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Teaching Resources
Submit a new resource Syndicated new resource listings Last 25 Resource listings as of 9/28/04; 1:15:27 PM
Independence Road Trip video now available More than half a million visitors watched the dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence as our Road Trip toured across the country. Now, due to overwhelming demand, the video is available at http://www.declareyourself.com/ (click on "ORDER STUFF") This dramatic 14-minute reading, hosted by Morgan Freeman, features actors Kathy Bates, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Douglas, Mel Gibson, Whoopi Goldberg, Graham Greene, Ming-Na, Edward Norton, Winona Ryder, Kevin Spacey and Renée Zellweger. Also included is The Declaration of Independence: Preserving Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, a 10-minute film starring Reese Witherspoon, about the history of our nation's birth certificate and the importance of civic activism. There are only 5,000 copies left, so please order now. This video can be purchased online for $10.00 -- but ONLY UNTIL OCTOBER 30, 2004. New Online Journal from the Gilder Lehrman Institute The Gilder Lehrman Institute is pleased to announce the launch of HISTORY NOW, an exciting new online journal for history teachers and students, now available on the Web at http://www.historynow.org/. HISTORY NOW features articles by noted historians as well as lesson plans, links to related websites, bibliographies, and many other resources. In each issue, the editors will bring together historians, master teachers and archivists to comment on a single historical theme. Don't miss the first issue of HISTORY NOW, which tackles a topic at the forefront of current debate: Elections. In this issue, Joanne Freeman discusses the contested election of 1800, Liette Gidlow looks at television's effect on the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debates, Steven Mintz examines the history of voting rights, and Ted Widmer reflects on the electoral process from the perspective of Muslim exchange students. Visit us at http://www.historynow.org/. Justice Learning Justice Learning is an innovative, issue-based approach for engaging high school students in informed political discourse. The web site uses audio from the Justice Talking radio show and articles from The New York Times to teach students about reasoned debate and the often-conflicting values inherent in our democracy. The web site, http://www.justicelearning.org/, includes articles, editorials and oral debate from the nation's finest journalists and advocates. All of the material is supported by age-appropriate summaries and additional links. In addition, for each covered issue, the site includes curricular material from The New York Times Learning Network for high school teachers and detailed information about how each of the institutions of democracy (the courts, the Congress, the presidency, the press and the schools) affect the issue. Much of the traditional civics curricula begin with an historical perspective and move forward. The lessons start from a point distant from students' lives. Justice Learning reverses traditional methods by starting with current issues that directly affect their lives. The curricula engage them early with a multimedia set of online materials and then relate it to the historical context that generated it. In doing so, the project incorporates into its methodology the new reality of where students turn for information and how they learn. Federal Court Concepts Module The "Federal Court Concepts" module, online at http://www.catea.org/grade/legal/, is designed to introduce secondary and postsecondary students to the American federal court system. It contains basic information about the structure of the federal courts, what kind of cases that federal courts hear, and how to use federal court decisions in research. This module contains a brief overview of the federal court system, a description of how federal courts are organized, a guide to the types of cases that federal courts routinely hear, information about the different levels of federal courts, and information about legal research and legal resources. The "Federal Court Concepts" module is offered through the Georgia Institute of Technology and is designed to be completely accessible to students with disabilities. Campaign 2004: A Guide to Global Development THE 2004 ELECTIONS PRESENT AN UNPRECEDENTED opportunity to focus attention on policies that foster development abroad as part of a package of policies to advance U.S. interests. The Center for Global Development (CGD, a non-partisan organization in Washington DC, launched a Campaign 2004: A Guide to Global Development program designed to motivate students and teachers to learn and talk about important development issues. The core of the program is a set of briefs on development issues which can be found at http://www.cgdev.org/Research/Campaign2004.cfm The CGD seeks to collaborate with local schools and colleges on getting students more interested and concerned about global development issues. We invite your ideas about ways your institution might use these briefs, and we are happy to send you hard copies for distribution in your classrooms. To learn more about our program, contact Marika Krausova at MKrausova@cgdev.org or 202/416-0719. New Bully Resource The Bully - A Discussion and Activity Story by Rita Y. Toews ISBN 0-9736224-0-7 Age: kindergarten to grade 3 40 pages website: http://www.thebullybook.com/ The Bully addresses the issue of bullies in the school and gives
helpful suggestions to both parents and children on how to deal with the
