gateway: http://www.sosig.ac.uk/european_studies/
This subdivision of the Social Science Information Gateway is searchable and browsable by country or region. Its selectively chosen links include lengthy annotations.

Library and Archival Exhibitions on the Web: http://www.sil.si.edu/SILPublications/Online-Exhibitions/
A site you could get lost in for hours at a time. Exhibitions are browsable and searchable by title, sponsoring institution, and keyword. A small random sample from the M's illustrates the remarkable range of the collections: "Making Valentines: A Tradition in America," "Mapping Early Modern Worlds," "Medical Instrument Gallery," "Medieval Treasures: Books & Manuscripts from the 9th to the 15th Centuries," "Most Dangerous Service: A Century of Royal Navy Submarines, "Mexico: From Empire to
Revolution," and so much more.

eHistory.com: http://www.ehistory.com/
This site "for history fans, enthusiasts and students," includes "over 130,000 pages of historical
content; 5,300 timeline events; 800 battle outlines; 350 biographies; and thousands of images and maps."

VIETNAMESE AMERICANS:
http://newsletter.tolerance.org/cgi-bin4/DM/y/efE40FN7dN0Ekk0CMiy0AO
These 8 lesson plans are designed for use with grades 7 and above. This curriculum sheds light on the complexities of this unique identity group -- and every lesson supports national standards for social studies.

Anthropology Collection Database: http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/collections/collintro.htm
Provides access to the collection housed at California Academy of Sciences, including over 8,000 images. Search engine retrieves catalog description of items plus picture, if any. More images are being added to this ongoing project.

FactCheck.org, Annenberg Political Fact Check: http://www.factcheck.org/
"Holding politicians accountable." The site creators examine recent statements by politicians or political organizations from any political party, and print the claim, test its truthfulness, and cite their sources.

Huell's Interactive LA (KCET): http://www.kcet.org/programsa-z/huells/index.php
California-centric; but pretty darn cool. Join Huell Howser on a video tour of LA's history and neighborhoods. Click on a location and get brief background info as well as a video.
Grade Level: Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: Community Interest (Leisure), Community Interest (Regional Information), History & Social Studies (Geography & Cultures)

Manifestations of Shiva: http://athome.harvard.edu/dh/mos.html
"In this program, Professor Diana Eck introduces us to the mythology, imagery, and pilgrimage places of the Hindu great god Shiva. With video from the course Hindu Myth, Image, and Pilgrimage and an accompanying interview, the program follows Professor Eck as she approaches Indian civilization through her exploration of Shiva and his holy family, grounding understanding of this culture in the landscape of India."

World Maps and Atlases: http://www.mapsarea.com/
A guide to world maps and atlases, place name sites, map libraries, weather maps, historical maps, interactive maps, and more.

Online Speech Bank: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank.htm
"an index to and growing database of 5000+ full text, audio and video (streaming) versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, other recorded media events, and a
declaration or two." Browse alphabetically for speeches and speakers, or by broad topics like Christian Rhetoric, Movie Speeches, The Rhetoric of 9-11, etc.

New Dream Marketplace [the Conscious Consumer Marketplace]: http://www.newdream.org/consumer/marketplace.html
"We make it easier for you to buy environmentally and socially responsible versions of everyday items-from coffee to paper to energy for your home. Just click on the links below and we'll get you to the nearest local or online source for the goods."

Recalls.gov: http://www.recalls.gov/
One stop shopping for recalls of defective products, consolidating information from six government agencies.

USING PRIMARY SOURCES ON THE WEB: http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/RUSA/
Users of primary sources have always needed to examine their sources critically, but with the proliferation of electronic resources from a wide variety of web site producers, evaluation is more important than
ever before. Users of web resources must now consider the authenticity of documents, what person or organization is the Internet provider, and whether the electronic version serves their needs. This brief guide is designed to provide students and researchers with information to help them evaluate the Internet sources and the quality of primary materials that can be found online.

National Security Archive: http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/
"an independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Archive collects and publishes declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)." Among the resources: the September 11 Sourcebooks, The Cuban Missile Crisis, and "Eyes on Saddam, U.S. Overhead Imagery of Iraq."

INSCR: Peace and Conflict Series: http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/inscr/peace.htm
"This full-color, 72-page global report details major trends in armed conflict, self-determination movements, and democracy through the contemporary era, 1946-2002, and provides a "conflict ledger" assessing each country's "peace-building capacity" in 2003." The 2001 edition is also available for comparison.

Picture History: http://www.picturehistory.com/
"an on-line archive of images and film footage illuminating more than 200 years of American history." Viewing is free. Downloads and prints are not. An online magazine tells stories behind the pictures.

Primary Sources on the Web: http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/RUSA/
Excellent tutorial that defines primary sources, shows how to find them on the web and evaluate them, and then cite them appropriately.

American Notes: Travel in America, 1750-1920: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lhtnhtml/lhtnhome.html
"253 published narratives by Americans and foreign visitors recounting their travels in the colonies and the United States and their observations and opinions about American peoples, places, and society ..."

The Geo-Mystery Project: http://www.hern.hawaii.edu/hern96/pt053/GEOMYstery/geomys.html
Query: What is unique about where you live? What is unique about a place?
Draw or photograph the place where you live. find the latitude and longitude and others email back to see if they have guessed the city or area. There are also pictures and hints for places for students to look at and read so they can decide what place is being described.

Crazyfads.com: http://www.crazyfads.com/
"From 1920 to 1990 we list all of the craziest fads that have come and gone." Includes unexplainable crazes like poodle skirts, telephone booth stuffing, tie-dye shirts, streaking, beanie babies, and lots more.

DinoData: http://www.dinodata.net/
Most of this is pure science, with info on anatomy, fossil sites, genera, earth history, and such, but there's also a glossary, illustrations, news, and a DinoKids section.

The 40th Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/civilrights/anniversary/
This site has a collection of reports and recommended books and articles, as well as with a photo gallery of the march and text and audio of King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Public Record Office Virtual Museum: http://www.pro.gov.uk/virtualmuseum/
Including exhibits of "landmark documents that have helped shape the course of British History," the Millennium Galleries of 1,000 years of British history, and a special exhibit on the history of espionage.

Australian Animals, Birds & Minibeasts: http://www.edna.edu.au/edna/page1439.html
The Early Childhood specific searches include: Australian Animals; Australian Birds; Australian Minibeasts; and Australian Reptiles.

Blackout History Project: http://blackout.gmu.edu/index.html
Visitors are invited to help create a historical record of the New York City blackouts of 1965 and 1977 by writing about their experiences and posting them on. A library of published articles and research reports on those blackouts is available.

How Everyday Things Are Made: http://manufacturing.stanford.edu/
"an introductory website showing how various items are made. It covers over 40 different products and manufacturing processes, and includes almost 4 hours of manufacturing video. It is targeted towards
non-engineers and engineers alike."

Imaging Everest [Royal Geographical Society]:
http://imagingeverest.rgs.org/Concepts/Virtual_Everest/-1.html
Photos of the history of Everest, the Tibetan people, sherpas, expeditions of the 20s and 30s, the 1953 expedition, and more.

Nuremberg Trials Project: a Digital Document Collection:
http://nuremberg.law.harvard.edu/php/docs_swi.php?DI=1&text=overview
"the Library has begun a digital project to create and present images or full-text versions of its [one million pages of] Nuremberg documents on the Internet, along with analytical information about each document and general information about the trials."

Six Questions to Ask on Back to School Night: http://www.edexcellence.net/socialstudies/Sixquestions.pdf
The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation Friday, August 22, 2003
Suggestions for parents wanting to appraise their child’s social studies curriculum.

San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection - SFPL.org
http://sfpl4.sfpl.org/librarylocations/sfhistory/browse.htm
Great stuff here, including photos of the Golden Gate Bridge as it's being constructed, earthquakes (including from 1868!), the Golden Gate International Exhibition, libraries (some from as far back as 1870), cable cars, opera houses, union activities, and views from every decade, 1850 to the present.

The Digital Journalist: Feature Presentations: http://dirckhalstead.org/feature.html
This collection of digital journalism by a variety of reporters shows the net's capacity for thorough and compelling journalism. Stories include photos and video clips, on such topics as "Life under the Taliban," "AIDS and Photography," "Stories from Blind America," "Requiem, by the Photographers Who Died in Vietnam and Cambodia," a review of the career of photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt, and lots more.

First Amendent Center Online: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/
Includes first amendment-related news stories, a library of articles, lesson plans, and more. Click on First Amendment Topics for background articles on school dress codes, campus speech codes, cameras in the courtroom, public religious displays, rating and labeling of entertainment, etc.

History Detectives: http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/
Offers additional background material for the stories researched in the PBS program, and also includes backgrounders on historical research, investigative techniques, and a "do it yourself" primer.

Mountain Explorer: http://www.peakbagger.com/
"an evolving database of images, text, maps, and tables providing random information about the major peaks and ranges of the world." Entries can be any combination of encyclopedic description with climbing notes, photos, and Greg Slayden's personal journal entries.

FACSNET Daily News Briefing: http://www.facsnet.org/issues/apd/aptoday.php3
It takes what it considers to be the four biggest stories and for each of them supplies Newslinks, Backgrounders, interviewable News Sources, and Internet Resources, which are often links to the full texts of official documents.

The Journalists' Toolbox: http://www.journaliststoolbox.com/
A directory of more than 20,000 Web resources. You can do a keyword search, or browse topics such as business research, crime, expert sources, listservs, public records, Form
990s (charities' tax filings), state government, teaching tools, etc.

Power Reporting: http://www.powerreporting.com/
In partnership with the Columbia Journalism Review, it offers "Thousands of free research tools for journalists," arranged by beats, as well as finding tools for companies, nonprofits, people, media,
government, and journalism. "Alerts for Journalists" is well worth checking out: it lists e-mail alerting services by subject. The site also includes a list of its Top 100 Web Sites, and a tutorial on web searching. All of these would be useful in an information literacy class: check out its Newsroom Treasure Hunt and see how well you do.

Cities and Buildings Database: http://content.lib.washington.edu/cities/
This "collection of digitized images of buildings and cities drawn from across time and throughout the world...now contains over 5000 images ranging from New York to Central Asia, from African villages, to the Parc de la Villette, and conceptual sketches and models of Frank Gehry's Experience Music Project."

MapsArea: http://www.mapsarea.com/
Annotated links to map sources, free clip art of continents and countries, place name information, weather map sites, health atlases, interactive mapping services, and more.

PhotoVoyage: http://wpni01.auroraquanta.com/
"Exploring your world through our lens." The site appears to be photojournalism from the Washington Post. A number of photo feature articles are available (Death Row in Texas, Navajo Rodeos, MayaQuest, etc.), as is The Day in Photos, and audio and video news footage.

RoadsidePeek.com: http://RoadsidePeek.com/
Great for nostalgia buffs. "Roadside Peek will take you on a roadside journey in time. As you travel, visit old motels, bowling alleys, drive-in theatres, neon signs, petrol pumps, googie sites, tiki villages, and
much more."

The president of the United State has several duties. The Constitution spells out some of them; other have evolved over time. How a president performs these roles depends on his personality, his view of the role of government, and the situation facing him.
For basic information about presidential duties (and their relationship to congressional action), link to Article II in CongressLink's online version of the U.S. Constitution at: http://www.congresslink.org/artcl2.html
What in the World Should Congress Do?: http://www.congresslink.org/lessonplans/MEDforeignpolicy.html
This lesson plan looks at the relationship between the president and Congress in the conduct of foreign policy. Although the president is often described as the nation's "Chief Diplomat," what role does Congress play in the formulation and development of foreign policy?
In diplomacy and domestic policy, a president can sometimes get around Congress by issuing executive orders. Learn more about these legally binding actions at What is an Executive Order? -- ThisNation.com: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/executivebranch.htm#functions
Because of court decisions, customs, laws, and other developments, the president's role has greatly expanded over the years due to his responsibilities and powers. To help remember the achievements and roles of some of America's presidents, take the game show quiz American Presidency Game Show Quiz:
http://www.congressforkids.net/games/executivebranch/2_execbranch.htm

National Portrait Gallery [UK]: http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/
"The online database contains information on 45,199 works, 21,821 of which are illustrated; the National Portrait Gallery's collection includes over 310,000 works." Search by sitter, artist, or portrait.

The United Press International-Photos: http://www.upi.com/photos/index.cfm
maintains an archive of 100,000+ images, adding 1,200 more each month. If you're looking for a photo that made the news, chances are you'll find it here.

Nation Master: http://www.nationmaster.com/
The Nation Master is a resource for finding out any number of current details about just about any country in the world. For easy reference, the main Web page features the most frequently requested
stats, such as televisions and military expenditures per capita. Nation Master also allows visitors the option of creating their own graphs in order to effectively compare different nations. The site also
has links to national profiles. Additionally, the site has a search engine, and a place where visitors can read short facts on the different countries. Apart from being interesting to browse through, the site will be
helpful for students looking for basic statistics on the world's different countries.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: Community Interest (Reference Desk), History & Social Studies (Geography & Cultures)

Panama Canal
How the Panama Canal Works plus canal history, java animation: http://www.ared.com/kora/java/pcc/javaani.html
Miraflores Locks: http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html
This camera shows operations at the Miraflores Locks and other points of interest in the Canal.
Panama: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/panama.html
Panama Canal: http://www.infonetsa.com/infonetsa/in/jrt1.htm
Panama Canal: Creation, History and Current Events: http://www.escapeartist.com/panama4/panama4.htm
Pedro Miguel Locks: http://www.jarogers.com/lock.htm
Learning Objective: By the end of this unit the students will be able to explain the political, economical, medical, and technical, aspects of the Panama Canal by searching the Internet, and gathering information about the Panama Canal from other sources, summarize the information by creating a web page with the pertinent information.

Historic Cities: Maps and Documents: http://historic-cities.huji.ac.il/
"contains maps, literature, documents, books and other relevant material concerning the past, present and future of historic cities..." In Europe and the near East, that is. See how cities like Rome, Jerusalem,
Barcelona, Paris, Cairo, etc., have changed over time.

Animated Atlas: Growth of a Nation: http://www.animatedatlas.com/movie.html
A ten minute narrated movie, divided into smaller segments, which depicts the geographic history of the United States from the beginning of the nation to fifty states. Geographic elements are interactive, as
is the timeline. It will take sixty seconds to load with a 56K modem. A teachers' guide is located at:
http://www.animatedatlas.com/teachersguide.html#growth-class

Six Billion and Beyond: http://www.pbs.org/sixbillion/
In late 1999, the world's population surpassed the six billion mark. How is rapid population growth affecting both developed and developing nations? What impact will an additional billion people have on our world, future generations and the rest of life on earth? This in-depth site focuses on the issues of population, reproductive health and the environment. A study guide is available.

A Brief Digital History of Fashion: http://alpha.furman.edu/~kgossman/history/
This joint faculty/student project from Furman University is an excellent guide to fashion in Western civilization. Arranged in chronological order, each section includes images, an explanation of terms, links,
bibliography, and a timeline of events of that period.

Era of the Clipper Ships: http://www.eraoftheclipperships.com/
A collection of images and history of the great clippers, including an extensive bibliography.

Historical Voices: http://www.historicalvoices.org/
"The purpose of Historical Voices is to create a significant, fully searchable online database of spoken word collections spanning the 20th century - the first large-scale repository of its kind. Historical Voices
will both provide storage for these digital holdings and display public galleries that cover a variety of interests and topics."

GET THE LESSON PLAN OF THE DAY:
http://newsletter.tolerance.org/cgi-bin4/DM/y/eL7e0FEDxx0C1L0BzIS0Ag
Teaching Tolerance scours the Web for great lesson plans and activities that underscore themes of tolerance and diversity -- and that meet the needs of academic subject areas.

NationMaster.com-Interactive Country Comparisons: http://www.nationmaster.com/
NationMaster uses data found in the CIA World Factbook 2002 and allows users to rank nations into the Top and Bottom 5, 10, and 20, and by various regions. You can compare countries in more than 150 categories, covering communications, economy, geography, military, people, transportation, and
more.

Worldometers: http://www.osearth.com/resources/worldometers/
This statistics simulation site displays a running count of world statistics in Economy and Government, Population, Energy, Food Supply, Health, Education and Environment. Each topic shows statistics for a number of sub-headings.

Children's Encyclopedia of Women:
http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/womenenc/womenenc.htm
Introduce your class to important women throughout history with this Web site created by third and fourth grade students. Students can research individual women, or view a timeline of achievements from 68 B.C. to the present.

NationStates: http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi
This site is free and lets you design your own nation/state with telegrams coming to you, as
well as messages and issues to decide. Watch for the language of some of the other nations that are in the UN. You do not need to use that part of the site.

The Center for Civic Education: http://www.civiced.org/
This is a site with lessons to teach civics and government.

Gilder Lehrman Institute on American History: www.gliah.uh.edu/index.cfm
This site has everything from primary documents to lessons to seminars for teachers.

Digital History: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
Here is a primary resource site offering an immense digital archive of links to information that includes historic photos, documents, newspapers, journal entries, maps, famous speeches, music and even an Ask-the-Expert section entitled "Ask the HyperHistorian".

Perception of Place:
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/mg/lesson63.aspx
Students explore their perceptions about a geographic location, and then perform a skit to share their feelings with the class. For grades 9-12.

Birthday Traditions from Around the World: http://www.kidsparties.com/traditions.htm
The history of children's birthday parties can be traced to Germany where they are called Kinderfeste. Today in Germany, birthday candles (one for each year) are lit first thing in the morning, and left burning all day. After dinner, the birthday child blows out the candles and makes a wish. Visit this site to learn how birthday parties are celebrated around the world, and add your own family's birthday traditions to the list via email submission. Look for the email address just under the "Family Birthday Traditions" heading in the middle of the page.

Congress For Kids: http://www.congressforkids.net/
"Congress for Kids" gives students access to interactive experiences designed to help them learn about the foundation of our federal government and how its actions affect them. It is designed for students in grades four through high school.

The Endurance: http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/endurance/home/index.shtml
In 1914, a small team of explorers set sail for Antarctica, seeking to be the first to cross this vast continent. Photographer Frank Hurley chronicled their 22-month ordeal, climbing masts, trekking across cracking ice sheets and heading out into the frigid night to take his incredible pictures. He even dove into icy water to retrieve his glass-plate negatives after the Endurance sank.

The Jamestown Online Adventure: http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/
Take a trip back in time and take on the role of Captain of the Jamestown Colony. It's your job to
establish a successful settlement. Can you do better than the real colonists? You'll have a copy of "London Company's Instructions" to guide you, plus your colonists and nearby Native Americans to ask for advice.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 72 DAYS: http://www.pbs.org/amex/world
The daring and ambitious Nellie Bly talked her way into an improbable job on a newspaper, became known as "the best reporter in America," and traveled around the world in 72 days -- beating Jules Verne's fictional record. In an era of Victorian reserve, she would become a household name by
doing things a woman wasn't supposed to do. Read about Nellie's stay at Blackwell's Island Lunatic
Asylum, trace her path around the world, and listen to the Stephen Foster song that gave Nellie her name.

ELEANOR: http://www.pbs.org/amex/eleanor
For more than thirty years, she was the most powerful woman in America. Niece of one president and wife of another, Eleanor Roosevelt was at the center of much of twentieth-century history -- a charismatic woman of charm and of contradictions. Check out Eleanor's FBI file and relive Eleanor's historic
tour of the South Pacific in 1943.

FLY GIRLS: http://www.pbs.org/amex/flygirls
From 1942 to 1944, more than 1,000 American women ferried aircraft, tested planes, instructed male pilots, and towed targets for anti-aircraft artillery practice. Former WASPs recall the planes they flew, the challenges they met, and the pride they felt in playing a role in the American war effort. Watch video clips of a B-29 taking off and in flight, trace flygirl Teresa James' 1943 trips, and read an excerpt from a WASP's memoirs.

HAWAII'S LAST QUEEN: http://www.pbs.org/amex/hawaii
On January 16, 1893, four boatloads of United States Marines came ashore on the independent island kingdom of Hawaii and headed for the palace. The following day, Queen Lili'uokalani surrendered at gunpoint, yielding her throne to the government of the United States. Examine a timeline of the Queen Lili'uokalani's life and learn more about Hawaiian history, listen to the Queen's best known composition, "Aloha Oe," and test your knowledge of Hawaii.

Primary Sources
Using Primary Sources: http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/calheritage/k12/primary_lesson.htm
Read UC Berkeley's ideas on evaluating Web sources. In this activity, students design personal "archival boxes" with pictures, poems, essays, maps, timelines, and stories about their families.
Using Primary Sources In the Classroom: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/primary.html
Find suggestions for using primary source documents and suggestions on how "student activities can help you enhance your social studies curriculum using authentic artifacts, documents, photographs, and manuscripts from the Library of Congress Historical Collections and other sources."
How To Use Primary Sources: http://www.jerseyhistory.org/howtofind.html
The New Jersey Historical Society offers four sample lessons online that illustrate wise instructional use of primary source documents.
Using Primary Source Documents In the Classroom: http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/teachers/primary.html
From the Ohio Historical Society, this site contains a general lesson plan that can serve as a starting point for original class activities.
Using Primary Sources on the Internet to Teach and Learn History: http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed442739.html
Deanne Shiroma's article for ERIC briefly addresses the types of primary sources and outlines how to locate sources online.

Social Studies And History Links: http://www.geocities.com/garysdeskcom/SocialStudies.html
This web page has links to Canadian, British, United States, Chinese, Jewish, Arab, Russian and Cuban news sites. A student can go to the web page and get an international perspective on the same news story.

American Centuries: Views from New England: http://www.memorialhall.mass.edu/ features 1,800 objects & documents from Memorial Hall Museum & Library, located in Old Deerfield, MA. The site includes instructional units (everyday life in a New England town & graveyard-centered research); a mini-encyclopedia of important people, places, & events in New England; & interactive web activities (scavenger hunt). One exhibit looks at family life, land, Native Americans, African Americans, &
newcomers at 3 turns of the century: 1700, 1800, & 1900.

A Date Which Will Live in Infamy: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/day_of_infamy/day_of_infamy.html shows the typewritten draft of the December 8, 1941, speech in which Franklin Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan. The draft shows Roosevelt's hand-written edits, including his change of the phrase "a date which will live in world history" to "a date which will live in infamy." Students can also listen to the beginning of the speech.

FDR's Fireside Chat on the Purposes & Foundations of the Recovery Program: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/fdr_fireside_chat/fireside_chat.html displays the text of one of Franklin Roosevelt's fireside chats with the American people. In this July 24, 1933, radio
broadcast, he addressed issues of the Great Depression & described what industry, employers, & workers could do to bring about economic recovery.

FDR's First Inaugural Address: Declaring 'War' on the Great Depression: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/fdr_inaugural_address/fdr_inaugural_address.html shows photos from that time. It includes Franklin Roosevelt's first inaugural address, in which he said, "I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis [the Depression] -- broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe."

Glidden's Patent Application for Barbed Wire: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/barbed_wire_patent/barbed_wire_patent.html presents the drawing & description that helped Joseph Glidden, a farmer from De Kalb, Illinois, win a patent for barbed wire in 1874. Glidden's design remains today the most familiar style of barbed wire. This site also examines the considerable impact of barbed wire on the economy, society, & politics in the West.

North American Slave Narratives: http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/neh.html is a collection of more than 250 memoirs, autobiographies, & narratives from individuals who were slaves. An African king who was sold into slavery, the dress maker for Mary Todd Lincoln, the servant of Robert E. Lee during the
Civil War, & the nurse of George Washington are included, as are stories of Sojourner Truth, George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, & others. These firsthand accounts describe the
conditions of slavery & a number of slave escapes to freedom.

Photographs of the 369th Infantry & African Americans During World War I: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/wwi_369th_infantry/wwi_369th_infantry.html highlights an all-black regiment that rose to fame at a time when the Army, federal workers, & other parts of society were segregated. The 369th Infantry, also known as the "Harlem Hellfighters," was among the first regiments to arrive in France in 1917 after the U.S. declared war on Germany. The regiment spent 191 days in combat, longer than any other American unit, & emerged as one of the most decorated regiments during the Great War.

Race & Slavery Petitions: http://history.uncg.edu/slaverypetitions/ is a collection of more than two dozen
legislative & county court petitions that were filed in southern states between the American Revolution & the Civil War. Tens of thousands of southerners petitioned their legislatures for redress of grievances during this time. These petitions show the complex nature of race & slavery.

Run for Your Lives! The Johnstown Flood of 1889: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/5johnstown/5johnstown.htm commemorates the most devastating flood in the U.S. in the 19th century & the greatest national catastrophe in the post-Civil War era. At 4:07 on the chilly, wet afternoon of May 31, 1889, the inhabitants Johnstown, Pennsylvania, heard a low rumble that grew to a "roar like thunder." Some knew immediately what had happened: the South Fork Dam, after a night of heavy rain, had broken. The break sent a 36-foot wall of water rolling at 40 miles per hour toward Johnstown, a town of 30,000 people. More than 2,200 people were killed.

Sow the Seeds of Victory! Posters from the Food Administration During World War I: http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/sow_the_seeds/sow_the_seeds.html tells how Herbert Hoover, as head of the new U.S. Food Administration, convinced Americans to conserve food during the Great War. Homeowners were urged to sign pledge cards to conserve food. Many observed wheatless Mondays, meatless Tuesdays, & porkless Saturdays. This website includes posters that helped carry one of the messages of Hoover & the Wilson administration: that "Food will win the war."

Valley Forge: http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/vafo/vafooverview.html looks at this famous campsite that marked a turning point in the American Revolution. By the fall of 1777, General Washington had suffered more defeats than victories. He sought a winter campsite that would allow observation of the British army without exposure to surprise attack. In December, he led 12,000 men into Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, for a 6-month encampment while the British camped 20 miles away in Philadelphia. The winter was severe. Nearly 2,000 American soldiers died of disease. But the Continental Army learned discipline & organization here that,
coupled with French assistance on land & sea, helped turn the tide of the war.

Yiddish Radio Project: http://www.yiddishradioproject.org/ preserves recordings from the golden age of
Yiddish radio (1930s-50s). Online exhibits include "Yiddish melodies in Swing," the history of Yiddish radio, "Rabbi Rubin's Court of the Air," radio dramas of Nahum Stutchkoff, "Levine & His Flying Machine," & commercials on Yiddish radio. Audio clips accompany each exhibit.

Yellowstone National Park
American Visionaries: Thomas Moran: http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/moran/
Thomas Moran was an early twentieth-century American artist whose Yellowstone watercolors where shown to Congress by national park proponents. His artwork was a powerful argument, and Congress established the National Park System (NPS) in 1916. This Web exhibit features Moran's watercolors and sketches and the photography of William Henry Jackson, another member of the original Yellowstone survey team.
Old Faithful Geyser Web Cam: http://www.nps.gov/yell/oldfaithfulcam.htm Yellowstone is famous for its 200 geysers, and Old Faithful is the most famous of all. Although it is neither the largest nor most regular, it's popular because it erupts more frequently than the other big Yellowstone geysers. Each morning, the Old Faithful Web Cam site calculates the day's schedule, based on an average interval of eighty minutes between eruptions. When you arrive, you'll see a countdown to the next expected performance and a real-time photo that refreshes every thirty seconds. If you visit at night, or can't wait for the next live show, check out the archive of past eruptions.PBS: Yellowstone: America's Sacred Wilderness: http://www.pbs.org/edens/yellowstone/
This site has prose, photographs, 3-D tours and three Webquests for students in grades four through six.. Start your adventure with the virtual panoramic tours of Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Fall and Old Faithful. Other clicks are Reflections on Yellowstone (a look the land and the threats closing in on it), Featured Creatures (bears, wolves, elk and bison), and the Yellowstone screensavers for Mac and Windows.

Presidential Baseball: http://prezbaseball.org/
What do Richard Nixon and Pete Rose have in common? Test both your baseball and Presidential trivia IQ's at this fun, interactive game site. There is also a baseball game comparing Supreme Court Judges and baseball players.

First World War.Com: http://www.firstworldwar.com/
This site was created and is maintained by Michael Duffy. Numerous sections include: How It Began, Battles, Who's Who, Timeline, On This Day, Vintage Audio, Photos, first person accounts, and more.
Also includes a Search Tool.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: Community Interest (Reference Desk), History & Social Studies (World History)

By the Great Horn Spoon! A Gold Rush Adventure:
http://library.thinkquest.org/50048/?tqskip1=1&tqtime=1126
Dig into an exciting learning exploration of the California Gold Rush through Sid Fleischman's historical novel, By the Great Horn Spoon! Use the menu or table of contents to begin your journey. Requires exploring to get the most out of your gold rush adventure. Available in Spanish. Includes lesson plans: http://library.thinkquest.org/50048/lessons.htm?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0210.
Grade Level: Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (World History)

CampSilos: http://www.campsilos.org/CampSilos is an educational web site focusing on the development of American agriculture. Targeting students in grades 4-8, the site provides online educational material related to the natural prairie, pioneer farm life, early agricultural technology, the story of corn from its early Indian origins to the present, and 21st century technological advances including applications of GPS and biotechnology. Activities and lesson plans feature such diverse activities as virtual field trips, mystery photos, group games, problem-based activities, primary
source materials, scavenger hunt and history detective research using online resources and links to national standards. Students can even watch the birth of baby pigs!
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (Geography & Cultures), Science
(Earth Science), Science (Life Science)

Vietnam Women's Memorial Project: http://www.vietnamwomensmemorial.org/
Over 265,000 women served in the armed forces of the United States. Nearly 10,000 women actually served in-country during the conflict. Articles describe the types of jobs women performed during the
war. Also included are first person narratives from women veterans, information about the memorial, and links to more information.
Grade Level: Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: Community Interest (Government/Politics), History & Social Studies (United States History)

LewisandClark200.gov: http://www.lewisandclark200.org/ is a web portal to information about the famous expedition that set out nearly 200 years ago to find & map a transcontinental water route to the Pacific Ocean. The journey of Lewis & Clark & their 33-member party across the continent is shown on a current U.S. map (alongside today's cities & highways) with descriptions of historical places
along the trail. The site provides maps, timelines, & classroom activities, as well as the letter of instruction from Thomas Jefferson & biographical information about Corps of Discovery members & American Indian tribes they encountered. This website is the result of a partnership among 32 federal agencies & organizations.

