Posts Tagged ‘American history’

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Supplements For Your Revolutionary and Colonial American History Studies

August 19th, 2021

IHA: U.S. Revolutionary & Colonial History

(www.ushistory.org/)

Grades 5-12, with parental supervision

This website is sponsored by The Independence Hall Association (IHA) whose mission is to educate the public about the Revolutionary and Colonial eras of American history – as well as Philadelphia history.

This amazing site has many multi-media features that will supplement any study of U.S. history.

The IHA has created what they call a “Congress of Websites” under the umbrella of USHistory.org. Each of these mini-websites focuses on a particular topic that includes:

  • American Anti-Slavery and Civil Rights Timeline
  • Commodore John Barry
  • Betsy Ross House
  • Declaration of Independence
  • Germantown
  • Liberty Bell
  • Thomas Paine
  • Revolutionary War
  • 7 Tours Thru Historic Philadelphia
  • Town Criers
  • Valley Forge
  • Washington Crossing
  • William Penn
  • and many other topics!

This site also offers extensive information on Benjamin Franklin! Here’s the direct link-

www.ushistory.org/franklin/index.htm

This site contains thousands of pages covering all aspects of U.S. History. You can use the search feature at the top of the page, or browse one of the following topic headings in the middle of the page. Click on any topic of interest and a new page opens to an educational adventure in American history.

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Fantastic Resource for American History Studies!

August 12th, 2021

Teaching American History – Teacher Resources

(teachingamericanhistory.org/resources/teacher-resources/)

Grades 7-12, with parental supervision

This portion of the larger TeachingAmericanHistory.org website provides a large variety of resources to use for your American history studies.

From today’s link, select from the following:

  • American History Toolkits – collections of resources from the site focusing on a specific topic. These resources can include Guiding Questions, Essential Documents, Webinars, archived courses from the Presidential Academy section, and Lesson Plans. The topics cover The American Founding, Expansion & Sectionalism, Civil War & Reconstruction, The Progressive Era, The Great Depression and World War II, and Civil Rights.
  • Exhibits on the American Founding – Using primary and secondary sources, maps, images and more, students will explore major events related to the founding of the American Republic. Events covered include the Constitutional Convention, The Federalist-Antifederalist Debate, The Ratification of the United States Constitution, and The Bill of Rights.
  • Exhibits on American History – Similar in nature to the Exhibits on the American Founding section, students will explore in depth the historical significance of specific themes and events such as Religion in America, The Election of 1800, Abraham Lincoln, and The Civil War.
  • Lesson Plans – links to other sites with history lesson plans
  • Presidential Academy – Provides a 30-session course focusing on three major documents: The Declaration of Independence, The Gettysburg Address, MLK’s “I Have a Dream” Speech. From the website description, “Each session is made up of a set of readings, all linked from its blog post, and usually one lecture. Guiding questions and focus issues are at the foundation of each week’s study.”
  • Multimedia Resources – links to find archived videos and podcasts
  • Homeschool Resources – specifically gathered for the homeschool family, visitors will find.
  • Free Homeschool American History Curriculum – a free high-school level American History and Government curriculum focusing on primary documents. There is a sample of the curriculum to review and then a form to fill out to receive the curriculum by email.
  • Monthly Webinars – conversations focusing on the 50 Core American Documents
  • Classroom Webinars for Homeschool Co-ops – interactive webinars ideal for AP U.S. History or Government and Politics courses.
  • Saturday Webinars – monthly programs for those who want to know more about American history documents. These webinars are also archived making it a great anytime resource.
  • Documents Library – access to the over 23,000 primary documents on the site
  • 50 Core American Documents – a collection of the most important documents in American history and government with summaries, questions and links to related documents.

This site is a fantastic resource for your American history studies and well worth bookmarking.

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In-Depth American History At Your Fingertips!

August 5th, 2021

DigitalHistory.com: Digital American History for K-12

(www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/)

The University of Houston sponsors this free, in-depth, American history website

Grades K-12, but majority of content appears to be high school level and up. Use with parental supervision.

The University of Houston sponsors this free, in-depth, American history website that includes:

  • A U.S. history textbook
  • Lesson plans and e-lectures
  • Primary source documents including court cases and Supreme Court decisions
  • Photographs
  • Artwork
  • Essays, letters, and cartoons
  • Maps
  • Timelines
  • Multimedia exhibitions
  • Video, films, and flash movies
  • Audio presentations of speeches and debates
  • Interactive modules, history games, and quizzes
  • Historical Music
  • Reference resources that include classroom handouts
  • “Ask the HyperHistorian” – professional historians answer your questions
  • Resources to create your own multimedia American history exhibitions

The content here covers 44 historical eras with exploration activities on topics such as:

  • Mexican, Tejano, and Texian perspectives on the battle of the Alamo
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt’s decision to relocate Japanese Americans during WW II
  • Children’s perspectives on slavery, westward migration, and WW II

When you get to the site you’ll see the main features in the center of the homepage – click on any one to sample what’s available here. Then, use the extensive menu on the left to begin your exploration of the array of historical content.

