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Selected Subject Specific Lessons
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Thinkfinity: Internet
Content For the Classroom
is
a comprehensive educational site from Verizon dedicated
to providing the highest quality Internet content and
professional development to teachers and students.
http://www.thinkfinity.org/
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Seven content Web sites
(soon to be eight) with lesson plans, student
interactive content, downloadable worksheets, links to
panel-reviewed Web sites and additional resources
created by the nation’s leading education organizations.
The sites
specifically related to the study of United States History
include:
EconEdLink
National Council on Economic
Education
Developed
by the National Council on Economic Education, EconEdLink
provides teachers and students with lessons and classroom
learning activities based on economics topics in the news
and real-time economics data. EconEdLink content is designed
to help integrate economic concepts across the curriculum as
outlined in the Voluntary National Content Standards in
Economics.
EDSITEment
National Endowment for the
Humanities
Presented by the National
Endowment for the Humanities, EDSITEment features lesson
plans and additional classroom resources in art and culture,
literature and language arts, foreign language, and history
and social studies. It also serves as a gateway to the best
humanities sites on the Web, and it features a monthly
theme-based teaching resource calendar.
Xpeditions
National Geographic Society
Developed
by the National Geographic Society, Xpeditions brings rich,
standards-based geography content to teachers and students.
This site includes materials for K-12 teachers and students
and their families, including an interactive atlas with over
1,600 printable maps and Xpedition Hall, a virtual learning
museum with exhibits aligned to the U.S. National Geography
Standards.
Smithsonian
National Museum of American History The National
Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays
American heritage in the areas of social, political,
cultural, scientific and military history. Documenting the
American experience from Colonial times to the present, the
museum looks at growth and change in the United States. This
Partner site is currently under development.
ThinkfinityNY
http://www.nyiteez.org/MarcoPoloNY/
ThinkfinityNY,
a Web-based resource that offers 2,500-plus lessons for
teachers, each lesson aligned with the New York State
Standards. This program, available to all N.Y. State
educators at no cost, was developed jointly with the New
York State Education Department (NYSED), New York State
Teacher Centers, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT),
Thinkfinity and MCI. ~
The lessons
are organized and can be accessed according to the state’s
Learning Standards, key ideas, performance indicators, grade
levels and content areas. A simple click of the mouse
navigates the user through the lessons.
You may
visit the program at
http://www.nyiteez.org/MarcoPoloNY/
or at Virtual Learning System
http://eservices.nysed.gov/vls
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National Constitution Center
Numerous lesson plans, by grade level, related to the
Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights
and specific amendments.
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/education/ForEducators/LessonPlans/index.shtml
National Archives and Records Administration: Lessons
with Documents
Lessons and activities that address constitutional
issues, correlate to national academic standards, and
encourage the analysis of primary source documents. The
lessons that have been developed are arranged according to
historical era.
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/constitution_community.html
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National History Education
Clearinghouse
- Welcome to the National History
Education Clearinghouse, the central online location for
accessing high-quality resources in K-12 U.S. history
education. This site began in 2008 and is rapidly becoming
one of the best sources for United State History Educators
including access to History Content, Teaching Materials,
Best Practices, Issues and Research, Professional
Development, and TAH Grants.
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http://teachinghistory.org/
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DoHistory
- DoHistory invites you to
explore the process of piecing together the lives of
ordinary people in the past. It is an experimental,
interactive case study based on the research that went into
the book and film A Midwife's Tale, which were both
based upon the remarkable 200 year old diary of
midwife/healer Martha Ballard (compiled between 1785-1812).
Although DoHistory is centered on the life of Martha
Ballard, you can learn basic skills and techniques for
interpreting fragments that survive from any period in
history.