Life in the White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/life/ presents a history of the White House in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the West Wing. Video tours of the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, Diplomatic Room, & other rooms are narrated by the First Lady, the President's Chief of Staff, the Vice President, & others, including the President himself.

Our Documents: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/ features 100 milestone documents in U.S. history. Each week, the website highlights 3 documents, beginning with the Lee Resolution of June 7, 1776, & ending with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Speeches, treaties, Supreme Court cases, patent designs, & Constitutional amendments are among the 100 documents that changed the course of history & helped shape our national character. Images of documents are accompanied by transcriptions & historical interpretations. The website, part of a history & civics initiative announced by President Bush on September 17, 2002, includes information about competitions for students & workshops for teachers. Teachers are invited to develop & test a classroom lesson on one or several milestone documents.

Voices from the Field: http://www.peacecorps.gov/wws/guides/voices/index.html presents 10 stories set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Poland, &
Papua New Guinea. Lesson ideas & student work accompany the stories, which were written by Peace Corps authors. The aim is to strengthen students' reading & writing, inspire students to create their own personal meanings & narratives, & broaden students' perspectives of the world & themselves.

The Museum of Hoaxes: http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/
This web site not only includes a compendium of hoaxes throughout history but also lists them by category (ghosts, political, religious, etc.). Also covered are the Sept. 11 hoaxes, including a purported photo of a tourist at the top of the World Trade Center just seconds before it was attacked, or the alleged prediction by 16th-century astrologer Nostradamus of the terrorist strikes. Although completely untrue, both stories were circulated widely, even by some reputable news organizations. This site also features hoax pictures, hoax Web sites, a "gullibilility test," a "hoax mailbag" and a free e-mail newsletter.

Enterprising Women: 250 Years of American Business: http://www.enterprisingwomenexhibit.org/
Visitors to this site will learn about amazing businesswomen. Organized into five eras, the exhibit and accompanying website tells the stories of businesswomen from Colonial times to the present, using artifacts, costumes, diaries, photographs, and more.

Alaska
Alaska @ National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/greatland/
"Any way you slice it, Alaska is BIG. At more than twice the size of Texas, it accounts for one-fifth of all United States land. Here you'll find North America's highest peak and lowest ocean trough, fjords to surpass Norway's, mountains to humble the Alps, and glaciers to rival Greenland's." National Geographic surveys Alaska's Land, Wildlife, History and People. There is a Bear Essentials video (under Wildlife), the Native People feature, and the e-mail postcards available in each section.
Alaska Zoo: http://www.alaskazoo.org/
The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage has a collection of animal fact pages, many created by elementary students from Willow Crest School. Visit the Birds and Native Species sections for pictures and vital statistics(such as habitat and behavior) on twenty-seven native Alaskan animals including otters, eagles, and moose. There is a Bear Cam, where you can watch Ahpun the polar bear and Oreo the brown bear play together.
MMS Kids Corner Alaska: http://www.mms.gov/alaska/kids/
The Minerals Management Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior's website is a collection of articles, printable games, and science experiments on the topics of crude oil (what it is and how it is drilled), whales, and volcanos. There is a photo gallery, and the five printable activities for lower elementary grades (found under "Just for Kids") including an Alaska crossword puzzle and an animal match game.
State of Alaska: Kids: http://www.state.ak.us/kids/
For state reports, you'll find all the stats you need (Alaska's state nickname is "The Last Frontier") on the Student Guide page. For further research, SLED for Kids (Statewide Library Electronic Doorway) has an extensive list of Alaskan site links. The Magnificent Moose Project, created by Mr. Ernst's sixth grade class at the Anne Wien School in Fairbanks, Alaska, is an example of what kids can do online.
Wild-Eyed Alaska: http://www.hhmi.org/alaska/
"Imagine watching a bald eagle close up. Or joining a puffin inside its burrow. Or plunging over rocky cliffs into the water to gaze at giant barnacles and other sea life. Now you can do all this and more virtually." Wild-Eyed Alaska is a collection of six videos created by remote-control cameras on Gull Island in Kachemak Bay. Kachemak Bay (about 200 miles south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula) is the largest of twenty-three sites in the U.S. National Estuarine Research Reserve System and the only one in Alaska.

Hugs and Hope Club: http://www.hugsandhope.com/
This is a web site that lifts the spirits of seriously ill kids with cards and gift baskets.

Sites about Pirates
Discovery Online: Pirate Ghosts: http://www.discovery.com/stories/history/pirates/pirates.html
Discover with Discovery Online why "some of the most feared pirates of all time are coming back to life. Blackbeard is back, and Black Sam Bellamy, who raided ships throughout the Caribbean, is probably more famous now than he was in his heyday. Both have been revived through sunken ships." Two real pirate ships have been found along the eastern shoreline. Bellamy's ship, the Whydah, was discovered off Cape Cod in 1984 and Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge was found in 1997
in just twenty feet of water off the coast of North Carolina.
National Geographic Pirates!: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/pirates/maina.html
"Ahoy! Have ye heard the secret of this ramshackle inn where ye'r lodgin'? They say it's full of booty but nobody's been able to find it." Join this interactive adventure, and while looking for the loot, you'll unearth tales of real pirates woven into the story line. When your adventure is finished,
click on Books for Buccaneers (from the main menu) for elementary and young adult reading lists.
Pirates Homepage: http://www.powerup.com.au/~glen/pirate.htm
This pirate potpourri, from the second and fifth grade students of Rochedale State School in Queensland Australia, includes reports on famous pirates such as Bartholomew Roberts and Anne Bonny, pirate limericks, pirate stories, pirate book reports, and pirate treasure maps. Do not miss
the fun Pirate Treasure Hunt, complete with a certificate to print when you find the booty.
Pirates, Privateers, Buccaneers: http://www.columbia.edu/~tg66/piratepage.htm
Although the word "pirate" is the one most commonly used today, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, many additional and more specific terms were used. For example, a privateer also plundered ships, but carried with him a letter of marque signed by a king or other head of state, granting him the right to attack enemy ships. And a buccaneer was a non-Spanish European sailor who settled in the West Indies and raided Spanish ships. For an interesting view into the pirate's life, read the Pirate Rules of Conduct -- which include formalized workers' compensation (see rule VIII.)
Pirates! ThinkQuest: http://despina.advanced.org/16438/
This student-created site is divided into Fact (where you'll find history, a time line, vocabulary and even a section on modern software piracy) and Legend (with lists of books, movies and pirate poetry.) If you find yourself staring at a page without content, be sure to check the green sidebar menu you probably need to dig further down the menu tree to find what you're looking for. For fun, visit Test Your Knowledge for word searches and pirate quizzes.

Interactive Notebook
For the interactive notebook, students are given a notebook which is to be used *only* for social studies notes. The first two to four pages are set up as a table of contents, and all pages are numbered right off the bat (to reduce temptation to tear pages out to use elsewhere). Stuedents record the title of the note, the date and the page. As for the notes themselves, they are to be done *only* on the right hand side. Students sit in groups and notes arise out of the activities -- for example each group is given an overhead transparency and they have to come up with a note. The teacaher goes through these and chooses one or merges a couple (possibly with additions) which becomes the class note. This goes on the right hand side of the page. On the left, are graphic organizers/flow charts. A 'real world' example is also apropos.
Sample of an interactive notebook at: http://pages.prodigy.net/wtrucillo/interactive_notebook.htm

The History of Jim Crow: http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/home.htm
This site was designed by teachers and presents teachers with new historical resources and teaching ideas for the Jim Crow years. At this site, teachers will find historical essays, personal narratives and
lesson plans. In addition, the site contains an image gallery, an American literature book list for middle school, high school, and college-level students; and an interactive encyclopedia that offers users access to terms, people, and events relating to the history of Jim Crow. This site is funded by New York Life and teachers are paid for contributions.
Grade Level: Middle School, High School, College
Content Area: History and Social Studies (US History), English (Reading/ Writing)

Gabriel: Gateway to Europe's National Libraries: http://www.kb.nl/gabriel/
This site includes 41 European national libraries from the 39 countries represented in the Conference of European National Librarians (CENL). Gabriel offers information on their services and online exhibitions. Students can visit online exhibitions such as 'Treasures from Europe's National Libraries' and 'Treasures from the World's Great Libraries' These online exhibitions are organized by topics such as 'People and Politics' and 'Science and Inventions.'
Grade Level: Middle School, High School, College
Content Area: History and Social Studies (US History), English (Reading/Writing)

Cases & Materials on American Federalism: http://www.agh-attorneys.com/3_camo_contents.htm
This site contains materials used in American Government Courses at Purdue University Calumet. K-12 & college-level teachers will find it useful. The site contains a glossary, a timeline, historical documents (American, British, and English), review questions, edited court cases, other materials, and links to other free resources.
Grade Level: High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: History and Social Studies (US History)

Your nation: http://www.your-nation.com/
Grades: 6 - Post-secondary
The world is your oyster at this site, where you can learn all sorts of interesting--and arcane--facts about any country or region you fancy. Compare stats from various nations with one another to see how they stack up.

Virtual Projects and Field Trips: http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/virtproj.html
The projects were specially designed as models of virtual museums for young students and English learners in mind. Extensive links.

Ghosts in the Castle: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/castles/index2.html
Follow Marcus the mouse on a tour of a medieval castle. Be sure to click the picture in each part of the castle to learn more about it. When you're finished exploring, you can Learn More About Castles and participate in a Rescue at the Castle activity. (Remember to enter only your first name when you register for this field trip.)
Grades K-2

A Revolutionary Quest: http://library.thinkquest.org/11683/
Learn about the people, places, and issues involved in the American Revolutionary War. Then click The Road to Independence and assume your role as commander of the continental army. Would you have won the war?
Grades 3-6

Lower East Side Tenement Museum: http://www.thirteen.org/tenement/
Explore the tenement building at 97 Orchard Street in New York City to learn about the lives of the people who lived there between 1870 and 1935. When you are finished with the tour, use public records to create a virtual history of your house or of another building in your community.
Grades 7-12

CREATE A WORLD: http://www.kinderart.com/across/makeworld.shtml
Students will take a fairly easy route to create a new world of their own making, with rivers, mountains,
geographical features, and a map key.

CIVICS ONLINE -- TEACHING RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES:
http://www.civics-online.org/teachers/activities.cfm
This extensive source of civics activities for the classroom covers several topics, as well as separate
activities for grades K through 12.

HOORAY FOR HEROES: http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/KingsParkES/technology/t4t/hero/index.htm
Various sets of exercises for the early elementary classroom explore the concept of heroes, naming possible community heroes, inviting people to the classroom, and creating a heroes display.

CHARACTER EDUCATION: http://www.legalpadjr.com/global/character/
Several positive character traits are highlighted with suggestions for active class discussions. The collection here comprises more of a helpful set of pointers and guidelines rather than actual lesson plans.

THE CIVIL WAR: http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/CivilWar.html
This site offers research information at an upper elementary level on many aspects of the Civil War. It also contains links for further in-depth investigations. Your students can choose a subject (a battle, weapons, Lincoln's role, etc.) and start here to begin their class reports or presentations.

GovSpot.com: http://www.govspot.com/
This site is a gateway to a host of useful government and civic sites. Check your Social Security benefits. Learn how to change your name. Remove yourself from junk mail lists. Find out the best places to live, travel information, world leaders, etc.

FirstGov for Kids: http://www.kids.gov/
This is a portal for kid-tailored government and other sites, including the perennially fascinating ones of the FBI, CIA and White House. FirstGov for Kids also links to the Smithsonian Institution, NASA space photos and special collections at the Library of Congress (including rough drafts of the Declaration of Independence). And there's lots of information for kids and parents on how to protect kids' privacy online.

Travel and Living Abroad: http://www.state.gov/travel/
Even when the U.S. isn't at war, it's a good idea to check whether the government has issued any travel warnings for the country you're headed to. The site also posts global crime rates, traffic reports and hospital ratings

The Guggenheim: http://guggenheim.com/index2.html
Guggenheim.com isn't just an online catalog of the renowned New York City museum; for that, you can go to Guggenheim.org. Guggenheim.com is an online-only museum. The site's sophisticated use of technology conveys space and movement, and--in the case of the popular exhibition "the Art of the Motorcycle"--velocity. A collaboration of the Guggenheim museums,; the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; and others, Guggenheim.com offers worldwide art listings, a collections archive and performance-art pieces.

Amistad America: http://www.amistadamerica.org/new/main/html/index-intro.html
Fifty-three Africans were kidnapped in 1839 by transatlantic slave traders. Transported from West Africa to Havana, Cuba, where they were fraudulently classified as native Cuban-born slaves and sold, the Africans were put on the cargo schooner La Amistad for transfer to another part of the island. Three days into the journey, the slaves revolted and overthrew their captors. After 63 days at sea, the Africans were picked up by the U.S. Navy and transported to New Haven, Conn., where they were jailed. Their legal case eventually made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court where John Quincy Adams successfully argued that the jailed Africans were not slaves and should go free. This historic fight for justice and human rights would later become known s the Amistad Incident. The legacy of that incident is embodied in the mission of AMISTAD America Inc., which owns and operates Freedom Schooner Amistad, a re-creation of the sailing vessel on which the Africans arrived in the United States. The schooner visits U.S. and international ports as an ambassador for friendship and goodwill and serves as a catalyst for teaching the lessons of the Amistad Incident. The home port for Freedom Schooner Amistad is Long Wharf in New Haven, Conn.

Pledge of Allegiance controversy
American Treasures: A Matter of Conscience: http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr006.html
In 1935, ten-year-old Billy Gobitas wrote to his Pennsylvania school board explaining that he wouldn't recite the Pledge of Allegiance because it violated the biblical commandment not to worship any "graven images." He and his sister were expelled from school for their beliefs. As you learn about the three ensuing court decisions, consider the similarities and differences with the recent Newdow case.
CNN.com: Vast Majority in U.S. Support "Under God": http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/06/29/poll.pledge/
CNN reports on a Newsweek poll that shows ninety percent of Americans believe the phrase "under God" should remain in the Pledge of Allegiance, and that it is acceptable for the government to promote religious _expression, as long as no specific religion is mentioned. Visit the links in the sidebar below the text of the Pledge, such as History of the Pledge, and a printable PDF download of the Newdow v. U.S. Congress court decision. Those listed under CNN NewsPass Video require a paid subscription, but the rest are free.
The Original Pledge of Allegiance: http://www.usflag.org/the.pledge.of.allegiance.html
The Pledge of Allegiance was written 110 years ago to be recited by school children on Colombus Day, 1892, in celebration of the quadricentennial of Columbus' arrival. This article from the USFlag.org gives a brief history of changes to the Pledge, up to the most recent change in June of 1954 when the words "under God" were added. Other pages cover the history of the flag itself, Flag Day and the Star Spangled Banner.
Story and Meaning of Pledge: http://www.flagday.org/Pages/StoryofPledge.html
So what exactly does "indivisible" mean? Visit FlagDay.org to learn the meaning of each line of the Pledge, and then scroll down to read about the two men who both claim to have written the Pledge of Allegiance. Francis Bellamy and James Upham both worked at the magazine which published the original Pledge, and both families said they had evidence to substantiate their claims of authorship. The matter was settled in 1939 by a committee of the United States Flag Association. Visit to read all about it.
Time for Kids: Pledge of Allegiance Under Fire: http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/news/story/0,6260,266506,00.html
On June 26, a three judge panel of a California federal court ruled 2-1 that the Pledge of Allegiance violates the United States Constitution. This Time for Kids article explains the controversial decision, and introduces the man who started the suit: Sacramento father, Michael Newdow. There are comments from kids, which can be read by scrolling with the purple arrows in the sidebar. Got something to say? Send it in by clicking on the link at the bottom of the Say What? insert.

California Academy of Sciences: Anthropology Collection Database:
http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/collections/collintro.htm
Searching for Anthropological artifacts with this website. Choose Search the Database, then choose the category. Be sure to check the box for image if you want the items returned in your search to
include an image. For a test, try the category Raw Materials, check image, then take a look at some of the materials humans have used in their creations.
Grade Level: Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle School, High School, College
Content Area: History & Social Studies (Anthropology), Arts (Visual Arts)

Best of History Web Sites: http://www.besthistorysites.net/
This U.S.-based website reviews some of the best history websites available. Top level categories include Prehistory, Medieval, U.S. History, Early Modern European, 20th Century, World War II, and Art History. Many of the websites are past Blue Web'n picks, but sometimes it's just good to have more.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (General), Arts (Visual Arts)

SOCIAL STUDIES WORKSHEETS TO GO:
http://www.school.discovery.com/teachingtools/worksheetgenerator/wtg/social.html
Matching and scramble worksheets are available to download and print here for several areas of social
studies' concerns. Topics include government, history of America, world religions, state capitals and
several other geography skills.

Civil War sites
CivilWar.com: http://www.civilwar.com
CivilWar.com contains rich content and everything there is to know about the Civil War. The site
contains a lot of information including a timeline, a database of the people who fought in the Civil War, information on many different battles, photographs and artwork of the time period, and historical documents. The site also includes a forum where the public can share their views on the Civil War. The site has won many awards with some of the most notable being USA Today's Hotpick of the Day and the 1998 Civil War in Minature Historic Site Award. The site is easy to navigate via the always present menu bar and the information is presented in a visually pleasing format. The creators provide links to Amazon.com where they have listed some of the best books about the Civil War. CivilWar.com is an outstanding site for anybody who wants to learn about the Civil War. The information and format of the site is fairly complex, yet very useful for people who know how to use it. It would therefore be recommend for junior high level students and above.
Selected Civil War Photographs: http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/cwphome.html
If you want an overall view of the Civil War from a neutral perspective this page is for you. There is a search engine on this site that allows you to search through a database of over 1,100 pictures including many by or under the supervision of Matthew Brady, one of America's greatest photographers. Every aspect of the war is shown in these pictures. This page is recommended for ages twelve and up because of the amount of complex information. This site is accurate and has reliable information; it was made by the Library of Congress as part of the American Memory collection.
The American Civil War Homepage: http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/
The American Civil War Homepage gathers together hypertext links to Civil War sites. The links are easy to find and they are categorized. The author of this site, Dr. George Hoemann, has been studying the Civil War for many years. It is recommend it for children of all ages.
War for Southern Independence: http://www.qns.com/~williams/
When looking for real-life accounts of the Civil War, this Website is a great source of information. At this site most of the data is gathered from actual diaries, magazines, and newspapers, so the information is guaranteed to be factual. Although this site is written from the South's point-of-view, it is still good for factual information about northern events. It is recommend for ages 10 and up.
Aboard the Underground Railroad: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/underground
What part did the Underground Railroad play during the Civil War? This site tells all about escaped
slaves taking the train to freedom. This site is for people of all ages. The information is excellent and easy to access. It has pictures, maps, and graphs. This site was created by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers.
The Underground Railroad: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/
This site allows you to go on the journey to the North from a slave's point of view and follow their path as they try to escape from their southern bondage. You can "visit safe houses which Harriet Tubman actually used" and see pictures. There are maps of her actual routes and information
describing how she traveled them. This site is recommend it for K-12 students.
T he Valley of the Shadow: http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vshadow2/cwhome.html
This site was created by Edward Ayers and William Thomas, both professors of history at the University of Virginia. This site is recommended for ages 12 and up. There are many articles and graphics on the Civil War in Augusta and Franklin counties, Virginia. This site also contains
diaries from actual soldiers in the Civil War. The battle maps and the information on the battles teach facts about what the war was like from the soldiers' perspective.
First Battle of Bull Run July 1861: http://californiacentralcoast.com/commun/map/civil/bullrun.html
This site has information on the Battle of Bull Run in Virginia and many other battles of the Civil War. The site has a map for each state's battles. It also has many original black and white photographs of the battle sites. This site is recommended for middle school aged students and up.
The Apotheosis Of Robert E. Lee: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/LEE/Lee.html
The site is filled with pictures and great poems about General Lee. It focuses on the fact that even though the South lost the war, they still thought highly of General Robert E. Lee. The site was created by Alex Lesman and Courtney Danforth in connection with Virginia University.
Bernard McKnight: http://www.sinclair.edu/sec/his102/102doc01.htm
This Website has information about Bernard McKnight, a Union soldier. There are pictures of authentic documents, such as marriage licenses, death certificates, etc. It also has many pictures of battle sites and important figures of the American Civil War. It was created by Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio.
Africans in America: The Civil War: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4narr5.html
Africans in America is a PBS multi-part history of slavery in America. Each part consists of a
narrative, a resource list and a teacher's guide. The Civil War (covering 1831 to 1865) is the fourth and final part of the series. Upper elementary and middle-school students will find the resource list includes modern commentary in addition to historical primary sources.
Camp Life: Civil War Collections from Gettysburg: http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/gettex/
Step back in time, and try to imagine yourself a soldier in the Civil War. Where do you sleep? How do you pass the time? What personal items did you bring from home? Camp Life reveals the daily life of both Union and Confederate soldiers with an online exhibition of common everyday items. Learn what a "housewife" is, and why infantrymen were only issued half a tent. By focusing on these simple, useful items, the Gettysburg National Military Park gives us unique insight into the life of a Civil
War soldier.
Civil War for Kids: http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/civilwar/cwar.htm
T he students in Mrs. Huber's class at Pocantico Hills School in Sleepy Hollow, New York studied the Civil War, and then created a Web site summarizing everything they learned. Elementary-age students will find illustrated Timeline, The Emancipation Proclamation, Uniforms, and the Biographies of Civil War Leaders.
The History Place: Civil War: http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/
The History Place presents the Civil War as an illustrated time line from Lincoln's election (November 6, 1860) to the ratification of the thirteenth amendment and the official end to American slavery (December 6, 1865.) Sometimes shorter is sweeter, and this single page synopsis hits the high points, and is an easy place to get key Civil War dates for school reports. Click on the underlined links or thumbnails to view the photographs.
The Time of the Lincolns: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/
The Time of the Lincolns is a companion Web site to the PBS television special Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided. The site is for middle and high-schoolers and explores not just the Civil War, but also women's rights, slavery, abolition, politics and the growth of the industrial economy.
There are primary sources, such as newspaper excerpts, letters and diaries; and the Technology Gallery features the "new technologies that brought about sweeping changes in the nation's economy" such as the Whitney cotton gin and the steam engine. The teacher's guide includes lesson plans in history, economics, geography, and civics.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/csd/gettex/
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/CivilWar.htm
http://extlab1.entnem.ufl.edu/olustee/54th_MS_inf.html
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/hearts/
http://www.nps.gov/mana/Virtual%20Tour/hh1a.htm
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwbrady.html
http://users.erols.com/kfraser/
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/bull/bulltg.html
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html
http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/
http://www.civil-war.net/
http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/cookbook.htm
http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vshadow2/
http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/data.htm
http://civilwar.bluegrass.net/
Students might be interested in clicking on Soldiers' Lives and then reading about a baseball game.
http://www.coax.net/people/lwf/data.htm
More information on black soldiers in the Civil War.
http://www.cr.nps.gov/seac/civilwar.htm
Archaeology of the Civil War, includes pictures of the cannons and other armory pieces of the war.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/statesrights.htm
Good background for the teacher.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/potpourr.htm
"Great information about the Civil War that fits into no particular category!" as the web page says. Civil War All Stars is an interesting piece which portrays the generals on both sides as baseball teams.
Could lead students toward research on the generals involved and the issues.
http://www2.apex.net/users/carl/sights.html
Fathers of the Confederacy - biographical info and pictures.
http://www.jewish-history.com/Salomon/salo16.html
What a non-American thought causes of the war were.
http://www.schonwalder.org/USPresidents/to_all_CivWar.htm
Overview of events - A time line going back into the 1700s. Some students may be surprised to learn that, "1860 In the North free Blacks were treated as social outcasts and denied legal and political equality with the Whites."
http://www.us-civilwar.com/
An overall site on the war. You can even hear the music of the war, if you have the proper plug-in. It sounds as if it is played on instruments of the time, as well.

THE FACE OF A LEADER: http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-5625.html
This printable activity has students filling in illustrations of famous people with their own words. While originally written for President's Day, it can be tailored to virtually any biography project. Both student and teacher pages are available, along with related vocabulary.

THINK DIFFERENT:
http://henson.austin.apple.com/edres/mslessons/thnkdif.shtml
http://www.minot.k12.nd.us/mps/edison/edison/edison.html
Students will explore the extraordinary lives of amazing people--people who became heroes to all of us through their tremendous efforts to change the world in some way. Included are puppeteer Jim Henson, activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inventor Thomas Alva Edison, and scientific mastermind Albert Einstein. The 2nd URL above should be used to replace the second Thomas Edison link.

France
Embassy of France: Just for Kids: http://www.info-france-usa.org/kids/index.html
Start your tour at the French embassy in Washington D.C. with an interview with the French ambassador, François Bujon de l'Estang, and an audio clip of the French national anthem (both clicks found on left-hand side.) Then move on to explore the rest of the site with the circular menu in the middle of the page. Clicks include France at a Glance (national motto is 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity'), Life in France ("The French own the most pets in the world: 25% have least one cat and 38% have dogs") and Art & Culture.
Official Site of the Eiffel Tower: http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/
The most well-known monument in all of Europe is Paris' Eiffel Tower. Built in 1889 for the Universal Exhibition in celebration of the French Revolution, it features 1665 steps and has hosted 200 million visitors. Visit its official Web site for Facts & Figures and The Tower at Leisure, which includes: several 360 degree panoramic tours, a video gallery, postcards to send, three fun Flash games and a quiz sweepstakes with the opportunity to win two Eiffel Tower entrance tickets.
Oxfam: French Virtual Journey:
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/explore/journey/france/frindex.htm
Click on the topics on the left-hand menu to take a virtual "journey through France and experience the culture, cuisine and scenery of this beautiful and diverse country. Find out why France is world famous for its cooking, and learn how to make a Crêpe. Read about the biggest annual sporting event in the world, and see what the French like to do in their spare time." Notable clicks include the fast facts found in the Guide Book, and the printable quiz with answer sheet.
Tour de France in 80 Stages: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/culture/france/ressources/letour/gb/
The title of this guide to France, published by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "alludes to Jules Verne's novel Around the World in Eighty Days and to the famous cycling race held in France every July." It can be explored by drilling down through the twelve top-level topics, and using the Summary link to return to the entry page. Although it lacks illustrations and interactivity, Tour de France is a great resource for researching middle and high-school reports. As an added bonus for classroom teachers in need of handouts, each page is downloadable as a Word document. Just right mouse-click on the Download link, and choose Save Target As.
ZipZap France: http://www.zipzapfrance.com/anglais/sommaire.html
Just for kids, colorful ZipZap is full of hidden treasures, such as crosswords and exercises.
Streets of Paris Scrambler: http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/france-sc.htm
Arc de Triomphe Jigsaw: http://www.surfnetkids.com/games/france-js.htm
Send a Eiffel Tower Postcard: http://www.surfnetkids.com/postcards/france-pc.htm

Coast to Coast Virtual Road Trip: http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/c2c/
"You and a partner will be taking a coast to coast virtual road trip, visiting several United States cities along the way. In your travels, you will be developing your Internet searching skills enhancing your understanding of United States geography, learning how to read a road map, improving your writing skills, and engaging in record keeping and doing simple mathematical computations. Ultimately, you will produce a detailed journal of your findings, and present your findings to the National Society of Geographic Enthusiasts (NSGE)."

Spy Letters from the American Revolution: http://www.si.umich.edu/spies/index-main2.html
Before the days of the CIA, the Internet, and even the telephone, how did the soldiers of the Revolutionary War transmit military intelligence? You can find out by reading actual Spy Letters of the American Revolution from the William L. Clements Library of the University of Michigan. From invisible ink to spy networks, this site is full of fascinating details about the people and practices of the Revolutionary War.

An Uncommon Mission: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/mission/index.html
For more than two hundred years, the twenty-one California Missions have helped shape California state history. View paintings of the Missions created by Father Jerome Tupa, explore the history of the missions, and look at historic structures a new way. Spanish translations will soon be available. Activities accompanying the paintings target vocabulary, the arts, and history. This website is sponsored by SBC Pacific bell and Mervyn's.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: History (U.S./World History), Arts (Visual Arts), Foreign Language (Spanish)

THE ROAD TO MOUNT OLYMPUS: http://thegalleriesatmoore.org/olympus/index.shtml
Students will learn about Greek mythology, and then be ready to answer questions online in this interactive learning game. Each correct answer yields a closer step on the road to Mount Olympus.

HISTORY THROUGH HEADLINES: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/18/headlines.html
Students will create headlines and design computer games in order to understand how geographic human habitats change over time. Activities are divided into exercises for both younger and older students.

IMMIGRATION TO THE OREGON COUNTY: http://204.234.22.1/SDGI/Newell/Immigration.html
Read all about it... Students will relive a journey westward along the Oregon Trail, with immigration data, packing supplies, maps, and blueprints of wagons. Once your students have completed research at this site, have them choose one topic to create a multimedia presentation for their class, or a script reenacting a fictional journey along the trail.

