U.S. History
Discovering US History LessonsThe idea of Discovering US History is to let students "do history" with the growing amount of wonderful online archival materials and directing the use of primary sources through sophisticated inquiry based activities developed by faculty. The modules utilize a rich array of resources including Presidential audio tape excerpts from JFK and LBJ, photographs and folk music of the 1930s and religious tracts from the nineteenth century.
Lesson modules include: Slave Society of 18th Century, Stamp Act Protests, The Spanish-Cuban-American War and more. http://investigatinghistory.ashp.cuny.edu/m1.html |
America: The Story of UsAmerica The Story of Us tells the extraordinary story of how America was invented, focusing on moments in which everyday people harnessed technology to advance human progress. HISTORY Classroom has created a series of viewing guides, including a Teacher’s Idea Book, America the Story of Us Activity Guide, a Family Viewing Guide and individual episode guides designed for students.
http://www.history.com/shows/america-the-story-of-us/articles/america-the-story-of-us-study-guides https://goo.gl/hTk9en |
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Our Documents - 100 Milestone DocumentsThe following is a list of 100 milestone documents, compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, and drawn primarily from its nationwide holdings. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965.
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/content.php?flash=true&page=milestone |
Go Social Studies Go!Go Social Studies Go is the answer to the age-old question: "How can I motivate teens to read a textbook?" Each topic is thoroughly researched to ensure that the content is accurate and reliable. But facts don't have to equate with boring. Our content combines humor and a laid-back writing style to make any daunting subject more approachable.
http://gosocialstudiesgo.wix.com/us-history |
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Before and After GettysburgTwo large, motion graphics presentations outline the major battles of the Civil War before and after the Battle of Gettysburg.
Installed in two strategic locations inside the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum, these cinematic presentations provide context to the conflicts that preceded and followed the three days of battle at Gettysburg. The two five-minute movies map each army’s movements, victories, and losses from 1861 to 1865. Archival images of battles, landscapes, and notable persons are woven together with animated military infographics and voiceover narration to vividly depict the battle strategies and troop movements along a timeline of the war. First Video: https://vimeo.com/11449392 |
Free Online DocumentariesThis site compiles hundreds of documentaries from around the world. Topics include Biographies, History, Military and Wars and more. Videos are hosted through YouTube, Vimeo, etc, so some videos may be taken down or unavailable.
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ |
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Smithsonian - Artifact and AnalysisThis site presents a strategy for incorporating historical artifacts and documents into the teaching of US history. Designed as a companion to the Advanced Placement Program US History course, it is also effective in any instructional setting that emphasizes analytical thinking and writing.
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/idealabs/ap/index.htm |
WWI - In One TakeAwesome fast-paced, engaging video about how World War 1 was started, fought and ended! The video is 6 minutes long and shot all in one take.
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Gilder Lehrman Institute of American HistoryThe Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization devoted to the improvement of history education. The Institute has developed an array of programs for schools, teachers, and students that now operate in all fifty states, including a website that features more than 60,000 unique historical documents. Each year the Institute offers support and resources to tens of thousands of teachers, and through them enhances the education of more than a million students. The Institute’s programs have been recognized by awards from the White House, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Organization of American Historians.
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/ |
Interactive Dust Bowl - Ken BurnsThe Interactive Dust Bowl is a series of video clips and scenarios for students to work through. After each video clip students have to make a decision to either keep farming or move onto something else. The point of the activity is to help students understand the causes of the dust bowl and the mistakes made that contributed to its continuation.
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/dustbowl/interactive/ |
History Quizzes - SporcleSporcle is a trivia quiz website on which users have a set time limit to name all the items within a given subject, such as presidents of the USA or the countries in Europe. Anybody with a Sporcle account is able to create a quiz.
Tons of quizzes for history topics. Have your students make their own quizzes for the class! http://www.sporcle.com/games/category/history |
Crash Course- US HistoryGreen and company (a group that includes his onetime high school history teacher) have developed 10-12 minute Youtube videos consisting of 47 episodes of Crash Course U.S. History, from the natives and the Spaniards to the American Revolution to the Civil War to the Great Depression to the 60s to the Clinton years to what the series calls Obamanation — with plenty in between. Green tells the story with a mixture of well-selected detail, copious visual aids, and dizzying speed, resulting in a breezy yet surprisingly comprehensive long-form primer on just what made the United States so big, so powerful, so innovative, so self-regarding, so frustrating — and, ultimately, so fascinating.
https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse/playlists |
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U.S. History PowerpointsFree, beautifully designed, content-rich PowerPoints provided by tomrichey.net. Content ranges from American Indians to Richard Nixon's Foreign Policy and tons of topics in between!
http://www.tomrichey.net/powerpoints.html#us |
Ted Ed - US HistoryThis library features a wide variety of educational videos curated specifically for teacher and students. These TED Ed videos are explanatory tutorials and animations that cover a wide variety of topics.