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http://www.dohistory.org/
CONSTITUTION DAY
(NYS Education
Department Recommendations are #8)
As you are
probably aware, the United States Department of
Education issued a new statutory requirement for
implementation of an educational program pertaining to
the United States Constitution, on a date designated by
statute (September 17) as Constitution Day and
Citizenship Day—by all districts receiving federal funds:
“Each educational
institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year
shall hold an educational program on the United States
Constitution on September 17 of such year for the
students served by the educational institution.”
This
Congressional initiative is authorized by Section 111 of
Division J of Pub. L. 108-447, the ``Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2005,'' Dec. 8, 2004; 118 Stat.
2809, 3344-45 (Section 111). Section 111 requires that
Constitution Day be held on September 17 of each year,
commemorating the September 17, 1787 signing of the
Constitution. However, when September 17 falls on a
Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, Constitution Day shall be
held during the preceding or following week. Section
111 does not authorize funds to carry out this
requirement, and Section 111(d) indicates that this
section shall apply ``without fiscal year limitation.''
Accordingly, the Assistant Deputy Secretary intends that
this notice pertain to this fiscal year and all
subsequent years.
As school
districts attempt to meet this requirement, many public
and private resources are being created on the internet
to assist teachers in their planning and implementation
of events for September 17. In 2005, these events are
to be held either the week preceding or following this
Saturday date. Sources recommended by various
groups and newsletters include:
1. The National
Constitution Center
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/
(currently visit
Educational Resources and Explore the
Constitution) , in partnership with the Bill of
Rights Institute, the Campaign for the Civic Mission of
Schools and others, will offer educational and
programming materials to schools, federal agencies and
other institutions nationwide to help them organize
events to commemorate Constitution Day, September 17.
These materials will be available at little or no cost
on a new, under-construction website,
http://www.constitutionday.us
This initiative is under the auspices of the
National Constitution Center’s Annenberg Center for
Education and Outreach.
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National Constitution Center –Activities to Explore
the Constitution
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/explore/Welcome/index.shtml
2.
Center For Civics Education is creating many one day
lessons related to their We The People: The Citizen
and the Constitution Program
http://www.civiced.org/index.php
3.
The Library of Congress' repositories for Constitutional
documents and information may be accessed at:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdsdhome.html.
4.
The National Archives also has a Web site with a scan of
the U.S.
Constitution, Questions, Answers and Meeting the
Founding Fathers at
http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/constitution.html
5. A
Collection of Constitution based lesson plans which may
be easily modified for all grade levels from
http://edsitement.neh.gov/
*Balancing Three Branches at Once: Our System of
Checks and Balances (3-5)
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=222
*The First Amendment: What's Fair in a Free
Country? (3-5)
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=339
*The Preamble to the Constitution: How Do You
Make a More Perfect Union? (3-5)
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=233
*Before and Beyond the Constitution: What Should a
President Do(6-8)
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=458
*The Constitutional Convention: Four Founding
Fathers You May Never Have Met (6-8)
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=401
*The Constitutional Convention: What the
Founding Fathers Said(6-8)
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=402
*The
Federalist Debates: Balancing Power Between State and
Federal Governments (6-8)
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=425
*James Madison: From Father of the Constitution
to President (9-12)
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=561
6.
The Marco Polo Website at
http://www.marcopolo-education.org/MarcoGrams/Sep2005.html
has
dedicated many pages to suggested warm up activities and
lesson Plans.
- 7.
The
Center For Civic Education
- The Center is dedicated to a wide
range of civic programs including "WE THE PEOPLE". The
principal goals of the Center's programs are to help
students develop (1) an increased understanding of the
institutions of American constitutional democracy and the
fundamental principles and values upon which they are
founded, (2) the skills necessary to participate as
effective and responsible citizens, and (3) the willingness
to use democratic procedures for making decisions and
managing conflict. Resources, Websites, Teaching
Materials, etc.
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http://www.civiced.org/
8. Roots To Freedom
FREE Constitution Day
Curriculum, Teacher's Guide Book for A More Perfect
Union Video, Why celebrate Constitution Day?, An
Historical Overview of the Constitution, FREE Fun
Activities and Learning Resources: Framing the US
Constitution word hunt, The Bill of Rights word hunt,
The Constitution at a Glance
http://www.rootsoffreedom.org/
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National Constitution Day
8.
