Geochemistry Activities
This site from the "On the Cutting Edge" workshop series contains a collection of activities that can be used in undergraduate geochemistry courses. The collection includes lab exercises, classroom activities, problem sets and more.
Teaching Mineralogy: A Digital Collection of Teaching Materials
This site from the "On the Cutting Edge" workshop series features a collection of resources for teaching mineralogy at the undergraduate level. These digital teaching materials are designed for faculty to use while designing new courses, enhancing existing courses, or simply looking for new ideas in teaching mineralogy. Students will also find this collection helpful for finding supplemental study materials and for doing research projects in mineralogy.
Teaching Hydrogeology in the 21st Century
This site from the "The On the Cutting Edge" workshop series features a wealth of ideas, teaching examples and web-based resources that are useful for teaching undergraduate hydrogeology.
Solar System Animations
This site features Flash animations that illustrate phases of the moon, distances between planets, total, partial, and annular eclipses, and solar system formation that includes an example of the impact that created the moon. These resources are suitable for use in lectures, labs, or other teaching activities.
Igneous Rocks for Undergraduate Courses
This site contains photographs of 22 igneous rock hand samples. Clicking on an image brings up a larger view of the sample. In addition, links to thin sections are available for some of the samples. Thin sections can be seen in both crossed polarized light and plane polarized light by moving the cursor on and off the photomicrograph. This resource is part of the Teaching Petrology collection. http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/petrology03/index.html
Tonto National Monument: Saving a National Treasure
tells the story of the Salado people, who thrived in the Arizona valley where Tonto Creek joins the Salt River (1050-1450 AD). The Salado culture combined customs of several American Indian groups. They channeled the river to create farmland in the desert. They built Pueblo-style buildings. They left no written records. This monument, established in December 1907, was among the first sites protected under the Antiquities Act of 1906.
Paterson, New Jersey: America's Silk City
examines conditions that led to the famous 1913 strike in a city that produced nearly half the U.S.'s manufactured silk. Conflicts between labor and management increased in the U.S. during the early 20th century. In Paterson, on January 27, 1913, when Henry Doherty tried to extend a new four-loom system throughout his plant, 800 silk weavers walked out. More than 20,000 Paterson silk workers took part in the strike, which lasted over five months.
History & Culture
offers educators Park Service resources that help teach about our nation's cultural heritage, and which look at how the NPS is protecting and preserving them. Subjects include archaeology, historic buildings and structures, mapping, military history, and national historic landmarks. The resources may be in the form of learning programs, case studies, lesson plans, teachers' handbooks, and more.
Lexington, Kentucky: The Athens of the West
highlights 29 places that illustrate the transformation of the city from a small frontier post during the Revolutionary War into a center of economic, intellectual, and political activity. Photos, maps, and essays are included.
The United States Air Force Academy: Founding a Proud Tradition
recounts the history of aviation and the military: aviation's entry into the military during World War I, Germany's use of air power early in World War II, Pearl Harbor, the Berlin Airlift, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and President Eisenhower's declaration that our first line of defense would be an air atomic strike force. The site examines the design of the Air Force Academy, authorized in 1954 after 30 years of struggle.
The Siege and Battle of Corinth: A New Kind of War
tells the story of two Civil War engagements near Corinth, a small Mississippi town established in the 1850s where two railroads crossed. On October 2, 1862, Confederates attacked Union forces that occupied the town and that had built extensive entrenchments and earthworks (which are featured at this website). By nightfall the next day, 2,360 Union and 4,848 Confederate men were dead or wounded.
Spanish Treasure Fleets of 1715 and 1733: Disasters Strike at Sea
discusses Spain's search for gold and silver in the New World (1500s-1700s) and its treasure fleet system, which was intended to protect its treasure-laden ships from being seized by England, France, and the Netherlands. In 1715 and 1733, hurricanes devastated Spain's treasure fleets off the coast of Florida. Today, two of the sunken ships' remains are protected as Florida Underwater Archaeological Preserves.
Guilford Courthouse: A Pivotal Battle in the War for Independence
looks at this battle?how it was fought; how its outcome was characterized, including reports from both General Nathanael Greene and Lord Cornwallis; and why it was important. About 1,700 Continentals (three-year enlistees in the regular army) and 2,700 militia (mostly farmers who were nonprofessional temporary soldiers called up for short periods of service during an emergency) fought against the redcoats near this North Carolina town of fewer than 100 people.
Coso Rock Art
examines one of the most extensive and best-preserved concentrations of prehistoric rock art in the U.S. See photos and learn about the people who made these 250,000 drawings on rocks at China Lake, California, 1000 to 3000 years ago.
Thaw in the Cold War: Eisenhower and Khrushchev at Gettysburg
describes how President Eisenhower's personal diplomacy at his Gettysburg farm helped ease the tensions of the Cold War. The site offers photos and maps of the home as well as readings and suggestions for student assignments.
Pipestone, Minnesota -- National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
features an area in the southwest corner of Minnesota that reflects a rich history of American Indian quarrying, prosperity brought by the railroad and mining enterprises, and a distinctive natural landscape. This National Register of Historic Places Travel itinerary highlights 30 historic places, including buildings constructed with beautiful local red stone and land still sacred to American Indians.
Glorieta and Raton Passes: Gateways to the Southwest
examines the role of these two passes in ensuring that the Southwest would become and remain part of the U.S. Learn about traders and armies that depended on the passes, which were part of the Santa Fe Trail, as the best way to get through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The Santa Fe Trail was a key trade route until the railroad reached Santa Fe in 1880. Like the trail, the railroad and later highways ran through the two passes.
The Chihuahuan Desert Lab On-Line Manual
is a comprehensive program designed to enhance high school science, math and technology studies by involving students in monitoring natural resources in Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. It offers a resource-based curriculum, science projects, an online manual for teachers, and an evaluation.
Everglades Educational Resources
This site provides classroom activities, resources for teachers, a list of current articles, links to recommended readings, and field guides about Everglades National Park. It also tells how to plan class visits to the park.
Resources on Alaska History and Politics
This National Park Service website offers links to a variety of articles about the history and politics of Alaska. Users can download PDF articles about World War II in Alaska, the Alaska Goldrush, and national historic places. The site also features links to educational resources such as teachers' guides to teaching about historic places and culture.
