Tradigital History Scroll down to see presentation
Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the use of A People’s History of the United States and other people's history materials in middle and high school classrooms across the country. The goal is to introduce students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of United States history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula. The empowering potential of studying U.S. history is often lost in a textbook-driven trivial pursuit of names and dates.
Who Am I? A History Mystery could be a good way for history students to practice using evidence to create a hypothesis. Who Am I? is part of a larger online Smithsonian exhibit called The Price of Freedom. The Price of Freedom offers a series of detailed lesson plans and videos for six major events and eras in US History. Those events and eras are War of Independence, Wars of Expansion, The Civil War, World War II, Cold War/ Vietnam, and September 11.
Historical Scene Investigation Project Investigate historical events
Digital Vaults is a site put together by the National Archives (a great history resource). It is a place where historical records, photos, and documents are kept. At this site a user can either create a Digital Poster, Movie or a Pathway Challenge. A Pathway Challenge is a great way to lean history and see how historical items are "linked" together.
Hip Hughes History Hip Hughes History is a series
of short, upbeat lectures on topics in US History and World History.
Museum Box tool for creating virtual displays of artifacts that you find online.
Nuskool This is a site that uses pop culture as teaching moments for students. Tailored to grades 6th-12th students learn a variety of subjects such as: Math, Science, English, etc through educational lessons based on the different elements of pop culture (video games, sports, films, etc.).
Wiki Summarizer is a site that allows you to search Wikipedia, have articles summarized by key points, and provides lists of articles that are related to your original search.
Tools
Knotebooks is a service that allows users to create, customize, and share lessons
composed of videos, images, and texts from all over the Internet. Knotebooks
uses the term "lesson" to describe what users build, but I think a
more appropriate description is "multimedia reference article." Using Knotebooks
you can organize information to create a reference article for
yourself or to share with others. You can also browse the articles
published by others, add them to your account for later reference, and
or alter the articles that others have written to suit your needs. For
example if you find and article in Knotebooks
about Newton's Laws but some parts of the article are too difficult
for me to comprehend, you can click the option for "easier content" and
Knotebooks will change the article to meet my needs.
Eyewitness to History site that lets students select a period in history and see personal stories of people from the time. A nice combination of a great deal of information and many historical photos and drawings that bring learning to life.
Talking History could be a great resource for history teachers looking to bring audio artifacts into their classrooms. Search archives
See Graphic Organizers in the Learning Style Page Look under the visual learner section.
Lesson searchable by grade and subject. Often include videos
News 360 A free news aggregation
service that you can customize for your interests. You can read your
personalized news feed on your phone, tablet, or computer. Select the types of stories that you're interested in reading. News 360
will use that information to serve up the stories that are most likely
to appeal to you. You can create multiple interest channels.
Listenwise ( gr. 6 - 12) makes it easy to bring authentic voices and compelling non-fiction stories to the classroom. Teach your students to Listen with the Power of Public Radio. Curates the best of public radio to keep teaching connected to the real world and build student listening skills at the same time.
Dogo News Leveled news articles can also get vocabulary definitions as you read
Newsla news and nonfiction at various grade levels.
Just in time for the Common Core emphasis on nonfiction reading, NEWSELA provides daily current events articles written specifically for K–12 students. Each day the site adds three new articles to the collection. Categories include War & Peace, Science, Kids, Money, Law, Health and Arts. For every article, there are versions written at different Lexile levels. With just a few clicks, a teacher can provide the same story leveled for students of differing reading ability.
Five Ways to Search the News Visually
Day in Pictures. The
Day in Pictures displays a small collection of photographs from around
the world. The pictures capture a mix of serious news stories and
lighter cultural stories. The Day in Pictures collections are part of a much larger resource from the BBC simply called In Pictures.
The In Pictures resource provides hundreds of images in a variety
collections and slideshows about current events throughout the world.
Some of the slide shows even include narration. All of the images
include captions explaining what is happening in the picture and a
little background knowledge about the event being photographed.
TeenTribune
A teacher can select grade level specific news stories as well as
stories in Spanish. So you have a lot of flexibility here. Stories are
selected by professional journalists working closely with teens, tweens
and teachers. Teens and tweens can post comments, with all comments
moderated by their teachers before they are published. There are
critical thinking questions at the end of each story and actual quizzes
after many of them.