stressful situation in a positive manner. Canadian History Online The McCord Museum of Canadian History introduces EduWeb, its new on-line educational program. EduWeb is accessible free of charge and presents diverse ways of using Web resources in secondary-level social studies classes. Direct your Web browser to: http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/eduweb. The site permits visitors to produce their own visual presentations in the form of Web tours, where they can add their own images drawn from external sources. Civio - a civil rights game Reach and Teach's (http://www.reachandteach.com/) new strategy card game Civio(tm) explores the relationship of issues, freedoms, and supreme court cases that have both strengthened and reduced civil liberties. Content drawn from AP Civics and top 100 ACLU cases. Additional teacher resources, background on cases and laws, and alternative ways to use and play the game can be found at the Reach and Teach website. Suggested retail $16.95. The Teacher's Lounge lesson plan "wiki" As any teacher will attest, the first year can be rough. It often seems as though there aren't enough hours in the day to grade papers, keep in touch with parents, and deal with administrative hassles--to say nothing of creating a year's worth of high-quality lesson plans from scratch. The most agonizing thing may be the knowledge that thousands of other teachers across the country are doing exactly the same, that many of them are planning similar lessons, and that thousands of other teachers had done so every year for decades. Yet there was no way to fully benefit from the experience of all those who had come before. Teacher Rob Lucas created a website to change that. It's a new type of collaborative website called a "wiki," where most pages can be edited not just by a webmaster, but by any registered user. That means you can post lesson plans, links, handouts, PowerPoint presentations--virtually anything! And you don't even have to know HTML. Editing a page is as easy as using a word processor. Visit the Teacher's Lounge at http://teacherslounge.editme.com/ New England Economic Adventure EconomicAdventure.org (http://www.economicadventure.org/) is a multi-layered education resource created by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston for teachers, students, and the general public. The goal is to promote understanding of key economic concepts, including standard of living, economic growth, and rising labor productivity, using examples from New England's unique history. This site features an illustrated, information-packed timeline, as well as case studies, lesson plans, games, an overview of New England's economy, term definitions, and reference resources. Come "invest yourself in history!" Smithsonian Folklife & Oral History Interviewing Guide FREE Download at http://www.folklife.si.edu/ This new online educational resource presents guidelines that
Smithsonian folklorists have developed over the years for collecting
folklife and oral history from family and community members. It features a
concise, easy-to-use guide to conducting an interview, as well as a sample
list of questions that may be adapted to each interviewer's own needs and
circumstances. The Guide concludes with a few examples of ways to preserve
and present one's findings, a selection of further readings, a glossary of
key terms, and sample information and release forms. CountryReports.org CountryReports.org provides in depth profiles each country in the world. There are over 6,600 pages of information on everything from world history, to weather, governments, economies, people, currencies, etc. You can view maps, flags or listen to national anthems. In addition, you will find over 6,400 related links as well. The site address is: http://www.countryreports.org/ Kiosk: Journal of Geo-Politics Kiosk (pronounced 'key-osk') is a unique and innovative collection of online newspapers and other resources related to the political world. Using the drop-down menus at the top of every page, you can access the news in any country you like simply by selecting a region and clicking on the country or state name. Kiosk includes country resources under the following categories: News and Current Events, General Information, History and Culture, Government and Politics, Economy and Development, In-Country Information Resources, and Travel/Tours. Published since 1997, Kiosk can be accessed at http://www.bay.k12.fl.us/pdk/kiosk/ The Imagination Factory: Recycling as Art The Imagination Factory integrates art with science and social studies to teach solid waste management concepts. Visitors learn how to make art using materials most people throw away. Some of the activities include drawing, painting, sculpture, collage, papier-mâché, marbling and crafts. A Trash Matcher helps visitors match art activities with the trash they have available, and a feature called the Project Matcher is designed to match many of the site's activities with 4-H projects and those carried out for school social studies and science fairs. URL address: http://www.kid-at-art.com/ Young Patriots Series Featuring the stories of famous American heroes and heroines when they were children, the Young Patriots Series "captures the imagination and introduces young people to American history through the eyes of those who grew up in the midst of critical events"--Midwest Book Review. Sample chapters, educational resources, Teacher's Guides and Webquests for each title are found at http://www.patriapress.com/. Winner of six national awards for excellence, the Young Patriots Series includes the stories of Amelia Earhart, William Henry Harrison, Mahalia Jackson, George Rogers Clark and more. Jump Back in Time: A Living History Resource JUMP BACK IN TIME, A Living History Resource by Carol Peterson (Teacher Ideas Press) http://www.teacherideaspress.com/shared/products/LU0676.asp Explore specific times and places in history through a living history day of immersion with math and vocabulary activities, games, legends, maps, costumes, and food. Four major areas of the elementary curriculum are covered: ancient cultures, Native American cultures, Colonial America, and westward expansion. Softcover, $29.50, ISBN 1-59158-067-6 Free Lewis & Clark Teaching Materials Teacher-Produced Resources and Lesson Plans on "Contexts and Legacies of the Lewis and Clark