Recommended Website:
AwesomeStories.com
List member, Celeste B. of Texas recommended today’s outstanding website…
Want to read some really interesting stories? This site offers an opportunity to read about famous historical events, trials, people, movies, and disasters — it even provides stories about religions of the world and inspirational stories as well.
The really remarkable thing about Awesome Stories, which has been honored by the National Institute for Literacy, is the way they include “evidence” links to primary sources in national archives, libraries, museums, historical societies and institutions of higher learning to provide the background for deeper knowledge and understanding of the story subject. Reading becomes an interactive experience because as you read the story, you can click on links that provide further information from respectable resources on a point made in the story. You’ll see original documents, photos, illustrations, maps and other materials from a variety of media exactly when they are needed as you read the story. There isn’t anything else quite like it on the Net.
Geared for independent use by older students and adults, many of the stories and facts contained at the site will intrigue younger audiences as well. However, suitability of content on any given story should be determined by parents.
When you get to the site you will find a menu of story “channels” that include:
- Flicks — Get the scoop on the story behind popular movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean, The Pianist, Seabiscuit, The Perfect Storm, Erin Brockovich and more.
- Famous Trials — Explore the background story to the Amistad Incident, the treason trials of Daniel Boone and Paul Revere, and other headline trials.
- History — Discover the many complicated facets behind historical events such as Lincoln’s Assassination, WWII, Auschwitz, The Cuban Missile Crisis, and “Jim Crow” Laws.
- Biography — Get your questions answered about the lives and times of historical figures such as Mary, Queen of Scots, Susan B. Anthony, Beethoven, Benedict Arnold and even Santa Claus!
- Disasters — Find out what caused the deadliest air crash, the death of the city of Pompeii, the sinking of the Titanic, The Black Death, and much more.
You can see from the selection that this site not only provides great reading material for Language Arts, but exceptional content for Social Studies as well.