After creating an account,
teachers create the student accounts. This allows kids to write
comments / teachers to moderate comments, teachers can manage/track
quizzes students take based on stories, and lets kids access a cool
photo captioning tool. (This is a lot like the New York Times “What’s going on in this picture?” feature.)
CNN This website provides reading comprehension practice. Students can have a variety of articles read aloud through Real Player, watch movie clips, and complete activities related to vocabulary, reading comprehension, and sequencing.
Youngzine (gr. 4-8) is an online source of news, sports, and entertainment stories. and materials that will suit students' reading abilities, Students will find stories to read and videos to watch in each of the information categories. Each news story is accompanied by a Google Map that has a placemark indicating where the story takes place. Youngzine also offers students the option to contribute their own reporting in the U-Write section. Students can sign-up individually to contribute to Youngzine's U-Write section or a teacher can register his or her entire class.
Day in Pictures that displays a small collection of photographs from around the world. For years I've used this resource as a conversation starter for current events discussions in my Global Studies classes. The Day in Pictures collections are part of a much larger resource from the BBC simply called In Pictures. The In Pictures resource provides hundreds of images in a variety collections and slide shows about current events throughout the world.
Hubii is a new website featuring a map of newspapers from around the world. Visitors can locate online newspapers by clicking on the placemarks on the map. Registered users can subscribe to the online editions of the newspapers they find. When you subscribe (it's free) to a newspaper in Hubii it is added to your Hubii Mapazine in which you can read the newspapers to which you are subscribed.
World News For Schools Keep your class up to date with world events
with this great podcast from the BBC. The podcast is released each weekday and covers child friendly news, suitable for students from 11 years old and above.
The Week in Rap audio and visual presentations with links to explore current topics in the rap and lyrics. Flocabulary is now going to start charging $5/month to access the videos. (Free Trial) They also are now promising to include some activities and quizzes to go along with the video. CNN Student News provides the same thing (minus the rap music) for free on a daily basis.
Current Special Projects: Understanding World Events - Maintained by Educators for Social Responsibility, a nonprofit organization founded in 1982, whose mission is "to make teaching social responsibility a core practice in education." This particular page focuses on helping young people cope with and understand global issues and crisis events. It consists of teaching resources, lessons, guides, sponsored events, and lists of best-of-Web links. Topics addressed include Current Events Lessons, Dealing with Crises, Understanding War, and Countering Discrimination.
TeachableMoment.Org Provides educators with timely teaching ideas to encourage critical thinking on issues of the day and foster a positive classroom environment.
ICue - NBC News has launched a free, collaborative learning community for students ages 13 and up that incorporates gaming, discussion, and video resources.
FORA.tv Presents broadcasts and video clips of speakers addressing
political, social and culatural issues through out the world. Transcripts
of many of the video clips are available.
Topics Online Magazine gr. 4-8 With the current issue and extensive archives, this online magazine offers colorful articles and a variety of photographs of the countries our new English learners come from. The magazine includes interesting topics such as food, travel, globalization, international stories, movie reviews from the international perspective, biographies by international students and students of American ethnicities, and shopping tips.
Newsround - BBC News for Kids This highly-participatory, attractive world news site for kids lets
children select all the normal news features like tv/movies, music,
weather, sports, animals, sci/tech etc.
The Learning Network
Investigate the daily news
. The site offers grade appropriate analysis of current events and articles, quizzes, and lesson plans.
WFP FoodForce gr 6 -12 This learning-oriented site is sponsored by the UN's World Food Programme and seeks to teach students about world hunger: its causes, its impact, and world-wide efforts to help. While the focus of the site is on a downloadable video game, there are a number of other great resources for teachers to use in teaching about world hunger. There is a Flash animated program called Counting the Hungry that gives a good, although pretty grim, overview. There are lesson plans and photo galleries and links to outside resources.
Oxfam's Cool Planet for Teachers 6-12 Oxfam's Teacher Resource site contains a wealth of information about
global issues and human rights. There are lesson plans on fair trade,
social justice, sustainability, and a new unit on global music. Given
the nature of the issues explored, there is a special teacher's guide to
teaching controversial issues. The link to "Mapping our World" takes
you to a great interactive look at the world and the impact of maps on
our view of the world.
Channel One Using video, news articles, quizzes, polls and games, the Channel One website has appeal to some teens.