Constitution Day
Materials from the New York State Education Department
Educational
institutions which receive Federal funding
are required to hold an educational program
pertaining to the United States Constitution
on September 17 of each year. Since this
date falls on a Saturday in 2005, schools
can celebrate Constitution Day on Friday,
September 16.
Pub. L.
108–447, Consolidated Appropriations Act,
2005,/ Dec. 8,2004; 118 Stat. 2809, 3344–45
“Each educational institution that receives
Federal funds for a fiscal year shall hold
an educational program on the United States
Constitution on September 17 of such year
for the students served by the educational
institution.”
The following
is a list of Web sites and resources
designed to prepare teachers for National
Constitution Day. This is not an
all-inclusive list, but a sample of major
Web resources provided to educators without
cost. Contact these organizations directly
for further information about their
resources.
The Bill of Rights Institute
http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/teach/freeresources/constitutionday/
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Offers free
educational and programming materials to
schools to help teachers organize events
to celebrate Constitution Day,
including:
2 Constitution lesson plans (one for
high school and one for middle school);
a
biographical essay about James Madison,
the Father of the Constitution; a
Founders Gallery with images of the
Founders; lesson plans about the Bill of
Rights and the First Amendment.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
(www.crf-usa.org/constitution_day/constitution_day_home.htm)
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A series of
free online lessons, resources from the
CRF catalog, and Internet links to help
educators design their own Constitution
Day program.
The Constitution for Kids
(www.usconstitution.net/constkidsK.html)
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The
Constitution for Grades K - 3 includes a
basic fact sheet with a link for
pictures of the Constitution.
Justice Learning
(http://justicel.bootnetworks.com/constitutionday.asp)
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A site based
on National Public Radio's Justice
Talking series in cooperation with
the National Archives and Records
Administration, the
New
York Times Knowledge Network, and
other partners, this site features video
and audio material, and lesson plans on
the Constitution, all free of charge.
Library of Congress
(www.loc.gov/teachers/)
National
Archives
(www.archives.gov)
National Constitution Center
(www.constitutioncenter.org)
The White House
(www.whitehouse.gov/kids/constitution)
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Constitution
facts, quizzes, videos, and other
resources.
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PBS:
Teacher Source
- Over 4000 lesson plans and activities for all grade
levels. Most a directly related to the hundreds of PBS
video presentations (most available through BOCES)
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http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/
PBS: Social
Studies Home Page Highly recommended--please visit.
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Pro Teacher Home Page for all US History Lessons
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- Sample:
Pro
Teacher Lesson Plans on American Government
SELECTED
LESSON PLANS
These lesson plans have been reviewed and designated
as exceptional by educators participating in our Teach
American History Program.
Historical Time Period: Current Events
Title of the Lesson Plan: Bill of Rights in the News
Activities
Grade Level: Middle or High
School
General Description: This site organizes
activities based on Bill of Rights issues in the news;
however, you must click on the “Daily Bill of Rights in the
News Headlines” near the bottom to get access to the actual
current article links. The daily headlines are broken down
into issue categories such as Religion, Personal Liberty,
and Expression. While formal lesson plans are not given,
the articles themselves lend themselves to many classroom
activities.
URL:
www.billofrightsinstitute.org/article.php?sid=417
Historical Time Period: Current Events or Civics
Title of the Lesson Plan: Rounding Up of “The
Enemy:” Civil Liberties and National Security
Grade Level: Middle or High
School
General Description: This lesson is very
extensive, but could be modified to fit your specific
classroom situation. The lesson includes a week-long
activity in which some students are identified as
“enemies.” It explores racial profiling and citizens’
rights.
URL:
http://www.itvs.org/facetoface/activities/lesson2.html