MY AMERICA FIELD TRIP: http://www.field-trips.org/ss/america/index.htm
Explore everything American with this online field trip through our treasured history, symbols, citizenry, and values. Interactive explorations are supplemented with teacher resources.

THE PURSUIT OF PATRIOTISM:
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/as/education/projects/hunts/patriotism.html
Using internet resources, students will research famous primary documents to discover what it means to be an American, and what concepts Americans hold dear. They will use questions for guided discussions and/or research, and create a project of their own choosing at the end of this web hunt, defining what patriotism means to them.

THE LIBERTY BELL VIRTUAL MUSEUM: http://www.libertybellmuseum.com/
This online exhibit covers the history of the Liberty Bell, with a special collection of posters and sheet
music written to laud this most famous of bells.

MIDNIGHT RIDER: http://www.cvesd.k12.ca.us/finney/paulvm/_welcomepv.html
Discover Paul Revere in this online museum dedicated to the famous midnight rider. Each of the five exhibit halls includes related student activities, such as rewriting the lyrics to Yankee Doodle, or making a scaled model of Paul Revere's house after an online tour.

PROUD TO BE AMERICAN UNIT: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/2221/america.html
Here are some suggestions to teach patriotism to early elementary classes throughout the school year, though any of the activities can be used separately--especially during special patriotic holiday celebrations.

Fort Pickens & the Outbreak of the Civil War: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/38pickens/38pickens.htm
This site recounts what happened in the Pensacola Bay just before the Civil War. U.S. Army Lieutenant Adam Slemmer knew his 51 troops could not defend all four of their forts if Southern troops attacked, so on the day Florida seceded from the Union, he moved all his troops into one: Fort Pickens. They watched across the channel as as Southern soldiers moved into the other forts. And when the demand to surrender was delivered, Slemmer refused.

Guilford Courthouse: A Pivotal Battle in the War for Independence: http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/32guilford/32guilford.htm
This site looks at this battle -- how it was fought; how its outcome was characterized, including reports from both General Nathanael Greene & Lord Cornwallis; & why it was important. About 1,700 "continentals" (three-year enlistees in the regular army) & 2,700 militia (mostly farmers) fought against the redcoats near this North Carolina town of fewer than 100 people.

Guilford Courthouse National Military Park: http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/guco/gucooverview.html
This site describes weapons, medicine, food, leisure hours, & the role of women in the
Revolutionary War. It also examines the battle that was the largest of the Southern Campaign & that helped change the course of the war.

Independence National Historic Park: http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/inde/indeoverview.html
This site presents portraits & descriptions of Nathanael Greene, Alexander Hamilton, John Paul
Jones, George Washington, & more than two dozen other battlefield heroes of the American Revolution.

Indian Mounds of Mississippi: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/mounds/
This site is a guide to these mounds, built between 100 B.C. & 1700 A.D. to bury important members of tribes & to serve as platforms for temples or residences of chiefs. This website highlights 11 mound sites & includes itineraries & three essays that provide historical context for these sites.

Keys Ranch: Where Time Stood Still: http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/65keys/65keys.htm
This site tells the story of Bill Keys, whose ranch was the center of a desert network of homesteaders & miners in the early 1900s. In the 1890s, at age 15, Keys left his Russian parents' home in Nebraska to work at mills, mines, & cattle ranches. In 1917, he filed on an 80-acre homestead under the
Homestead Act & began building the ranch. To support his family, he raised goats, chickens, & cattle; grew fruits & vegetables; & operated a stamp mill (which crushes rock to remove gold & other
minerals). He battled the constant lack of water by digging deep wells by hand, constructing windmills, & damming canyons surrounding the ranch. Convicted of manslaughter in a dispute with a neighbor
over the right to use a road, he served a five-year sentence after which he earned a pardon.

Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving Station: Home to Unsung Heroes: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/57kinnakeet/57kinnakeet.htm
This site describes the lifesaving stations constructed from 1871-1915 along the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, & Great Lakes to rescue ships in trouble. Little Kinnakeet was among the first seven constructed on North Carolina's treacherous Outer Banks in 1874.

Log Cabins in America: The Finnish Experience: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/4logcabins/4logcabins.htm
This site tells why the log cabin was popular & important in settling the American frontier. The log cabins, barns, school, & other buildings examined by this website were constructed by Finnish settlers around Long Valley, Idaho, between 1900 & 1930.

National Park Service Online Books: http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/books/
This site provides the text of out-of-print publications related to the history of the National Parks --
how the parks were created & how they have evolved to the present day.

The Ohio & Erie Canal: Catalyst of Economic Development for Ohio: http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/41ohio/41ohio.htm
This site tells how the construction of this canal (1825-1832) transformed one of the poorest states in the Union in the 1820s into the third most prosperous by 1840. The 308-mile canal helped open New York & New Orleans markets for central Ohio farmers & traders. Stores & taverns sprang up along the canal. People in the vast wilderness were able to get goods from eastern ports -- cloth, glass, nails,
salt, coffee, & tea. The state's population nearly quadrupled from 1820 to 1850. In 1913, a flood devastated the canal beyond repair; however, the growth & development spurred by the construction of the canal system is the foundation of Ohio's economy today.

Pipestone, Minnesota: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/pipestone/
This site features an area in the southwest corner of Minnesota that reflects a rich history of American Indian quarrying, prosperity brought by railroad & mining enterprises, & a distinctive natural landscape. This National Register of Historic Places Travel itinerary highlights 30 historic places,
including buildings constructed with beautiful local red stone & land still sacred to American Indians.

Roadside Attractions: http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/6roadside/6roadside.htm
This site is a lesson in which students examine five examples of roadside architecture built in the 1920s & 30s to catch the eye of passing motorists. They include the Teapot Dome Service Station, the Big Duck poultry store, & the Benewah Milk Bottle.

Smithsonian Kids: Collecting: http://kids.si.edu/collecting/
This site invites kids to start a collection of rocks, shells, postcards, posters, or something else that
interests them. Three Smithsonian collections are sampled. "Rocks & Minerals" includes the Hope Diamond; "Stamps" includes Western Cattle in Storm (1898); "Historic Coins" includes the Jefferson
Indian Peace Medal. Videos feature individuals who collect jewelry, turtles, lunch boxes, miniature houses, Korean items, snow globes, & stamps & coins.

A PATRIOTIC BOOK: http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-4836.html
Discuss symbols of the United States and why they have come to have importance for its people. This printable book will help students understand and celebrate patriotism.

IF I WERE THE PRESIDENT: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/essay/president.shtml
Your students probably have plenty of ideas on what they would do if they were President. Here is their chance to write it all out--throw in a few new laws they have to create as well--using this printable page.

MAKE YOUR OWN FLAG: http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/makeurflag.html
In this activity students are not recreating another version of the American flag, but instead they are
deciding what kind of flag and symbols would be important and representative of themselves.

U.S.A. JIGSAW: http://www.maps.com/learn/games/usapuz.html
Here is a real test of students' knowledge of the fifty states. They will drag and drop the state form into the blank continental map. State abbreviations are highlighted as the mouse passes over them. Flash required.

A REVOLUTIONARY GAME: http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/game/index.html
Use PBS's Liberty! site to learn about the American Revolution, and then let your students make decisions with this interactive simulation on the war.

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY -- 2002:
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/revolutionary_war/activities_for_lesson_4.htm
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/revolutionary_war/lesson_4.htm
Print out copies of this printable worksheet to discover what modern articles students would be willing
to give up if they had to pay hefty taxes on them. Students will also be sampling different teas and
graphing class favorites, and creating a class poster to depict the events in Boston in 1770. The 2nd
URL above offers background information on the events surrounding the Boston Massacre.

THE BETSY ROSS FLAG COMPANY:
http://www.teachervision.com/tv/printables/0876280149_8_2.pdf
Your students will learn a bit of history about the American flag before completing this printable student assignment. They will design their own United States flag, and create a story behind the designs.

GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIT: http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/K99George.pdf
Early elementary students are introduced to General and President George Washington through a wide variety of explorations and activities. Early map skills are also covered, as students locate Virginia, their wn state, and cardinal directions. Math activities also figure prominently in this unit.

THE POWER OF A LETTER: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/pages/jb_0324_wletter_1.html
We have learned a great deal about both George Washington and the American Revolution through Washington's own letters. Read this story to your students, and think what kind of letter your class might collectively write that would have some impact today. Plan your letter, research who to send it to, and send it off, signed by all your students (with parental permission of course).

YOU BE THE HISTORIAN: http://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/springer/
Travel both back and ahead in time to reassemble the lives of a Delaware family circa the late 1700's, and then forward to 2050 to predict what a future historian might conclude about your present world. Several writing assignments are required, and students should be able to discuss the process of history and historians as your project winds down.

AMERICAN REVOLUTION THEMATIC UNIT:
http://people2.clarityconnect.com/webpages4/kcarsons/oconunit/index.htm
Colonial life, the French and Indian War, the Currency and Stamp Acts, Paul Revere, the Boston Tea Party, as well as all the key players and major battles are given coverage in this thematic unit. If you want lessons and resources to explore the American Revolution in depth, here's an excellent place to start.

THE PATH TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/9198/revwar/revindex.htm
Take an informative tour through the American Revolution, with a description of its triggering events,
battles, biographies, and writings. This is a good site for students to use for research on the Revolutionary War.

VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR: http://www.ushistory.org/march/
Battle by battle, take a virtual tour through the American Revolutionary War. This site provides a good deal of information for student research, or have them write a battle simulation or play to produce as an alternative to a written report.

WHY DO WE NEED A GOVERNMENT?
http://www.civiced.org/wtp_ms01_tg.html
http://www.civiced.org/wtp_ms01_sb.html
What are natural rights? How might they have helped to form ideas for an original American idea of freedom? Students will explore these concepts, and then research the ideas of John Locke, social contracts, and consent. The 2nd URL above provides a student page, with terms to know and guidelines for creating their own list of basic rights.

THOMAS PAINE: http://www.cisnet.com/jgibson/paine.html
Close examination of primary documents--the Declaration of Independence and Common Sense--are investigated along guided questions on American rebel-with-a-cause Thomas Paine. Critical thinking is promoted in this exercise, which can be used in one or two lab sessions.

COLONIAL ECONOMY: http://rims.k12.ca.us/market_to_market/
What kind of market economy did Colonial America support? Students will explore tradesmen, apprenticeship programs, mercantilism, imports, and exports through a variety of web pages and student-centered activities.

Statue of Liberty
National Park Service: Meet the People: http://www.nps.gov/stli/teachercorner/page4.html
Meet the People and Symbols of Liberty (part of the National Park Service's Teacher Corner) are called "Pre-Visit Classroom Activities," but are valuable whether you are able to visit Lady Liberty or not. They consist of multiple-choice quizzes, and suggestions for further research and discussion. Another hidden educational goodie is the printable "Ellis Island Pre-Visit" in Adobe Acrobat format (http://www.nps.gov/stli/activity/pre.pdf).
NYCTourist.com: Statue of Liberty Photo Tour: http://www.nyctourist.com/liberty1.htm
"Join us on this Photo Tour as we go from lower Manhattan to Liberty's crown! We begin here in Battery Park on the tip of Manhattan at this circular fortress called Castle Clinton." Upon completion of the five- page tour, check out the other twenty-four virtual New York tours by following the Photo Tour Menu link at the bottom of the last page of the Statue of Liberty Tour.
PaperToys.com: Statue of Liberty Paper Cutout: http://papertoys.com/statue.htm
Print, color, cut, fold and glue to create your own three-dimensional Statue of Liberty. To access dozens more (including the Empire State Building and World Trade Center), return to the front page by deleting everything to the right of the slash in the address. Scroll down to the bottom of the front page for your free copy of the downloadable "22 Fun Activities for Kids - How to Keep Your Children Occupied and Out of Your Hair for Days!"
Travel Channel: Lady Liberty: http://travel.discovery.com/convergence/americanicon/ladyliberty/statue.html
This Lady Liberty site is part of Travel Channel's American Icon's series. Click on Lady Liberty's hot spots (such as her torch, crown, or tablet) to learn more about her. As you click, two short features will appear in the text box. Use the up and down triangles to navigate through the articles. Next stop is
the Journey to Ellis Island, for audio stories from immigrants. And for a final treat, be sure to view the three-minute special Lady Liberty tribute slide show.
Who is Emma Lazarus?: http://www.soros.org/emma/html/emma_.html
"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore." These words are the most quoted of Emma Lazarus' poem "The New Colossus" which adorns the base of the State of Liberty. Lazarus was born in New York City in 1849, and was a published poet and author by age twenty-five. In 1883, she published the poem to raise money for the construction of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately Lazarus didn't live to see her poem placed on a bronze plaque at Lady Liberty's feet in 1901. To read the poem, click on Forward on the bottom of this biography page.

Rulers: http://www.rulers.org/
This site contains lists of heads of state and heads of government (and de facto leaders not occupying either of those formal positions) of all countries and territories, going back to about 1700 in most cases. You can find lists by month of the comings and goings in national governments from 1996 to the present. This is a great resource when studying government structures in different nations.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: History & Social Studies (World History/Government)

SEVEN NECESSARY OCCUPATIONS:
http://www.teachervision.com/tv/printables/0876281870_191.pdf
Students must consider that the world is starting over (try a space colony background) with only fifty people. Who should they be--what are the most important occupations to include? This exercise is sure to spark some discussion and debate.

PLAN A VACATION: http://www.eduplace.com/ss/act/planvac.html
Test what your students learned about the fifty states with this creative exercise. Each student can
pick a state and create their own ideal holiday, mapping the route and writing a travel brochure on the tourist attractions. Assessments included.

VIRTUAL CLIMB -- MT. STROMBOLI: http://www.educeth.ch/stromboli/virtual/index-e.html
Shall you take the scenic route (experts only, please), or the standard route with a guide? No danger of negative environmental impact on this fun climb.

VIRTUAL ANTARCTICA: http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/antarctica/index.html
Webcast archives are available at this site for previous expeditions through the blizzards, deserts, and
glaciers of Antarctica. Also explore the Ice Gallery, the people at McMurdo Station, and the specialized tools used for this most extreme environment on our planet.

Watergate Scandal
Watergate Scandal: http://www.surfnetkids.com/watergate.htm
Tthe burglary in the Watergate Hotel begot the biggest political scandal in United States History. On June 17, 1972, police arrested five men for breaking into the Democratic Party's national headquarters. On August 9, 1974 President Richard Nixon resigned from office under threat of impeachment. What happened between these two dates is quite a story.
Illusion and Delusion: The Watergate Decade: http://www.journale.com/watergate.html
Journal E's Illusion and Delusion is a photo essay of the seventies, covering Watergate and other political events. It was an historic decade by any measure. President Nixon's visit to China in February, 1972 resulted in normalized relations between the two countries. The Equal Rights Amendment prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex passed the Senate on May 22, 1972. And on June 17, 1972, five men were arrested in the burglary of the Democratic party headquarters in the Watergate apartment complex in Washington, D.C.
Infoplease.com: Watergate Affair: http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0851589.html
Infoplease .com and Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia has a four-page Watergate introduction for upper elementary and middle school students. More biographical background on Nixon and Ford are available via hyperlink, and the print bibliography will be useful for those needed additional sources for school reports. Additional biographies can be found by using the search function in the left-hand vertical menu.
TIME Newsfile Watergate: http://www.time.com/time/newsfiles/watergate/
See the Watergate scandal develop through the cover pages of TIME magazine. "Richard Nixon has been on the cover of TIME more times than anyone, and his involvement in the Watergate scandal was a big reason why." In 1972 Richard Nixon shared TIME's Man of the Year honor with Henry Kissinger. Although the Watergate break-in had already occurred, its effects had not yet reverberated through the White House. The following year, TIME bestowed Man of Year upon John Joseph Sirica, the federal judge who presided over the Watergate investigation. Some of the archived articles require a fee, but there are enough free resources here to make the site worth visiting.
Watergate.info: http://watergate.info
This site puts the entire affair in perspective, starting with the political context of the late sixties when Nixon was elected. Although "Watergate" refers to the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C. where the office of the Democratic National Committee was burgled, the term has become generalized to describe the "complex web of political scandals between 1972 and 1974." Great clicks are Chronology, Transcripts & Audio, and Aftermath.
WashingtonPost.com: Watergate 25:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/
From 1997, this special online report commemorated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Watergate break-in. There are sections called Key Players (a who's who of the Watergate scandal) and The Reforms (lawmakers in the 1970s passed a series of bills to improve the political process and restore public confidence in elected officials.)

British Monarchy: Kids' Zone: http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page218.asp
This is the official site of the British monarchy. Whether you want info on the Queen's Jubilee, biographies of the royal family, history of the monarchy or a peek at their art and residences, you'll find it all here. This entry page take you to the kids' section which includes a fact file about the Queen (she owns twelve dogs) and her heirs, and an ABC glossary of royal vocabulary. To explore the rest of the site, use the menu displayed horizontally across the top of any page.

Kings & Queens of England: http://www.frhes.freeserve.co.uk/
For royal history buffs, this chronology of blue-blooded biographies starts with King Egbert, crowned in 802 (the "first West Saxon king to exercise authority over most of England") and continues to Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. The site has a very useful search function (so you don't need to scroll chronologically to find a particular royal), chapters on Palaces, Cathedrals and Castles, and a fun Facts section where I learned that Henry VI was the youngest king in British history. He was crowned in 1422 at an age of 8 months and 25 days.

Monarchs of Britain: http://www.britannia.com/history/h6.html
Need to memorize the order of the English royals? Try this mnemonic ditty that starts with William the Conqueror: "Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee. Harry, Dick, John, Harry three." You'll find the rest on the Monarchs front page at Brittania.com ("America's travel gateway to the British Isles.") Other gems include a brief British history (thousands of years condensed into eight chapters), a guide to royal titles and honors, and many biographies.

TIME.com: Princess Diana 1961- 1997: http://www.time.com/time/daily/special/diana/
Princess Diana captured the world's heart as no other princess before her. This special report covers her life and legacy with archived articles from Time Magazine. Best clicks are the Photo Essay, TIME on the Life of Diana (from the September 15, 1997 issue) and the Reading Room of illustrated features dating back to 1983.

Public Record Office: Virtual Museum Kings & Queens: http://www.pro.gov.uk/virtualmuseum/maingalleries/kings/
The Public Record Office is the national archive of England, Wales and the United Kingdom, preserving records that span from the eleventh century to the present. Their Virtual Museum offers just a glimpse of their holdings, including this eclectic eight-item Kings & Queens gallery, including Edward VIII's letter of abdication dated December 10, 1936. He is the only British monarch to have abdicated voluntarily, which he did in order to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee. The exhibit is also available as a printable PDF (look for the "P" book icon in the upper right hand corner.)

Portals to the World: http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html
The Library of Congress provides these links to countries for country reports, travel, and genealogy. Larger countries have bigger, more diverse hotlists (more links to information).
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: History & Social Studies (General), Community Interest (Genealogy/Leisure)

INTERNATIONAL TRADE: http://www.criticalthinking.org/K12/k12class/9-12/int.html
Students will critically discuss international policy in regards to trade, and analyze their country's per-
spectives and responses. They will research past decisions to look for consistency, and collaborate on a class presentation with their findings.

PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS BUILDER: http://education.indiana.edu/cas/tt/v3i2/probsolve.html
As part of a critical thinking skills building exercise, students are presented an unfamiliar historical figure. They are then guided to a specific and weighty decision that this person had to make. Students must consider as many key factors as possible, and then make the decision. Results will be compared and discussed.

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE PRINTABLES: http://www.bonus.com/applets/bigpic/bigpic.cgi?REQUEST=start&MASTERDIR=ancient
If your class has been busy visiting some ancient cultures recently, then follow up with these printable coloring pages of famous ancient architectural sites. You will find the pyramids at Giza, the Greek Acropolis, Mesa Verde, Stonehenge, and more.

DICTATOR FOR A DAY:
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/tlc-ancientrome/index.html
Who in your class would volunteer to be a classroom dictator, Roman style? It might not be as easy as your students think--and the rest of the class certainly might not like complying to a dictatorship. After a day of this alternative form of government, students will discuss the various pros and cons and then make comparisons with a democracy.

Geography4Kids!: http://www.geography4kids.com/
The US50 - A guide to the fifty states: http://www.theus50.com

National Geographic Magazine: http://www.nationalgeographic.com
View Sites & Sounds, a multimedia special, and listen as Author Tom Allen takes you back to the days leading up to the Normandy invasion. Or, learn about public lands of the United States, and experience breathtaking photos, games and activities: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geographyaction/backyard/. National Geographic has so much to offer on their website, it would take days to explore.
Grade Level: Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: History & Social Studies (Geography & Cultures/General), Science (Life Science/Environmental Studies), Arts (General)

The Magpie Sings the Great Depression: http://newdeal.feri.org/magpie/
This website presents almost 200 poems, articles, and short stories and many graphics and photographs from The Magpie, literary magazine of Dewitt Clinton High School, encompassing the years 1929 to 1942. Have students catch a glimpse of student life in New York City during the
years of the Great Depression and the power of literacy magazines.
Grade Level: Middle School, High School, College
Content Area: English (Literature), History & Social Studies (U.S.History), Arts (General)

Boston's Arnold Arboretum: A Place for Study & Recreation: http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/56arnold/56arnold.htm provides readings, maps, & lesson ideas about the first arboretum in the U.S., which opened to the public in the 1880s. This site,
though focused on a place devoted to the study of trees, can help students learn how 19th-century urban conditions influenced the development of parks & how to research the history of parks in
their own communities.

Bryce Canyon National Park: Hoodoos' Cast Their Spell: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/64Bryce/64Bryce.htm looks at the history of this area in Utah known for its hoodoos -- limestones, sandstones, & mudstones that have been carved by
erosion into spectacular spires, fins, & pinnacles.

Carnegie Libraries: The Future Made Bright: http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/50carnegie/50carnegie.htm tells the story of how
Andrew Carnegie donated over $40 million from his fortune made in the railroad & steel industries to build more than 1,600 libraries across America. Photos, maps, tables, & drawings of "Carnegie
libraries" help tell the story.

Chatham Plantation: Witness to the Civil War: http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/45chatham/45chatham.htm recounts what
happened at this plantation overlooking Fredericksburg, Virginia. The house served as a headquarters & communications center for generals & commanders. When General Irvin McDowell was housed
there, President Lincoln visited to confer with about strategy. Later in the war, the house served as a hospital where Clara Barton & Walt Whitman tended to wounded soldiers. Four major battles were
fought in the countryside surrounding Chatham.

Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor: http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/travel/delaware/index.htm features 46 historicplaces along a 150-mile stretch from Bristol to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of the anthracite coal industry. This National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary illustrates the history of an extraordinary 19th-century transportation system -- mountain railroads, rivers, dams & canals -- devised to move anthracite from mine to market.

Fort Hancock: A Bastion of America's Eastern Seaboard: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/37hancock/37hancock.htm is a lesson that uses this fort, built in the late 1800s to defend New York Harbor, as a base for examining issues in U.S. defense policy &military preparedness in the late 1800s.

John F. Kennedy
The American President: John F. Kennedy: http://www.americanpresident.org/kotrain/courses/JFK/JFK_In_Brief.htm
This site was built as a companion to the PBS American President series, and has quite an extensive Kennedy section. Start with Fast Facts (good for short school reports or your research project outline) and then get more depth by visiting the sixteen additional chapters (look for them in the left-hand menu.) Noteworthy ones include First Lady, American Franchise, In His Own Words, Gallery, and Web Resources.
Dallas Morning News: JFK, Dallas, November 22, 1963: http://www.dallasnews.com/specialreports/2000/jfk/index.shtml
"Travel back in time nearly four decades in time to relive one of the saddest chapters in American history: the assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas' Dealey Plaza." But before you can reach this special report, you must register with your name, email address, mailing address, and year of birth. After that you can view original newspapers articles, listen to radio clips, and watch television news snippets, all from local Dallas media.
History Channel: Kennedy Inaugural Speech: http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/archive/speech_158.html
Kennedy was inaugurated as the thirty-fifth president of the United States on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 1961. During his inauguration address, Kennedy, the youngest man ever elected President, declared "the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans" and the oft-quoted: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Visit the History Channel Speech Archive to hear the entire fourteen-minute speech in Real Audio format.
The History Place: John F. Kennedy Photo History: http://www.historyplace.com/kennedy/
This annotated photo gallery of Kennedy's life is divided into four sections: Early Years, War Hero, Politician and President. As you progress through the gallery, click on the thumbnail photos for a larger view. The War Hero section tells the tale of how Jack entered politics, starting in 1939 London, where his father was serving as United States Ambassador to England. The History Place grants permission to use these photos in offline school reports.
John F. Kennedy Library: Biography: http://www.cs.umb.edu/jfklibrary/jfk_biography.html
This one-page illustrated biography from the JFK Library is chock-full of links to audio files and additional photos, and a real find for teachers and home-schooling parents: six pages of printable worksheets for grades three through five, downloadable in either Adobe PDF or Word format. After reading the biography, visit the rest of the online library, by clicking on Home. Front page clicks, such as Speeches and Photographs, are found listed under Historical References.

1933-34 World's Fair: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/chicago/
1939-40 World's Fair: http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/39fair.html
On a site hosted by San Jose State University, Andrew Wood -- an assistant professor in communications studies -- has developed a site devoted to images from the '39 World's Fair. As the site proclaims, "The 1939-40 New York World's Fair marks a significant moment in American history. As the nation looked backward over the scarred landscape of the Depression and outward to ominous clouds gathering in Europe, the Fair offered a vision of tomorrow that was clean, safe, and brimming with consumer goods. Under the shadow of the gleaming Perisphere and Trylon, the New York World's Fair depicted futuristic technologies such as television and the interstate highway system while displaying the crafts and products of its day."

Utah
Utah has a variety of landscapes that often overlap. The Rocky Mountains are in the northeast. Brightly colored rock formations cover about half the state. Deserts and forests each cover about one-third. Thousands of years ago, people such as the Anasazi and Fremont Indians had advanced civilizations. Spanish and Mexican explorers were the first Europeans to explore the area, in the late 1700's. In 1847, Mormon settlers came to the ara to seek religious freedom. Mormons are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The United States acquired the Utah area after the Mexican-American War. It became a state in 1896. Utah has more than 2 million people and is the 34th-most populated state. It has one of the highest literacy rates in the country. About three-fourths of its population are members of the Mormon church. The Salt Lake Tabernacle, better known as the Mormon Tabernacle, has one of the world's largest pipe organs. It is known worldwide for its Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Temple Square, site of the Salt Lake Mormon Tabernacle, is the most visited spot in Utah.
Arches National Park has 23,000 natural stone arches, more than any other place in the world.
Because of its hard-working people, Utah is called the Beehive State.
The Blue spruce is the state tree.
The Bonneville Salt Flats are hte bed of an ancient lake, about the size of Lake Michigan. When the lake dried up, it left a salt floor from 1 to 6 inches thick and as hard as concrete. Many world records in car racing have been set on the flats.
Bryce Canyon National Park has thousands of brightly colord pink rock spires called hoo-doos.
The California gull is the sate bird.
Island in the Sky in Canyon lands National Park is a 6,000-foot-high mesa overlooking the Colorado and Green rivers.
Downhill and cross-country skiing attract millions of tourists. Fishing, whitewater rafting, hiking, snowmobiling and mountain biking are also popular.
The Rocky Mountain Elk is the state animal.
One of the biggest genelolgical libraries in the world belongs to the Mormon Church. People are encouraged to use the records to trace their family trees.
Grand Staircase-Escalante Natioanl Monument was the last place on the continental United States to be mapped. It has a variety of rock formations.
Hovenweep has strange towers rising from the ruins of six ancient towns. Native Americans built these towers about the time Europeans were building medieval castles.
Juke Box Cave and Danger Cave were homes to Native Americans from 8,000 to 2,000 years ago.
The sandstone formations in Kodachrome Basin State Park seem to change colors depending on the weather and time of day.
The Great Salt Lake is the biggest salt lake in the Western Hemisphere. In places, it is eight times more salty than the ocean.
More than 200 valuable minerals are found in the state. Crude oil, coal, natural gas, uranium, silver, oil shale, copper, gold, magnesium and different salts are important.
Mormons believe the Book of Mormon is a sacred text that goes along with the Bible. They believe the book was given to prophet Joseph Smith by an angel in the 1820s.
In Nine Mile Canyon, thousands of ancient drawings and carvings cover the canyon walls.
The only place in the U.S. where four states join is in the southeast corner. Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona meet there.
Lake Powell is the second biggest human-made lake in the country. It has nealy 2,000 miles of shoreline.
Dinosaur quarry has more dinosaur bones from the Jurassic Period than anywhere else in the world.
Railroads from the East and West coasts were joined in Utah in 1869.
Rainbow Bridge, the biggest natural bridge in the world, is 290 feet tall, taller than the U.S. Capitol.
Salt Lake City, the capital, has a population of about 182,000. The Capitol building is on a hill overlooking the city.
The Sego lily is the state flower.
Utah is named afte the Ute tribe, some of the first native people to live in the area. Ute means "people of the mountains."
Momunment Valley is famous for its red rock formations.
In Dixie National Forest, red rock spires and cliffs set off dark green ponderosa pine trees.
Each year about 12 million tourists visit the state. Tourism is the top industry.
Zion National Park features giant rock towers such as the Great White Throne.
Bingham Young (1801-1877)led or brought in about 100,000 settlers to the Utah frontier. In 1844, he was elected the new leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, after the first leader, Joseph Smith, was assassinated. He became the first governor of the Utah territory. He led the efforts of Utah settlers to irrigate the desert and build cities and towns.
John D Fitzerald (1907-1988) is best known as the author of "the Great Brain" series. the narrator of the books, John, tells about his older brother's money-making schemes. These books are based on the author's own experiences growing up in Utah in the early 1900s.
Debbie Fields (1956- ) started her first cookie store when she was only 21. When no one came into her store the first day it opened, she went outside and started handing out free samples. Today she has a mAjor business, "Mrs. Fields Cookies," which has more than 600 stores in seven countries. Her company is based in Salt Lake City.