Scholastic News (gr. 3-12) Well-designed and well-written, Scholastic News is a site for students
and teachers. Choose your grade level from the drop-down box (first
grade through middle school) or select special editions such as New York
Times Upfront or SuperScience. Junior Scholastic Online (for junior
high or middle school) combines original reporting with an interactive
news quiz (ten multiple-choice questions about the week's current
events), and an opinion poll (e.g.,"Should NASCAR racing be banned?").
Special Reports on Global Warming and
Kids in Afghanistan.
Newscribe A service that recommends news stories to you based on stories you’ve previously saved. You can also write reviews about the stories, rate other users reviews, and discuss stories with reviewers.
National Geographic Kids News Kids News highlights news, features, and science articles on subjects of interest to kids. Sites for teachers and parents include lesson plans and teaching materials.
Geography
Social Studies and Geography (gr 3-5) Thorough collection of resources and activities for diversified levels.
Map Maker 2.0 (gr 4-6) students use blank maps to add pictures, icons, text, landforms, etc...
National Geographics Includes resources on people, cultures, history, animals, and places. National Geographic recently unveiled a new education section for students and teachers.
XpeditonsMaps, lessons and virtual trips from National Geographic.
Gapminder (gr 6-12)Tons of authentic data from the UN. Site is interactive and the data is amazing and visually easy to interpret!
Geography4Kids.com - Geography4Kids.com is a website that teaches the basics of physical geography and earth sciences. It has sections on earth energy, earth structure, the atmosphere, climates, and much more.
National Geographic Xpedition: Stormy Stories At this site from the National Geographic Soceity, students will read four stories from children at various locations in the world. From the data given the students will then try to determine which story corresponds to each of the locations.
Zoom Into Maps Reading, analyzing, and creating maps are important concepts in many education standards. Using historic maps with subjects such as migration and settlement, travel and transportation, military and pictorial maps, students learn basic map reading skills. There is also a section called Unusual Maps that includes ideas on how these maps can be used in the classroom. A graphic organizer is included.
Worldmapper The world as you've never seen it before A collection of world maps. where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest. There are nearly 600 maps. Maps 1- 366 are also available as PDF posters
PhilaPlace Sharing Stories from the City of Neighborhoods
PhilaPlace is an interactive Web site, created by the Historical
Society of Pennsylvania, that connects stories to places across time in
Philadelphia's neighborhoods. PhilaPlace weaves stories shared by
ordinary people of all backgrounds with historical records to present an
interpretive picture of the rich history, culture, and architecture of
our neighborhoods, past and present. The PhilaPlace Web site uses a
multimedia format - including text, pictures, audio and video clips, and
podcasts - and allows visitors to map their own stories in place and
time. More than a Web site, PhilaPlace includes ongoing community
programs and publications, from workshops for teachers, to trolley
tours, and exhibits.
Outline Maps Print outline maps for any region in the world.
Cultural Maps A set of maps that illustrate America's historical geography; also includes links to other map sites.
Owl and Mouse With interactive map puzzles, mouseover maps, printable maps, make-your-own maps, and free downloadable map software, Owl & Mouse uses maps to teach geography. Some of the more unusual features are Mega Maps (print maps up to seven feet across) and the printable Make Your Own USA activity.
National Graphic Map Machine In addition to road, satelite, and physical maps there are theme maps: weather, natural disasters, naturual resources, population density and borders.
EarthKam Satelite images of landforms and locations. Four times a year you can ask astronauts to take specific pictures.
Geography Virtual Field Trips
Project Explorer K-12 Provides field trips at various grades levels. Trips include: Shakespeare's England, South Africa Storytelling and culture, Southeast Asia Storytelling and culture, Go West! – US by train, car, bus and plane, Ecosystems: The Galapagos Islands, and Birth and Rebirth: Greece’s Golden Age and the Italian Renaissance.
VistaZoo A customizable portal from where you can create stunning, professional Virtual Tours combining panoramas, pictures, video, audio, floorplans and objects in 3D. Your tours will be uploaded and placed on a map instantly. Once the tour has been created, you can easily embed it into any website in seconds. It works just like YouTube. Create and share instantly. http://www.vistazoo.com/
Amazon Interactive Through words, pictures, and simulations this site will help you learn about the Ecuadorian Amazon, its rainforest, and its people. Then you get to make decisions about running a community ecotourism project to make money so that you don't have to clear so much of the rainforest to live.
