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World Cultures & Geography - Middle & High School |
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General Resources |
Daily Almanac - Historical events, births, and deaths by date from around the world. | |||
| Africa | Ancient History | Asia | Central America | China |
| Europe | Japan | The Middle East | Russia | Australia |
Around the World in the 1890s - Grades 3-12 - This is a Library of Congress collection of photos taken for the World Transportation Commission in the 1890s. Teachers could use this online archive to illustrate both what foreign nations were like a hundred years ago, and also the subjects that Americans were interested in recording during their journeys. This is a nice example of the primary resources which the Library makes available on the web.
Architecture Through the Ages - Grade 5-8 - Social studies/art - See images of different architecture styles with a glossary to understand terminology of buildings from Ancient Egypt to modern times. Use this student-made site for preliminary research before starting your own model buildings or as a supplement to the study of these civilizations. Thinkquest Junior winner: third place winner, social studies, 1998.
Arctic Studies Center from the National Museum of Natural History - Grades 4-8 is geared to the study of northern peoples, their history and environment. The site includes special online exhibits, Java-required games, and resources of interest to students. A well designed site!
Atlapedia - Grade level: 6-12 - Source: Latimer Clark Corporation; last update somewhere between 1993 and 1998 - Special features: Extremely easy to navigate - This site contains a no nonsense search for any country in the world (or so it seems) You only have one option…to learn about a specific country. It is a great site for several different disciplines because of the wide range of info on each country (climate, science, demographics) could be used in math, obviously any facet of history. If you have some savvy six graders that are using the net for a project, easy site to use. However, more appropriate for higher grades because of the amount and level of material. Also, depending on what country you’re researching, the last update could be anywhere from 1993 to 1998 so it may be a hit or miss on current info. No lesson plans. Atlapedia doesn't like being "framed," so it will open in a separate browser window. Close that window to return to TeachersFirst.
Calendars Through the Ages - Since we're all into counting days and centuries, here's how it started. This site offers a concise history of how calendars and date-keeping developed in several different cultures in Europe, Asia, and South America. Interesting background for study of astronomy and cultures, or as research material for secondary students.
Chronologies from WebChron - Grades 6-12 and teachers - This site offers a collection of time lines which are interrelated in outline format. The information spans western and eastern cultural development going back as far as the evolution of the first hominids. While the information is strictly limited to dates and events, the site could be useful for building time-lines, or for comparing contemporaneous events in different cultures. Good resource for lesson development. From the department of history at North Park University.
CIA World Fact Book - Grade level: 4-12 This newly updated site is exactly like the title; it’s a world fact book. It is a great site for a few disciplines because of the wide range of info on each country (climate, science, demographics) could be used in math, obviously any facet of history. While much the information may be advanced for 4th and 5th graders, instructors could easily select basic facts. Good site if you want relevant, direct information on a country.
Country Profiles - Grades 4-12 - ABC News offers this site as background for their international reporting, but it also serves as a great resource for short-and-sweet introductions to the politics and circumstances of foreign nations. The demographic and ecnonomic information is bery basic, but this site is a good starting point for those who need a quick update.
The Electronic Embassy - Grades 4-12 - This Washington, DC - based site offers a collection of information from foreign embassies located in the nation's capital. Its most useful feature is a set of links to the embassies themselves, some of which are fairly obscure. Good resource for a student interested in finding out specifics of a foreign country and their diplomatic services.
Exchange - Grades 4 to 12. This site is sponsored by the Intensive English Institute, Division of English as an International Language at the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. - This site is an excellent resource for those interested in and studying other cultures. Students from around the world submit articles, recipes etc. The sections include: cookbook, world cultures (ceremonies, customs etc.), stories, penpals, and class projects that have been submitted. Cultural diversity is evident throughout this site, making it very useful.
