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Pony Express History
Grades
4 to 8
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A detailed, text-heavy account of the formation and history of the pony express mail service in the western United States. What this site lacks in visuals it more than makes ...more
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A detailed, text-heavy account of the formation and history of the pony express mail service in the western United States. What this site lacks in visuals it more than makes up for with its collection of colorful stories about the owners and riders in this uniquely American communication service.
tag(s): westward expansion (42)
In the Classroom
Save the "bunkhouse" portion of this site as a favorite and allow students to use it as a learning center. There are many sections student can research as well as a quiz section teachers can use to assess their participation in the webquest. This site would be a great supplement during a unit on Westward expansion.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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The Gold Rush - PBS
Grades
4 to 12
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This site provides background information, timeline, and illustrated explanations of what happened during the gold rush. Originally intended to accompany the PBS documentary, the site...more
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This site provides background information, timeline, and illustrated explanations of what happened during the gold rush. Originally intended to accompany the PBS documentary, the site can also be useful for those who do not have access to the video. If you choose to use the video, there are lesson plans and handouts to use before and after viewing. The A "Fun Facts" section of information is interesting for all.
tag(s): gold rush (19), westward expansion (42)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plans here that show you how to incorporate all the features of the site into a unit on the Gold Rush and Westward Expansion. Excellent resource for American history teachers, just be sure to save it as a favorite to allow for easy retrieval later on.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Klondike Gold Rush Stories - Smithsonian Institution
Grades
4 to 8
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Drawn from the Smithsonian's history of the U.S. Postal Service, this page of Gold Rush stories includes narrative and images that explain how people arrived in Alaska and traveled...more
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Drawn from the Smithsonian's history of the U.S. Postal Service, this page of Gold Rush stories includes narrative and images that explain how people arrived in Alaska and traveled inland to stake their claims in the gold fields. The site is remarkable more for its variety of original sources than for its visual effects, but there's a lot to learn here.
tag(s): alaska (22), gold rush (19), stories and storytelling (80)
In the Classroom
What a creative way to meld Literature and the history of the Gold Rush in this site! Use some of the resources and stories on this site in your classroom to teach about the Gold Rush in Alaska in a non-lecture format.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Along the Chisholm Trail
Grades
4 to 12
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Here's a well-designed "labor of love" PDF that introduces a trail used by cattlemen. Along the trail, you'll learn why the Missouri ranchers didn't like the Texas ranchers and other...more
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Here's a well-designed "labor of love" PDF that introduces a trail used by cattlemen. Along the trail, you'll learn why the Missouri ranchers didn't like the Texas ranchers and other vital facts. There's serious history in all this, and the narrative makes it interesting to read.
tag(s): westward expansion (42)
In the Classroom
Use this PDF to teach about the "wild west," and how it was affected by the pioneers who settled it. Use this site as a learning center or station during a unit on the West and Westward Expansion. The information given would probably work best with a graphic organizer to accompany it. We recommend Graphic Organizer Maker.
This resource requires PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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The Alamo
Grades
4 to 8
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The web site from the historical monument offers a description of the events that happened there and the larger story of the Texas independence movement. ...more
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The web site from the historical monument offers a description of the events that happened there and the larger story of the Texas independence movement.
tag(s): native americans (128), westward expansion (42)
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Turtle Tracks
Grades
4 to 8
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This newsletter with a Native American slant includes articles, stories, and information about Native American culture, customs, holidays, and heroes. The texts include pictures and...more
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This newsletter with a Native American slant includes articles, stories, and information about Native American culture, customs, holidays, and heroes. The texts include pictures and maps. Subject matter varies, and publication appears to be sporadic. Still, it's a nice collection of different materials.