Brookfield Zoo: In Search of The Ways of Knowing Trail Africa gr 3-8
This animated site is amazing! The entire site is a journey throughout the African forest. Along the way, students have four African children offering advice. Their parents include a researcher, forest ranger, farmer and more! The African characters' expertise helps the student to choose which way to go next. The site includes a forest fact book, information about African animals and forests. A special asset of this unique site is that it incorporates problem-solving skills.
Museum Box provides the tools for you to build up an argument or description of an event, person or historical period by placing items in a virtual box. What items, for example, would you put in a box to describe your life; the life of a Victorian Servant or Roman soldier; or to show that slavery was wrong and unnecessary? You can display anything from a text file to a movie. You can also view and comment on the museum boxes submitted by others.
HistoryPin is a tool to share small glimpses of the past with pictures and to build up the huge story of human history.
Interactive map of the research process for students. The map, titled How To Do Research, walks students through the research process from start to finish with every step along the way. One of the things about this map that school librarians will like is that it is not focused solely on web research.
The National Archives Experience: Digital Vaults
(http://www.digitalvaults.org/#/create/) The National Archives has put together an amazing site where students can create digital content with primary resources. Students can search photographs, documents, and other records and collect them. Students can use collected items to create their own digital poster or to make a movie. Students can also create a Pathway Challenge. In a challenge, students create a series of clues that show relationships between photographs, documents and other records. Others can take part in these Pathways Challenges. There are also ready made challenges that students can take part in,
Intel Thinking Tools Free tools to help individuals and groups reason about issues Webinar
PBS Learning Media has a free service called Learning Media.
Resources include pictures, video and interactive materials from a robust library of
high-quality digital content from PBS, and a growing list of other
contributors including the National Archives, Library of Congress and
NPR. There are research-based resources, including videos, interactives,
images, audio files and lesson plans. You can
view three resources. Then you have to create an account which is free. Can be filtered
by grade level (Pre-K to 12+), subject (8), media type (document, audio,
video, etc.), language (5) and accessibility (text, audio description,
display transformation, etc).
United States
Mr. Don's HIstory Site Fabulous and vast collection of resources, lessons, videos, and powerpoints
American HistoryA selection of easily searched resources divided by eras and historical events. Comprehensive for all grade levels.
Teaching History: National History Education Clearinghouse
Lessons on historical thinking, videos, curriculum, best practices ..
PhillyHistory Historical photos that are searchable by date, address, and neighborhood.
Eyewitness to History site that lets students select a period in history and see personal stories of people from the time. A nice combination of a great deal of information and many historical photos and drawings that bring learning to life.
Talking History could be a great resource for history teachers looking to bring audio artifacts into their classrooms. Search archives
American Memory The Library of Congress' historical collection with videos, diaries, speeches, and projects.
America's Story The Library of Congress sponsored site for elementary aged students.
Decisions in American History Play a role in history. As a juror, senator, and U.S. president you will consider some of the most important decisions in our nation's history
Digital History A Web site designed to support the teaching of American history for K-12 students; the site includes an online textbook, annotated historical documents, and over 70 inquiry-based interactive modules.Who Am I? A History Mystery could be a good way for history students to practice using evidence to create a hypothesis. Who Am I? is part of a larger online Smithsonian exhibit called The Price of Freedom. The Price of Freedom offers a series of detailed lesson plans and videos for six major events and eras in US History. Those events and eras are War of Independence, Wars of Expansion, The Civil War, World War II, Cold War/ Vietnam, and September 11.
Historical Scene Investigation Project Investigate historical events
Digital Vaults is a site put together by the National Archives (a great history resource). It is a place where historical records, photos, and documents are kept. At this site a user can either create a Digital Poster, Movie or a Pathway Challenge. A Pathway Challenge is a great way to lean history and see how historical items are "linked" together.
Awesome Stories A large resource filled with primary-source information. Its purpose is to help educators and individuals find original sources, located at national archives, libraries, universities, museums, historical societies and government-created web sites. The site is very easy to use.
American History Demographic Chart Book Website featuring dozens of graphics about US demographics from 1790 through 2010. The site is divided into seventeen chapters each containing multiple dynamic graphics. The chapters are labeled according to demographic categories such as age, marital status, education, and birthplace.
Crossroads: A K-16 American History Curriculum American history curriculum with essays, lessons, and resources for the classroom teacher for both elementary ages and beyond. Each curriculum age group has its own lessons and resources.Ease History A rich learning environment that supports the learning of US history. Over 600 videos and photographs are currently available, has three entry points: Historical Events, Campaign Ads, and Core Values
Playing History is a collection of 128 games related to topics in US and World History as well as civics and geography. The games come from a variety of sources across the web. Feedback on every game and suggestions for future additions are welcomed by the hosts of the site.