David Rumsey Historical Map Collection: http://www.davidrumsey.com/
This web site gives you the ability to instill a love of maps—and the history they represent—in your students, while teaching them valuable geography and cartography skills. The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection focuses on rare 18th and 19th century North and South America cartographic history materials—but the collection also includes historic maps of the world, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Categories include old and antique atlas, globe, school geography, maritime chart, state, county, city, pocket, wall, children’s, and manuscript maps. The collection is available over the web using a standard web browser such as Explorer or Netscape, but a special browser designed for researchers also can be downloaded. The maps can be viewed by country, state, publication author, or keyword.

Bill of Rights Institute: http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/
Bill of Rights Institute has a large selection of free lesson plans available to teachers looking for a way to bring the Bill of Rights and the Constitution to life. Primary Source Activities, Citizenship and
Character Lessons, and Historical Narratives offer new ideas for the study of the amendments to the U.S. Constitution and how those amendments affect U.S. society.
Grade Level: Middle School, High School, College
Content Area: History & Social Studies (U.S. History/Government/Human Rights)

Renaissance Secrets: http://www.open2.net/renaissance2/doing/doing.html
A joint offering of the BBC and Open University, this website explores four mysteries from a historian's point of view. Although built to support a television series on the BBC, teachers can use this site to explore conspiracy, medicine and inventions in Renaissance Europe. Use this site to trigger a discussion of overlooked careers and standards in historical research.
Grade Level: Middle School, High School, College
Content Area: History & Social Science (World History), English (Reading), Science (General)

WWI: Photos Of The Great War: http://www.ku.edu/~kansite/ww_one/photos/greatwar.htm
This site has over 1844 photos of World War I to browse through. Whether you're a history buff or doing research for school, this site brings to life the four years of death and destruction of the First World War and pays tribute to the heroes and victims of that war. There is also an archive of WWI documents, including memoirs and remembrances.

"The Amana Colonies": http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/travel/amana/index.htm looks at the historic utopian society established in the 1850s along the Iowa River by German-speaking settlers from a religious group known as the Community of True Inspiration. The group, which originated in Himbach, Germany, in 1714, created a communal system of seven villages, each with mills, shops, homes, communal kitchens, schools, & churches. This website looks at the group's history, beliefs, buildings, & more.

"Ashland, Oregon: From Stage Coach to Center Stage": http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/ashland/ highlights 32 historic places in this community located 14 miles north of California at the foot of Mt. Ashland. These places together illustrate the development of Ashland from a small transportation &
farming center founded in 1852 into a community with a strong cultural identity.

National Museum of African Art: http://www.nmafa.si.edu/NMAFAgen.htm
The What's New link from the homepage leads to 5 different specialized interfaces of the museum's collections: diversity, uses, imagery, currently on view, and advanced.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: Arts (Visual Arts), History & Social Studies (World History)

"The Battle of Prairie Grove: Civilian Recollections of the Civil War": http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/70prairie/70prairie.htm helps students place the Battle of Prairie Grove in the context of Arkansas' role in the Civil War. Photos & readings from
eye witness accounts of the battle depict the harsh realities of Civil War & its effects on both soldiers & civilians.

"The Battle at Stones River: The Soldiers' Story": http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/40stones/40stones.htm provides readings, maps, & visual representations of this battle near Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which was the second bloodiest battle fought west of the Appalachians during the Civil War.

"HistoryWired: A Few of Our Favorite Things": http://historywired.si.edu/index.html offers a virtual tour of selected objects not on display in the National Museum of American History. Artifacts are presented in a dozen categories, including the arts, commerce, home, leisure, medicine, military,
people, politics, science, & technology. Among the artifacts: the portable lap desk on which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, George Washington's camp chest & military uniform, the Star-Spangled Banner, an African American tenant farm house, the first commercially available personal computer, & Thomas Edison's electric pen.

"Thank You, Mr. Edison: Electricity, Innovation, & Social Change": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/edison/intro.html is a lesson in which students learn about the invention of the phonograph, the impact of electricity on Americans, & Thomas Edison's role in the electrification of America.

"Thomas Alva Edison": http://www.si.edu/lemelson/edison/html/thomas_alva_edison.html examines several of his inventions -- the telegraph, telephone, phonograph, & electric light bulb. Students
learn about his life & how to create their own light bulb.

"Tracking the Buffalo: Stories From a Buffalo Hide Painting": http://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/buffalo/index.htm puts students in the role of historians as they examine a buffalo hide painting & click on areas that reveal clues to the painting's story. The story helps students understand the role of the buffalo in the lives of the northern plains American Indians.

"Westward by Sea: A Maritime Perspective on American Expansion, 1820-1890": http://memory.loc.gov:8081/ammem/award99/mymhihtml/mymhihome.html presents letters, business papers, photos, maps, ship logbooks, & narratives that can help students understand the story of American's travel by sea to settle California, Alaska, Hawaii, Texas, & the Pacific Northwest. Themes illustrated by these materials, selected from Mystic Seaport's collection, include whaling, life at sea, the California Gold Rush, & native populations.

"What Are We Fighting for Over There? Perspectives on the Great War": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/00/lincolnm/intro.html is a unit in which students use primary documents to develop an understanding of the World War I era, including how the U.S.
prepared for & participated in the war & how the war foreshadowed the role of the U.S. as a world power of the 20th century.

"You Be the Historian": http://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/springer/index.htm invites students to examine clues & determine what life was like for a family that lived in New Castle, Delaware, during the 1700s. Students also discover what historians in the next century might learn about us if they found our homes the way they are today.

Sites about Anne Frank
Anne Frank: Lessons in Human Rights and Dignity: http://www.sptimes.com/nie/nieanne.html
"The powerful writings of a teenager from the darkness of her hiding place during the Holocaust can teach us much about making a difference for the 21st century." Using Anne's diary as a framework, these online lessons from the St. Petersburg Times address prejudice, hatred, and discrimination. Many of the thirty-five single-page chapters conclude with topics for classroom discussion and journal writing.
Historical Context of Anne Frank's Diary:
http://www.annefrankonbroadway.com/anne-cgi/af?studyguide/2.html+HI
In December of 1997, a revival of The Dairy of Anne Frank opened on Broadway, where it played to great reviews for eighteen months. This Web site is the online companion to that Broadway production, and includes a study guide. There is a section that shows the historical context of Anne's diary. Anne Frank was four years old when Hitler came to power in 1933, but the story began long before that. Learn how World War I led to the German nationalism that fueled Hitler's rise to power.
Nicole Caspari's Anne Frank Website: http://www.annefrank-online.de/e_index.html
Nicole Caspari is a twenty-year old German who didn't learn of Anne Frank until 1998 when her high school religion teacher showed an Anne Frank film. "After the first 45 minutes, I already felt smashed. I had the strange, inexplicable feeling that this movie tells me something which has been hidden from me in my whole life." From that day on, Caspari learned all she could about Frank: She wrote a school report and developed this passionate Web site. The "About Me" section describes how Caspari's life was turned upside down by Anne Frank.
Anne Frank House: http://www.annefrank.nl/eng/default2.html
Millions of people from all over the world have visited the house in Amsterdam where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary. Educational clicks are the Anne Frank and Diary sections, which house a treasure trove of details for school reports. And to put a modern twist on the lessons of the holocaust, the Out of Line exhibit explores what happens when freedom of speech clashes with a person's right to be protected against discrimination. Should neo-Nazis be allowed to spread their racist message on the Internet? Should the offensive lyrics of hip-hop artists be censored? Where do you draw the line?
Anne Frank Center USA: http://www.annefrank.com/index1.html
Anne Frank Center USA is a photo scrapbook of Anne's life, the timeline (starting in 1889) that shows the Frank family history in parallel with the development of the Nazi party, and the teacher resources..

Canadian Timeline: http://www.micromedia.on.ca/Timeline/TIMELINE.htm
This timeline of important dates in Canadian history is browseable by date or type of event. Great for comparison to other timelines, such as the timeline of milestones found on the Explore D.C. website at http://www.exploredc.org.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (World History), Mathematics (Measurement)

Sites about the America Frontier
Time-travel with your 3rd to 5th grade students back to the frontier days with these two standards-based lesson plans. To access them, go to http://www.thirteen.org, select "Ed Online," then the title of the lesson plan.
Math for the Frontier
In this lesson plan, your students will develop their math skills as they examine what supplies were needed to travel to Montana in the 1880's. They'll learn about multiplication, frontier life, and inflation, all at the same time.
Frontier Life Story
Using a story by Laura Ingalls Wilder, this Language Arts or History lesson plan will give your students a perspective on the day-to-day realities of frontier life in South Dakota, back in the "good old days." Ultimately, your students will reflect on which time period suits them
better: then or now.
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: ANSEL ADAMS
Complement your students' understanding of frontier life by introducing them to the meaning and legacy of Ansel Adams' life and work. This program explores the great themes that absorbed Adams throughout his career: the beauty and fragility of "the American earth," the inseparable bond of man and nature, and the moral obligation the present owes to the future.

ANCIENT CHINA: http://www.k12.vt.us/shl/cote/webqancciv.htm
Students will research ancient Chinese artifacts in order to explore the periods of Chinese history. They will recreate these artifacts, supplying details on how they were made and used, as well as researching their historical importance. Each student team must prepare an exhibit for an Ancient Heritage Museum.

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS WEBQUEST: http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/dmatousek/ancientwq/ancient_civilizations_wq.htm
The Aztecs, Pompeii, the Romans, the Greeks, Mesopotamia, Ancient China, or evolving Indian cultures--students will choose their civilization, use online resources, and create an annotated museum exhibition on all aspects of what they have learned about their ancient culture.

HISTORICAL CLOTHING: http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/history/clothes.htm
Students will learn about the daily aspects of any given historical culture--ancient civilizations work
well--and then create appropriate costumes for the templates given.

THE GREEK ALPHABET: http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/history/greek.htm
Students will learn the Greek alphabet by creating secret messages. You can use the code worksheet included, or set up a mailbox system and let students deliver their own Greek messages over the length of your unit on Ancient Greece.

VIRTUAL DIG: http://www.rom.on.ca/activities/westview/wesindex.html
In this brief interactive exercise, students must first locate the "dig" before unearthing a coffee cup and
learning about the history and origins of the coffee bean.

SOCRATES -- THE GREAT TEACHER: http://socialstudies.com/c/@SLyHqaQx.NCTg/Pages/article.html?article@JWW163A
In this online adventure, students will meet Socrates and get to know his methods of questioning or knowing, as they choose the outcome of their conversations as they go along. High interest and interactive.

ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME TALK SHOW: http://socialstudies.com/c/@JVYzYPTmI_uG2/Pages/article.html?article@ancientgreece1
Travel back in your time machine to two different eras, grab two unsuspecting and representative citizens, and then create a talk show to compare and contrast these two civilizations. Online resources and charts guide students through their research; let them write a script for a tv production and then videotape the final product.

HERACLES THE SUPER HERO: http://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1984/2/84.02.04.x.html
What do the Twelve Labors reveal about Ancient Greece? This lesson plan uses Heracles as its premise for uncovering the culture, religion, and peoples of Greece. Five lesson plans explore topics across the curriculum.

ROMAN BATHS AND AQUEDUCTS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/roman/
Several online projects here from PBS explore Roman engineering, aqueducts, and the famous Roman baths. A teacher resource guide is included, along with authentic Roman recipes to try, and a hands-on activity for students to construct their own Roman aqueduct model online--manual included.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE: http://www.roman-empire.net/children/index.html
This site offers several on site resources for studying Ancient Rome, with a brief historical overview, a
section on Roman achievements, the Roman gods, and the architects, engineers, and builders. Also find interactive maps on both the city of Rome and the Roman empire, as well as pages for Roman dress and housing.

COLLAPSE: http://www.learner.org/exhibits/collapse/
Once thriving empires go the way of all things mortal, becoming legends, dust, and bits of pottery for
future generations to piece together. Students will examine reasons for the collapse of such diverse civilizations as Mesopotamia, Mali and Songhai, and the Maya. Hands-on activities are included.

A WALK THROUGH TIME -- ANCIENT CALENDARS: http://physics.nist.gov/GenInt/Time/ancient.html
Have your students consider how we have measured time across cultures and through history. This
site offers perspectives on timekeeping through a study of ancient calendars and their uses.

WILL AMERICA FALL APART LIKE THE MAYA?: http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/mayans/
How does the trend toward globalization affect American interests? The premise of this webquest considers how America might be adversely affected in any future scenario, by reflecting upon great civilizations of the past--in this case, the focus is on the Mayan empire. Students will address a presentation to the President on their findings of why societies fail. (Note that this site was written during Clinton's presidency; simply update it by plugging in the current president where appropriate.)

Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States. President Harry Truman called her "the first lady of the world." She set an example for first ladies who followed. No other first lady had been so interested and outspoken on so many causes. She became one of the most famous women in the world.
Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City in 1884. Her family was well-to-do. Her mother died when she was 8. Her father, who was an alcoholic, died when she was 10. She was brought up by a strict grandmother. Eleanor had a very unhappy childood. Eleanor went away to school in England when she was 15 years old. She had a great teacher who believed in her and helped her gain self-confidence.
Eleanor met and fell in love with a distant cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt. They were married when she was 21 years old. Her uncle, Theodore Roosevelt, who was president at the time, gave the bride away. Franklin's mother, Sarah, at first did not approve of the marriage and often tried to run the couple's life. Franklin became interested in politices. Eleanor supported his interest.
After her jisbamd was struck by polio, he was elected governor of New York and later president of the United States. Eleanor overcame her shyness and made speeches on his behalf. Soon after Franklin became president in 1933, Eleanor traveled to Puerto Rico to find out about living conditions there. She did not just visit the leaders of the country. She visited and talked with the people. She wanted to find out firsthand how the people lived. She was especially interested in people having good homes in which to live.
Franklin Roosevelt served as president for 12 years, longer than any other president (1933-1945). Wlhile he was in the White House, the United States went through the Great Depression, a time in our history when many thousands of people were out of work. We also fought World War II, the greatest war effort in our history. The president was crippled by polio and did not travel very much. Mrs. Roosevelt became his eyes and ears, and traveled near and far to report to him what she saw. She shocked many people by traveling so much. She went everywhere, from fancy receptions to city slums, from political meetings to war zones. Mrs. Roosevelt was the first first lady to hold a press conference. She was a journalist, and for many years wrote a newspaper column called "My Day." She appeared on TV, had a regular radio show and made many speeches. She was a very active member of the Democratic Party. Mrs. Roosevelt was one of the most admired women in the world. But there were also many people who did not like her and thought that she should stay at home and not have such strong opinions on so many subjects. At times her life was in danger. But she kept on traveling and speaking out.
Mrs. Roosevelt visited American women fliers who were taking part in the war effort. While they did not fly in combat missions, they did fly fighter planes to England for use by our pilots stationed there. Equal rights for women was one of her causes.
Mrs Roosevelt traveled to combat zones and visited the troops. In one two-day visit, she walked 50 miles of hospital corridors. She spoke to soldiers, asking their names and where they were from and whom they wanted her to contact when she got back home.
Eleanor Roosevelt worked for equal rights for all citizens. When a club Mrs. Roosevelt belonged to refused to let Marian Anderson, a great opera singer, to sing in its auditorim because she was black, Mrs. Roosevelt resigned from the club. She also helped to arrange Marian Anderson's concert at the Lincoln Memorial.
After her husband's death, Mrs. Roosevelt still had a great deal of influence. She was appointed one of the delegates to the United Nations. She served as the chairman of a committee that wrote the International Declaration of Human Rights, setting out the rights of all people. It was adopted in 1948.

National Archives Learning Curve: http://learningcurve.pro.gov.uk/
Do your students need to know more about the Cold War, Great Britain during WWII or political reform in Britain during the 19th Century? The National Archives of the UK has created a site that contains resources and a proposed online library of teacher lessons and student work. Look under Snapshots for activities based on visual sources from the national archive.
Grade Level: Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: History & Social Studies (World History), Arts (Visual Arts)

The Civil War at the Smithsonian: http://civilwar.si.edu/home.html
The Smithsonian in Washington D.C. looked through it archives, and in some cases, its own history as an institution, and created this online resource about the Civil War. Digitized images cover slavery and abolition, the weapons and leaders of the war, and the life and culture of the times.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (U.S. History), Arts (Visual Arts/Music)

Napoleon
Welcome to NapoleonSeries.org: http://www.napoleonseries.org/
NapoleonSeries.org is dedicated to the study of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Napoleonic Era, and the French Revolution. This site provides as a public service, access to contemporary documents, and serves as a vehicle for amateur and professional historians to share their work.
Maps of the Napoleonic Wars: http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/dhistorymaps/NapoleonPages/NapToC.htm
A comprehensive listing of Maps of Napoleon's military campaigns. This site is a part of the West Point Military Academy's collection.
Literature on the Age of Napoleon: http://www.napoleonic-literature.com/AgeOfNapoleon/index.html
This website is a detailed collection of literature and historical documents about Napoleon and the First and Second Empire. Of special note: The Literary Chronology of the Napoleonic Era.
Napoleonica.org: http://www.napoleonic-literature.com/AgeOfNapoleon/index.html
This Website houses a vast collection of original documents and letters written to and from Napoleon. The drawings Frédéric-Christophe d'Houdetot are very a great way to explore the people of the Napoleonic Era.

DemocracyNet: http://www.dnet.org/
For educators, encouraging youngsters to get involved in the nation's political process can be a challenging task. DemocracyNet, furnished by the League of Women Voters, provides a place where students can go to learn more about the people who represent them in Washington, D.C. The site contains an archive that allows adult and student users alike to access statements and promises made by candidates during the campaign trail. Users can compare these original comments to the elected officials' in-office performance records. For students, this site could be a powerful tool for gathering information for social studies projects pertaining to government. The site also offers up-to-date information on each state's voting rules and regulations, allowing voters young and old to stay abreast of the latest legislative changes, age specifications, and brewing electoral controversies. A clickable map of the entire country allows for instant access to the candidates and voting information for each individual state.

A More Perfect Union: http://americanhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/experience/index.html
On Feb. 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 authorizing military authorities to exclude "any and all persons" from designated areas of the country as was necessary for national security. The result was the mass removal and internment of more than 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry, some for up to three years, until the end of World War II. The online exhibit "A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans & the U.S. Constitution," from the Smithsonian Institution, examines this period in United States history from a number of perspectives, including immigration, removal, internment, loyalty, service, and justice. The site also features a special area for reflection by visitors. Classroom activities can be found under the Resources link at the bottom of the page, and these include suggestions for using the activity in elementary, middle, and high schools to teach about the exclusion orders and the internment process. In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the reaction by the Bush administration, this site is a great opportunity for educators to compare how American wartime policy has evolved since World War II.

The National Library of Australia : World Treasures: http://www.nla.gov.au/worldtreasures/
Have students explore the contributions of world cultures in this online exhibit. Lessons in the teacher's section supports the online materials. Each treasure lists the museum that houses it; an interesting supplemental activity would have students uncover how foreign museums ended up with another culture's treasure.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: Arts (General), History & Social Studies (World History), English (General)

"All History is Local: Students as Archivists": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/98/local/intro.html tells how students at the Arkansas School for Mathematics & Sciences analyzed archival materials, developed digital collections, & made their projects available online in the Arkansas Memory Project. This learning activity, modeled after the Library of Congress's American Memory project, is designed so that teachers & students from other states & communities may adapt it to create their own local history Memory Projects.

"Around the World in 1896": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/97/world/home.html is a lesson in which students take a trip around the world in 1896 using an online collection of 900 images. The collection includes photos of railroads, elephants, camels, horses, sleds & sleighs, sedan chairs, rickshaws, & other types of transportation, as well as city views, street & harbor scenes, landscapes, & people in North Africa, Asia, Australia, & Oceania.

"Chicago Anarchists on Trial: Evidence from the Haymarket Affair, 1886-1887,": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ichihtml/hayhome.html showcases more than 3,800 images of original manuscripts, broadsides, photographs, prints, & artifacts relating to the violent 1886 confrontation between Chicago police & labor protesters that was a pivotal setback in the struggle for American workers' rights.

"The Church in the Southern Black Community, 1780-1925,": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award99/ncuhtml/csbchome.html traces how African-Americans in the South experienced Protestant Christianity & transformed it into the central institution of community life. Coverage begins with white churches' conversion efforts & depicts the contradictions between the egalitarian potential of evangelical Christianity & the realities of slavery. It focuses, through slave
narratives & observations by African American authors, on how the black community adapted evangelical Christianity, making it a metaphor for freedom, community, & personal survival.

"Civil War Treasures from the New-York Historical Society": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/nhihtml/cwnyhshome.html offers images of recruiting posters for New York City regiments of volunteers, stereographic views documenting the mustering of
soldiers & of popular support for the Union in New York City, photography showing the war's impact, & drawings & writings by soldiers on both sides.

"The Constitution: Counter Revolution or National Salvation?": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/broad/intro.html casts students in the role of politically active citizens in 1787, when the Federal Convention in Philadelphia presented the nation with a new model of government. Students, using primary documents from American Memory, produce a broadside in which they argue for or against replacing the Articles of Confederation with the new model -- the Constitution.

"Copyright on the Web": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/activity/index.html answers 11 questions students, teachers, & parents may have about using web images, sound recordings, & text
in papers, presentations, & web projects.

"Creating Hypertext Dialogues Drawn from Narrative History Collections": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/links/intro.html invites students to use documents from "California As I Saw It: First Person Narratives, 1849-1900," to create hyperscripts depicting the motivations, expectations, fears, & realizations of immigrants who settled California between 1849 &
1900. Students' hyperscripts are online written dialogues that include links to illustrative written materials, images, & sound files from American Memory collections.

"Figuring Somepin 'Bout the Great Depression": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/migrant/intro.html is a lesson in which students examine songs, interviews, & photos of migrant farm workers in California during the Great Depression & then create a scrapbook from the point of view of a migrant worker. Students use
photos & recordings of migrant workers to create captions, letters, & songs. This lesson may be particularly useful when students are learning about the Great Depression or reading "The Grapes of
Wrath."

"The Frederick Douglass Papers": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html presents the papers of the 19th-century African-American abolitionist who escaped from slavery & then risked his own freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery lecturer, writer, & publisher. The first release of the Douglass Papers contains 2,000 items (16,000 images) that span the years 1841 to 1964 & relate to Douglass's life as an escaped slave, abolitionist, editor, orator, & public servant.

"Samuel F. B. Morse Papers at the Library of Congress, 1793-1919,": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sfbmhtml/sfbmhome.html presents 6,500 items that document Morse's invention of the electromagnetic telegraph, his participation in the development of telegraph systems in the U.S. & abroad, his career as a painter, his family life, his travels, & more. Included in this collection are correspondence, letterbooks, diaries, scrapbooks, printed matter, maps, & drawings.

"Sunday School Books: Shaping the Values of Youth in Nineteenth-Century America": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award99/miemhtml/svyhome.html presents 170 Sunday school books published in America between 1815 & 1865. They document the culture of religious instruction of youth during the Antebellum era & illustrate thematic divisions that preoccupied 19th-century America, including sacred & secular, natural & divine, civilized & savage, rural & industrial, adult & child. Among the topics featured are history, holidays, slavery, African Americans, Native Americans, travel & missionary accounts, death & dying, poverty, temperance, immigrants, & advice.

"Woody Guthrie & the Archive of American Folk Song: Correspondence, 1940-1950,": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/wwghtml/wwghome.html highlights letters Guthrie wrote in the early 1940s after moving to New York City, where he pursued broadcasting & recording careers, met artists & social activists, & gained a reputation as a songwriter & performer. The site includes a biographical essay, a timeline of Guthrie's life, & an encoded finding aid of Guthrie materials at the Library of Congress.

The Age of Exploration: http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/explorwt.htm
This tour includes sites that provide general information about the Age of Exploration and sites with very specific orientations, such as biographies of explorers, the study of navigation, and cartography.

Writing On Hands.org: http://writingonhands.org/
From the 15th century through the 17th century, scholars often used the human hand as a symbol and a tool for explaining the mind, anatomy, religion and science. The web site images, some with animation or sound, depict hands used to show astrological signs, to teach a sign language for counting large numbers and to teach music theory.

Little Norway: http://littlenorway.com/
Nestled in a valley twenty miles west of Madison, hidden in the foothills of Blue Mounds WI. is a museum known as Little Norway. It has another name: Nissedahle, or Valley of the Elves. The area now features a museum consisting of exhibits inside area homes and outdoor gardens and paths. Many Norse antiques are displayed in the buildings. Information about the construction of the buildings is a very interesting part of the complex. Visitors can also learn about early Norwegian-American culture from costumed guides.

The State Report Section of ClassBrain: http://www.statereports.com
Although it is the ideal for students to consult many resources for state reports, teachers really need to be aware of what's on the web. Classbrain has assembled state report resources for all those students
(and parents) doing reports on U.S. states. Templates, clipart and other resources are available here. The websites gathered for each state include the official state websites, so this will be a place to start
for many students.
Grade Level: Elementary
Content Area: History & Social Studies (Geography)

The Jamestown Online Adventure: http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/
Put your students in the situation of landing in the New World and making all the decisions needed to found a colony. This simulation lets them decide where to land, what to do when they get there, and even how many will be required to do hard labor. There are online helpers in the form of the London Company's Instruction and a Native American neighbor. Players will be scored as to how well they fared given the choices made, and will review what actually happened in Jamestown. This activity
requires Flash version 5 or higher.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (U.S. History), Mathematics (Problem Solving)

Building America: http://www.buildingamerica.net/
Citizens can use this site for suggestions or complaints to their city government, and there is a section
where businesses can advertise their services. Citizens of a town will also be able to communicate with governmental departments and each other. Information can include everything from a schedule of recreational events to tips from the fire department. It starts with city officials who will be able to provide basic information about the cities and towns such as addresses and telephone numbers.

The American Cowboy
The peak of the cowboy era lasted about 30 years. After the Civil War ended in 1865, the frontier was wide open. Cattle could graze freely on the open range. But by 1895 the West was settled. Railroads connected every part of the country. Sheep farmers had put up fences and towns had sprung up. The open ranges were gone forever.
On the ranch, girls worked the cattle just as their brothers did. They did everything: roping, branding and roundups. Cowgirls did not usually go on cattle drives because at that time people thought women should stay at home. Cowgirls were big attractions at rodeos and Wild West shows. At first they wore full skirts but they soon began to wear split skirts that made riding easier.
Each piece of clothing had many uses. The boot protected against thorns and brush. The narrow toe let the boot slide into the stirrup. The high heel kept the foot from slipping out of the the stirrup and dragging on the ankle. The hat's wide brim protected against sun, rain, snow and low branches. Cowboys used their hats to wave as signals and to carry water. Chaps, leather coverings that fit over the legs, protected against thorns and brush. Vests were warm, but less bulky than a coat. Seated riders had an easier time getting at vest pockets than pants pockets. Bandannas protected the neck and face against sun and dust. They could also be used as washrags, sweatbands, hot pads, bandages, napkins and ropes.
In the mid-1800's, there were no railroads running out of Texas. In order to get cattle to eastern markets, cowboys had to herd, or drive, the cattle to train stations in Kansas. Cattle drives lasted as long as one to three months. Ten to 12 cowboys might have to control several thousand cattle. Most cowboys on cattle drives were teenagers or young men. Older, more experienced men stayed on the ranch. Cattle from many different owners mixed together. They were branded so cowboys could separate out each rancher's cows at market time. At the end of the trail the cowboys sold almost everything, including the chuck wagon and most of the horses.
Food on the trail was usually beans, biscuits, canned peaches and tomatoes, dried meat such as beef jerky, and any fresh game that cowboys shot. In the southwest, cowboys might have chili, enchiladas, tamales, cornbread or tortillas. They ate little beef. Cattle were more valuable at the market than as food for cowboys.
Few cowboys carried guns. Wearing a gun while you were rounding up a stampeding herd or riding a half-wild horse was dangerous. Most kept their guns in the chuck wagon. Cowboys rarely needed to defend themselves against rustlers or Indians. Their guns were mainly used as protection against snakes, to turn aside a stampeding herd, to kill an injured animal or to hunt game.
Most cowboys only got into town a couple of times a year. And in many places, it was illegal to carry a gun unless you were a lawman.
Being out in nature was one of the best things about being a cowboy. Many chose to sleep outside even at the ranch. A cowboy's bedroll was usually just a rolled-up blanket, where he stuck clothes and personal belongings.
Many cowboys were Native American. Experts believe about one-fourth were Hispanic. Another fourth were probably black. The first cowboys in America were the Spanish who brought cattle and horses to America. They taught Indians how to ride and herd cattle. Many African-Americans learned ranching skills while they were slaves. Others came West seeking a new life. Cowboys judged each other by how they did their job, not by the color of their skin. It was one of the few jobs where black people were paid equal wages.
Bill Pickett invented "bulldogging," a way of wrestling a steer off its feet. He was the first black man in the Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Cowboys did have to be brave in the face of danger, but not because bad guys were always after them. The biggest threat was stampeding cattle. Many cowboys were killed or injured by panicked herds. If they were hurt, there was no medical help nearby. Lightning, rabbits, rattlesnakes, prairie wildfires or coyotes could all set off a stampede. Many cowboys were killed by lightning and pneumonia. They had to take turns watching the herds at night, no matter what the weather. The most dangerous job was that of bronco buster. In order to tame the wild horses, cowboys had to ride them. But the bucking broncos often threw off an injured the unwanted riders.
Cowboy work was very hard, dirty and dangerous. A cowboy might be working miles from anyone else. He had to be independent.
Cowboys did not have one special horse. Each cowboy might get the use of a string of three to six. On a drive he would choose a different horse each day, so the animals could rest.
from the Mini Page by Betty Debnam, September 30, 2000

During the early 1960's, Americans feared that there might be a nuclear war. To protect themselves, many families built bomb or "fallout" shelters. Most shelters were built in basements of houses. Others were built as separate underground rooms in back yards. Families stocked their shelters with food, water, eating utensils, radios and flashlights so they could live safely in them for about two weeks. Some neighborhoods still have homes with these old shelters.
from the Mini Page by Betty Debnam, September 30, 2000

Today in History: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/today.html
This site features a different person or event in history each day. Past features include Frederick Douglass, Woodrow Wilson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Banneker, Rosa
Parks, Samuel Slater, Louisa May Alcott, Radio City Music Hall, the Wright brothers' first flight, the Bill of Rights, the Gadsden Purchase, the Federal Reserve System, the Wounded Knee massacre,
Pearl Harbor, the first controlled nuclear fission chain reaction, & more.