tag(s): native americans (128)
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Pre-Contact Native American Housing
Grades
4 to 8
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Though this site spends much time discussing the inaccuracies of Euro-centric portrayals of Native Americans and their housing, its detailed descriptions of the form and function of...more
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Though this site spends much time discussing the inaccuracies of Euro-centric portrayals of Native Americans and their housing, its detailed descriptions of the form and function of several different housing types are well worth a visit. The visual material includes drawings, archival photos, and artwork by Native Americans showing the way they lived in a variety of climates. Privately published.
tag(s): native americans (128)
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Photographs of Edward S. Curtis - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12
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This Library of Congress exhibit contains dozens of photographs made of Native Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection concentrates in the Pacific northwest,...more
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This Library of Congress exhibit contains dozens of photographs made of Native Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection concentrates in the Pacific northwest, and was an attempt to record the cultural life of the tribes there. Though some of the images were "staged" by modern standards, these images offer a "real world" glimpse of cultures many students can only read about.
tag(s): native americans (128)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a "picture walk" in your classroom, introducing the topic of Native American cultures. Select 10-15 of the more powerful and diverse images, hanging them up in different locations around your classroom. Have students rotate around the classroom every 30-45 seconds, jotting down what they observe and infer about each image until the entire class has completed the circuit. After the class is back in their seats, have a class discussion based on what they observed and what this says about the specific tribes studied. A great way to get students thinking about the content in a way that's more personal and lecture-less!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains - Montana State University
Grades
4 to 12
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Created at Montana State University, this site offers archival photos, descriptions, and related information organized around the tribes of the northern great plains. These photos show...more
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Created at Montana State University, this site offers archival photos, descriptions, and related information organized around the tribes of the northern great plains. These photos show tribal customs and activities, and may sometimes be a more accurate portrayal of native American cultures than that commonly available.
tag(s): native americans (128)
In the Classroom
Use this site as a point of reference in searching for primary sources and images of the Native American tribes from the Northwest. These images could easily be used to supplement a unit on the tribes themselves, Westward Expansion, and the tensions between the US government and the various tribes in that region. Useful resource for a US history or government classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Histories of the First Nations
Grades
4 to 12
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Here's a site that offers concise summaries of several dozen Native American tribes. Each of these in turn links to a far more detailed history of that tribe. This makes ...more
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Here's a site that offers concise summaries of several dozen Native American tribes. Each of these in turn links to a far more detailed history of that tribe. This makes the site suitable for students at many levels, and for many purposes. We wish there were more historical or thematic indexing, but this is still a great resource.
tag(s): native americans (128)
In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector. The site has brief blips about many of the Native American tribes that existed pre-colonial America, although it varies in content. There are a lot of interesting details that students will find interesting.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Earth Day Trash Survey - LETSNet
Grades
3 to 12
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Turn an Earth Day cleanup into a real-world math and civic-action project with this four-part unit centered on collecting, organizing, and interpreting trash data. Students participate...more
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Turn an Earth Day cleanup into a real-world math and civic-action project with this four-part unit centered on collecting, organizing, and interpreting trash data. Students participate in a cleanup, tally the types of litter they find, combine results into class statistics, develop a survey for other classrooms or schools, analyze responses, and use their findings to recommend an action plan to reduce trash in the community. The unit emphasizes data analysis, inference, argument, and community problem-solving and includes objectives, materials, lesson outlines, standards connections, and suggestions for classrooms with either one computer or several. Some technology directions reflect the era in which the resource was created, including references to e-mail surveys, Web-page forms, modems, and saving files to disks, so teachers will likely want to update the digital workflow while preserving the core investigation.
tag(s): conservation (98), earth day (61), ecology (113), pollution (57)
In the Classroom
Have students participate in a school or neighborhood cleanup, tally each type of litter they collect, and combine the class results into categories and percentages before discussing which kinds of waste are most common. Students can work in pairs to design a short litter survey for classmates or other classes using Google Forms, reviewed here, then compare the survey responses with the cleanup data.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Knighthood, Chivalry, and Tournaments
Grades
4 to 8
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Here's a site for the fans of knights in armor. There are details about life in the middle ages, how knights were expected to behave, how they fought, and their ...more
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Here's a site for the fans of knights in armor. There are details about life in the middle ages, how knights were expected to behave, how they fought, and their place in society.. Great resource for elementary reports and students interested in lots of detail.