World Digital Library Primary source documents from around the world - available for download
History Wired Take a private tour through the vast collections of the National
Museum of American History with this unique site. Thousands of objects,
including famous, unusual, and everyday items are linked to an
interactive, customizable, "main object" map that includes a timeline,
key words, thumbnails, and a search option.
A wonderful set of lesson plans, arranged by historical era, which include reproducible copies of many primary documents.
Discovery Channel School : U.S. History Lesson Plans Activities to support this subject in the classroom, including immigration, the Revolution, immigration, American leaders, and much more.
Living Room Candidate Videos of Presidential campaign commercials from 1952-2004
State and Regional Folk Tales gr 4-8This repository of folk tales from throughout the United States, organized by state and region, provides students with a great literary tapestry of American culture. Add to a unit on your state's history, or use to supplement your reading curriculum.
American Rhetoric Speeches from history, contemporary politicians, movie characters, entertainers and notiable citizens.
History and Politics Out Loud HIstoric and contemporary American political and historical speeches
Popular Songs in American History Historical period songs and background information
History Out Loud HPOL is a searchable multimedia database documenting and delivering authoritative audio relevant to American history and politics.
Cultural Maps Maps that illustrate America's historical geography; also includes links to other map sitesHistoric Maps in K-12 Classrooms Includes Instructions for Teachers and Reading Historic Maps sections.
American Centuries Explore American history through these collections and activities. (Elem, Mid, High)
The Gilder Lehrman Insitute of American History Supplement your existing materials with some of the activities and information on this site: primary sources on slavery, Mexican American and NativeAmerican history, lessons that focus on human elements of rebellion andchange, and a visual archive with hundreds of historical maps and images.
Academic Info: US History Home Page & Index List of links to support the teaching of American history; arranged by time period. Good portals for ethnic studies also.
American Studies Web Listing of sites in many areas of American studies; appropriate for teachers and high school students. Good cultural and ethnic resources that include enivironmental and women's movements.
Internet Moving Picture Archive A site for educational, advertising, and industry videos produced from 1927 to 1987. Teachers will want to preview first
Virtual Worlds Almanac Online catalog of virtual worlds environments at all grade levels
VistaZoo is a customizable portal from where you can create stunning, professional Virtual Tours combining panoramas, pictures, video, audio, floor plans and objects in 3D. Your tours will be uploaded and placed on a map instantly. Once the tour has been created, you can easily embed it into any website in seconds. It works just like YouTube. Create and share instantly.
PowerPoint Downloads
Elementary age appropriate. You can also search for
PowerPoint presentations in Google Advanced site. Go to Google
->Advanced -> in the File Format pop-up menu choose .ppt
Links to the Past: Explore America's Past Links to information and resources about America's cultural past, including buildings, landscapes, archeological sites, ethnographic resources, objects and documents. There is a teacher section with lesson ideas.
Smithsonian Museums Exhibits from each of the Smithsonian Institution's museums including, Transportation's role in US history, African Voices, Japanese Americans, the Price of Freedom and War, Brown v. Board of Education. and more.Within These Walls This website from the Smithsonian looks at a house in Massachusetts, and follows its inhabitants over two hundred years. Students can find out about the five families that lived there, artifacts from each time period, and how to uncover more information about your own house or neighborhood.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
World Digital Library The World Digital Library (WDL) makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world.
NationStates A nation simulation game. You create your own country, fashioned after your own political ideals, and care for its people. You can also join the U.N. and help solve international problems
Journey of Mankind Site take visitors on an animated 160,000-year virtual migration of man. Beginning in the tropics of East Africa, the illustrated, annotated journey reveals the many climatological events that governed the routes of early man. This is a spectacular resource, perfect as a foundation for a world cultures class, or for a study of world climate in science.
Eyewitness to History site that lets students select a period in history and see personal stories of people from the time. A nice combination of a great deal of information and many historical photos and drawings that bring learning to life.
Talking History could be a great resource for history teachers looking to bring audio artifacts into their classrooms. Search archives
Europeana A site that allows users to comb through and inspect over 4 million digital artifacts from Europe. The site has great art from museums, as well as videos, music, and other interactive media. Liven up the study of world artifacts from hundreds of years ago through to today.
