1624 american-history results | sort by:

American Presidents: Life Portraits - C-Span
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use American Presidents: Life Portraits as a great starting point for lessons relating to any presidency or period in American History. Share with students to use when researching presidents for any type of report or presentation. Have students extend their learning using Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about any of the presidents. You could also extend student learning by having them create a newspaper detailing events from any period of American History or any president's tenure using a site such as Printing Press, reviewed here.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media - Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a supplemental resource for any history lessons and teaching units. One portion of the site leads to Teachinghistory.org, reviewed here, which is an amazing resource for finding teaching materials, best practices, and history content. Be sure to visit it often to find many ideas for effective teaching of history concepts. Other links are perfect for sharing with students to use for locating and learning from primary sources. For example, Papers of the War Department (1784-1800) contains a large collection of images and transcriptions that provide context and understanding into files once considered lost in a fire at the War Department. Create a collaborative Padlet, reviewed here, and ask students to share primary documents and add comments discussing their relevance to historic events being studied. Padlet also includes a timeline feature; use this tool to create a visual timeline of events for any time. Extend learning by asking students to create podcasts using Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Options for podcast topics could include telling the story of historical events from the perspective of a man on the street and sharing perspectives on an event from the viewpoint of different participants.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
ConneCT Kids - State of Connecticut
Grades
2 to 6In the Classroom
Have students create a simple online posters using PicLits, reviewed here, as an alternative to a traditional written report of the state. Share the site on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) then allow students to explore on their own.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Patriotic Music for July 4th and Memorial Day celebrations! - Celebrations Sounds
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Use this music as background when students work on projects, especially those for Memorial Day, July 4th, and Veterans Day. Share this one on your teacher web page just in time for summer so students and parents can enjoy patriotic background music during their holiday celebrations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Manifest Destiny - Digital Inquiry Group
Grades
9 to 12In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site as a resource to include with American History lessons. Engage students in the optional learning activities through the use of technology tools such as Google Jamboard, reviewed here. Use Jamboard to create templates to accompany the discussion activities for students to list the similarities and differences between the textbook information and what is found in the primary documents. Enhance student understanding of the concepts by creating a visual timeline using eStory, reviewed here. Tools included with eStory offer the ability to use maps as a starting point to create paths and add links to tell the story of historical events. Extend learning further by asking students to create videos usingAdobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here with audio and templates, to share their responses to the final activity of evaluating the painting, "American Progress." Ask individual students or student groups to create a video sharing their ideas on the importance of this artwork and their judgement as to its representation of westward expansion in a good light.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Benny Goodman: The Official Website of The King of Swing - CMG Worldwide
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Introduce your students to Benny Goodman using the information found on this website. The site does not include recordings of Benny Goodman, find those on YouTube at Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, concert Carnegie Hall 1934, reviewed here, or on Spotify at Benny Goodman. Engage students in learning about Benny Goodman using Padlet, reviewed here, to share and organize resources. On Padlet create columns with links to books and articles, videos, audio recordings, and interviews for students to explore. Have students experiment with music using Chrome Music Maker, reviewed here. Select the Song Maker, then change the instrument type to woodwind and start creating! Enhance student learning by asking them to research and share information on favorite musicians or different types of instruments. Use Genially, reviewed here, to create interactive presentations and images that include links to audio and videos related to their topic.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Swing Your Partner: The Basics of Square Dancing - The Kennedy Center
Grades
3 to 6In the Classroom
Use this lesson as an alternative to typical informational writing prompts. Engage students in learning about square dance as you introduce the first activity that asks students to share what they know about square dancing using an interactive whiteboard tool such as IdeaBoardz, reviewed here. For example, create a board with two sections - use one section for students to share what they know and the second section for sharing what they would like to learn. Use Padlet, reviewed here, to organize resources for students to use when researching the guide to square dancing. Include a column for videos, another for music, and another with tips on how to write an instructional guide. Enhance the video portion of lessons using playposit, reviewed here, to add comments that highlight specific portions of the video such as types of dance steps or choreography.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Patsy Mink - My Hero
Grades
3 to 12In the Classroom
Include this biography of Patsy Mink in lessons on heroes, women in history, famous politicians, the 1900s, or influential Hawaiians. Use a curation tool such as Symbaloo, reviewed here or 3x3 links, reviewed here to share articles, videos, and activities easily with students. Use Timelinely, reviewed here to engage students and extend learning by adding information to the YouTube video included on this site. For example, use the 20th Century America (1945-2000) TeachersFirst Special Topics Page, reviewed here to find additional historical context to learn about women's political roles during the 1970s, then include a link to those resources on the video using Timelinely. As an alternative to a book report or written research project, provide students with different opportunities for sharing what they know at the end of your unit using Choice Boards. Activities to include might be creating interactive timelines with Canva Timeline Infographic Templates, reviewed here, a web site created with Google Sites, reviewed here, or an explainer video made with Animaker, reviewed here. Learn more about incorporating choice boards into any classroom by watching the archive of OK2Ask: Engage & Inspire: Choice Boards for Differentiation (Part 1), reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Field Musicians of the Civil War - tapsbugler (Jari Villanueva)
Grades
5 to 12In the Classroom
Play the music and video during an intro to your Civil War unit to grab the attention of auditory learners. Inspire students to find out why music was far more than entertainment for soldiers. Challenge students to learn more about music and other communication tools during the Civil War in TeachersFirst's Gettysburg by the Numbers.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Interactive Colorado - Colorado.com
Grades
2 to 6In the Classroom