tag(s): medieval (36)
In the Classroom
This is a great find for gifted students as they can do more in-depth research on knights, chivalry, and the like. To show what they have learned from this site, challenge students to create an online infographic to share using Visme, reviewed here. This would be a good way to review the topic after instruction, useful for a world history classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Empire that was Russia - Library of Congress
Grades
4 to 12
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This is a truly extraordinary collection of images of Russia during the period 1900-1915. The photographer's techniques enabled the Library of Congress to recreate high quality, full-color...more
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This is a truly extraordinary collection of images of Russia during the period 1900-1915. The photographer's techniques enabled the Library of Congress to recreate high quality, full-color images of 100 year old scenes that look as though they were taken yesterday. Though the site has a wealth of technical information, the images themselves will be most useful. The site includes numerous buildings that were destroyed during the Russian revolution of 1917.
tag(s): photography (136), russia (32)
In the Classroom
Use the images on this site to create a visual discovery activity in your classroom. Select 3-5 of the more powerful and descriptive images, placing them on separate PowerPoint slides. Share the slides on the interactive whiteboard, allowing students to view each image for 30-45 seconds each. During that time period students should jot down what they can observe, infer and predict about each image. After the class has gone through all the slides, have a class discussion based on student's notes. This is a great way to review a unit on Russia, allowing students to apply their knowledge from the previous classes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Great Plains Live: Live African Hidecams - Great Plains Conservation
Grades
4 to 12
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The Great Plains Conservation live African wildlife webcam offers a real-time view into the daily lives of wild animals in Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, streaming scenes from waterholes...more
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The Great Plains Conservation live African wildlife webcam offers a real-time view into the daily lives of wild animals in Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, streaming scenes from waterholes and plains where elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions, and a variety of other wildlife can appear at any moment. This live "hidecam" experience brings authentic African safari sights and sounds into the classroom or home, supporting observation of animal behavior, ecosystems, and biodiversity. The organization also shares additional wildlife livestreams and related videos on YouTube, making it easy to explore beyond the live feed for extended learning and classroom use.
In the Classroom
This is an excellent site to supplement a unit on Africa specifically, or one that is focused on different environments over the world. Save the site as a favorite on classroom computers, and have students look at in pairs or cooperative learning groups. Use the site to show kids how different the African country-side is from their own. Because one can not predict when or where animals will appear, it is probably best to have students check periodically through the day or classroom period. Have students observe the camera-view, and write a comparative piece on the differences between the region shown and their own. Post pictures of the site and students work to display around the classroom during the unit!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Ancient Egypt
Grades
4 to 12
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This site from the British Museum offers a literate, visually attractive, yet very approachable on-line study resource on Egyptian culture, customs, and history. The site has numerous...more
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This site from the British Museum offers a literate, visually attractive, yet very approachable on-line study resource on Egyptian culture, customs, and history. The site has numerous topics and layers, with most content delivered through stories. There are also instructional games and quizzes. Five stars for this one!
tag(s): egypt (60)
In the Classroom
The "staff room" feature is especially nice for teachers, offering teacher instructions directly from each student page, or in sequence if you prefer.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Canadian Heritage Information Network - Government of Canada
Grades
4 to 12
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This site from the Canadian government offers a huge compilation of online resources about Canadian heritage from museums in all disciplines, government agencies, and educational institutions....more
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This site from the Canadian government offers a huge compilation of online resources about Canadian heritage from museums in all disciplines, government agencies, and educational institutions. If you're in search of things Canadian, this is an excellent starting point. Begin by clicking on a link on the right menu labeled Most Requested.
