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An excellent site designed for teachers, parents and students.  Current events, news summaries, related activities and lesson plans for Grades 3-12.

Hundreds of lesson plans 9tied to the standards) in a wide range of subject areas.

Project Look Sharp
Project Look Sharp provides materials, training and support to help teachers prepare students for life in today's media saturated world. Project Look Sharp promotes the effective integration of media literacy and critical thinking into classroom curricula at all educational levels and instructional areas.
          Visit to access a free e-curricula, sample lessons and other information.
http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp/
 
          SAMPLE:  Media Construction of the Middle East
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/
  • 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 .

       

    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.
    http://teachinghistory.org/

     

    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

    Historical Time Period:     Current Events

    Title of the Lesson Plan:  Defining the Enemy:  Aftermath of the Bombing of Pearl Harbor and September 11

    Grade Level:                        Middle or High School (appropriate for any social studies classroom)

    General Description:         Students explore an eye-opening collection of quotations and article excerpts in the Fact Sheets that are included, discussing the American perception of “the enemy.”  It also emphasizes the government and media role on our perceptions and the limitations of citizens’ rights.  Could be used for any class at any time in the year.

    URL:                                      http://www.itvs.org/facetoface/activities/lesson1.html

    Historical Time Period:     Current Events

    Title of the Lesson Plan:  Have Minorities Gained Acceptance?

    Grade Level:                        Grade 11

    General Description:         This lesson is meant to conclude a study of Civil Rights and does a good job of generating discussion connecting Civil Rights struggles to present day through the use of contemporary magazines and advertising.

    URL:    www.eduref.org/cgibin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Social_Studies/US_History/USH0011.html

    Historical Time Period:     Current Events

    Title of the Lesson Plan:  Justice           

    Grade Level:                        Middle or High School

    General Description:         This lesson invites students to examine the meaning of “justice” and the purposes of the justice system.  The lesson itself lacks depth, but would be a good introductory lesson or one for younger students.

    URL: www.eduref.org/cgibin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Social_Studies/US_Government/GOV0022.html

     

     

     

     
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