Flags of the World - Grades 4-12 - For younger students, this site has flags for just about any place you can imagine, along with an alphabetical index that's fairly easy to use. For older students, there are extensive notes on the history and evolution of many of the flags shown, along with discussion on how they should and should not be used. This is a great place if you need a flag!
InfoNation – Grades 6-12 - Source: United Nations Publications. This site is a somewhat unusual international research tool. Whether you are looking for more traditional data or obscure facts like 'Women in Parliament' or 'CO2 Emissions' for any country, this is the place to find it!
Interactive World Fact Book - Grades 4-12 - This site offers short, factual summaries on hundreds of different countries. There's not a lot of extensive detail, but there are enough basics here for an elementary report, or for a starting point for a more advanced exploration of another country. The short synopses make comparisons particularly easy.
Lonely Planet Destinations - Grade level: 6-12 - This site contains info on continents and countries of the world. While it is targeted toward travelers, this site offers an incredible amount of information on countries, including history, economy, culture, events, reading material (reference and personal accounts of experiences), etc. It’s easy to navigate and search. This site could be used for many disciplines (science, English, history, art, music, even math-unit on other currencies and how to convert).
Maps on the Internet – Grades K-12 - Source: Composite, including USGS and National Geographic. Target: High School and AP. Although maps are plentiful on the Internet, this is an unusual site. It contains views of Earth from the Sun, the Moon or Satellite. It also includes weather satellite imagery, earthquake maps, NASA data, and Ocean Maps. It also allows you to create maps of anywhere on earth at any scale. A valuable tool for the science teacher.
Maps from the United Nations - Grades 4-12 - The U.N. Cartographic Section offers this surprisingly complete collection of maps for regions around the world, each available as a printable Adobe Acrobat file. In addition to a very complete collection of country maps, there are also maps of areas in which the UN is involved in peacekeeping or other regional efforts. These are titled by acronym, so you'll need to know where you're headed in order to use them efficiently. A nice resource from an unlikely source.
Maps from National Geographic Xpeditions - Grades 4-12 - Here's an interactive resource that lets you find and print maps of just about any country. The final results are available as GIF or Adobe Acrobat files, and the site offers links to additional information on geography and cultures.
Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me A Map - Grade level: 4-12 - Source: University of Tennessee; last update 1996 - Well, as its title states, this site offers the basics on cartography. It’s a very good summary that explains the origins of mapmaking, the terms (w/definitions), and also has a crossword puzzle. The info could easily be streamlined so the younger kids would understand the material. It also has a listing of suggested reading, which I always find helpful. Easy site to navigate and is extremely straightforward. Great site for anyone teaching maps.
Microsoft Terraserver - Grades 4-12 - Terraserver is Microsoft's very popular satellite photo database which can produce aerial images of almost any point on earth. Users can key in a location, see an image, then pan and zoom to isolate particular features. Works fine with a 28.8 connection, but be patient, lots of others are using this service.
Modern World History - Grades 6-12 - BBC offers this Eurocentric look at the 19th and 20th centuries, complete with timelines and questions designed to provoke discussion and research. This site would offer a good overview of movements and key events, and its timeline would be particularly useful to help "fit the pieces together."
National Geographic's Xpeditions - Grades 4-8 focuses on an interactive world in which different aspects of the study of geography are presented using the analogy of different "worlds." There are interactive atlases, forums for discussion, exhibits, and geography standards to review. Very entertaining, a great "game-like" site for students!
Today In History – Grades 6-12 - A very good site for the history buff or those struggling to understand historical events. The story links have real depth and are well written for easy comprehension. Pictures make the history come alive and support the information given. There are links to particular events of the day, a daily quiz, and a picture of the day. From Cowles History Group, Inc.
World Wise Schools Teacher's Guides - Grades K-12 - This is a collection of resources created by the Peace Corps. While the content was originally designed to accompany a videotape series, most of the information can easily be used without the videos. Content is based on cultures of several different continents in which the Peace Corps has been active, and the presentations and activities are geared to specific grade levels.
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