tag(s): canada (23)
In the Classroom
Students can act as digital museum curators by exploring how artifacts are documented and then creating their own "museum cards" that include a title, description, origin, and significance, which they can use to build a classroom mini-museum and present as docents. Students can participate in an artifact storytelling project by selecting an object and writing a narrative that explains its history, importance, and possible owner, helping them connect informational details with creative writing. Students can complete a preservation challenge in which they design a plan to protect an artifact over time, considering materials, storage conditions, and digital backups.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Malaysia - National Geographic Kids
Grades
3 to 8
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The National Geographic Kids article on Malaysia introduces students to the geography, culture, wildlife, and people of this Southeast Asian nation through kid-friendly text, colorful...more
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The National Geographic Kids article on Malaysia introduces students to the geography, culture, wildlife, and people of this Southeast Asian nation through kid-friendly text, colorful photographs, maps, and fast facts. Students learn about Malaysia's unique geography, including its two regions separated by the South China Sea, as well as its tropical rainforests, diverse wildlife, government, and traditions. The engaging format makes complex geographic and cultural concepts easy to understand while encouraging curiosity about the world. This resource is an excellent introduction to global studies, geography, and cultural awareness for elementary and middle school students.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): asia (138), rainforests (16), religions (120)
In the Classroom
Have students create a travel brochure using Canva for Edu, reviewed here highlighting Malaysia's geography, landmarks, wildlife, and cultural traditions. To help guide students through the content, we recommend creating a graphic organizer. For help making those, try Graphic Organizer Maker (reviewed here). Compare Malaysia to the United States using a Venn diagram that examines government, geography, climate, and population.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pulse of the Planet
Grades
3 to 12
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National Geographic publishes this ongoing collection of short documentary pieces, each of which has both text and audio narration in high quality stereo sound, with lots of natural...more
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National Geographic publishes this ongoing collection of short documentary pieces, each of which has both text and audio narration in high quality stereo sound, with lots of natural effects. For students with special needs, who have trouble either reading or attending, these short sound clips provide a well-constructed exposure to topics ranging from science to cultures and celebrations. Watch for new segments each week, along with a monthly feature presentation.
tag(s): adhd (21), learning disability (20), Special Needs (45)
In the Classroom
Because there are a LOT of short recordings on this site, be sure to examine it thoroughly before allowing students to use it. Find one or several informative recordings that could benefit your classroom, and use them as introductory pieces before beginning a unit or lesson. Play the recording using the interactive whiteboard as a starter, previewing the lesson to come, allowing students to reflect on the recording via writing or verbally in a class discussion. Enhance student learning and replace paper pen by asking students to write blogs sharing information learned using a site like Edublog, reviewed here. Edublog offers tools for creating class and individual blogs. Include all students in a discussion (even your most shy) by using YoTeach!, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mentor
Grades
1 to 12
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This resource is a national effort to create groups of mentors for communities nationwide. Under the menu tab at the top click on Resource Library to find resources for Guides, ...more
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This resource is a national effort to create groups of mentors for communities nationwide. Under the menu tab at the top click on Resource Library to find resources for Guides, Toolkits, Training Modules, Webinars and more. Topics on the left menu of resources include Masculinity, Racial Equity, Social Emotional Learning and more. Under the Take Action tab on the top right menu see resources for Becoming a Mentor or Finding a Mentor.
tag(s): mentoring (6), social and emotional learning (203)
In the Classroom
Share this site with your school's administration and PTSA to find out about mentoring groups in your community. If you teach middle and high school students, share the topics on the resources page and ask them what other topics could be included. Then under the programs tab, review with students what it takes to STtart a Program. I your students feel strongly enough that there needs to be another topic, you could share their feeling with your PTSA.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Interactive World Fact Book
Grades
4 to 12
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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...more
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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.
tag(s): maps (220)
In the Classroom
Use the country reports on this site as a resource for students working on research projects or papers. Be sure to post the site on your teacher wiki or webpage, allowing students to access the material both in and out of the classroom.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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