Washington, D.C. sites
D.C Pages: Virtual Tour of the National Mall: http://dcpages.com/Tourism/
Take a virtual 360 degree spin around ten monuments and museums of the National Mall, courtesy of D.C. Pages and the free Zoom viewer plug-in from MGI. For tourists, each monument includes hours of operation and a phone number. For cyber-travelers, the Zoom viewer let you control the vantage point (zoom in, zoom out, spin, and stop) of each picture. Another worthwhile section of the D.C. Pages is History, which traces the city's roots to the Spanish explorers of the sixteenth century. You'll find it by returning to the home page, and selecting History from the directory links.
The District: http://www.thedistrict.com/
Educational clicks at The District include the eleven Top Attractions listed in the red and yellow box on the front page. Each monument page includes several interesting facts, a few small pictures, and a link to the attraction's official Web site. Beyond the Top Attractions, you'll find even more listings in the yellow left-hand menu under Museums & Galleries, Monuments & Memorials, and Other Attractions.
Explore D.C.: http://www.exploredc.org/
This site is more than 450 pages long, with an abundance of audio, video and images. Students of all ages will find more than just monuments covered here, as Washington D.C. past and present is explored as both a city and a symbol of our nation. Teachers will appreciate the twenty-four lesson plans covering topics such as local history, U.S. history, black history, and American presidents and first ladies.
The Virtual Smithsonian: http://2k.si.edu/
The Smithsonian is often referred to as "our nation's attic" as it holds more than 140 million artifacts for "the increase and diffusion of knowledge". The Virtual Smithsonian exhibit celebrates the Smithsonian's 150th anniversary and highlights 360 specimens from the fourteen Smithsonian museums along with a virtual walk to the Castle (as the Smithsonian Institution Building is affectionately known.) The story is told in QuickTime and Shockwave with images, video and audio clips, and rotating 3-D morphing artifacts. Before you enter, click First Time Visitor, and the Virtual Smithsonian will test your browser, and let you know if you are missing any required plug-ins.
Washington Tour Guide: http://library.thinkquest.org/17188/
Washington Tour Guide was created by three Canadian high school students for the 1998 ThinkQuest Internet competition. There are two virtual walking tours with photos taken by the students themselves. One tour takes you down Pennsylvania Avenue, and the other through the National Mall. There are also two trivia quizzes, and a timeline of Washington D.C.'s history.

Presidents in the White House
John Adams, our second president, moved into the White House on Nov. 1, 1800. He was the first president to live there. For 200 years the White House has been a home for the president and his family. The White House is also:

John Adams was a lawyer from Massachusetts. He was a leader in the American Revolution and an outstanding founding father. He helped draft the Declaration of Independence. When George Washington became our first president, Adams served as our first vice president. He then served one term as president, from 1797 to 1801.
Like President Washington, John Adams liked to hold receptions called "levees." The president would usually stand before a fireplace. The guests would be ushered into the room, walk up to him and bow as an aide announced the guest's name. Then the guest would back into a circle. The president then would walk around the circle and say a few words to each man. After a signal from an aide, the guests would walk up to the president, bow, and then leave the room. These were very formal, stiff occasions. The guests dressed in their best from head to toe. John Adams did not shake hands at a levee. He preferred that people bow to him, as they had to President Washington. President Thomas Jefferson stopped the bowing. He felt that a handshake would do just fine.
The Adamses asked the Marine Band to play at the New Year's Day Reception. While bands from other services play at the White House, the Marine Band is known as the "president's own." It has played at the White House for over 200 years.
Abigail Adams did not have much schooling, but she read a great deal and was well-informed. She often gave her husband her thoughts on matters. Some people called her "Mrs. President." She was known for her style and manners. She is well-known for the words, "Remember the ladies," which she wrote to her husband when he was in Philadelphia at the time the Declaration of Independence was adopted. John Quincy Adams, the son of Abigail and John Adams, became president in 1825. He is the only president's son to do so. Since the president's family did not want to hang the laundry out for all to see, Mrs. Adams had her servants hang it in the East Room. The White House was partially finished when the Adams moved in. It was cold and damp. "Shiver, shiver," wrote Mrs. Adams.

Congress in the Capitol
The U.S. Constitution gives the power of making national laws to the U.S. congress. Congress is made up of two "houses," or groups, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The constitution set up three branches, or parts, of the government: the legislative, the executive and the judicial. The legislative branch makes the laws. The executive branch, headed by the president, carries out the laws. The judicial branch, headed by the Supreme Court, decides if the laws are lawful according to the Constitution.
Since Nov. 22, 1800, Congress has been meeting in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The Capitol does not have a front and back door. We say that it has an east front and a west front. Most visitors enter on the east front side. Only a few members of Congress have an office in the Capitol. Most members' offices are in nearby buildings.
The House of Representatives meets in the chamber on the south side of the Capitol. This big room is the largest room in the building. The representatives sit on benches and do not have assigned seats. A representative must be 25 years old and must have been a U.S. citizen for seven years. The number of representatives is based on the number of people in each state.
The Senate meets in a chamber on the north side of the Capitol. Each of the 100 senators has a special assigned seat. The Republicans sit on one side of the aisle and the Democrats on the other. A senator must be 30 years old and must have been a U.S. citizen for nine years. There are two senators from each state.
Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia was the site of the first meeting place of the Continental Congress in 1776. Congress met in 13 different buildings in eight different cities before it moved to Washington, D.C.
When the United States was just beginning, the U.S. Congress had many arguments about where the government's new "Federal City" should be. Finally, in 1790, the Congress decided on a site right in the middle of the 13 states, between Maryland and Virginia, near George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. Some described the site as a wilderness in the woods on the Potomac River. A contest was held to see who would design the Capitol Building. William Thornton, who was a doctor and an amateur architect, won. He received $500 and a city lot. George Washington was very interested in the Capitol's progress. He helped select the architect and the site, and laid the cornerstone.
John Adams, our second president, spoke at the first meeting of both houses of Congress in the new Capitol on Nov. 22, 1800. Congress was composed of 32 members of the Senate and 106 members of the House of Representatives.

We the People... The Citizen & the Constitution: http://www.civiced.org/wethepeople.html
This site helps elementary & secondary school students understand the history & principles of
our constitutional government. The program focuses on the U.S. Constitution & Bill of Rights & fosters civic competence & responsibility. Upon completion of program, classes are encouraged
to participate in simulated congressional hearings that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge of the Constitution & the Bill of Rights.

Mount Rushmore: American Experience: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rushmore/
This online exhibit chronicles the planning, design, implementation and minutiae of Mount Rushmore, the U.S. monument commemorating four presidents. There is an activity for students to design a memorial commemorating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. These activities, as well as activities in the disciplines of civics, history, economics, and geography can be found under Teacher's Guide.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (U.S.
History/Government/Economics), Arts (Visual Arts), English (Writing)

First Among Equals: http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/4/index-e.html
First Among Equals is an online version of an exhibit on the twenty Prime Ministers of Canada. Students can learn about the role of each Prime minister, the path they take to gain power, and even their private lives during and after they've been elected.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (World History/Current Events)

American Currency Exhibit: http://www.frbsf.org/currency/
Money hasn't always looked like it does today. Explore the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's American Currency Exhibit online and watch history come alive as you step back in time to our nation's beginning. Learn how the United States’ rich history is closely tied with our currency.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (U.S. History/Economics), Arts (Visual Arts)

The World Bank Group: http://www.worldbank.org/html/schools/
Grades: 9 - Post-secondary
This portal into the online resources of The World Bank provides a wealth of information on all regions of the world. Interactive quizzes test visitors' knowledge about conditions in developing nations, and other sections feature indicators from more than 150 countries. In the Virtual Gallery, you can view artwork from the world's children depicting how they view their future.

NOAA Arctic Theme Page: http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/
A comprehensive website that includes FAQs about the Arctic, general information, a great photo gallery, and tons of links to online resources about the Arctic.

Virtual Antarctica: http://www.terraquest.com/antarctica/
This is a website that chronicles an Antarctic expedition. The real trip is over, but the site stands as a tribute to the event with photos of the trip and factoids about this really COOL place.

Diving Under Antarctic Ice: http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/nsf/
See the work of world with reknowned underwater photographer, Norbert Wu, as he chronicles an NSF-sponsored trip under the Antarctic ice to catalog this magnificently beautiful place.

CNNfyi.com: http://fyi.cnn.com/fyi/
Teachers can use the site to develop lesson plans, and students can use it to develop critical-thinking skills while investigating age-appropriate treatment of world events. Thematic organization of feature stories, quick quizzes and trivia questions, and daily updates to student and teacher materials are a few of the features found at this in-school news service. video clips, youth-specific topics, homework help, and CNNSB, CNN's official student news-gathering and reporting program, can also be found at the site. In addition to lesson plans, teachers will find activities correlated to the daily news, with weekly discussion guides and curriculum-specific learning units, and even professional development activities.

UNDERSTANDING AFGHANISTAN: LAND IN CRISIS
http://click.nationalgeographic.tep1.com/maaaeJQaaQJa5abpgXWb/
Help children better understand the attacks in the United States and the struggle in Afghanistan by giving them some perspective. Use lesson plans, maps, and activities to learn more about cultures and conflict.

BELIZE CONSERVATION EXPEDITION: http://click.nationalgeographic.tep1.com/maaaeJQaaQKiWabpgXWb/
Dive into a coral Eden on the edge of Central America and relive a recent EarthPulse expedition with marine biologist Sylvia Earle. Use photos, audio, and an interactive map to teach conservation issues.

National Cryptologic Museum: http://www.nsa.gov/museum/index.html
Does "Enigma" remain a mystery to you? Would you like to have the cipher to… decipher it? If you know what we are talking about, and even if you don't, you will enjoy a visit to the NSA National Cryptologic Museum. The Museum is dedicated to the art of cryptology, or secret messages, and its role in the exploitation of enemy communication. It is a rare glimpse of a secret world.

History Happens: http://www.ushistory.com/
This site contains different stories of US History in a music video format.

Odyssey Online: http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/
This elementary and middle school-level site was created through a partnership between the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University in Atlanta, the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester in New York, and the Dallas Museum of Art. The collaborative project highlights the ancient history and artifacts of the Near East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Africa. The site attempt to answer the question: What practices or characteristics define a civilization? By clicking on pictures of artifacts for each area of the world, kids can interact with the items that inform scientists about ancient cultures. The site contains information on people, mythology of the different cultures, ritual and ceremony, daily life, death and burial, writing, and archeology. Some complicated words on the site have a sound button that students can click to hear the word to hear the word pronounced. This is a perfect place for social studies students and world civilization teachers to investigate different cultures, the artifacts they created, and the legacy they left behind.

Navajo Code Talkers: World War II Fact Sheet: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-2.htm
Navajo code talkers took part in every assault the U.S. Marines conducted in the Pacific from 1942 to 1945, transmitting messages by telephone and radio in their native language -- a code that the Japanese
never broke. This is a great example of language skills that played a role in history.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: Foreign Language (General), History & Social Studies (U.S.History)

Mountain Voices: http://www.mountainvoices.org/
How does development affect individuals in different countries? Oral testimonies have been gathered from communities in the Himalaya, the Andes, the Sierra Norte, Mount Elgon, the highlands of Ethiopia and Lesotho, China, the Sudety mountains and the Karakorum mountains. Students can learn of the past and present of many native peoples in the world, as well as the realities of the global economy in these regions.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School, College
Content Area: History & Social Studies (World History/Geography), Science (Environmental Studies)

Rosa Parks
On December 1, 1955, African-American Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give her bus seat to a white passenger. One year later, on December 20, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated bus seating illegal. During that year, the forty-two year old Montgomery seamstress lead a peaceful bus boycott that became a model for other civil rights protests.
Girl Power: Rosa Parks: http://www.girlpower.gov/girlarea/gpguests/RosaParks.htm
This single page Rosa Parks feature is published by Girl Power, a public education campaign of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help encourage nine to fourteen-year-old girls to make the most of their lives. Learn how Parks became "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" and how she is still fighting the good fight against prejudice and discrimination.
Montgomery Bus Boycott: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/3515/montg.html
High-school student Lee Schneider (from Stoughton High School in Massachusetts) created this great Montgomery Bus Boycott slide-show as part of his larger Civil Rights Web site. Each page is illustrated with photos At the end of the slide show, you'll have a chance to return to front page, and peruse "Preconditions to Racial Change," "Brown vs. Board of Education," and "Malcolm X."
My Story: Rosa Parks: http://teacher.scholastic.com/rosa/
The Rosa Parks chapter of Scholastic's online exhibit "Culture & Change: Black History in America" includes a Parks interview and in-depth coverage of the bus boycott and the 1956 Supreme Court ruling that declared Montgomery's segregation laws unconstitutional. How would you feel in Park's shoes? Submit your essay for possible online publication (look for the orange Online Publishing button) and read comments from other kids (the link to Read Kids' Writing is only on the submission page.)
Teachers Packet: Riding the Bus - Taking a Stand: http://www.archives.state.al.us/teacher/rights.html
Although this collection of lesson plans from the Alabama Department of Archives and History is targeted at teachers, the information and primary sources it contains are valuable for anyone wanting to understand the history of the civil rights movement. Follow the link to Riding the Busand find original scanned documents. These include a page from the Montgomery City Code (Section 10: Segregation of Races Required) and half a dozen newspaper articles. Don't miss "Integrated Bus Suggestions" co-authored by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and distributed after the Supreme Court ruling by the Montgomery Improvement Association.
Time 100: Rosa Parks: http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/parks01.html
Time Magazine names Rosa Parks as one of the "Heroes and Icons" of the twentieth century. The story told here about her historic Montgomery bus ride reveals a bit of behind-the-scenes politics that is rarely told. Parks was not the first Montgomery black to be arrested for refusing to cede a bus seat to a white rider; she was the third. It was Parks' beyond-reproach standing in the community (she was married and employed) and her political savvy (she was involved with the local N.A.A.C.P.) that made her case the perfect one to test the legality of Montgomery's bus segregation.

POP Goes Antarctica: http://literacynet.org/polar/pop/html/project.html
What does it take to be a scientist on Antarctica? How do you sterilize lab equipment? Students explore this website to find out about Antarctica and the work being done there to study Persistent Organic Pollutants. Student activities really try to put students in the real world of this project.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School Content Area: Science (Life Science/Environmental Studies)[Dewey #570], History & Social Studies (Geography), Mathematics (Measurement)

Lesson Plans: http://www.geo.appstate.edu/ncga/lessonplans.html
The North Carolina Geographic Alliance has provided an excellent resource on Afghanistan for teachers. The NCGA web site has a slide show on Afghanistan.

The Civil War
More than 600,000 Americans gave their lives for their country in the Civil War (1861-1865); more than any other war in our history. Although the North prevailed over the South, the grief and bitterness caused by the violence healed very slowly.
Africans in America: The Civil War: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4narr5.html
Africans in America is a PBS multi-part history of slavery in America, and is my pick of the day. Each part consists of a narrative, a resource list and a teacher's guide. The Civil War (covering 1831 to 1865) is the forth and final part of the series. Upper elementary and middle-school students will find
the narrative has sufficient depth for them. High school students (and adults) will enjoy the depth of the resource list that includes modern commentary in addition to historical primary sources.
Camp Life: Civil War Collections from Gettysburg: http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/gettex/
Step back in time, and try to imagine yourself a soldier in the Civil War. Where do you sleep? How do you pass the time? What personal items did you bring from home? Camp Life reveals the daily life of both Union and Confederate soldiers with an online exhibition of common everyday items. Learn what a "housewife" is, and why infantrymen were only issued half a tent. By focusing on these simple, useful items, the Gettysburg National Military Park gives us unique insight into the life of a Civil War soldier.
Civil War for Kids: http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/civilwar/cwar.htm
Last year, the students in Mrs. Huber's class at Pocantico Hills School in Sleepy Hollow, New York studied the Civil War, and then created a fabulous Web site summarizing everything they learned. The best clicks for elementary-age students are the illustrated Timeline, The Emancipation Proclamation, Uniforms, and the Biographies of Civil War Leaders.
The History Place: Civil War: http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/
The History Place presents the Civil War as an illustrated time line from Lincoln's election (November 6, 1860) to the ratification of the thirteenth amendment and the official end to American slavery (December 6, 1865.) Sometimes shorter is sweeter, and this single page synopsis hits the high points, and is an easy place to get key Civil War dates for school reports. Click on the underlined links or thumbnails to view the photographs.
The Time of the Lincolns: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/
The Time of the Lincolns is a companion Web site to the PBS television special Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided. It is a rich site for middle and high-schoolers that explores not just the Civil War, but also women's rights, slavery, abolition, politics and the growth of the industrial economy.
Best clicks are the primary sources, such as newspaper excerpts, letters and diaries; and the Technology Gallery that features the "new technologies that brought about sweeping changes in the
nation's economy" such as the Whitney cotton gin and the steam engine. The teacher's guide includes lesson plans in history, economics, geography, and civics.

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial -- Lincoln City, Indiana: http://www.nps.gov/libo/index.htm
When you are a great president, the places where you lived all become important. People want to visit those to try to learn how they influenced the man. Abraham Lincoln, the16th president, was born in Kentucky. When he was seven years old, his family moved to a pioneer homestead in Indiana. Lincoln spent fourteen years there, growing up, losing his mother and becoming a man. The site recreates a typical homestead with a cabin, outbuildings, farm animals, gardens, and crop fields. Costumed rangers perform activities typical of the 1820's.

Wyoming Territorial Prison -- Laramie, Wyoming: http://www.wyoprisonpark.org/
The arrival of the railroad in Wyoming meant a boom in population, including some undesirable elements. Therefore, one of the five territorial prisons in the U.S. was constructed there in 1872. Among its "residents" was the famed Butch Cassidy (but without the Sundance Kid). The prison became a state penitentiary in 1890 and was closed in 1903. The building was turned over to the University of Wyoming for use as an experimental stock farm before becoming a museum. A tour of the prison will give the visitor a glimpse of the life in an old western penitentiary, from the guards' point of view as well as the prisoners'.

White House Sites
National Geographic: Inside the White House
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/96/whitehouse/whhome.html
"First day on the job! You got the nomination, you campaigned, you won. Then you took the oath of office, made the first speech of your administration, and danced the night away. But now it's morning in America -- time to face the Oval Office. It's YOUR chance to be President of the United States. Let's see how you do." Other fun clicks include silly things White House children have done (go to Kids) or the clickable map of the White House neighborhood (choose Mapping.) Teachers will like the grade-level classroom activities found under Learn More.
Official White House Site: http://www.whitehouse.gov
Serving as the home page for the United States president, the White House Web site is a mix of politics and history. Politics is covered with presidential photo montages, an archive of speeches and press briefings, and presidential policy statements on topics such as education and tax reform. History is found in the Blue Room (look for History & Tours.) Here you can join an online tour of the White House; learn about its past residents; and view a small portion of the White House's art collection.
White House for Kids: http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/
In a tradition started with the Clinton administration, kids are welcomed to the White House by the first pets: Spotty and Barney (the Bush's dogs), India (their cat) and Ofelia (a longhorn cow.) And no, Ofelia does not live in the White House, but rather on President Bush's Texas ranch. Includes Spotty's tour of the White House ( "The White House is larger than any dog house I've ever seen, that's for sure." ) and the biographies of the President, First Lady, Vice-President, and Mrs. Cheney. Which lead one to wonder if Mrs. Bush is the First Lady, why isn't the Vice-President's wife called the Second Lady?
White House Historical Society: http://www.whitehousehistory.org/
For students of all ages. Reasons to visit include the fabulous White House tour (requires the Flash plug-in); White House history and time line; Photographer's Gallery; White House statistics and Q&A (look under Did You Know and the Spotlight Questions Archive), a selection of printable coloring pages (found under Visiting), desktop wallpaper (look under Association) and the great selection of lesson plans for teachers and homeschoolers (access them in the Learning Center.)
White House in Miniature: http://www.nbm.org/Exhibits/The_White_House.html
"John and Jan Zweifel and a dedicated corps of family and friends have spent more than 500,000 hours over 38 years building this 50-foot [White House] replica. On a scale of one foot to one inch, every piece of furniture is hand carved, every rug is hand stitched, and every wall is hand painted." Since 1976, an estimated 43 million visitors have seen this miniature, which includes private White House rooms not on the public tour. Each year the Zweifels update the decorative details in their White House miniature to reflect changes made to its life-size twin.

National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, Selma, Alabama: http://www.voterights.org/
The National Voting Rights Museum and Institute was founded by survivors of America's "Bloody Sunday" massacre. Its objective is to honor those civil rights supporters and educate visitors about their fight for the right to vote. The emphasis is on the three marches that took place in March 1965. The first attempt to reach the capitol, on March 7, finished in violence against the marchers. At the last one, 25,000 marchers finally arrived in Montgomery on March 25. Five months later, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The act changed the political landscape of the country by changing the demographics of the voting population -- and of our elected officials.

Food and Agricultures of the World: http://museum.agropolis.fr/english/default.htm
Agropolis-Museum is a Science Center with three online exhibitions: The History of Food and Agriculture, Farmers and Farming over the World, and the Banquet de l'Humanité. Visitors will find a global perspective of agriculture and the foods consumed by people in different nations. This site is available in both English and French.
Grade Level: Middle School, High School
Content Area: Science (Life Science), Vocational Education (Agriculture)

A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/experience/index.html
How does a government balance human rights with a need for national security? This question is explored in an online exhibit from the Smithsonian. Immigration, Removal, Internment, Loyalty, Service and Justice are the areas available for viewing, with a special area for reflection by visitors. Classroom Activities are found under the Resources link at the bottom of the page.
Grade Level: Middle School, High School, College, Adult/Professional Content Area: History & Social Studies (U.S. History/Human Rights)

Online News for Kids and Teachers: http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/WCE/archives/newskids.htm
This tour takes you to exemplary newspaper sites for students and teachers, as well as to online news magazines, news sites sponsored by television networks, and some interesting sites students can
use to increase their knowledge about current events throughout the world.

The Freedom Timeline: http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/11-2001/11152001a.html
This Timeline spans 1777 to 1948 & includes stories about a Quaker woman who, in 1777, learned of a sneak attack at Valley Forge & warned General Washington's troops; how Harriet Tubman liberated 300 slaves through the Underground Railroad; France's gift to the U.S. -- the Statue of Liberty; how the March of Dimes contributed to a cure for polio & liberated Americans from the fear of this disease; & U.S. efforts to provide humanitarian aid to the people of war-torn Berlin in 1948 by dropping food from airplanes. The Timeline was added to the White House website for kids during Veterans Awareness Week (November 12-16, 2001) in hopes of extending opportunities to learn about liberty, democracy, & freedom throughout the year.

Oyez Baseball: http://baseball.oyez.org/
Stretch those critical thinking skills a little. Players try to answer questions about similarities between Supreme Court Justices from the United States and baseball players. Perfect for team play; some students might possess a basic knowledge of well-known baseball players while others might know more about the historical and sometimes colorful figures of the Supreme Court.
Grade Level: High School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area: History & Social Studies (U.S. History), Community Interest (Government)

"The American Jury: Bulwark of Democracy": http://www.crfc.org/americanjury/index.html is designed to help students, teachers, & citizens understand the American jury system & its role in American legal, social, & political life. It features lessons, information, & resources developed by the
Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago with high school teachers & in cooperation with national experts & scholars on the jury system.

Hezzie Goes to War: World War I through the Eyes of a Mid-Missourian: http://coas.missouri.edu/anthromuseum/pattrickwwi
For students that communicate with servicemen abroad, parallels can be drawn between current world conflicts and conflicts of the past. This website gives some insight into one soldier's experiences during World War I. A past Blue Web'n pick, Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War at http://www.ucsc.edu/civil-war-letters/home.html, can provide a view from another time.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: English(Writing), History & Social Studies (U.S. History)

"Federal Reserve Education": http://www.federalreserveeducation.org describes the history & structure of the Federal Reserve, the central bank of the U.S. founded by Congress in 1913 to provide a safer, more flexible, & more stable monetary & financial system. The site examines the Federal
Reserve's monetary policy, its services & products, & its role in supervising banks. Lessons, quizzes, newsletters, & a teachers' guide are among the instructional resources on the site, designed
to supplement high school & college economics & social studies classes. The site also provides an order form for "The Fed Today" video & links to interactive sites showing images of currency at
points in our nation's history, the change in the value of a dollar since 1913, & more.

"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution": http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/ is an introduction to the French Revolution & an archive of important documentary evidence from the Revolution, including more than 300 texts, nearly 250 images, & a number of maps & songs. Ten
essays explore the major topics in the history of the revolution, including its social causes, the fall of the monarchy, women & the revolution, the story of Napoleon, & the legacies of the Revolution.

"The Roman Empire in the First Century,": http://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/ the companion website for a film by the same title, looks at the leaders, soldiers, poets, & philosophers, as well as society & daily life in this empire that rose from the chaos of civil war "to embrace hundreds of cultures & till the soil from which western civilization would grow." It includes 8 lessons, a timeline, & an "Emperor of Rome" game.

"School: The Story of American Public Education": http://www.pbs.org/kcet/publicschool/ is the companion website for a documentary that chronicles the development of public education in America from the late 1770s to the 21st century. It provides photos, stories of innovators, & more.

"The Time of the Lincolns,": http://pbs.org/amex/lincolns/ a companion website to the film "Abraham & Mary Lincoln: A House Divided," examines the context & conflicts surrounding the Civil War. Topics include the partisan politics of the time, the battle for abolition, the Underground Railroad, African American troops, & women's rights. The site offers soldiers' letters, newspaper articles, & other primary sources, along with a teacher's guide.

"Updating the Lewis & Clark Journals": http://www.nwrel.org/teachlewisandclark/home.html represents an effort to document today's views of selected Lewis & Clark journal entries using the methods & standards of 21st century scientists & scholars. Among topics examined by students: the Teton Incident (a meeting between Lewis & Clark & Teton Sioux), mapping instruments of the expedition, & Nez Perce Appaloosa horses.

Buffalo Bill Historic Center: http://www.bbhc.org/
Along with an exploration of both the private and the public lives of Cody, the museum is an interpretation of his story in the bigger context of the frontier-era American West. At the same time rich in history and myth, Buffalo Bill's story is at the heart of the Wild West and well worth the trip.

The Canadian West: http://www.archives.ca/05/0529/052901_e.html
How did Westward expansion play out in what is now the Canadian provinces? Access early maps that show European cartographers' best guesses at the western lands. Learn how the fur trade and scientific expeditions impacted the future of the land and the peoples living there then witness the urbanization and industrialization of Canada in the 1920s.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School
Content Area: History & Social Studies (World History)

Online news for kids
New York Times Learning Network: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/
With news, activities and lesson plans for grades three through high-school, the New York Times Learning Network has something for everyone, news summaries, daily news quiz, the interactive crossword puzzle with educational Web links, Word of the Day (with sample usage from the newspaper) and On this Day (with a snapshot of an historic New York Times front page.)
Online NewsHour: Extra for Students: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/
From the PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Extra for Students is the place to visit for outstanding news features that take a deeper look at current events (including biological weapons and terrorism.) To learn how other kids are reacting to the news, visit the Student Buzz section where your comments are welcomed and posted. Teachers have a section all their own with lesson plans on Afghanistan and other germane topics.
PencilNews for Kids: http://www.msnbc.com/local/pencilnews/
PencilNews from MSNBC brings us daily news snippets, sports coverage and short features that are perfect for elementary students. Be sure to scroll down below the opening graphic (which only links to four or five articles) to view Top News headlines and Pencil Reports (such as History of Halloween or San Francisco Solar Power.) There's also a Weekly News Quiz (it's not interactive, you'll need to print it out) and a monthly calendar of interesting historic anniversaries.
Scholastic Newszone: http://teacher.scholastic.com/newszone/
Well-designed and well-written, Junior Scholastic Online is for news hungry elementary students. Junior Scholastic Online combines original reporting with an interactive news quiz (ten multiple-choice questions about the week's current events), a NewsZone RealAudio Radio broadcast, and an opinion poll ("Should pitchers have intentionally walked Barry Bonds?") Some of the content is only for Junior Scholastic print subscribers, but there is plenty for free, including a Special Report on America Responds.
Time for Kids: http://www.timeforkids.com/
Time for Kids is my pick of the day because covers the tough issues such as the war on terrorism, along with sports, fun features and challenging games. Time for Kids can be navigated from the front page, the pop-up scrolling news headlines, or through the grade-sorted archive of the three English and two Spanish editions. Best bet games for learning include Famous Face Offs (match the newsmakers' names with their head shots) and Trivia Time Machine (finish famous headlines from the twentieth century.)