World Conflict Map Help your secondary students gain a greater understanding of some of the 20th century's most devastating military conflicts with this compelling, interactive map. Students can discover where specific wars took place, who the main protagonists were, and which regions of the world have experienced the most unrest.Cyberschoolbus
Designed to provide teachers and students with information and
teaching materials that pertain to international issues and the United
Nations.It aims to create an online global education community and
sponsor action projects to give students a voice onglobal issues. The
site is divided intofour main sections: Resources, Curriculum,Quizzes
& Games, and Community. Teacher Highlights. Under
Resources,click on InfoNation to view and compare statistical data from
country to country.
Digital Vaults is a site put together by the National Archives (a great history resource). It is a place where historical records, photos, and documents are kept. At this site a user can either create a Digital Poster, Movie or a Pathway Challenge. A Pathway Challenge is a great way to lean history and see how historical items are "linked" together.
CultureQuest Explore other people's cultures through inquiry-based projects.Gateway to World History A site containing the world history archives, links to other online sites, and keyword searches
Keypal Links Interview or communicate with students from other countries--a great way to learn about another country or cultureUnicef Games Helps kids rescue others, provide food, help clean water, etc and learn about the world at the same time! Hyperhistory Online Timelines, maps, and graphics for events in world history
Historical Atlas of the 20th Century Maps of eras, trends, political boundaries, wars, and more.
Atlas of the Human Journey A National Geographic interactive map of the genetic movement of humans over time
MarsQuest Online On this site, you will launch a spacecraft to Mars, explore, canyons, solve mysteries, and search for life. Use it to compare to early explorations on Earth!
Nationmaster Grades 4 to 12 Offers users the ability to custom-generate scores of comparisons and reports, all based on publicly available data. While students will find the results interesting, government, economics, and world cultures teachers will find this site a great tool for creating illustrations and examples to use in their teaching.
Discovery Channel School : World History Lesson Plans Curriculum tie-ins with the programs, vocabulary, and lessons to support the teaching of world history units
World History and Cultures
Ancient History
Mr. Don's HIstory Site Fabulous and vast collection of resources, lessons, videos, and powerpoints
Ancient History and Cultures Sites
International resources of ancient cultures. Goes beyond eurocentric cultures.
The Ancient Web Includes civilizations not generally covered, e.g., Southeast Asia, and South American civilizations. News, stories and videos.
Time Trek! gr. 4-9 This site is presented as a "time machine" that will allow students to visit cultures from 1200 BC (Ancient Egypt) through a fictional city in 2800 CE. Each "visit" provides information about the geography, culture and history of the city under consideration. After students have visited the cultures, there are also games, puzzles and activities related to the cultures discussed.
Cultures Resources for living and ancient cultures
Odyssey Online gr 4-8 This extensive source provides information about the ancient cultures of the Near East, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. An additional section explores 19th - 20th century sub-Saharan Africa. Images of museum artifacts from each region are liberally distributed throughout the site, along with some interactive maps, occasional videos, and games. The Teacher Resource section provides lesson plans suggestions for integrating art into the social studies curriculum, and helpful tips on using the site.
Why do Civilizations Fall? A WebQuest that guides students to evaluate what attributes to a civilization collapses. The inquiry-based investigation focuses on the Maya, Mali, Anaszasi, and Mesopotamia civilizations, but has implications for other past and present cultures.Dig: Archaeology Links for Kids Archaeology links for students from this publication for kids
Daily Life in Ancient Civilizations gr 2-5 Short descriptions and pictures
Ancient Maps Large collection of searchable maps.
The Big Myth Myths from cultures throughout the world with multimedia rendditions of world creation stories. Each includes an overview of the culture that produced it, class activities, and discussion questions.
Ancient Egypt from the British Museum Includes activities for students to practice skills using the site; visit the Staff Room for instructions
Egyptians Grades 4 to 12The BBC offers this elegant, detailed treatment of ancient Egypt. The site includes audio recordings of Egyptian texts, lots of images, and a collection of instructional games based on Egyptian history and facts. Students could explore this one for days.Eternal Egypt Explore the people, places, and artifacts of 5,000 years of Egyptian civilization with this outstanding site. Start with the Guided Tour which introduces the site's many features and options for beginning the virtual journey, then investigate the maps, timelines, multimedia offerings, sites and museums, virtual library, and more. Try the interactive "Connections" option which illustrates the complex links between the characters, places, and objects that define Egypt.