Expedition" Minot State University Department of History presents materials from an NEH-sponsored summer 2003 institute. Themes include: Exploration and utilization Jefferson and nation-building American West, past and present Native cultures, encounters, and legacies Formats include: For your free CD of teaching materials produced by institute participants, go to http://history.misu.nodak.edu/. The History Lab The History Lab (http://hlab.tielab.org/) is a website where teachers can create lessons and activities around online primary sources. Designed by a former history teacher, The History Lab is currently used by the Library of Congress as a part of its educator institutes. "The New Americans" Video Module The New Americans is a seven-hour PBS/ITVS miniseries premiering March 29-31, 2004 that captures the search for the "American Dream" through the eyes of today's immigrants and refugees. The series follows families from Nigeria, India, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as they leave their homelands and follows their first few years in America. With diverse cultures intermingling in many U.S. communities, the need for greater understanding and bridge building becomes more urgent. It is important to look at who is coming to the United States, why they are leaving their homelands and how we can support and encourage their integration into civic life. The New Americans Video Modules
Available at http://www.customflix.com/activevoice. Legislative Times Legislative Times is a unique and easy-to-use on-line tool for teachers and students that facilitates civic competence. In only 15 short minutes per week, you and your students can become knowledgeable experts on the latest activities in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. In addition, easy-to-read information is provided on the upcoming presidential race as well as the platforms of the major political parties. Critical thinking and dialog will become common practice as your students draw their own conclusions on American government. Connections can easily be made to the NCSS National Standards including:
Current membership subscribers include:
An annual subscription to the Legislative Times is only $24.00! Teaching Canada The Center for the Study of Canada, Plattsburgh State University of New York, is pleased to announce the latest issue of " Teaching Canada." The premier curriculum development resource for K-12 teachers, Teaching Canada takes a close look at Canada-U.S. relations and includes essays from the Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. and the U.S. Ambassador to Canada. Teaching Canada, an annual K-12 publication on Canada and Canada-U.S. relations, which includes practical resources for teaching Canada, is published by Plattsburgh State University of New York with the assistance of the U.S. Department of Education and Foreign Affairs Canada. This is an excellent opportunity for teachers throughout the United States to bring Canadian content into their classrooms and highlight the importance of Canada-U.S. relations. With a new government in Canada and a dynamic international environment, now is an important time for students to understand America's relationship with one of its closest allies and its most important trading partner. K-12 teachers can request free copies (please indicate the total number you would like) of Teaching Canada by contacting the Center for the Study of Canada: Christopher J. Kirkey, Ph.D. For additional information or questions about Canada, educators can
also contact: Youth Coalition for Mine Action Global Care is a school-based humanitarian organization promoting youth leadership in global mine action service projects. Our Youth Coalition for Mine Action seeks to educate and raise funds to assist mine-affected villages worldwide. Please visit our website for more information and to find out how you can participate with your school: http://globalcareunlimited.org/. Problem-Based Government for High School The nonprofit Buck Institute for Education develops standards-based curriculum units for high school government/civics courses. Available for free downloading from the Web, these units put students into realistic scenarios that engage them and create a "need to know" the content in order to investigate a problem and present a solution. Teacher training workshops at low cost are available for schools, districts, and states. Visit http://www.bie.org/ or phone 415-883-0122 for more information. Global Social Change Reports These reports, at http://gsociology.icaap.org/reports.html, show global social, political and demographic changes over the last several decades, in easy to read formats, along with links to data and other similar reports. The reports can be useful for high school students to find out how the world is changing. All reports are free to view, and based on data freely available on the web. "Global Heroes" Writing Contest and Curriculum Global Heroes Magazine has implemented an introductory journalism curriculum guide and writing contest that addresses the international knowledge gap in the United States while at the same time allows students to gain practical experience in journalism. The online magazine focuses on the inspirational lives of individuals from different countries and cultures, while the educational program and contest was designed for students to write their own positive stories of people from other countries for publication on the Global Heroes‚ web site. Participating schools receive a curriculum guide that will teach students about the entire writing process in five classroom sessions. To give you an idea about the editorial mission of Global Heroes, visit http://www.globalheroesmagazine.com/. A complete summary of the interactive writing program and contest can be found at http://www.globalheroesmagazine.com/education/IWC.pdf. | |
 National Council for the Social Studies8555 Sixteenth Street Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 |
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