50 States: http://www.50states.com/ is a fun collection of state facts, trivia and links. If you are trying to memorize the state capitals or postal abbreviations, you can quiz yourself from the list of states on the home page. To see the answers, linger your mouse over the manilla folder next to each state. Other quirky highlights include a link to each state's most famous permanent residents (those in graves), links to each state's license plates (current and historical) and live Web cams from each state.

Explore the States: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es
The purpose of this Library of Congress site is "to have fun with history while learning at the same time." Each state is introduced with a single paragraph overview, but the meat of the site is the tales called Local Legacies. Last year, in celebration of the Library's 200th birthday, more than 1,300 events, crafts, and customs representing traditional American community life were documented with stories and photographs. America's Library is an online collection of these Local Legacies. While you're poking around, be sure to try the Treasure Hunt.

Discovery School's State Assemmbly:: http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/stateassembly/
Powered by Word Book, Discovery School's State Assembly is the perfect place to begin your state research report. In addition to sections on Land/Climate, Economy, Government, History, People and a Visitor's Guide, you'll get an interactive state map, and plenty of tables summarizing the state's statistics. For best printing results, look for the "Print This Article" button below the article outline. And just like the print encyclopedia, each state includes links to related World Book articles, study questions, and a list of recommended books.

FactFinder Kids Corner: http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/kids/kids.html
When you need statistics about the American population, who ‘ya gonna call? The US Census Bureau, of course. Although created specifically for kids, many may find these easy-to-access statistics useful. Simply choose a state to view Fun Facts from the 1990 and 2000 census neatly arranged in a single table. Did you know that during this time frame, the average age of a Californian increased from thirty-one years old to thirty-three.

"What Is an American?": http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/99/american/intro.html invites students to read life histories from the interviews of everyday Americans conducted between 1936-1940 & consider to what extent Jean de Crevecoeur's definition of an American holds true today. In "Letters from an American Farmer," published in 1782, Crevecoeur wrote that an American, if he were "honest, sober & industrious," prospered in a welcoming land of opportunity.

Are you longing for days gone by? Have you been trying to remember what year what events take place? Wonder no more because Science and History writer Hank Mulder has been putting all the pieces together. Visit his site to learn more about years gone by. From the 40s and the 50s to the 60s
and the 70s, it's all here...
http://trivia.about.com/library/weekly/mpreviss.htm

Atlas-Xpeditions: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html
Printable black-outline maps are available for continents, countries, and statescan be chosen to print from this site. It is part of the National Geographic website.

Women in the Revolution
By Denis Mueller
Source: A People's History of the American Revolution, Ray Raphael.
The American revolution impacted everybody, even those not directly involved in the battles. Rich women had to deal with fewer luxuries and farmer's wives were left to attend to the farms. This left only poorer women, with no other means of support, to become what can be described as "camp
followers." They served the army as cooks, washerwomen and carried messages. These women joined the army because they had few other options.
Many came with their boyfriends and ended up doing traditional chores for the army. Officers of the army were not quite sure what to do with them. With rations in short supply, it was difficult to allocate provisions for these women, but they could not let them starve.
Camp followers made valuable contributions to the effort. There were many young boys in Washington's army and most of them lacked hygiene skills. They were teenagers who needed
women to keep their clothes clean and their gear maintained, otherwise, diseases would flourish and the boys could become infected. One observer commented:
"Many of the Americans have sickened and died of the dysentery, brought upon them in a great measure through an inattention to cleanliness. When at home, their female relations put them upon washing their hands and faces, and keeping themselves neat and clean; but, being absent from such monitors, through an indolent, heedless turn of mind, they have neglected the means of health, have grown filthy, and poisoned their constitution by nastiness." General Washington felt, however, that there were too many women in the army. He banned them from riding in the wagons with the soldiers. Despite Washington's objections, women continued to ride in the wagons. When Washington rode into Philadelphia, he wanted the women out of sight, but the women ignored Washington and rode with the soldiers.
Camp followers suffered many of the same risks and hardships as the teenage soldiers did. Those who carried things and served as messengers for the army were as likely to be shot as their male counterparts. When smallpox hit the camps, they died as well. These heroines suffered much and received very little.
Despite their help they ranked on the very bottom of the social scale. While the poor soldiers were thankful for their help, the richer officers were not. They were described by the officers as "the ugliest in the world to be collected."
Some camp followers helped the army in other ways. Deborah Chapman, 22 years old, carried intelligence dispatches for the General. Others rode through the night to tell the militiamen that the British were on the way. They guarded their homes and often hid soldiers from the British.
A few women even disguised themselves as men so they could fight. Others carried water to the thirsty soldiers. The war could not have been won without their help. After the war, there were no pensions for them. They were cast away and forgotten. History tells the story of generals, but there were no generals as dedicated as these women were. These ill fed, poorly clothed and often destitute women served their country well. We should remember them.

"The Lost Museum": http://www.ashp.cuny.edu/LM/ explores P.T. Barnum's American Museum, which epitomized popular entertainment & education in the U.S. for nearly a quarter of a century. The museum -- which also articulated major issues confronting American culture, society, & politics -- was
destroyed in 1865 in one of the most spectacular fires in New York City's history.

"Children in Urban America": http://134.48.55.172:8000/cuap/index.html shows how children experienced city life during the last century & a half. The site features hundreds of documents & images about children in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, drawn from newspapers, government, & other official records, oral histories & memoirs, & other sources.

Trying to find out something really specific about Ann Arbor, Michigan, or Tulsa, Oklahoma, or any other specific city/area? Here are some ideas for locating region-specific info online:
Online directories, Yahoo! for example, have sections devoted to local information.
Many newspapers have their own Web sites with information about their service areas.
Most states and many cities in the U.S. have extensive Web sites. You can guess the URL for almost any city or state by using the following template. (The XX in the following URLs is where you need to supply the appropriate two-letter postal code):
For larger US cities: www.ci.cityname.XX.us
For states: www.statename.XX.us

No Trivial Matter: http://historymedren.about.com/library/weekly/aa061400a.htm
You've heard some odd things about life in the Middle Ages -- is any of it true? Take a look at some questionable medieval factoids and the importance of getting the details right.

Edward S. Curtis's North American Indian: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html is one of the most significant & controversial representations of American Indian culture ever produced. Issued in a limited edition from 1907-1930, the publication continues to influence the image of Indians in popular culture. In over 2000 photos & narrative, Curtis portrayed the traditional customs & lifeways of 80 Indian tribes.

The Empire That Was Russia: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/empire/ shows photographs of a lost world -- the Russian Empire on the eve of World War I & the coming revolution. Medieval churches & monasteries, railroads & factories, & daily life & work of Russia's diverse population are among the subjects. The photos were taken by Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1863-1944), who, in the early 1900s, formulated a plan for a photographic survey of the Russian Empire that won the support of Nicholas II. Between 1909-1912, & again in 1915, he completed surveys of 11 regions, traveling in a specially equipped railroad car provided by the Ministry of Transportation.

History Firsthand: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/lessons/97/firsthand/main.html is designed to help elementary students understand primary sources. Students learn how archival collections are organized, how to interpret artifacts & documents, how to use primary sources to tell a story, & how to do online research.

History & Politics Out Loud: http://www.hpol.org/ offers a collection of audio materials -- some available for the first time -- capturing significant political & historical events & personalities of the 20th century. Materials range from formal speeches to private phone conversations conducted from the White House. Speakers include Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Martin Luther King, Richard Nixon, & others.

The New Deal Stage: Selections from the Federal Theatre Project, 1935-1939: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/collections/stage/ndintro.html includes photographs, stage & costume designs, & notebooks pertaining to productions of "Macbeth," "The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus," & "Power," a topical drama of the period. Full scripts for 68 other plays are also available, along with administrative records of the Federal Theatre Project.

Harriet Tubman House: http://www.nyhistory.com/harriettubman/index.htm
the "Moses" of African-Americans led her people to and through the heart of New York state. As a teenager, Harriet Tubman had her skull fractured by an overseer on a Maryland plantation because she had helped a slave make his escape. As a young adult, she ran off to Philadelphia, where she found a job cooking and washing dishes. After she made it north, her determination grew to help others out of bondage. In 19 trips returning to the south, Tubman brought more than 300 slave to freedom. she eventually settled in Auburn, where one stop on the Underground Railroad for ex-slaves was the home of William H. Seward, a Tubman friend and a leader of the abolitionist movement who was a New York governor and later secretary of state for President Abraham Lincoln. The Underground Railroad was a secret network of hideouts for escaped slaves who were dodging bounty hunters seeking to return them to bondage. After the Civil War, Tubman bought land on the outskirts of Auburn and established a retirement home for former slaves.
from New York Teacher, Volume XLII, Number 11, Febriaru 28. 2001

Planet Project: http://students.planetproject.com/en/home.html
this site lets your students find out how students in other cultures and countries live: places where speaking three languages is not only normal but expected, where elephants walk alongside traffic, where people are so used to the cold they wear bathing suits when they play in the snow. From November 15 - December 7, 2001, the Planet Project made history by becoming the largest poll, reaching people from more countries and cultures than has ever been attempted. 1.2 million people from more than 250 countries took the poll, answering questions about what it's like to be a human being at the beginning of the millennium. The results of this survey could provide a great jumping-off point for teachers interested in creating discussion about foreign cultures, world events, technology, and demographics.

Youthline USA: http://www.youthline-usa.com/
Youthline USA is a daily internet news site, weekly newspaper, and monthly magazine, packed with educational and entertaining content and designed for kids ages 8 - 14. The site provides daily news articles and curriculum-based activities that focus on strengthening reading excellence, while helping kids develop good habits such as checking eMail, stock portfolios, and daily news. The site helps teach students about the working habits that are required to succeed in business through an innovative stock market game, and it provides interactive activities linked to national standards and organized by grade level. Youthline USA allows for further research and background information using the news archive, and it keeps students coming back every day for daily puzzles and riddles, weekly pools an interactive games. It's a great site for use of early-grade social studies classes or for currents events lesson-planning.

Levi Coffin State Historic Site: http://www.state.in.us/ism/sites/levicoffin/
This site tells about the life of a runaway slave and a family who helped 2000 slaves escape to freedom.

The National Portrait Gallery: http://www.npg.si.edu/index.htm
Take a trip to this virtual museum, which is part of the Smithsonian. You can view portraits in detail and zoom in and out for a better look or perspective. A bibliography of each person is included. The current exhibits are fascinating and informative, as are the permanent collections.

AFRICAN AMERICAN SLAVE QUILTS: http://www.kinderart.com/across/afamslavequilt.htm
Students learn about the Underground Railroad and how quilts played an important role in the freedom of many people. This site has links to schools that have made quilts and other interesting sites.

The Old West Web Ride: www.theoldwestwebride.com features stories and links related to the American West. The Yarn Spinners section features classic tales as well as newer ones, and you can find out about gunslingers, cowboys, and lawmen. The American Indian section features myths, poetry, and biographies, and you can find stories and links that relate to prominent Western women, including Mary Fields, Willa Cather, and Calamity Jane. To find out more about the times these people lived in, check out the timeline, which gives you an overview of significant events in each decade's history during the 1800s.

The New York State Civilian Conservation Corps Museum is online at: www.nyscccmuseum.com. The NYSCCC museum Web page offers information and photos of the New Deal work program for unemployed youths. The museum is located at Gilbert Lake State Park in Laurens, Otsego County, New York.

The Degree Conluence Project: www.confluence.org
Back in 1995, Alex Jarrett came up with an idea that "organized sampling of the world", composed of photographs and essays from nearly 12,000 degree confluences - those points on world maps where latitude and longitude lines intersect. This site offers an awe-inspiring photographic tour of the planet, from the rolling hills of New Zealand to the snowdrifts of Antarctica and more than 600 points in between.

In the center of modern London, there is a medieval castle the very name of which was enough to strike terror into the hearts of the bravest men..." so speaks Tony Strafford, a retired sergeant major in the British army, to the accompaniment of gloriously spooky organ music in his introduction to Tales From the Tower" on the Tower of London site: www.tower-of-london.com. Produced by Camelot International and the yeoman warders, the uniformed attendants of the Tower, the site, one of many prison sites online, compresses 900 years of bloody history into a rousing royal tour. Mr. Strafford, who has been a yeoman warder since 1986, has reproduced online tracks from his CD about the Tower. The travelogue takes the viewer from 1078, when William the Conqueror authorized the building of the White Tower, to the present. There are sections on famous prisoners, famous executions and ghost stories (the music here includes screams of the undead). There is also a section on the ravens. At least six ravens are always kept at the Tower because of a prophecy of doom for England if they ever left. This is a vast Web site, with 360-degree streaming panoramas and an 11-part virtual tour, and the crown jewels. So, back to the prisoners. They include Sir Thomas More, Anne Boleyn, the future Elizabeth I (on orders of Mary Tudor) and Rudolf Hess, the deputy Fuhrer, who was held there during World War II after his abortive flight to Scotland. a sampling from the Tower's book of prisoners starts with Ralph de Flambard (extortion) in 1100 (he escaped by rope and fled to Normandy) through "seven cartloads of prisoners" captured at a surrendered castle in 1221 (killed), past sir William Wallace, his name be praised in the Highlands, and his noble friend Sir Simon Fraser (both hanged, drawn, quartered and them some), and on through Guy Fawkes and Sir Walter Raleigh, who on the chopping block, said, "'Tis a sharp remedy, but a sure cure for all ills."
The United States has its own, less glamorous, prison history, at www.notfrisco.com/prisonhistory/index.html. It illustrates the Quaker and other American influences that favored prisons as an alternative to exile, torture or death. There is a glossary of prison terms and an index of nicknames, from Willie Sutton, who was called the Actor, to Nathaniel Ellsworth Wyatt, a robber known as Zip. the site's links to penitentiaries and Civil War prison camps includes the National Park Service site on Alcatraz, and other historical sites on Alcatraz, with accounts of attempted escapes and notorious prisoners. There is a history of the electric chair and a list of all its occupants at Sing Sing from 1891 to 1963. a site for the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia includes a lengthy virtual tour of the former prison, which was notorious both for its fortress like appearance and it harsh 19th-century confinement: www.libertynet.org/~e-state. You can even take a brief tour of the Lubyanka, the Soviet-era prison and K.G.B. headquarters at www.globalspy.com/lubyanka.htm. Perhaps the most moving of all prison sites on the Web is that for Robben Island, seven and a half miles off Cape Town, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for more that 18 of his 27 years of confinement, along with other opponents of South Africa's apartheid government. Some of the prisoners are profiled on the site: www.robben-island.org.za. One photo shows prisoners in neat rows in the courtyard, each with his pile of rocks to break. "The light in each site says, "'Coloured,' 'Indian' and African prisoners received different diets." Yet the prisoners could briefly talk to each other and gradually got permission to study. "They turned the maximum security prison into a university of the ant-apartheid struggle." Since 1997 the prison has been a museum. There is a feeling of awe and even elation at clicking on a page listing regular tour hours, and a page about the bird life and vegetation. on a site devoted to what used to be symbol of barbarity.

American History by the Letter: http://americanhistory.si.edu/notkid/nmabc.htm
There is no better way to learn about what life was like in America's past than to peruse through the objects and artifacts that people once used. This online exhibit by the National Museum of American History allows students to study some material objects that once were prevalent throughout our country at specific periods in time. Although not as extensive as an encyclopedia, the site is an excellent starting point for more detailed investigations into America's past. You can even link to the museum's virtual exhibition page.

Harcourt Brace Social Studies Center: http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/harcourt_brace_social_studies.html
For great lessons on America's social history from its ancient civilizations to modern times, log on to Harcourt Brace's excellent center for social studies. In addition to learning about the history of the nation as a whole, students can magnify their research to focus on the social history of certain states and regions. To supplement the site's numerous and diverse lessons, you and your students can find links to various Smithsonian museums that offer a more in-depth look through the use of virtual exhibits.

TREASURES OF THE STEAMBOAT ARABIA: http://www.1856.com/home.html There is a little museum in Kansas City of a steamboat that was buried in mud from the 1850s and has been unearthed with most things aboard intact.

Mr. Dowling's Electronic Passport: http://www.mrdowling.com/
If you don't already know about Mr. Dowling's virtual classroom, be sure to bookmark this site immediately. History and geography teachers can easily comb through the multitude of locales found here and instantly come up with engaging content and pictures of not only geographical features, but prominent social issues as well. The information on global destinations is so extensive that it often covers themes on prehistory to the present. In addition, be sure to take advantage of downloadable lesson plans, notes, and homework assignments or find interesting sound bytes featuring Mr. Dowling's own voice.

You Be The Historian: http://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/springer/, an online activity from the Smithsonian Institution, provides students the opportunity to examine objects from a family that lived in Delaware in the eighteenth century. Students develop critical-thinking skills by trying to glean facts from documentary and material evidence.

As most of the United States has witnessed this winter, the Earth can sometimes be harsh and largely unpredictable. Have your students learn about the Earth's up-to-the-minute natural occurrences to supplement their science research projects by logging on to Earth Alert. Discovery.com's Earth Alert keeps tabs on the pulse of the planet by tracking Mother Nature's events at every possible location and at all times. Log on to
http://www.discovery.com/news/earthalert/earthalert.html for a wealth of current awe-inspiring events.

History: Daily Life in Ancient Rome: http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Romelife.html
Are your students interested in learning about ancient Rome or do they realize the extent to which this society affects modern civilization? To tackle these issues go to this highly educational site to find in-depth descriptions of everyday ancient Roman life and links for great ideas on history lesson plans and activities. Your students can find information from family life and foods to Roman architecture, art, and literature. Also, try out some
great ideas for lesson plans on Roman numerals or the Roman alphabet.

Social Studies: Ben's Guide (3-5) to U.S. Government: http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/index.html
Are your students intimately aware of how laws are made and do they know about this country's founding documents? Make sure that they continually tune in to Ben's Guide as a supplement to learning U.S. history. Among its massive contents, this site gives information on the processes involved in making laws and provides a concise description
of how our government works. Your students can learn, most importantly, the basic mechanics of government -- how the different branches of government interact to decide on rules for our society.

Multiculturalpedia: http://www.netlaputa.ne.jp/~tokyo3/e/
Your students might live for their everyday routine, but allow them to get a new perspective on their own habits by understanding how other people around the world live their lives every day. And while kids here understand that certain life milestones like birthdays and moving up a grade mark the process of growing up, do they know how people celebrate life's events throughout the world? Multiculturalpedia lets your students read about how people from many parts of the globe celebrate exceptional events and follow everyday wisdom.

History: U.S. History Dictionary: http://www.sprocketworks.com/shockwave/load.asp?SprMovie=ushistorydictionaryweb
A great reference site for students of U.S. history, this SprocketWorks site offers a dictionary of terms significant to this country's government. This site might not prime your students on major events in America's history, but used as a reference tool, it makes hitting the books a whole lot easier. This site is truly a painless way for your students to find out what conscription and eminent domain have to do with this country's history.

Building the Windy City: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002846/
Known as "the city of broad shoulders" and the Windy City, learn about how Chicago is also one of the world's premier architectural locations. Falling somewhere in between the
crowdedness of New York's skyline and Los Angeles' urban sprawl, Chicago is well known around the world for its wonderful architectural landmarks. Have your students read about some historic structures, the architects who built them, and explore a career in architecture at this ThinkQuest site.

African Voices: http://www.mnh.si.edu/africanvoices/
This online Smithsonian exhibit helps you show students the cultural wealth of the nations and communities that comprise Africa. The numerous exhibit rooms give students a glimpse into life in contemporary and historical Africa in the context of both global and local perspectives.

ABC News 4 Kids: http://abcnews.go.com/abcnews4kids/kids/index.html
Students can keep up on current events by visiting this great resource. Links to today's stories pop up a Flash tour, with descriptive blurbs on every page. Stories include the day's events, as well as quirky feature and human-interest stories, so it's just like watching the news on television. The benefit for students, however, is that they can search the comprehensive, monthly archives. While waiting for the Flash to load can be boring, the
content offered is worth it.

Mapping Activities: http://nesen.unl.edu/teacher/activities/mapping.html
The Nebraska Earth Science Education Network (NESEN) offers up this site, loaded with excellent lesson plans and projects about everything from astronomy to drought.
Students can also learn from the projects of other students, ranging from monitoring water chemistry to gauging the effect of soil composition on its fertility. The site also offers information on professional development for teachers.

National Budget Simulation: http://garnet.berkeley.edu:3333/budget/budget-1.html
Do your students think they could do a better job as president? This simulation allows them to attempt one of the head honcho's jobs: figuring out how to manage the budget. Students first learn about categories of spending, as well as inflation and other terminology. Then, they can play the short or long version of the game. The short version asks them to allot monies to various departments and interests, including the military, social security, and housing. The long version breaks those departments up into even smaller groups, making the "game" tougher. To top off the excellent premise, the site offers links to useful sites, like the "Citizens' Guide to the Federal Budget."

Supreme Court of the United States: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/index.html
If your students didn't get enough of the highest court in the land during the election, they'll enjoy this site. Students can read a brief overview of the court, or study its building's history, all in PDF format. For ambitious students, the site includes the rules of the court, as well as documents about the court's opinions over the years.

TeenAnalyst.com: http://www.youngmonthly.com/
This site can guide teens about what to do with all that money they're making working at the mall. Kids can learn about investing and topics including stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. With a focus on business news and tips for investing, this site seems to be for
kids who actually might make their money work for them. The site also includes a message board and a newsletter.

Eyewitness History: http://www.ibiscom.com/
Imagine what it was like to live through any point in history by reading first-hand accounts of the people of the past. This site is just like an online history book but it goes one step further: your students can access old photos, listen to voices of the past, and read personal narratives from critical points in history. Students can also read about the moods and perspectives of those who witnessed the unfolding of history's most storied events.

Social Studies: IPL Culture Quest World Tour: http://www.ipl.org/youth/cquest/
Why do we celebrate Presidents' Day? Why do we have museums dedicated to science and industry? Sometimes we can find out what is important to people by understanding
the objects that they preserve in museums or holidays they celebrate. February is filled with some important American holidays, but it is equally important to find out about
the ways of life of people around the globe. With Culture Quest your students can learn about global life by researching world holidays, foods, and the artifacts that people preserve in their museums. By looking at other cultures, your students can think critically about what is important to American life.

Ancient Stones of Scotland: http://www.stonepages.com/ancient_scotland/navigati.htm
This clean, well-designed site piques students' interest with a map of Scotland, dotted with sites of ancient stones. More impressive is the massive alphabetical list of all the sites, which links to pages containing photos of and quick facts about the locations. An equally extensive glossary includes both geological terminology and Scottish words. The site also includes a good bibliography.

Caleb Johnson's Mayflower Web Pages: http://members.aol.com/calebj/mayflower.html
Students of genealogy and celebrants of Thanksgiving will appreciate this site. Not only does it list the names of people who were on the Mayflower, it also supplements those lists with the historical documents of the day and the writings of pilgrims. The site also covers some infrequently taken paths, like discussing the lives of girls on the Mayflower, or what people wore.

Cold War: http://www.worldbook.com/ptrc/soc_science/html/coldwar.htm
If your students think that U2 is just a rock band, this site will help you teach them about a sometimes frightening, always politically loaded, time in history. The site presents an overview of the period, along with topics for research, including the Eisenhower doctrine,
containment, and the Spirit of Geneva. The most fascinating aspects of the site are the thought-provoking classroom scenarios in which students can participate. One, for instance, asks students to negotiate a disarmament treaty.

Napoleon: http://www.napoleon.org/index_flas.html is a comprehensive site providing information about the Napoleonic era. The site offers articles, timelines, genealogies, documents, links to other sites of interest, and a whole lot more. This is a rich, not-to-be-missed resource.

American Indians and the Natural World: http://www.clpgh.org/cmnh/exhibits/north-south-east-west/, from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, explores the Native American's relationship with the natural environment. The site offers profiles of four representative tribes: the Tlingit of coastal Alaska; the Hopi of the desert southwest; the Iroquois of the northeast; and the plains-dwelling Lakota. Each profile contains information about the culture, environment, and history of the tribe. Teaching resources are also available.

Voyagers Now and Then: http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/4347/
How do the explorers of the past differ from the explorers of the present? From one perspective, the voyagers of the past sought to uncover a mostly undiscovered Earth, while today's explorers have only space to uncover. This site compares what life was like on a 19th century maritime expedition to what life is like on a space-bound capsule.
Learn how the duties of the two different voyagers differ and how teamwork is central to both journeys.

Social Studies: Time of the Lincolns: Partisan Politics: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/politics/tl_tree.html
Partisan politics is a central feature of contemporary politics, but as this site shows, partisanship has long been a part of American history. Your students can learn about the historical events which comprised the building of this nation and how these events shaped the political landscapes of the day. By learning about how politics has unfolded through some of this country's crucial moments, your students can compare and contrast partisan politics of the past to those of the present.

Leif Ericsson: http://www.viking.no/e/people/leif/e-leiv.htm
Most people popularly believe that Christopher Columbus was the first European to discover America, but history often claims that seafaring Leif Ericsson was the true
American pioneer. This site is an illustrated account of how Leif Ericsson sailed to the shores of North America roughly 1000 years ago. Among the site's myriad learning
resources is a link to the story of a modern-day crew who retraced Ericsson's voyage in a 54-foot replica of a Viking ship.

Children's Posters on Tolerance: http://www.unesco.org/tolerance/children.htm
As a teacher, you likely find a handful of questions from students that are difficult to answer with complete clarity. One of those questions must surely be "Why do people carry prejudices and how does intolerance lead to some of history's most destructive conflicts?" At this United Nations-produced site, students can learn about the concept of tolerance and its positive outcomes. Additionally, students can download posters designed by their peers which promote the values of tolerance.

A Force More Powerful: http://www.pbs.org/weta/forcemorepowerful/
While the history of this century has seen its share of wars, it has also featured a number of powerful struggles that were devoid of violence, yet they demonstrated revolutionizing results. This PBS-produced site gives students the chance to explore some of history's most profound nonviolent protests that shaped the way we live today. Additionally, teachers will find an engaging series of lesson plans that take advantage of the powerful messages that follow these stories of peaceful conflict.

Pulse of the Planet: http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/pulseplanet/
Web sites that show diverse locations around the Earth are not that hard to find, but finding a site that allows you to experience the sounds of everyday life in far off places is next to impossible. Thankfully, with National Geographic's Pulse of the Planet, Web users are treated to two-minute sound clips featuring the rhythms of nature and culture worldwide. The sound bites are refreshed every weekday, and each month there is a feature article that provides detailed text to better explain the wealth of sounds.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization Web site: http://www.nato.int/ offers information about the structure and history of NATO, its members, the Alliance, and the latest NATO news. The site includes an online library, photographs, and links to other international organizations.

America's Story: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi provides fun and entertaining stories of America's past categorized into sections: Amazing Americans, Back in Time, Explore the States, America at Play, and See, Hear and Sing. This is a great reference tool from a great source: the Library of Congress.

The Geo-Images Project: http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/
Teachers of geography may often find that they lack a wide array of photographs to show students the rich contours of the earth. Thankfully, the Geo-Images Project fills the
void by providing links to wonderfully digitized images of some of the earth's most thrilling features. Find images ranging from daily life in Morocco to the bustling environs of Hong Kong.

Social studies educators are living and working in the middle of a revolution -- the emergence of the Internet as an integral part of education. This Digest summarizes ways that classroom teachers can combine the Internet with other instructional resources and methods. http://www.kidsource.com/education/teaching.ss.internet.html

Native American Geometry: http://earthmeasure.com/ examines the two thousand-year-old subject of proportional geometry, which was practiced by Native Americans and other ancient people around the world. Lesson plans and activities for students are available here.

Calendars from The Sky: http://webexhibits.org/calendars/index.html provides information for students and teachers on a variety of calendars and time-measurement systems in use as well as those that are no longer used. Students can learn about sundials, water clocks, Greenwich Mean Time, and lunar cycles on this site.

National Geographic's MapMachine: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/ offers a
wealth of detailed, searchable atlas maps. You will find dynamic maps showing topographical features, flags, facts and satellite images from space. You can also customize and print black-line maps, check out links to geographical data and learn about cartography.

On The Line: http://www.ontheline.org.uk/
This Oxfam-produced project lets students see how people in eight different countries on the meridian line share the same time of day while leading very different lives. Through this award-winning site your students can take virtual journeys through various African and European nations, and they can even immerse themselves in the everyday lives and languages of these host countries.

World Surfari: http://www.supersurf.com/
For more proof that kids dominate the Internet, this fabulous site is brought to you from the mind of 13-year-old Brian Giacoppo. Featuring virtual visits to locations around the globe, this site gives students a glimpse into different cultures, environments, and histories. The world destinations change every month so make sure your students visit exotic Gibraltar featured this month.

Anne Frank House: http://www.annefrank.nl/ is a multiligual site with images and information about brave little Anne Frank and the house and annex in which her family hid from 1942 to 1944. You can read the biographies of those who lived with and helped the Frank family. You can also peek into Anne's diary and find out what it was like to flee the Nazis, live in hiding, and be trapped in the concentration camps. Educational material is also available.

THE COLONIAL GAZETTE TIME TRAVEL WEBQUEST INTO COLONIAL AMERICA:
http://www.loelem.santacruz.k12.ca.us/classrooms/library/webquest.htm
This excellent webquest serves three main purposes: learning how people communicated in Colonial America; learning how to research information using the internet as the major resource; and lastly, organizing, creating, writing, and publishing your very own class colonial newspaper!

