2011Reference

NBC Learn provides a wealth of videos, primary source documents, and overall media from the past 80 years and now.  The content is divided into K-12 and Higher Ed.  It is a paid resource, but there is free content available.  This could easily be utilized in the classroom and help make newsworthy events of our past real for students today.

The British Museum provides a section specifically designed for children to help explore countries of the world and showcase actual museum artifacts that go with those continents.  The Museum Explorer shows a map from which users can highlight a country or region of the world and topic for that country to see artifacts from the museum and a brief explanation.  Students can choose the topics: birds and beasts, tools and technology, death, gods and spirits, daily life, leaders and rulers, dress and ornament, and warfare.   6th graders learning about the continent of Africa could access Museum Explorer, select leaders and rulers and discover that African leaders mainly consisted of elders and chiefs of tribes, but Egypt made leadership in Africa well known.  There are five artifacts shown on the African Leaders and Rulers page.  The Story of King Solomon and Queen Sheba is a Ethiopian painting from AD 1971 that shows the reign of the king and queen.  I can see students investing their time in this site to see actual artifacts from the specified regions.

PrimaryAccess is a wonderful web 2.0 tool that allows students to search for primary documents, particularly images and audio, and input them into Moviemaker, Storyboard, or Rebus Poem.  All of the options are some form of digital storytelling that helps students understand pieces of our history and communicate the information in their own words.

The museum of Edgar Allan Poe collection database includes primary source documents such as letters, photos, and personal/family items. This is a good literary resource for middle and high school students-complete with teacher and student resources. Great opportunity for English/Language Arts department and library collaboration.

The Institute for Holocaust Education site provides educational resources, workshops, survivor testimony for both students and educators of all ages and all levels of learning. The site is designed to ensure appropriate, accurate, and authentic lessons/materials are provided to the students so they are able to understand the political, social, and intellectual conditions that led to the Holocaust while recognizing stereotypes, prejudice and racism. The site also provides its users with additional references (i.e.) books, web links, exhibits, and a website dedicated to the Nebraska Holocaust Memorial.

This site, created by the Smithsonian museums, offers information and activities on a variety of topics in history, science, and the arts. It has activities for teachers to do with their class as well as ones students can do on their own.

This is a website created by the U.S. Energy Information Administration to educate kids on anything and everything having to do with energy and electricity. It would be a great resource for the sixth grade energy unit. It has a teacher section with activities for classrooms as well.

Smithsonian Folkways introduces cultures from around the world through the language of music.  Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian created to capture music "of the people, by the people, for the people".  The Tools for Teaching dropdown menu allows educators to find lessons, workshops, and more.  The lessons are pinpointed on a map and can be selected specifically by region.  The lessons vary for grade levels, but are primarily designed for 3rd and up.  Students begin learning about world history and specific countries in 6th grade.  Smithsonian Folkways would allow students to understand the culture in which they are studying through another viewpoint and language - music.

This section of America's Story helps learners gain a brief insight into each state.  There is a summary of how the state entered statehood, as well as some key information.  The image that appears when a state is clicked on is the state flag, state capital, state flower, and another image associated with the state.  There are also links to other stories about the state at the bottom and on the side of the page.  Students begin learning about their own state in 4th grade and more of the country in 5th grade.  This site provides a good overview of the state with primary source images and documents.

Eyewitness:American Originals form the National Archives provides first-hand and personal testimonies of select historical events as told from the point-of-view of presidents: Jefferson, Washington, Truman, JFK, Bush Sr., John Adams, Carter, Eisenhower-as well as other influential individuals. This would be great for time period specific research projects. Easy to read and compact digital arrangements make this user friendly for young students, teens, and educators.

The Nebraska Partnership for American History Education provides a variety of primary source resources by theme, time period, photos (1850-1938), and bibliographic collections. This site is useful for Nebraska history, United States history, women's history, Native & African American histories. It would definitely be appropriate for intermediate elementary students through high school students and all educators (lesson plans can be found here).

This site has some great local photos. It really documents the development of the Omaha area and various events throughout Omaha's history. It would be a great place to have fourth grade browse for local history.

For students studying the Civil War, this is a great resource that details two communities, one in the North and one in the South. Through newspapers, letters, diaries, maps, and census and tax records, students can examine what life was like in this community and how war affected both sides, sometimes in unforeseen ways. This website would probably work better for high school students, but the information can be used for grades 7th and 8th also.

The Truman Library provides some great lessons and primary documents for elementary to secondary students. Various documents can be found including cartoons, audio clips, print resources, and photographs. A chronology of events during Truman's presidency highlights his contributions to history. Great for history or government classes to explore.

For students studying World War II, this website offers cartoons from the 1940's created by Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss. Copies of his original drawings or clippings from the newspapers help paint a portrait of happenings at the time in the political, military, and civilian realms. Good for students grades 5-12 for extrapolating meaning for illustrations.

ERIC-Education Resources Information Center is an amazing website set up by the Institue of Educational Sciences and the U.S. Department of Education. Unlike many information engines like EBSCOHOST or Wilson, ERIC can be used without the hassel of school codes or passwards.

The Library of Congress website is an outstanding resource for anyone looking for any kind of imformation. Its outstanding in giving you numerous engines to use without having to leave the comfort of your home or classroom. It's important for all educators to be aware of the amount of useful primary sources and information that can befound throughout the website.

America's Story provides a great overview of American History in a simplified, easy-to-read manner.  The site is divided into five sections for easy navigation and to help users be able to identify what they need.  Students could use the See, Hear, and Sing section to understand the history of cartoons, children's songs, and various voice recordings.  The audio clips that are provided are directly from the Library of Congress and provide authentic learning experiences for students in second grade through 5th grade.

This is a webpage that has a lot of links to primary doucments including treaties and diaries from WWI. It is a great place for history students to get primary source documentation for reports or just to extend their learning.

Worldpress is imporant because I believe that its healthy to look outside of our own news and see a different take on the world. Its an important resource that I think is under used when students are looking for good articles to write about.