Egypt's Golden Empire. 7 to 12
A glimpse of life in Egypt from 1550-1200 BC. This site's
ancient Egyptian resources examine each of the pharaohs, as well as
provide information about daily life in Egypt. The interactive map and
hieroglyph translator provide an interesting lens through which students
can view life in this era. Like other PBS empire sites, this site has a
listing of lesson plans for expanding on these resources.
SimMummy
In this simulation, kids participate in all the stages
of an ancient Egyptian mummification, from removal of the organs to
placing the mummy in the tomb, and they reenact these funerary customs
the same way (or extremely close, anyway!) that the Egyptians did it
Egypt - Secrets of an Ancient World gr. 4-12
National Geographic's Egypt site offers a pyramid time line,
an explanation of how and why pyramids developed, and a general
introduction to ancient Egyptian civilization. There's a wealth of
material here, so some previewing would be in order, especially when
working with younger students.
Xerxe's March to Greece You are Xerxes, King of the mighty Persian Empire, and you are about to embark on one of the greatest military campaigns in history
Winged Sandals gr 2-7 Take a journey with Hermes, the messenger god! Stop along the
way to read stories, play interactive games, "Ask the Oracle" a
question, and explore ancient history. Select portions of the Web site
based on the level of your students. Many of the games and hand-on
activities are designed for elementary students, but middle school kids
can use the historical descriptions as a helpful resource during a unit
on mythology.
The Greeks Grades 7 to 12
Part of the PBS Civilizations series, this site explores
ancient Greece, complete with virtual tours of the acropolis and the
Parthenon temple. In the Greeks Interactive section, students can view
interactive maps and experiment with the Greek alphabet. There is also
an educational resources section, complete with lesson plans for using
the site.
Ancient Southeast Asia Resources Easy to search resources and lessons.
BBC Best Link: History - Death in Rome game
Your chance to be a sleuth in ancient Rome and work out who killed Eutychus. You may even learn some history along the way
Radio 4 - The Roman Way Exploring everyday life in the Roman Empire, from the emperors in Rome to life in the far-flung corners of the Empire
The Roman Empire Grades 7 to 12 Interactive proof that Rome wasn't built in a day. This site examines the history of the empire, as well as the culture, lifestyle, and government of the Roman era. Along with classroom resources sorted by grade level, the site also has an interactive political simulation and an Augustan Family Tree.You wouldn't want to be a Roman gladiator! A humorous and authentic view of life in earlier times. Students can trace the experience of an unfortunate Gaul, captured by Romans and sent to fight as a gladiator in the arena. Will he survive to fight again? Visitors can browse through the virtual book using the "next" and "previous" buttons.
MesoWebFor the ancient cultures of Mesoamerica including the Olmec, Maya and Aztec.
Mundo Maya Covers daily life, history, customs, legends and more
Ancient Mexico Grades 6 to 12 This is a remarkably well-done site dealing with "the art, culture, and history of ancient Mesoamerica." The bulk of the content deals with the cities, gods, and conquest of ancient Mexico, but there are additional sections on Peru and Chile. These latter two are much more works in progress.The Sport of Life and Death Learn about the land and culture of Mesoamerica with this engaging site that draws visitors into the ancient world of athletes and gods. After exploring maps and timelines, and learning about the elements of the sport, visitor can participate in a unique version of the Mesoamerican Ballgame - the most outstanding feature of the site. To play, students must enter correct responses to content-specific questions. Points are earned by choosing correct answers. Lose the game, and find out why this was know as "the sport of life and death!"
Ancient China Discover the culture of ancient China with this outstanding, interactive site that explores its artisans, geography, tombs, writings, and more. Each section of the site provides historical information, a story, an in-depth exploration, and a challenge. The challenge activities promote higher level thinking and are ideal for independent practice and review.
Ancient Islam From Islamic beginnings to the peak of the empire.
Ancient India Links to resources
Japan In-Depth gr. 6-12 This site gives a very clear overview of major components of ancient Japanese culture. The page is separated into a wide variety of subsections including architecture, shrines, religious observations, clothing, art, floral design, theater and dance. Each section links to simple line-drawings with an explanation of the significance of each cultural component.
Persia Includes lessons and information.
African Voices Smithsonian exhibit that includes Africa's influence on world history and culture.Ancient Africa Resources Web resources include a number of civilizations, customs and history.
Podcasts
Voice Thread