Geographic.org: http://www.theodora.com/wfb/abc_world_fact_book.html offers exhaustive notes about the various countries of the world. Learn about their flags, maps, economy, geography, climate, culture, and more. This is a very rich resource for social-studies teachers.

MIT's Invention Dimension: http://web.mit.edu/afs/athena.mit.edu/org/i/invent/ offers everything you ever wanted to know about American inventors, their lives, and their discoveries. You'll find an Inventor's Handbook, a highlighted inventor of the week, and links to other inventor-related resources.

The History Net: http://www.thehistorynet.com/ is an excellent resource for history buffs. Learn about world and U.S. history, read eyewitness accounts of past events, browse feature articles, and view the image gallery. The site is very content-rich and very well-organized.

Archaeological Adventure: http://library.thinkquest.org/3011/
Not every archaeologist lives a life as spectacular as Hollywood's Indiana Jones, but archaeology can offer exciting and rewarding careers. This ThinkQuest site gives students an idea of what archaeologists do and how they contribute to society's understanding of the past and the present. Students can learn the basic methodology of the discipline, read accounts of past excavations, and find out about the future of archaeology.

History of Inventions: http://www.cbc4kids.ca/general/the-lab/history-of-invention/default.html
The Internet and other technological conveniences may seem to be the greatest things since television to your students, but there are a number of inventions worth noting that have stood the test of time. Visit this site to investigate the histories of objects and tools,
from the pottery of 8000 B.C. to current innovations like Post-It Notes and DVD.

At Lewis & Clark: Mapping the West: http://www.edgate.com/lewisandclark, use modern
technology to take a new look at two trailblazers of the past. Developed cooperatively by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, the Library of Congress, and EdGate, this Lewis and Clark site brings the journey of the American explorers to life with digitized, explore-it-yourself maps from the actual cross-country journey. The site also contains historical accounts and lesson plans, which provide educators a unique
opportunity to use technology to spur exciting online research projects or WebQuests.

The History Page: http://www.scholiast.org/history/
Cleanly presented, this site offers a fantastic array of links to sites that span the periods of antiquity; the medieval and Renaissance eras; early modern times; and modern day. Even more impressive, the links are creatively chosen to cover a variety of perspectives. For instance, in addition to special links on a wide range of historians and philosophers, the site also points out the importance of women in the various historical epochs.

Africana.com: http://www.africana.com/news/homepage/index.htm
Though this site provides users with information on books, music, art, and jobs, it can be of particular use for teachers who want to teach African-American history. The lesson on slavery, at http://www.africana.com/slavery, includes informative pop-ups on the Amistad, the slave trade, and the treatment of slaves by their masters. The Africana Blackboard provides lessons about the Civil War and famous African-American artists.

Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century: http://www.greatachievements.org/greatachievements/
From electricity to spacecraft to high-performance materials, this site catalogs the great engineering contributions of the last century. You'll find the history and timeline of each innovation, as well as special human-interest stories, like what the Wright brothers experienced in their experimentation with flying machines. This great resource for history and science reports comes in a printer-friendly format. And, yep, the Internet's on the list, too.

Passages: A Treasure Trove of North American Exploration:
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/dl/1999/passages/index-e.htm
Prepared by the National Library of Canada, this site offers chronological and alphabetical lists of the explorers who passed through North America. Students can learn about a number of explorers (individuals, as well as groups), most of whom won't be in traditional history books. A site highlight is the set of scanned pages from the actual sources quoted.

The National Atlas of the United States of America http://www.nationalatlas.gov/, from the U.S. Department of the Interior, provides online maps of every part of the country. Students can make their own maps, explore volcanoes, and order printed or multi-media maps.

Peace Corps Kids World: http://www.peacecorps.gov/kids/
In addition to describing the mission and activities of the Peace Corps in a kid-friendly way, this site also offers some mouth-watering information about different foods from around the world. In its "Food, Friends, and Fun" section, students learn about food in lands as far away as Ecuador, Uzbekistan, and Papua New Guinea. Moreover, each country section includes information about the nation's population, sports, and language. The site's section on storytelling around the world is truly inspiring.

Recetas de Espana: http://www.xmission.com/~dderhak/recipes.html
Speaking of food, this site offers good recipes for the food of Spain, including flan, paella, and churros. Better yet, it offers an easily navigable list of links about the musical, religious, architectural, and general history of Spain; kids can search by region or chronology.

EcEdWeb: http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/
EcEdWeb outlines key economics concepts that students should know and offers lesson plans linked to national standards. The site teaches students to study their own and other countries using economic theory. Concepts such as taxes, unemployment, and the budget surplus are covered.

A New Generation of Fighters: http://www.cis.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1996/1/96.01.07.x.html#top
This site is designed to inspire today's students to understand the sexism, racism, and violence that defined the 1960s and '70s. In addition to examining the civil-rights movement, the site includes anecdotes about prominent figures of that generation. The lesson ideas let students complete descriptions of their families and construct charts about the civil-rights movement.

The Virtual Field Trips Site: http://www.field-guides.com/
This Web site allows your class to take online field trips that take them to places that they could only dream about and teach them lessons they might not otherwise learn. The award-winning Virtual Field Trips Site gives your class access to some of the world's most diverse environments at the click of a mouse

Picture Australia http://www.pictureaustralia.org/index.html
Consider this the ongoing year featuring the best Australia has to offer. The latest offering we've found is Picture Australia. This searchable database allows users to look for specific historical and contemporary images. Instead, students might want to take a trail, where images are grouped by category. Olympic images are featured, as well as Antarctic expeditions, wildflowers and birds of Australia, and objects d'art. It's always nice when trails are easy to navigate. Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School Content Area: Arts (Visual Arts) Dewey #750, History & Social Studies (World History) Dewey #909, Science (Life Science) Dewey #570 Application Type: Resource webmaster pictaust@nla.gov.au

Cultural Connections: http://library.advanced.org/50055/index.shtml
Cultural Connections is a virtual encyclopedia focusing on unique cultures around the world. The user-friendly interface allows students to investigate social life around the world by simply clicking on a map locale or a national flag. From there students can discover information about the environments of different lands and probe different aspects of culture including information about what people wear and what languages they speak. There are even extensive picture galleries in addition to a number of thought-provoking activities and questions that will surely prompt engaging classroom discussions.

The Industrial Revolution: A Trip to the Past: http://members.aol.com/mhirotsu/kevin/trip2.html
Mankind has never seen as many rapid changes in society as during the era that historians call the Industrial Revolution. In order for your students to recognize the importance of this era, have them log on to The Industrial Revolution: A Trip to the Past. This informative site offers your students a gateway into the social impacts of this mechanical age. They can learn about the pros and cons of the sweeping changes brought about during this era and how we are affected in the present.

The Passing of a Century: http://library.thinkquest.org/27629/index2.html
Never has the world witnessed more rapid change than in the 20th century. Make sure that your students understand the events and trends that occurred over past 100 years. The Passing of a Century provides information on the development of the arts, sciences, and environment. Students can contribute their own views on the Future Watch bulletin board.

AFRO-Americ@ Kids Zone: http://www.afroam.org/children/children.html
AFRO-Americ@ Kids Zone gives students a glimpse into numerous African traditions by providing extensive information on individual countries. Students can discover the diversity of African cultures and places by exploring the contours of different nations and trying the fun, Africa-themed brain teasers. Be sure to check out the collection of myths and fables, too.

The Star-Spangled Banner Web site: http://americanhistory.si.edu/ssb/ provides information on the origin, history, and symbolism of the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write our national anthem. Students can also take a behind-the-scenes peek at current efforts to preserve the Star-Spangled Banner from age and pollution. You'll also
find teaching materials and classroom ideas.

The U.S. Postal Service's Stamps Alive site: http://www.usps.gov/ctc/salive.htm describes why certain people, inventions, and events get portrayed on American postage. Check out images of the last hundred years' worth of stamps and then play some related games.

Art of the First World War: http://www.art-ww1.com/gb/visite.html offers a guided tour of over 100 paintings depicting World War I. Images are categorized by artist and subject and are accompanied by quotes from soldiers and eyewitnesses. Be warned: the
site contains graphic images that may not be suitable for younger children.

Rader's Terrarum: http://www.kapili.com/terrarum/
This site doesn't cover the type of geography that deals with knowing locales, but tackles the science of physical geography. In doing so, it employs a variety of scientific disciplines in its discussion of Earth's many physical features, including climate, water, and energy. Rader's Terrarum is a part of the acclaimed Science4Kids series, and this site features the same wonderfully presented lessons, activities, and glossary.

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/index.html is the Betsy Ross homepage with info on the flag and its history. For younger kids, there is a gallery with pictures of how the flag looked at different stages in our history. It also shows kids how to make a five-point star with one snip of the scissors (just like Betsy Ross did).

The PBS Kids Democracy Project: http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/ offers lesson plans and activities to help students understand how the government affects their daily lives, the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. president, and the history of voting rights in America. Kids get a chance to vote, as well as to be president for a day.

HistoryChannel.com Speeches: http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/
Do you remember where you were when some of history's most memorable moments occurred? With the History Channel's speech archive, your students can reconstruct the past by downloading some of modern history's most recognized sound bites. Not only will your students find great orations on politics, science, and entertainment, but they
can also read great background information on the significance of these events.

Here's everything you ever wanted to know about the Statue of Liberty http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/liberty/liberty.html from the date of construction to the materials used. Visit the Gallery for graphics and selected views of the statue; elsewhere you'll find links to the Liberty State Park Web site and statue statistics.

America's Library: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/
This great site doesn't just give you a slice of Americana; it virtually gives you the whole pie! Have your students meet some of America's most interesting figures, jump back in time to visit important eras, or explore the 50 states. Don't miss "See, Hear, and Sing,"
a fascinating feature where students can watch movies, listen to songs, and view artifacts that greatly capture the essence of American culture over time.

Picturing First Families" (Lesson Plan); Grades K-2; 4 Class Periods
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lessonplans/first_families.html
In this lesson, students take a virtual trip to Washington, D.C., and visit the National Portrait Gallery, the White House, and the Library of Congress, with a side trip to the University of Virginia to gather clues about America's original First Family, their lives and this period in American history. Students learn why we pay tribute to George Washington today by featuring his portrait on our currency. For contrast, students compare the National Portrait Gallery's Washington portraits with contemporary images of the First Family in the White House today. They gain an understanding of the significant role the First Family plays in representing the nation and the image of American families projected to other countries. This lesson can be extended through a variety of activities including writing a story about a family photograph and creating a personal family portrait to illustrate traits and characteristics of the student's own family.

"Reading, Writing and 'Rithmetic in the One-Room Schoolhouse" (Lesson Plan); Grades K-2; 1-6 Class Periods: http://edsitement.neh.gov/lessonplans/1room_schoolhouse.html
For young children, the experience of attending school strengthens their growing sense of independence and their relationship with the world beyond their family. This lesson focuses on this universal experience, using original photographs to give students a vivid impression of how American children received an education a hundred years ago. They learn about a one-room schoolhouse, seeing how children learned, played and traveled to
school. This lesson encourages students to explore the similarities and differences of being a student in a one-room schoolhouse versus attending their own well-equipped, modern school.

The End of Europe's Middle Ages: http://www.ucalgary.ca/HIST/tutor/endmiddle/
An online tutorial that provides a brief overview of medieval European history. This site is particularly useful for students with no prior knowledge of the economic, political, intellectual, and artistic environment of the end of Europe's Middle Ages.

Learning from London Town: http://www.keyschool.pvt.k12.md.us/londontown/Pages/Pages/learnflt.html
This site presents opportunities for study of the 18th century lost town of London, Maryland, from the integrated perspective of archaeological finds, archival records, and material culture.

Teaching (and Learning) about Japan: http://www.csuohio.edu/history/japan/index.html
A storehouse of information on Japanese culture.

Vroma: http://www.vroma.org/
Take a tour through a virtual reconstruction of Rome! A community of scholars, both teachers and students, created these on-line resources for teaching Latin and ancient Roman culture.

The American President: http://www.americanpresident.org/home6.htm
A wealth of information about the history of the American Presidency,
including an archive of essays on the year 2000 general election.

Ancient Architects of The MississippiL http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/feature/feature.htm offers information on the civilization of the lower Mississippi Delta, with notes on social customs, roads, commerce, monuments, and early explorers. The site includes lots of
photographs and images.

Wonders of the World: http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/5983/index.htm
Try using the newfangled Internet to discover a few structures that might stand the test of time. At this site, you'll find excellent background information on what most recognize as the ancient and modern wonders of the world. Have your students brush up on these historical marvels and let them try their hands at the site's own challenging quiz.

CongressLink: http://www.congresslink.org/
This history-heavy site is also packed with practical information about Congress. Students can learn how a bill becomes a law, as well as look up the histories of specific bills. Teachers can find classroom activities, including projects about the importance of voting and of being in contact with one's representatives. The lesson plans will prime this year's election watchers by asking them to create a mock constitutional convention, amend the constitution themselves, or submit a line-item veto.

The Great American Web Site: http://www.uncle-sam.com/
This site is one-stop shopping for information about the U.S. government. Students can search through pages of good information and links, whether they want to know about the history of the White House or check out clickable maps from the Department of Agriculture. The site also includes links to fascinating educational Washington D.C.
landmarks, like the Smithsonian and the Holocaust Memorial.

The Mint: http://www.themint.org/
This cleanly designed site includes everything your students need to know about money, including how it's made, how to spend it, and, most importantly, how to save it. Students can begin to understand their own roles in the economy, as well as read about common economic terms like inflation. In this high-tech era, the site serves students well by giving them ideas about becoming entrepreneurs. The quizzes offer excellent challenges, and the economic dictionary is a good study tool.

Gazillionaire: http://www.gazillionaire.com
Combine start-up culture with a video game, and you're bound to have a sure-fire way to teach kids something. This site offers a downloadable game, the goal of which is to sell cargo to make a profit. Clearly promoting competition and capitalism, this game also introduces kids to supply and demand, business costs, and bankruptcy.

Technology at Home: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tech/
Three televisions, three telephones, and three bathrooms in a household may seem as commonplace to your students as three meals a day. Give them a glimpse into what
typical American home life was like before modern conveniences were conceived. This PBS site takes a look at the evolution of the consumer American household up to
the present and even has research sites giving credit to the inventors who made home a place like no other.

The Color Landform Atlas of the United States: http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/states/ offers maps and satellite views detailing the major topography of each state. Each page also includes links to related sites that offer weather, news, and other information.

The Headbone Derby: Iz and Auggie Go to the Polls: http://www.headbone.com/derby/polls/
Designed specifically for grades 4-8, this wonderful site uses a unique and engaging comic format that not only informs students of the structure of U.S. government, but
promotes Internet research. Students must solve the governmental problems of the fictitious Cabbage People by probing questions of leadership, suffrage, and citizenship. This is a great site to get your students thinking about the stakes of the coming presidential election.

American Indians and the Natural World:
http://www.clpgh.org/cmnh/exhibits/north-south-east-west/index.html
Have your class recognize this important American culture by visiting this site, which excellently displays the proud relationship between various Native American peoples and nature. This site provides brief histories of different tribes complete with descriptions of folklore, social organization, and survival strategies.

ibiblio: http://www.ibiblio.org/
ibiblio.org bills itself as "the public's library," housing an extensive collection of freely available information on subjects such as music, literature, art, history, science, politics, and cultural studies. The site is well-organized, and each host site is described in
such great detail that you probably won't miss rummaging through the old-fashioned card catalog of your nearby public library.

The largest amount of sediment is carried by one of the world's largest rivers, China's Hwang Ho (Yellow River). The Hwang Ho used to carry vast amounts of yellowish silt into the Yellow Sea, but changed its course during a disastrous flood in 1852 and now empties into the Gulf of Chili, 400 miles further north. This 3,000 mile-long river (4,800 km) receives most of its silt load as it passes through an area of loess (deposits of silt or clay, originally created as windblown dunes) just south of the Great Wall. China has repeatedly attempted to control the Hwang Ho, but the river, also known as "China's Sorrow," has not responded well. Reservoirs and dredged beds fill with silt, and devastating floods are still common.
Ice can flow in "rivers" much larger than the liquid ones: http://features.LearningKingdom.com/fact/archive/2000/05/05.html

The American West: http://www.americanwest.com/index2.htm
This comprehensive site provides an excellent overview of the Western expansion, covering everyone from Lewis and Clark to Native Americans to the outlaws of the Old West. The biographies not only cover the usual male gunslingers, but they also introduce students to some tough women of the frontier. The "Images" section boasts
a sizable selection of film images.

Board Games of the Ancient World: http://students.itec.sfsu.edu/edt628/dstorz/index1.html
When students learn about ancient civilizations, they rarely learn how ancient peoples kicked back and had fun. This site offers kids a different perspective on Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China. Students are asked to do some historical research on a series of games from these places and note the materials, goals, and any symbolism involved before they actually play the games.

Discoverers Web: http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/
Offering an exhaustive list of links about exploration and explorers, this site is the perfect first stop for world history research. The site offers a huge selection of biographies and travelogues about various explorers, in addition to special pages for Columbus and Cook. Students can also search by alphabetical list or geographic area. Explorers who died during their voyages have earned the dubious honor of making it to the "Exploration is Risky Business" page.

The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games:
http://www.upenn.edu/museum/Olympics/olympicintro.html
In this Olympic year, this primer is a must-read. This site peppers the history of the Games with some fun supplementary information, including a glossary of Greek
terms and a list of the kinds of prizes the victors won. A section on "How Political Were the Games" describes the influence of the ancient Olympics on the relationships
among city-states. The site also transitions students into the modern day by discussing the commercialization of the Games.

Park Geology Tour of National Parks: http://www.aqd.nps.gov/grd/tour/ categorizes America's national parks according to various geological themes. It provides an opportunity to explore geological wonders like fossils, river systems, hot springs, caves, and volcanoes. The site also offers an interesting Geological Photo Database.

STAWRS Kids: http://www.tax.gov/kids/
Kids probably know that their parents hate to pay taxes. But are your students really knowledgeable about taxes? STAWRS -- the Simplified Tax and Wage Reporting System -- helps students understand how taxes work and government operates. Special activities, like starting a virtual business, allow students to pick up information about
tax procedures.

At Sea: http://www.at-sea.cc/
The sea evokes feelings of awe and wanderlust; the fact that there are few expeditions afloat these days serves to heighten the mystique of traveling the waves. Students can
get their sea legs from this series of virtual adventures chronicling the journeys of various seafarers to every corner of the globe. This page is still very much in its infancy, but it promises to provide exciting educational fodder.

ThisNation: http://www.thisnation.com/
Created by a political science professor, this nation is a guide for students and the voting public, on the US Government. The online textbook starts with an introduction "Why Government?" which explains some of the roles the government plays in our lives. The library links to many documents, speeches and constitutions of other nations. Under the area marked students, you will find some very tough self-grading quizzes. This has the easiest method to find your elected officials. Grade Level: High School, College, Adult/Professional Content Area: History & Social Studies (Government), Community Interest (Government & Politics) Dewey #320 Application Type: Resource, Activity

Who is That?: http://www.funbrain.com/who/index.html
Another in a series of Funbrain.com activities, "Who is That?" is an offbeat online game that tests students' knowledge of history's greatest figures, including presidents, scientists, and mathematicians. Clues come in five difficulty levels and are each accompanied by a photograph. This is a genuinely fun game that can be used to supplement lessons on history.

The United Nations CyberSchoolBus: http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/index.html offers projects and lesson plans on global issues such as human rights, health, landmines, urbanization, environment, poverty, space exploration, and cleaner oceans. It also offers quizzes, newsletters, and information on the history and workings of the United Nations.

The New York Times Learning Network: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/ offers news
summaries, education news, and lesson plans that incorporate the latest current events. Search for resources by school subject, such as American history, civics, technology, science, and health.

Greek Civilization for Middle Schoolers: http://www.greekciv.pdx.edu/
Designed by Portland State sophomores, this site covers everything about Greek civilization from ancient art to the politics of Sparta to "Plato for the Young Inquirer." The site's easy language -- appropriate for middle schoolers -- makes it easy to get through the many facts and hyperlinks. In addition to an extensive page on politics, the site includes sections on military history and the eras of Greek history, a combination that provides a good overview of the period.

National Geographic 5-8 Lessons and Activities:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/education/ideas58/index.html
Although it's not a flashy page, this lesson plan list about geography is perfect for demonstrating the importance of maps. It relates maps to topics like disease (trace the spread of cholera) and trade (see how clothes reflect interdependence between countries). The site organizes ideas according to theme, giving a preview of each topic to explore. Students will come away from these lessons with a conceptual understanding of why maps are divided into certain regions.

Stately Knowledge: Facts about the United States: http://ipl.org/youth/stateknow/
The Internet Public Library offers this excellent resource for quick facts about states. Each state description contains important historical sites, the state's primary industries, and a picture of the state flag. They also contain an all-important picture of the U.S. with the state highlighted. Links to state home pages and other reference sources are indispensable additions to the page.

Children's Games from Around the World:
http://www.rice.edu/projects/topics/edition11/games-section.htm
This site takes a look at timeless children's games, such as hopscotch and marbles, and provides accounts on how these very games are played by kids across the globe. Before sending your students out to recess, have them read these stories that will to put a new spin on their old games and will highlight shared experiences of kids everywhere.

PBS's Kids Democracy Project: http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/
"WANTED: Man or Woman for top government position. Must have been born in the United States, be at least 35 years old, and be a US citizen…. Must like to travel, shake hands, and kiss babies." That's the start of the job description for US President - one of the fun learning activities in the PBS Kids Democracy Project, an interactive government and election site.
The "President for a Day" activity really gives a feel for what the President's typical day is like, adding background historical information and photos for each activity on "My Planner." Of course, the White House chief of staff is right at your side, prepping you and walking you through the whole day, packed with photo opps; meetings with heads of state, legislators, and the media; phone calls; planning sessions; and a state dinner. The President *does* actually have a few choices and a teeny bit of free time right before she's goes to bed!
Other features in the site include "How Does Government Affect Me?", "Inside the voting Booth," filling out a "Future Voter's Card," and teachers resources, lesson plans, and proposed offline activities - all "based on national civics standards for grades 3-6," PBS Kids says. We're not teachers, but it seems to us PBS continues to be very smart about tying its educational resources directly to (US) national standards for specific grade levels (teachers, we'd love to hear from you, via feedback@netfamilynews.org, if you do or *don't* find this helpful

The Web of Time: http://theweboftime.com/
This online magazine paints a picture of Americana by piecing together artifacts from the past. It displays old relics like works of art, political cartoons, and even newspaper advertisements to show how Americans perceived social life throughout the nation's young history. This site isn't organized by subject matter, but if you carefully sift through the different online magazine articles then you won't be disappointed by its amazing information.

History and Politics Out Loud: http://www.hpol.org/
History and Politics Out Loud is an online library of America's most significant speeches. You can retrieve audio clips ranging from the Watergate scandal to the civil rights addresses by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This site makes it simple to supplement history lessons with orations archived by person, era, or title.

Teaching With Historic Places: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/
The National Register of Historic Places has compiled this fabulous site that analyzes the historical, political, and economic significance of historic sites around the nation. You'll find comprehensive lesson plans that can be retrieved by theme, location, or time period, as well as downloadable visual aids, such as maps, original renderings, and even original news advertisements of particular places.

Lives, the Biography Resource: http://amillionlives.com/
If your class is having a hard time using conventional search engines for researching historical figures on the Internet, then check out this site. Lives has compiled a monumental list of history's most interesting personalities, thus doing the work of locating the most informative research sites on the Net. Your students can browse through the massive directory or focus on particular themes.

The Virtual Field Trips Site: http://www.field-guides.com/
No permission slips are required for these virtual field trips. Simply log on and your students can visit the Earth's most wondrous landscapes without leaving the classroom. This site highlights more than ten online field trips, including desert treks, ocean dives, and an online zoo. Although the field trips are short on visuals, their thorough accompanying text is like having a well-informed tour guide.

The Media History Project: http://www.mediahistory.com/menu.html
Take your students to the Media History Project to teach them about the significance of mass communication in society. Have them exercise their research skills while exploring their interests in different forms of media, from movies to oral narratives.

The African American Journey: http://www.worldbook.com/fun/aajourny/html/
Formatted as a special report and a slide show, this site places African-American slavery in a global context. Detailed maps from World Book Encyclopedia help students trace the journey from the African empires to the struggle for civil rights. This site is an excellent resource for kids. Students will gain an overall perspective of the African-American experience, thanks to the many related links covering American law, struggles by blacks in other parts of the world, and lists of heroic African Americans.

Education World's Millennium Series: Life in the Colonies
http://www.education-world.com/a_special/millenium_03.shtml
Students in the 21st century will enjoy this sneak peek at the lives of their colonial American counterparts. The site draws parallels between kids today and colonial kids by describing a colonial homework activity or craft and comparing it to a modern-day one. Students can bone up on their math skills by undertaking some problems about British currency. Or let them explore colonial crafts by making corn husk dolls. Teachers will appreciate the sizable reading and resource list.

Great American Speeches: http://www.pbs.org/greatspeeches/
This comprehensive site provides resources for students' written or oral history reports. Before your students read the text of or listen to famous speeches with RealAudio,
they can explore the stories behind the speakers, from Booker T. Washington to William Faulkner to Elie Wiesel. The "Pop-up Trivia" section ties historical speeches to the
faces who presented them, while the "Wordsmith Challenge" asks kids to try to understand what goes into a speech. The site also indicates when a speech's language might be considered offensive.

Scholastic's History Mystery: http://teacher.scholastic.com/histmyst/index.asp
Carlotta Facts, the History Mystery Museum's professor, challenges students to identify historical subjects with a variety of games. The site covers figures from all areas,
including history, science, and geography. Quizzes ask kids to fill in the answer blanks; if they can't, Scholastic provides a few good hints, as well as their entire database of information. While some of the questions are tough, they will encourage kids to go the
extra mile by further researching their topics. An added bonus: students hone their pointing-and-clicking abilities as they learn about history

Global Gang: http://www.globalgang.org.uk/
This site attempts to raise children's awareness of other cultures by showing how kids around the world live, eat, and learn. It offers a global message board for posting jokes or notes, a game room with global flair, and an international news bulletin. The "Planet Teacher" section will soon offer lesson plans on multicultural themes.

Time Travel Web Quest: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Sparta/5537/index_html.html .
It's up to your middle school class to recreate the types of documents contained in a destroyed time capsule. On Time Travel, assign the roles of correspondent, reporter, editor, and commentator to create a newspaper that reports the events of the era.

Gander Academy: Australia Theme: http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/auzzie.htm
Get your students primed on the land down under. This site has links to great sites showcasing everything from the local flora and fauna to the aboriginal population and the country's general geography.

Vietnam Online: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/
This Web site was designed as a companion piece to the WGBH Boston series "Vietnam: A Television History." Your class can watch a clip from the special and then discover the Vietnam War through the eyes of those who were there. Click on "Who's Who" for biographies of major American
and Vietnamese players. A timeline mixes important war dates with other social, industrial, and historical events. Finally, special sections focus on the weapons used by both sides, the My Lai Massacre, and POW/MIAs.

RMS Titanic, Inc.: http://www.titanic-online.com/
Capitalize on Titanic fever with RMS Titanic, Inc., the company legally entitled to recover artifacts from the Titanic. Although some of this site is corporate in nature, the Gallery and the Library will be of interest to your students. The Gallery offers exclusive photos of the ship itself (before and after sinking), the artifacts recovered, and the recovery expeditions. The Library is filled with articles, photos, and images that provide exciting details of the fateful voyage, the discovery of the Titanic, and recent artifact recovery expeditions.

Little Rock Nine, Integration 0: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/little_rock/
This WebQuest asks students to examine the Arkansas integration struggle of the 1950s to decide if today's schools are still segregated and, if so, what needs to be done to achieve racial harmony. If you're unclear how to use this WebQuest in class, be sure to check out the Teacher's Guide. Otherwise, you can dive right in by assigning the review material and dividing the class into groups to come up with a variety of solutions.

Liberty! The American Revolution: http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/
This PBS site takes an in-depth look at the American Revolution. Read biographies and descriptions of the key players and events; check out what daily life in the colonies was like; visit an interactive map of world events that caused the Revolution; meet a model American soldier and British infantryman; look at a photo essay of newly naturalized citizens; and play a game that makes use of students' knowledge of American history.

Education World's Millennium Series: Exploring Explorers
http://www.education-world.com/a_special/millenium_02.shtml
Ideas and recommendations for teaching a top-notch unit on the world's great land, sea, and space explorers. You'll find 12 classroom activities, some virtual field trips, a special book review, and a list of some of the Web's best sites about explorers.

America's Story from America's Library: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi
This exciting feature from the Library of Congress offers a wealth of information on America's past and culture. Meet some famous Americans, from Harriet Tubman to Harry Houdini. Take a trip back in history with the interactive timeline. Discover exciting facts about all 50 states. Take a peek at America's favorite pasttimes, as well as the songs and the art that make up our cultural quilt. Your students will love the colorful animation and innovative activities.

Decisions, Decisions Online: http://www.teachtsp2.com/ddonline/
Use some of today's hot topics to teach your students how to evaluate choices and make well-reasoned decisions. Free registration lets your class watch one video clip per month. Students then act as the legislators who are debating how to resolve the controversy. Students are invited to send in their opinions and see solutions submitted by other classes. The topics include censorship,
juvenile crime, free trade, cloning, gun control, and more.

Where Should I Put This Business?: http://www.ncrtec.org/tools/camp/gis/gis1.htm
This lesson plan from the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory teaches middle schoolers how to use a Geographic Information System (GIS). The various activities, which are spelled out step-by-step for teachers, consider the basic parts of a GIS, the differences between a GIS and a road map, and the types of information found in a GIS. Finally, students are asked to use a GIS to determine the geographic location of a new business. These activities are mapped to national math, science, and social studies standards.