Teachers can edit the lessons to include their own questions (multiple choice or open answer), add extra content such a links or start a discussion. http://ed.ted.com/lessons?category=history |
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Government/Politics
Constitutional Rights Foundation - LessonsCRF provdes classroom teachers and students with high-quality content and thought-provoking questioning strategies to promote critical-thinking development, open discussion of issues, and interactive activities to heighten learning. When addressing controversial contemporary or historical issues, we strive to provide a balanced presentation and multiple perspectives. Most of our lessons directly address national and state standards.
http://www.crf-usa.org/online-lessons-index/free-lessons-index.html |
Our Documents - 100 Milestone DocumentsThe following is a list of 100 milestone documents, compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, and drawn primarily from its nationwide holdings. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965.
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/content.php?flash=true&page=milestone |
Annenberg Classroom - CivicsWatch videos, join discussions, read articles and access lesson plans for teaching US Government and Civics!
http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/ |
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US Government Lesson Plans, Powerpoints and GamesiCivics provides traditional paper lesson plans matched to state standards to meet the needs of classrooms across the nation. Our lessons include a variety of simulations, foldable activities, skits, vocabulary development, graphic organizers, and active participation opportunities, all with appropriate scaffolding. The readings and activities are written at a middle school reading level and have been used successfully at the high school level with extension and deeper class discussion opportunities.
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US Government and Politics VideosHere are 44 videos to flip your entire government class. Most are all ten minutes and under and feature interesting backgrounds and great ways to remember (dance moves is one of them) them. An entertaining option for your students.
https://www.youtube.com/course?list=ECD5CB52988D815420 |
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Constitution DuelAs you take this quiz you will be asked to answer 15 multiple choice questions in this knowledge duel to defend your constitutional honor. All questions will come from 4 categories; the Constitution, primary source documents, landmark Supreme Court cases, and historic people.
Have fun – and remember to take the quiz more than once, each quiz has different questions! http://theconstitutionquiz.org/ |
Generation CitizenAn excellent site related to civics is Generation Citizen, which encourages students to participate in the democratic process. Generation Citizen provides teachers with a Common Core-aligned, action-based civics curriculum, a trained college co-facilitator, and supplementary resources to help create meaningful, hands-on experiences for their classes.
http://www.generationcitizen.org/ |
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The Redistricting GameThe Redistricting Game is designed to educate, engage, and empower citizens around the issue of political redistricting. Currently, the political system in most states allows the state legislators themselves to draw the lines. This system is subject to a wide range of abuses and manipulations that encourage incumbents to draw districts which protect their seats rather than risk an open contest.
By exploring how the system works, as well as how open it is to abuse, The Redistricting Game allows players to experience the realities of one of the most important (yet least understood) aspects of our political system. The game provides a basic introduction to the redistricting system, allows players to explore the ways in which abuses can undermine the system, and provides info about reform initiatives - including a playable version of the Tanner Reform bill to demonstrate the ways that the system might be made more consistent with tenets of good governance. http://www.redistrictinggame.org/ |
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Do I Have A Right? - Bill of Rights GameStudents play a lawyer charged with matching clients with the appropriate lawyer that matches their issue. Hire new lawyers who specialize in different areas of the Bill of Rights. Determine whether or not a client has a case, earn prestige and buy upgrades for your budding law firm!
https://www.icivics.org/games/bill-of-rights |
General Use
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Docs Teach
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Google Newspaper Archives Google has a collection of primary sources that is phenomenal! They have an entire newspaper archive that is easy to zoom in for individual close reading, or for display for shared reading. You can also zoom out to get the big picture of the older newspapers. Original advertisements, editorials, articles, fashion, etc. are right there waiting for you!
news.google.com/newspapers |
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Google Art ProjectThe amazing Google Art Project allows internet users to select a museum from the 150 collections from 40 countries (so far!) on the homepage. Next, you can either choose to ‘Explore the museum’ (which allows you to use your mouse to “walk” through the galleries to experience the lay-out in 360 degrees), or ‘View Artwork'” (in such incredible close-up detail the paint seems to be flaking off your computer screen).
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/project/art-project |
Text Message GeneratorHave your students create text messages between historical figures! You can make the exchange as long as you like. To share the conversation click the sprocket icon and grab the embed code, direct link, or QR code for the exchange.
http://www.classtools.net/SMS/ |
Fun YouTube Videos
Funny parody of British fighting styles in the Revolutionary War.
1800 Election Attack Ads - Actual Statements
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The US Presidents - Animaniacs
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A very well done music video of the colonists' views, set to Too Late To Apologize
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Explaining the fight for Women's Suffrage through Lady Gaga's Bad Romance
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