Have students create a simple online posters using PicLits, reviewed here, to show information learned from the site. Share the site with students to use when researching for state reports. Create a scavenger hunt with facts from the site for students to explore and find during computer time.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
A Starting Point - Chris Evans, Mark Kassen, and Joe Kiani
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Share information from this site with students to demonstrate how to share different viewpoints on current events. This site also provides an opportunity to model how to use facts and information to present ideas and persuade others to consider opposing viewpoints. As students use these videos to compare and contrast viewpoints, use a curation tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to share information from both sides. Use the shelf feature in Padlet to create columns to add content based on each side's viewpoint or use the map feature to add content found from different locations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Discover NYC Landmarks - New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
If you teach about local history, inspire students by sharing this site first, then have them create a wiki about your town! Not comfortable with wikis? Check out TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through. Get the interactive whiteboard or projector ready for this photographic journey. Share photos from different time periods as you study different eras from the 19th and 20th centuries. Have students use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of local landmarks (with audio stories and pictures included)!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Change Makers - Women for Freedom - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Find new resources to share with your students during lessons on the Civil Rights movement, voting rights, and more. Read the details of each tool and the technology integration ideas. Find the ones that will make your students understand these true change-makers better.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
New American History - University of Richmond
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
This site is an excellent resource for American History teachers; be sure to add it to your collection of teaching resources. Each lesson provided by New American History includes several ideas for using digital tools within the teaching tips; take advantage of these ideas to engage students in learning and differentiate instruction for learning styles and abilities. Google Jamboard, reviewed here is often suggested for use as a teaching tool; however, Jamboard will be shut down at the end of 2024. Use Figjam, reviewed here as an alternative. Figjam allows members to migrate Jamboards into projects in just a few steps. As students complete activities such as KWL charts, use the graphic organizer templates found at Canva Edu, reviewed here to share students' ideas. Extend learning by asking students to use Canva tools to show what they know by creating infographics, presentations, flyers, and other multimedia projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
C-Span Classroom - C-Span
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Bookmark this site to access many video resources and lessons to teach social studies topics. Include lessons and activities as part of interactive lessons created with Microsoft PowerPoint Online, reviewed here. Include quizzes, videos, links to documents, and more to create flipped or blended learning lessons on Microsoft PowerPoint Online that differentiate student abilities and interests and a resource for students to complete lessons individually at their own pace. As a final learning activity and to enhance learning, ask students to share their understanding of the content by creating short video clips made with FlexClip, reviewed here. Modify templates provided by FlexClip to create a short but content-rich overview of the lesson that shares student understanding of the information.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Journalism in Action - PBS Newshour Classroom
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
This site is a must-have for middle and high school social studies teachers. Allow several days for students to complete individual case studies; if time is an issue, assign portions of a case instead of completing the entire activity. Another option is to share a case study as an ongoing flipped learning activity to complete over two or more weeks or as a supplement for gifted students to use as an independent learning activity. If assigning as a long-term activity, ensure students complete the registration and save their work. Then, as students complete the final activity of writing a news story, share their articles as a PDF using PDF Convertor, reviewed here, then upload all of the PDFs to the PDF to Flipbook Converter, reviewed here, to create a flippable magazine that includes all student-written articles.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Change Makers - Pioneering Women - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Skim this collection of reviewed resources to find appropriate pioneers to share with your students. Don't miss the "In The Classroom" section for lesson stems and ideas to integrate the resources with your lessons.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
How the West Was Won: Using Literature to Enhance the Study of Westward Expansion - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
When teaching about the westward expansion, you and your students will enjoy and learn from this site's many resources and ideas. Check with your school's media specialist to see if your library, or the public library, contains the suggested books to share with students at a literacy center. Extend student learning using Canva Infographic Creator, reviewed here, and ask students to create infographics and timelines to share facts about this period of growth of the United States. Extend learning by asking students to create multimedia projects such as digital books created using Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator includes many tools for students to personalize projects by including video, images, audio recording, and text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Change is Coming - Looking at the Progressive Era in Books - TeachersFirst
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of the many ideas and teaching activities already offered by Change is Coming to engage student learning. Extend learning using Wakelet, reviewed here, as a tool for sharing and collaborating on information. Create a Wakelet collection for students to use to share resources within columns. For example, use columns to organize information by periods, locations, or people. Another idea is to use the columns to organize resources by type, such as videos, websites, articles, etc. Enhance learning by asking students to share their knowledge learned using multimedia tools such as Sway, reviewed here, or Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, reviewed here. Adobe Express offers a variety of tools that include options for creating images, videos, and websites. Sway is a digital storytelling resource that makes it easy to create and share visually appealing presentations.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Jason Townsend & Son YouTube Channel - Jason Townsend
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Flip your classroom and use a video as homework. Have students take notes on the material and write down questions they still have and topics that confuse them. Or, use a tool like EdPuzzle, reviewed here, for students to pause videos and ask or answer questions right on the video. These activities can uncover misconceptions. Show the video to the class, and then discuss the concept at length. For more advanced classes, provide time for students to choose a video to view and research the underlying concept.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
Use the form at the top of the page to log in, or click here to join TeachersFirst (it's free!).
Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
Close comment form