You’ll even find links to living history museums, presidential libraries, and other historical websites.

Once your history thinking cap is fully loaded, take the quiz to find your History I.Q. Here’s the direct link:

www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/quizzes/hriq_test.cfm

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Amazing American History Resource from PBS

July 8th, 2021

WNET (thirteen) – Freedom: A History of Us

(www.thirteen.org/wnet/historyofus/index.html)

Grades 5-12, with parental supervision

Explore American history with this archived website from New York PBS station WNET (thirteen).

This site has so much to offer that we only scratched the surface while working on this review. After reading through the information on the home page, use the upper menu to navigate the site for:

  • Webisode Menu – Select from sixteen webisodes focusing on specific time periods in American history from the Declaration of Independence to the events of September 11, 2001. Each webisode includes informational text, images, audios, PDF documents, research tools such as timelines, glossaries, quizzes, downloadable teacher guides and so much more.
  • Tools & Activities – Enhance your studies with multimedia games, multiple-choice quizzes, Freedom Stories, “History Resource Database to find museums, historical societies, and other opportunities for historical edification in your community” and an image browser.
  • For Teachers – Find teaching guides and background information for all the webisodes, interactive timelines and much more to aid and supplement your studies.
  • About the Series – Learn about the PBS “Freedom” series.

Visitors will want to bookmark this valuable American history resource to come back to throughout all their studies.

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Lessons and Literature thru American History

June 24th, 2021

What So Proudly We Hail

(www.whatsoproudlywehail.org/)

Grades 9-12, with parental supervision 

Discover the rich history of America through the use of literature and with help of the lessons on this website. This e-curriculum, created by Amy Kass and Leon Kass, uses classic American stories, speeches, and songs alongside of video discussions and in-depth study guides to encourage students to be active readers and promote meaningful conversation of the subject matter.

When arriving at the website, select the Curriculum link at the top of the page. Currently, there are four curricula to choose from:

  • The Meaning of America – 11 sessions explore “American character and American identity in ways that will produce thoughtful and engaged citizens.”
  • The American Calendar – 11 sessions explore “the purpose and meaning of our civic holidays, showing how their repeated celebration helps unite and identify us as a people and attaches us to our country.”
  • Songs for Free Men and Women – 6 sessions examine “our major national songs, both to understand their words and to discover what they contribute to making attached citizens.”
  • The American Muse – 1 session “examines classic American poems, both to understand their words and to explore how reading poetry can join individual and community in a unique and powerful way.”

The Meaning of America curriculum includes 45-minute videoed model conversations as well as discussion guides that encourage students to look beyond the story and to gain insight into the meaningful connection between the American and human matters. All of the curricula provide an introduction to the subject matter and thought provoking questions for discussion of the primary resources presented.

In addition to the curriculum, check out the blog to find more teacher-created lesson plans. Select the “Library” link at the top of the page to see the complete list of short stories, speeches, study guides, discussion videos, author biographies, and primary texts available.

While this website was created for high school students, it could be adapted to be used with middle school students as well.

When students are provided with characters that they can identify with, studies take on a new life and meaning. Through the use of literature, these characters are found and students are likely to take hold of the information more readily. This website can provide a stepping-stone into the discovery of the characters of American history.

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Virtual Field Trip to the Museum of the American Revolution

May 28th, 2021

Museum of the American Revolution

(www.amrevmuseum.org/learn-and-explore/collection)

Grades 2-12, with parental supervision 

Discover some of the artifacts of the American Revolutionary War with this museum website.

When arriving at today’s link, start exploring items available online such as:

  • Artwork – portraits of Lieutenant John Ross, Thomas McDonogh, the Comte du Perron, and other masterpieces including the March to Valley Forge and the Battle of Germantown
  • Objects – muskets, swords, flags, clothing, cookware, Washington’s headquarters tent, and more
  • Printed Works – A Founding Father’s Roman History, newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence, Patrick Henry’s Law Books, Common Sense and Plain Truth, poems, and more

Exhibits include historical background about the artifact and other related items to examine.

Be sure not to leave this site before visiting the Learn and Explore link in the upper menu. Here you will find many educational resources including interactive features, virtual exhibits, crafts & activities, and much more. You will also find links for Virtual Museum Tour and the Virtual Field Trip.

The Virtual Field Trip takes visitors to a page for Beyond the Battlefield: A Virtual Field Trip, “a behind-the-scenes field trip of the Museum with host Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived series of children’s historical fiction novels.” This field trip will take visitors to the Scholastic website and includes a downloadable Classroom Kit, a 25-minute video tour, and many more resources for your students in 2nd-8th grade. 

This site will make a fabulous addition to your American History studies.

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