Decoding the Work of Archaeologists:
http://educate.si.edu/resources/lessons/art-to-zoo/arch/cover.html
This lesson plan collection is part of the Smithsonian Institution's "Teaching with the Power of Objects" series that offers students a hands-on approach to learning. The plans in this group teach students to "think archaeologically" and to interpret and analyze found objects.

The Legend of the Pony Express: http://trivia.about.com/library/weekly/aa041700a.htm
Twenty months that created a century of lore. It is hard to believe that an institution that operated for less than two years could have left such a mark on the history of the United States

At some places in Chile's Atacama Desert, it does not rain for centuries at a time. A long, narrow strip of land along the western coast of South America, the Atacama is protected from clouds by the Andes Mountains, the world's second highest mountain range.
Many parts of the Atacama Desert receive average annual rainfall of less than 0.004 inches (0.1 mm), and some spots have not seen rain in 400 years. Although the desert is located right next to the Pacific Ocean, the prevailing winds come down from the lofty mountains and sweep out to sea. But as dry as it is, even the Atacama supports life. There are tiny pockets where fog from the sea creates enough moisture for plants and even some animals, and there are also a few humans living in the Atacama.
Where is the water, and why is it so dry? http://www.extremescience.com/DriestPlace.htm
A robot crosses the Atacama: http://img.arc.nasa.gov/Nomad/nomad_oldbrowsers.html
The driest continent is also the coldest: http://features.LearningKingdom.com/fact/archive/1997/07/06.html
The largest desert in the world: http://features.LearningKingdom.com/fact/archive/1999/09/30.html

William Baffin: Navigator, Explorer 1584-1622
Early in the 17th century, William Baffin explored the oceans in search of the Northwest Passage. Piloting the ship "Discovery," he sailed as far north as 77 degrees latitude. This record-setting feat went unsurpassed for more than 200 years. Ultimately, he did not find the passage, but did observe the Hudson Strait and discover what we now call Baffin Bay. He first explored this vast body of water in 1616. The bay is a frigid gulf over
800 miles long, extending from Greenland west to a series of islands, including Baffin Island. Baffin Island, nearly 1000 miles long and more than 200 miles wide, is the fifth largest island in the world, yet only a few thousand people live in the remote territory.
Although Baffin expressed doubt in the existence of the Northwest Passage, he did not give up all hope. Believing it could be located closer to Japan, he joined the East India Company in 1617. There, his voyages of exploration took him away from the cold northern waters to the balmy Persian Gulf and Red Sea.
Baffin's 1615-16 Explorations: http://collections.ic.gc.ca/arctic/explore/baffin.htm
Search for the Northeast and Northwest Passages:
http://www.english.upenn.edu/~jlynch/FrankDemo/Contexts/passage.html
Map of Baffin Island: http://www.arctictravel.com/maps/greenarea.html

Civil Rights Memorial, Montgomery AL
A chronology of events and names of martyrs is etched on a round altar of smooth black granite. Water bubbling from its center spills across the fluid timepiece and flows past the words of Martin Luther King, "until justice rolls down like waters . . ." The Civil Rights Memorial was designed by Maya Y. Lin.

ASIARECIPE.COM: http://www.asiarecipe.com
Select a country from the map of Asia, from Mongolia to Malaysia, for a list of regional recipes. You'll end up with dozens of main dishes, desserts, sauces, even vegetarian dishes. Don't let your lack of technique hold you back. Even if your kitchen experience is limited to the toaster, The Cooking Methods section will teach you how to stir-fry, de-bone chickens, and poach properly. The Herbs section covers everything from edible flowers to folklore and alternative medicine. There's even extensive background information on each Asian country, including history, climate, culture, and a
map. Still have questions? Then head to the message boards and ask other Asian cooking fans.

50 States and Capitals: http://www.50states.com/ is a categorized, annotated list of over 1,600 sites that contain information specific to each U.S. state. Check out the links to state home pages, symbols, flags, maps, constitutions, representatives, songs, birds, flowers, trees, and more.

Pencil News: http://www.msnbc.com/local/pencilnews/default.asp
MSNBC hosts this special news feature, filled with current events articles that are written at a level that kids can understand. Although news features are a big portion of the content, the site also offers stories about sports and science, poses weekly mysteries, and spotlights daily historical events.

The First Americans: http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/intro.html
May 13 is Native American Day. Use this site, which was created and written by third-grade teachers, all year to introduce students to the tribes that first inhabited North America. Click on "The Five Cultures" for a chart that compares the food, clothing, homes, and other aspects of five important Native American cultures. In addition to clear writing, you'll find good maps and images on this
site.

The Worldwide Holiday and Festival Page: http://www.holidayfestival.com/ offers links to
information about the major festivals of different cultures worldwide. Links are broken down by country as well as religion for easy reference.

The Digital Classroom: http://www.nara.gov/education/
From the National Archives and Records Administration, this site encourages teachers to use archival documents in the classroom. You'll find materials from the National Archives, as well as ideas for teaching with primary sources.

Social Studies: Cultural Connections: http://library.thinkquest.org/50055/index.shtml
This ThinkQuest site presents a lot of excellent information in a user-friendly format. Choose from among the site's 17 featured countries to learn about geography, food, culture, clothing, people, and activities. Among the unique features on this site is a country comparison: choose two of the countries covered by the site and you'll get a side-by-side list of those countries' vital statistics.

Technological Advances in Communication: The Pony Express Rides the Information Superhighway at: http://www.ncrtec.org/tools/camp/techno/techno1.htm
Here's a complete lesson plan that combines social studies with language arts and science. Students use the Internet to discover the tools people have used to communicate over time. Then, they use their findings to create timelines and develop classroom presentations. This lesson is best for your younger students.

North, South, East, West: American Indians and the Natural World:
http://www.clpgh.org/cmnh/exhibits/north-south-east-west/
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History created this online exhibit that explores that relationship between four Native American tribes and nature. Examine how the Tlingit, Hopi, Iroquois, and Lakota tribes survived using trees, animals, and crops, and how they interacted within their families and with outsiders. Photographs of the environment and artifacts accompany informative text.

Cultural Debates: http://www.teachtsp2.com/cdonline/
Introduce your students to multiculturalism and sharpen their debate skills at the same time! Have your students watch Quicktime movies about how appearance, land, education, medicine, ecotourism, and technology affects the Indonesian Mentawai tribe. Then break the class into groups to debate these topics. Your students can post their responses to a talkboard and then read the responses from other classrooms.

The European Voyages of Exploration: The Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries: http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/HIST/tutor/eurvoya/
The Department of History at the University of Calgary developed this online tutorial that focuses on the Spanish and Portuguese expeditions of the 15th and 16th centuries. Although this site is text-heavy, the wealth of information is invaluable. Maps, photos, timelines, journal entries, and artwork break up the prose and transport students to the distant lands of the past.
Follow through the tutorial in order, or see how the Iberians interacted with different countries, continents, and people.

Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from WWII: http://www.nara.gov/exhall/powers/powers.html
Here's another great site from the National Archives and Records Administration. This one helps illustrate the struggles and atrocities of World War II through 33 posters from the time. Part 1 displays patriotic art designed to convey American strength. Part 2 focuses on the grimness of war. There's also one sound file of the song "Any Bonds Today?" Take your students back to the mixed emotions of fear and patriotism of World War II.

The Middle Ages: Twelve Activities Take Students Back in Time!: : http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr191.shtml
Learn how a unit on the Middle Ages inspired great writing among fourth and fifth graders in Chandler, Arizona. Included: 12 great activities for teaching about the Middle Ages.

Kids in the Castle: Lessons, Activities, and Virtual Tours!: http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr190.shtml
Provide students with some pure fun as they explore life in the Middle Ages. Send them on a castle tour or a medieval adventure! Included: Five great interactive sites about the Middle Ages. As they explore the Middle Ages in texts
and other more serious research materials, offer your students the chance to play while they learn. The sites below provide fun
activities that will help students of all ages gain a better understanding of medieval life

Beyond the Playing Field: http://www.nara.gov/education/teaching/robinson/robmain.html
As baseball season begins, seize the opportunity to teach your class about one famous ball player, Jackie Robinson. This site, created by the National Archives and Records Administration, provides lesson plans that require students to work with some of NARA's original documents. The lessons, which focus on civil rights, character education, and civic responsibility, incorporate photos and correspondence between Robinson and several U.S. presidents.

A site that lists the e-mail addresses of all the states and their representatives in the state capitals can be fond at: http://www.50states.com The 50states.com site is a wonderfully-fun guide to each of the states, with flag, bird, climate, webcams, colleges, constitutions, editorial cartoons--and lots and lots more. And they link to the current federal and state representatives.

Social Studies: You Be the Historian: http://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/springer/. Turn your students into historians with this activity developed by the Smithsonian Institute. Your students will try to figure out what life was like for the Springer family 200 years ago using documents, objects, and everyday items "found" in the Springer house. To help you execute this activity in class, the Web site offers suggestions for classrooms with and without Internet access.

Postcards From the United States: http://www.postcardsfrom.com/
Join a group of adventurers as they make their way across the country. Every Monday-Friday, they send a virtual postcard to the site that describes their day's activities. At the end of the week, they pack their bags and move to the next state. Log on now to find out where the adventurers are today. For in-class activities, see the "Just for Teachers" section.

How was food served before plates were invented?
Plates for serving food were not used in Europe until the fifteenth century. Before that, food was usually served on thick, hollowed-out slabs of stale bread called trenchers, which were specially baked and allowed to harden so they could hold more food without falling apart. The food's juices would soak into the bread, and after the meal the soggy trenchers might be fed to the dogs or offered to poor peasants waiting outside for leftovers. The evolution of modern plates began when trenchers were carved out of wood, sometimes with special compartments for spices and condiments. For a while, wooden trenchers were used as supports for bread trenchers. Wooden trenchers were later replaced by clay or ceramic plates, which did not rot under long use.
A great site for medieval cookery: http://www.godecookery.com/godeboke/godeboke.htm

Children's Encyclopedia of Women: http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/womenenc/womenenc.htm
Introduce your class to important women throughout history with this Web site created by third and fourth grade students. Students can research individual women, or view a timeline of achievements from 68 B.C. to the present.

The Odyssey Word Trek (http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/index.html) is a free Internet project. It is a two year journey of adult volunteers who guide students in their global adventure. The project’s mission is "to use the Internet to promote global awareness among youth and involve them in activities to create positive change in the world." The trek team has or will spend six weeks in each of eleven non-Western countries and document their adventures in video, photos, audio, and text and offer the opportunity for students to experience and appreciate the diversity of world cultures.
The team takes students to ancient ruins, participate in festivals, chat with local youth, interview cultural experts, and live and work with organizations making a difference in the world. Their experiences are or will be documented and shared through the team’s journal entries which will be posted on the Web site twice each week. Their diverse and exciting travel timetable is as follows:
May to November 2000 - Trek to India and China New Delhi; India and Xian; China
Comprehensive resources to facilitate a curriculum-based around the world learning adventure are available on the project. These are only some of the available projects and information sources at the site:
Trek Connect - where the students share their opinions with their peers and participate in live chats with each other, the team, and people around the world
Making a Difference - where students find the service learning activities to connect what they learn with their communities
The Guide Book - where youth find background information on the region the team is traveling through and links to related sites.
The Teacher Zone - includes team updates with a corresponding teacher's guide for each location that summarizes the trek content and offers suggestions for curriculum integration. Lessons are offered for each site visited and a bulletin board is available for global collaboration among colleagues. There is the ability to search the site for a particular topic of interest.
There are also live "webcasts" with a significant person from each location visited.
The students can participate in the project as it unfolds, or it can be used in its archived form. Fall 1998's Trek to Mexico is available in its archived form, lesson plans and all.

Adventure Online (http://www.adventureonline.com/), sponsored by the Learning Outfitters, has "real world adventures of modern explorers to provide compelling online learning experiences." Programming is ongoing with lesson plans that allow for individualized flexibility. New materials are posted frequently. Explore the North Pole, Central America, Greenland, and other exotic locations with the support of cross-curricular online learning activities, lesson plans and teaching materials, online interaction with explorers and experts and teacher resources and materials. The upcoming travel itinerary includes Otto Sverdrup Centennial Exp. Kuril Expedition Central America Kayak Exp. and Africa 2000. Past adventures include Project Central America, Running the Nile, and the International Greenland Expedition. The past project resources are archived on the site for your review and use for curriculum integration. There are several interactive features of each adventure's Web site:
Dispatches and Diaries - where the adventure log and team journal entries are posted
Photos and Media - a visual gallery of the team's expedition
Expedition Map - a gallery of the team's maps
Meet the Team - biographies and photos of the team members
Project materials are available for both teachers and students for a small additional price. To view a sample of these materials, visit the Aspirations Expedition North Pole materials link.

Sands of the World ( http://www.chariho.k12.ri.us/curriculum/MISmart/ocean/sands.htm) is an interactive geology project initiated by the 4th grade Multiple Intelligence's Program in the Chariho Regional School District of South County, Rhode Island. Here students can examine sand from all over the world. The projects mission is to enable students from all over the world to have a better understanding of just how and why sands in our world are so vastly different, and what we can learn about our earth by studying them." Online sand samples include the Sahara Desert, Africa; Punlulu, Hawaii; Lifuka Island, Tonga; Lake Manyara, Tanzania; Playa Requeson, Baja California; and more.
Classes are encouraged to collect their own sand samples and send them for evaluation and posting on the gallery page, a showcase of magnified sand from around the world. by using the project Web site, students can reference online maps, conduct sand research, link to related geological sites, and view the gallery page of sand. A printable Sands of the World data sheet is provided for your own sand analysis of the ; source of the sample, primary colors, luster, clarity, texture, and possible rock or mineral composition. To join this project; gather a sand sample from a local beach or desert, place it in a small, sealed container such as an empty film canister or zip lock bag, label the container with the name and location of the collection site and any facts you would like to include, if possible include a photo or drawing of the site and one or two small rocks from that area, sent the samples to the ISmart Program with the mailing information to receive a reciprocal sample.
The project is inspired by Gardner's multiple intelligences modes of learning, with each Web component grounded in a multiple intelligence: naturalist, musical/rhythmic, verbal/linguistic, visual.spatial, logical/mathematical, or intrapersonal. In addition to the sand analysis components of this project, lessons and activities for using the multiple intelligence approach to teach units on rocks and minerals are offered.

MainXchange.com lets students register as individuals or a teacher can register a class. Each new player is given 100,000 BuX (MainXchange virtual currency) to spend on stock purchases. Each player has his/her own stock portfolio. Students go to the Trading Floor to purchase stocks. They can bring up a brief profile of almost any company that interests them. An easy-to-use order screen allows them to confirm the price and number of shares before purchasing. There is a .95 BuX fee for each transaction and whatever they buy is posted in their portfolios. Their stocks' values and their cash n hand is always posted along the bottom of the screen. The game is easy to navigate. The stock values are current, lagging behind the real market by just twenty minutes or so. There is also a resource center with information about the market and how it works, a section called MXC Studios which posts current news. MainXchange offers an exciting simulation of what trading on the Stock Exchange is really like.
Players get Xstars, which earn them prizes, by answering trivia quests about individual companies. If they don't know the answer or don't want to guess (and risk losing a 20-point question!), they can turn to the company's profile for help. All this pre-purchase research provides a stimulating environment to learn more about corporations, industry, and the economy.

The International Time Capsule Society offers tips for organizing a time capsule:
Pick a retrieval date. If it's no more than 50 years later, the capsule may be opened by your own generation or your children's.
Choose an archivist or director. Committees are good to share the workload, but a single person needs to direct the project.
Pick a container. A safe is a good choice, or you can buy a capsule made for that purpose. The interior must be cool, dry and dark.
Find a secure location Thousands of buried capsules have been lost, so burial is not recommended. It is important to mark the location with a plaque describing the capsule.
Choose capsule items thoughtfully. Many items will have meaning into the future. Many committees try to pick items that include the sublime and the trivial. The archivist should keep an inventory of all capsule items.
Have a formal sealing ceremony and give the capsule a name. Keep a good photographic record of the event.
Tell the International Time Capsule Society about your capsule. The society keeps a database in an effort to register all known capsules.
A few of the most-wanted time capsules from the records of the International Time Capsule Society:
Bicentennial Wagon Train Time Capsule: This capsule was supposed to hold the signatures of 22 million Americans. But on July 4, 1976, as President Gerald Ford arrived for the sealing ceremony in Valley Forge, Pa, someone stole the empty capsule, officials at Valley forge National Park said.
M.I.T. Cyclotron Time Capsule: In 1939, some M.I.T. engineers put a brass capsule beneath a 18-ton magnet used in a new cyclotron that was put in a concrete cubicle to trap radiation, said Prof. Ulrich Becker, an M.I.T. physics professor. The capsule was forgotten for a time, but now there is a bigger problem; how to remove it from under a 36,000-pound lid in a concrete sarcophagus.
The 1851 United States Capitol Extension Cornerstone: A jar containing $40.44 in coins, historical parchments, newspapers, and other items was placed in a cornerstone below ground at the Capitol extension in 1851, said William C. Allen, the architectural historian in the office of the architect of the Capitol. It is still there, and was apparently intended as a permanent memento. In contrast, from 1976 to 1878, for the nation's centennial, a safe containing photographs and autographs of Government officials and other items was sealed with the instruction that it be opened at the bicentennial in 1976, which it was.
The Gramophone Time Capsule: sound recordings were deposited behind the foundation stone of the new Gramophone Company factory in Hayes, England, by the opera singer Nellie Melba. During construction at the company (later HMV< later still EMI), the container was officially removed, but vanished before it could be reburied.

After studying your state's geography, students make a pizza. Roll out the dough and shape it to resemble your state. Review the different regions and geographical features. Students add yummy toppings to represent specific features: major rivers=green pepper strips, heavily populated areas=ground beef, major cities=sliced olives, lakes=mushrooms, mountains=pepperoni.

Focus on American History is a cooperative learning project to teach time concepts and American history. First gather almanacs, timelines, old newspapers, and other resources. I then divide students into cooperative groups and assign roles: recorder, checker, reader, praiser, and timekeeper. In addition, all students have the role of researchers. The class brainstorms what they would like to learn about a decade (1920's, 1930's, 1940's,etc.) of America's past such as government, music, daily life, and important people and events. Each student in a group is responsible for one topic. Each group prepares a written report and an oral presentation on its decade. Class time is provided for rehearsing, discussing props and costumes, making cover designs for written reports, research, and writing. Each group is encouraged to bring in props. This cooperative study usually lasts two to three weeks.

Taking Polls
Taking a poll is a way to find out what voters are thinking. Polls keep candidates in touch with public opinion so they can win elections. Candidates use polls to decide what messages are important to the voters, check to see if the messages are working, see how they stack up against the other candidates, plan the campaign so they take the right steps as well as spend their money wisely and at the best time to influence the voters.
How a poll is taken:
1. The candidate and his or her staff decide what they need to know.
2. The pollsters make up the questions. These questions must be clear and fair. They usually ask several questions about the same subject, for example; Do you think Candidate X is honest? Do you think Candidate X is less honest than other politicians? Is candidate X honest enough to be elected?
3. The pollsters then test the questions to make certain they get accurate results.
The pollsters identify a sample, or small group, to interview to find out what the whole group of voters is thinking. Every person in the area has an equal chance of being called.
4. Pollsters might use a voter list.
5. The pollsters interview the people by asking exactly the same question to each person called on the phone.
6. The pollsters use computers and special math formulas to get the results.
7. The pollsters report the results so the candidate can use them.

The Seven Continents
Millions of years ago, the continents were joined in an area we call Pangaea. Over millions of years, the land areas drifted apart to form the seven continents. Over millions of years, the land areas drifted apart to form the seven continents.
70% of the Earth is covered by water, 30% is land

*Continent*	*in square miles*	*Number of countries*	*Percent of population*
Asia	16,990,000	49	60.8
Africa	11,657,000	53	12.7
North America	9,348,000	23	7.9
South America	6,885,000	12	5.6
Antarctica	5,400,000	30 research stations
Europe	4,051,000	47	12.5
Australia	2,978,000	1	0.5

Africa has the Nile, the world's longest river (more than 4,000 miles). It is the only continent without a long mountain range. Africa was called the dark continent because for many years we knew so little about it. Egypt is the site of the ancient pyramids. The world's largest desert, the Sahara, covers an area about the size of the United States. The cheetah is the fastest short-distance animal.
Europe produces more manufactured goods than any other continent. The world's first skyscraper is the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Great Britain is an island off the northwest coast of continental Europe. The ancient Greeks and Romans spread ideas that still influence us today. Tourist attractions include famous cities and museums. Holland is famous for its tulips and windmills.
Asia is the largest continent in size and number of people, and covers one-third of the world's land. It is joined to Europe. The world's major religions began here. Japan, an island off the eastern coast, is a leading manufacturing country. The Matterhorn Mountain is in the Alps of Europe. The giant panda of China is endangered. The Taj Mahal in India is a beautiful marble tomb.
North America includes U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, and off shore islands. It has the largest total coastline of any continent. Bald eagles live only in North America. The U.S. Capitol is a symbol of freedom. Mountains line both the East and West coasts. It has more types of climate than any other continent.
South America has the world's largest tropical rain forest covers about two-fifths of the continent. Angel Falls has the largest waterfall drop in the world, 3,212 feet. Llamas give milk and wool and carry burdens. Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city in the mountains of Peru. The Amazon River is the world's second-longest river. The Andes make up the world's longest mountain range on land. Cape Horn on the tip of the continent is only 600 miles from Antarctica.
Antarctica is the windiest place on Earth, is the coldest continent, and is 98 % covered by ice. No one lives there permanently. It is famous for its flightless penguins. It has about 30 year-round research stations. The ice there might be 3 miles thick in some places.
Australia is the only continent that is also a country. It is mostly a hot, dry land and is called "down under" because it is on the other side of the world in the Southern Hemisphere. Ayers Rock is the largest exposed rock in the world. The Opera House in Sydney is famous for its design. Koala bears attract many visitors. Female kangaroos carry their babies in their pouches.

To culminate each would geography unit that is completed, each student draws a picture of himself in the location studied. for example, after studying Europe, one student drew himself standing in front of the Eiffel tower. The four-inch-square "photos" are colored and mounted on pieces of black paper. Captions are glued under the pictures. Bind all o;the pages together to make a "photo album" of the country studied.

New York City's Public Places
New York City's public places include Grand Central, Central Park, and The Reading Room of the New York Public Library. The public spaces all serve a purpose in the life of the city. To New Yorkers who use them daily, they are taken for granted, part of the fabric of everyday existence, built-in features on the urban landscape. All these places are free, easy to reach and open to the public seven days a week - except for the library, which is closed Sundays. Grand Central was built in 1913 as an elegant stage for long-distance train travel. today the station only serves commuter railroads and subways, but it is one of the finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture in America and is a virtual town square for midtown Manhattan. Grand Central was rededicated in 1998 after a 10-year renovation that reclaimed it from urban decay, restored its beauty and made it a symbol of New York City's renaissance. Look for soaring windows,colossal marble floor, grandiose stairways, sparkling chandeliers, classical sculpture, ceiling painted like a night sky with gold-leaf constellations and twinkling stars, bronze ticket windows, the clock with an opal face that has been a meeting place for generations of New Yorkers, the hustle and bustle of commuters heading to work or home. Central Park was the first public park in America and a marvel of early urban planning - 840 acres of Manhattan real estate set aside in 1874 expressly for the recreation of city dwellers. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, it is one of the most beautiful urban parks on earth - a virtual work of art. Because Central Park is the only great outdoors many New Yorkers will ever know, it's also the ultimate mixing bowl. Look for the landscape - rock outcroppings, ponds, meadows, gardens, stone bridges and winding paths, the tiles spelling out "Imagine" at the entrance to Strawberry Fields, which is a tribute to John Lennon, beloved statues of Alice in wonderland and Balto, portrait artists, musicians, puppeteers and jugglers performing on the park's East Side pathway from 59th street to the zoo, and the surreal contrast of the city skyline outside the park rising above the trees and skating rink. The Reading Room of the New York Public Library is the centerpiece of this white marble building with the famed stone lions. Located on the third floor, the Reading Room is a treasure-box in the grandiose Beaux Arts style, more like a cathedral than a library. When the library opened in 1911, making extraordinary research materials available to the masses, the Reading room's electric lights were a brilliant innovation because most libraries closed at dusk, making it all but impossible for working people to use them. Among the famous authors who've done their research here are Norman mailer, Isaac Bashevis Singer and E.L. Doctorow.

This site began in March 1998 and was created by Janet Luch. This page was last updated on October 13, 2011
Email to studyplans@yahoo.com.

Regions	Look Into the Past	Early Cultures	Ancient Egypt
Ancient Mesopotamia	Ancient India	Ancient China	Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome	Ancient Arabia	Ancient America	Medieval Europe
Africa	Asia	Americas	European Expansion
Revolutions	World Wars	New Nations	A Changing World

African American Experience in Ohio: 1850-1920	pictures, newspaper articles, pamphlets, journals
American Variety Stage	Library of Congress site on "Vaudeville and Popular Entertainment" from 1870-1920, includes playbills, motion pictures, play scripts, and sound recordings.
America's Freedom Documents!	learn about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Asia and the South Pacific Resources	hand picked Web sites with great information on Asian geography, culture, and history.
AsiaSource	science and social studies, grades 5-12.
Atawalk	site about covered bridges, lot of pictures
Boscobel Restorations	house is example of Federal domestic architecture, gardens, overlooking Hudson River, NY
CalendarHome.com	calendars for different times, cultures, interactive
Days and Days of Knights: A Unit on the Middle Ages	cross-curricular unit
Dee T's 70's Page	everything from the 1970's
The Encyclopedia Mythica	on-line mythology encyclopedia
Finding Your Way With Map and Compass	illustrated guide to reading maps and compasses
First Americans, Native American Indian Studies for Grade Schoolers	work puzzles draw pictures, play cards, learn about the Dinè, Muscogee, Tlingit, Lakota, and Haudenosaunee
Fodor's Travel Online	facts about places around the world
From One Life to Another	ThinkQuest site that vividly describes the experience of Jewish, Irish, Italian, and Swedish immigrants who sailed to the United States, for grades 5-12
GBOnline's Mesoamerica	writing, archeology, etc. of Aztecs, Maya, and others
The Greece (NY) Historical Society	as seen through the eyes of fourth graders, after a field trip
Geldrop	pictures taken during an evening walk through Geldrop, a town close to Eindhoven, in the southern part of The Netherlands
GORP-GreatOutdoor Recreation Pages	trips to national parks, forests, wilderness areas, especially hiking, biking, fishing, boating trips
Growing, Growing, Graphing	original lesson in statistics on China's population growth for grades 7-12.
Hawaii Information for School Reports	includes geography, history, state anthem, pictures, movies, etc.
A Hawaii State Vacation Planner	includes tours, maps, news, pictures, folklore about each island
Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village	indoor/outdoor museum complex celebrating the spirit of innovation in America
History House	little known facts in history, often related to happenings in news now, for middle school and older students, entertaining, books recommended
The Hudson River Museum	schedule of programs for museum and planetarium
Index of American Design	approximately 17,000 watercolor drawings of American decorative arts objects from the colonial period through the nineteenth century
Latin American Traveler	"a Latin American and Spanish language school resource about travel and culture in Latin America"
Lonely Planet on-line	by travel book company, has interactive map, pictures, latest facts about countries
MapQuest!	travel planning, weather, maps for the world
Mary Ann Patten: Clipper Ship Heroine	lesson plan that includes social studies, reading, and writing activities for grades 5-10.
Mesoamerican Codex Books	lesson plan to create Mesoamerican historical piece of art as form of communication
The Middle Ages	Web sites that will help educators work timely themes into lessons
The Middle Ages: Twelve Activities Take Students Back in Time!	includes lesson plans and activities which lead to students writing about the Middle Ages
The Mint	designed for middle school and high school students, their teachers and parents about economics, with lesson plans
One World	beautiful panoramic views of cities around Europe
Ptolemy's Geography	Ptolemy's influence in geography and cartography
Robert C. Williams American Museum of Papermaking	located in Atlanta, Georgia, has virtual tour, history of papermaking
Sands-Ring Homestead	4th grade class tells about visit, and what they learned about life in 1700's in Cornwall, NY
SCORE History/Social Science	Linking teachers to social studies resources, this site offers Web links categorized by grade level, California standards and frameworks, collaborative projects and more.
Shared Vision-Community Bridge Project	the stonework on this entire bridge is a painted illusion, beautiful and describes how it was done
Ship of Gold	lesson plan that includes social studies, reading, and writing activities for grades 6-10.
South Dakota Home Page	government offices, current news, tourist information
This Dynamic Earth	online book of plate tectonics, including how people learned about it, with pictures and drawings
The Three Gorges: Should Nature or Technology Reign?	original lesson plan for grades 9-12.
Tiger Map Service	put in zip code or name of city and state, map will be made telling about population, elevation, longitude and latitude, rivers, highways, schools, includes directions for adding map to websites
Time Travelers - Kid's Pages	places to visit in Ohio, games, crafts
Travelocity	travel guides, including climate information, suggested reading, overview, facts, attractions, worldwide
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site	history of house, Vanderbilt's, era
What Did You Do in the War, Grandma?	documentary about women in World War II
Welcome to the White House	contains much up-to-date and reference material, has section for children
White House Historical Association	learn about a virtual tour of the White House
The Whole World Was Watching	interviews with people who lived in 1968 by high school students, projects about the interviews, RealPlayer of the interviews by college students
World War II: An American Scrapbook	created by fifth-graders, features students telling family stories about World War II