Many people in the United States and Latin America have grown up celebrating the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyage. But was he an intrepid explorer who brought two worlds together or a ruthless exploiter who brought colonialism and slavery? And did he even discover America at all? Alex Gendler puts Columbus on the stand in History vs. Christopher Columbus.
This video gives an overview of civilian life during the American Civil War. It contrasts the Northern and Southern experience. A great resource to helping students understand the ordinary experience instead of only focusing on the generals and presidents of the time.
When the Founding Fathers weren't out fighting wars, drafting important documents like the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, or helping to found a country, they were at home with their families and businesses. Here are the places the Founding Fathers called "home," and some interesting facts about each man's personal estate.
The United States Congress consists of two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are many similarities between these institutions, so what are the differences?
Tookwee’nup, legends, are Paiute stories told during the winter months. They are mythical, often humorous, and they contain a moral. Tookwee’nup teach Paiute children why things are like they are. The stories give spiritual instruction and expose the children to human characteristics that we all possess. This lesson uses this Paiute tale to help students learn about fire myth patterns, wildfires and develop vocabulary.
On September 6, 1522, the "Victoria" sailed into harbor in southern Spain. The battered vessel and its 18 sailors were all that remained of a fleet that had departed three years before. Yet her voyage was considered a success, for the "Victoria" had achieved something unprecedented – the first circumnavigation of the globe. Ewandro Magalhaes shares the story of Magellan’s journey. Has questions for comprehension and discussion
North America didn’t always have its familiar shape, nor its famed mountains, canyons, and plains: all of that was once contained in an unrecognizable mass, buried deep in Rodinia, a huge supercontinent that lay on the face of the Earth. Peter J. Haproff explains how it took millions of years and some incredible plate tectonics to forge the continent we know today.
This lesson on the Electoral College is part of Gilder Lehrman’s series of Common Core State Standards–based teaching resources. These resources were written to enable students to understand, summarize, and analyze original texts and secondary sources of historical significance. Students will demonstrate this knowledge by answering questions that seek to measure their conceptual understanding of the topic as well as engaging them in thoughtful discussions. Students are required to express themselves in writing. Students are asked to not only explain, but make fact-based arguments based on textual evidence.
This lesson on the Electoral College is part of Gilder Lehrman’s series of Common Core State Standards–based teaching resources. These resources were written to enable students to understand, summarize, and analyze original texts and secondary sources of historical significance. Students will demonstrate this knowledge by answering questions that seek to measure their conceptual understanding of the topic as well as engaging them in thoughtful discussions. Students are required to express themselves in writing. Students are asked to not only explain, but make fact-based arguments based on textual evidence.
In this Origin of Everything video, students learn about colonialism and resource control by analyzing the 19th century demand for rubber in Western countries.
Congressional Apportionment: The United States Senate consists of how many members? The answer is fairly simple: with two members apiece representing each of the fifty states, the total is one hundred. How about the House of Representatives? The answer is much more complicated.
The US Supreme Court has been designed to be reactive to legislative decisions made in other branches of government, as opposed to an active legislative body that seeks to create and institute new laws. VOX explains how a case can make its way to the Supreme Court and how the court prioritizes case selections. The website has multiple questions for teachers to use.
If you live in the United States, you may live in the Eastern Standard Time Zone. Or maybe you live in Mountain Standard Time or one of the other standardized time zones. But these time zones have not always been around. In fact, it's a fairly recent development. William Heuisler explains the history of time and how trains changed everything.
On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln legally changed the status of over 3 million people from “slave” to “free.” But his emancipation proclamation wasn’t a law — it was an executive order. The framers of the American Constitution made this power available to the executive branch. But what exactly is this tool, how does it work, and what’s the extent of its power? Christina Greer explains. Questions available for teachers to use.
Can geography save your life in case of, say, a zombie apocalypse? Understanding the push and pull factors that create geographic movement -- or how people, resources, and even ideas travel -- might help you determine the location that's best for survival. David Hunter playfully analyzes the geography skills that you'd need to escape the zombies. Includes multiple questions for testing comprehension and having discussions
You may think that things are heated in Washington today, but the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 had members of Congress so angry they pulled out their weapons -- and formed the Republican Party. The issues? Slavery and states' rights, which led the divided nation straight into the Civil War. Ben Labaree, Jr. explains how Abraham Lincoln's party emerged amidst the madness. This video explains the Kansas-Nebraska Act and its impact on the American Civil War and the political setting of the country. This resources also comes with questions for the video in either multiple choice or short answer format.
A newspaper article from 2018 about the decline of the UFW.
This video provides an overview of why the U.S. entered into World War I.
An overview and explanation of ways to assess student knowledge and performance in the area of history including theory and examples.
Preparing students for the world of tomorrow that will be means we need to incorporate more technology in classroom that doesn't simply replace something older, but instead is something you couldn't accomplish without the technology. Before you ask kids to use a brand new technology (to at least some) in a formal assessment, you first need to teach them how to use it and practice it in a low-risk setting so they're willing to try and take risks. iMovie can be used in the classroom to accomplish many tasks - kids can create a virtual gallery of their learning throughout a unit, give a visual and oral report on a topic, become a tour guide to a country they're learning about, create a book trailer for an independent reading or literature circle assignment ... the list is long.