War rations is a concept that is difficult for students to understand. This site uses a painting of people shopping at a grocery store during WWII and makes it interactive. Visitors to the site can examine the picture and click on details to learn more about what is happening in the photo. For instance, it shows pictures and explainations of actual ration booklets, propaganda, posters, grocery prices, etc. There are also nice "Did you know" buttons to learn more and all the primary sources can be downloaded and printed as PDF's.
This site is part of the Eisenhower Presidential Library. It would be extremely useful for civil rights units. This is a nice collection of some of Eisenhower's most important correspondence during the Little Rock High School integration crisis. It is also neat to read them because they are scans of the actual typed documents and not just transcriptions. It seems more authentic when students can see the real thing. His notes, diaries, telegrams, letters and press releases really help to show how Eisenhower handled the situation. (Note: There is even an exchange of letters between Jackie Robinson and the president in which they discuss how blacks need to be patient for civil rights)
This is a primary source document . . . in Spanish! It is purported to be (as I'm no hispanohablante) a letter from 1570 that "describes the settlement at Ajacàn and requests that Juan de Hinistrosa, the Royal Treasurer of Cuba, send a ship of grain to sustain the settlement." This would be great for Spanish class, obviously, and then maybe for world history after the other students translate it. :-)
This website is a great source to go to find information about Nebraska. It is the Nebraska Historical Society website. The site has many links that will lead to a wealth of information on the state of Nebraska
This internet site provides a variety of resources for learning about the state history of Nebraska. Searching through the wide historical collections online, I discovered a wealth of photographs, maps and even information about individuals and families. The society does provide a specific "Teacher Materials" link. For fourth grade Nebraska social studies standards!
The American Memory collection is such a treasure trove, including this old photograph of Sioux City (as well as many other Iowa towns). This would be really useful in a unit about local history or even for younger students, talking about communities and maps. Students would find it interesting to match up today's view of the city with this one.
Site includes maps, pictures, thematic packets for teachers and more. Teachers are able to navagate throughout the site to access all aspects of history. Site also provides sources for professional training and outside resources. Site provides training on how to use primary sources.
Library of Congress Teachers Page, with links to using primary sources, etc. The LOC has created "Themed Resources" that include specific, common topics into easy to use sets. The combined resources include grouped primary source sets, lessson plans, exhibitions, etc. Love IT! Also provides user with pre-made LOC professional development sessions called "Teaching with Primary Sources."
This site is organized by subject area and links to many resources. The site includes primary documents and lesson plans in all the content areas. The catagories are organized in abc order and the front page includes the number of items in each catagory.
This site is full of links that can be used when studying the American Revolution. It covers key individuals, spies, battles, causes of the war and a lot more. There is also a timeline link that could be used to teach about timelines.
This website is linked with a lot of information and resources. What I thought was awesome about this site is that it has actual letters written by soldiers and families of soldiers. During a unit on the Revolutionary War, materials like these are priceless and so much more meaningful that words from a textbook.
The map lover in me is enthralled with this website. The site contains detailed historical maps organized by themes like "Environmental History" and "The Historical Geography of Transportation". Each map then has links to lesson plans organized by K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 with links to additional, applicable primary sources. The site also includes helpful tips for teachers and a useful glossary.
This website offers powerful images touching on current events from around the world. While the text would be challenging for most of my elementary students; I think the images are so telling that they would be a useful tool to teach students how to read pictures and some other powerful visual and media literacy skills.
Site's front page uses timeline to break history of US into 7 eras; ie 1700-1815, 1815-1860 and so on. You can search by era, or by topic. Topics include Civil War, Holocaust, Vietnam Memorial and more. Documents can be zoomed in on enough to read legible writing.
Easy to navigate. Primary sources include court cases, historic newspapers, landmark document, and social history. Uses drop down for topic selection. Also includes lesson plans, multimedia, science and technology.
The National Archives' digital classroom for using primary sources. Activities and training for students and teachers. Link to another site for using primary sources, Docs Teach.
The exhibits on this site were awesome! From the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence to the Deadly Influenza Virus or Electing a President and Democracy; these were just a few among many that met indicators on my specific grade level, so I'm sure others would work for different elementary grades. My favorite part was the Eyewitness exhibit. It has links to all important moments in US History and has video, songs, and voice recordings to bring students into that very moment in time.
This appealing site offers an interactive online art zone for projects in painting, photography and collage. Exploration games guide observations of masterpieces in painting and sculpture. Link to NGA exhibitions.
This is the home page of the USA executive branch of government. Use this page to link to biographical data on the leaders, The White House 101 (site for kids), The White House Blog, policies & issues, the constitution, executive/legislative/judicial branches.
This site introduces students to the Secretary of State and the job of diplomacy. There are news links for important international events. Resources are available for parents and educators and a passport game for K-6.
This is the web site for FDA's campaign to help people become aware of the Nutrition Facts Label on food products. There are games, projects and specialized pages for children, parents and educators.
This site allows students to explore land & water management, national parks, minerals, fish & wildlife in the US. Check out the Astrogeology link for exploring our planetary system.
This site is a small collection within the American Memory Project website created by the Library of Congress. What makes it nice, is that it easily brings together many important documents that help provide insights into the African American experience from the slave trade to the Civil Rights era. Sometimes the larger American Memory site can be hard to navigate. This smaller sub-collection has nicely collected the highlights of the African American collection.