Map Projection Animations
This site features QuickTime and Flash animations that address issues cartographers face as they try to fit a three-dimensional surface on a flat planar surface while making maps. Characteristics and distortions of cylindrical, conical, planar, and Goode's projections are discussed. These resources are suitable for use in lectures, labs, or other teaching activities.
Martin Van Buren's "Return to the Soil"
is a curriculum-oriented site using the home, named Lindenwald, the eighth President moved to after his term in office to introduce a discussion of Van Buren and his times. The site contains photos and drawings of Lindenwald as well as discussions how Van Buren interacted with other political leaders of the day, like Andrew Jackson and John C. Calhoun. The site offers many questions and suggestions for student assignments.
From Canterbury to Little Rock: The Struggle for Educational Equality for African Americans
This site highlights two historic places and the role each played in the effort toward creating equal educational opportunities for African Americans.
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.
Gold Fever! Seattle Outfits the Klondike Gold Rush
focuses on the pivotal role that Seattle and Pioneer Square played as the chief outfitting and transportation center during the Klondike Gold Rush. It also looks at difficulties stampeders encountered on their journey from Seattle to the Klondike.
Floyd Bennett Field: Naval Aviation's Home in Brooklyn
recounts the role of this airport in aviation history and World War II. In 1931, it was among the most advanced airports in the world. From it, early aviators launched pioneering and round-the-world flights during the 1930s. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, its duties as Naval Air Station New York grew rapidly. During the 1942 U-Boat offensive, it provided air cover for ship convoys embarking from New York.
Wildlife Management Activity Guide for Teachers
Whether your school has a 40 acre school forest or a 40 square foot school yard lawn, we urge you to get your students involved in some hands-on wildlife management. It is a relevant real world issue that will also expose them to disciplines other than science as they learn all the complexities of land management. A few teachers are teaching about a variety of game species and habitats. Others are developing small native plant gardens which provide basic needs for native butterflies and birds. P
Views of the National Parks: Whiskeytown
Views of the National Parks can be used in the classroom in many different ways. Most simply, it can be made available for students to explore on their own. Lesson plan available: Biodiversity Right Outside – Biodiversity is the abundance and variety of life-forms (animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms) at all levels of organization (ecosystems, species, and genes). In this activity students will learn about biodiversity, the importance of biodiversity to ecosystems, and will conduct thei
You Decide: Should the US government be taking the lead to reverse Global Warming?
This educational guide focuses on the idea of global warming and whether it is a legitimate threat to the environment of the planet. It also deals with the media and government responses to the issue, and whether the issue has suffered distortion due to media attention. Students are invited to examine the arguments on both sides of the debate, developing critical thinking skills as they work through the activities. Students will learn how to support their arguments with evidence and reason. It i
You Decide: Should couples consider global population issues before deciding to have more than one c
This educational guide focuses on global population issues and decisions couples may want to consider when having more than one child. Students are invited to examine the arguments on both sides of the debate, developing critical thinking skills as they work through the activities. Students will learn how to support their arguments with evidence and reason. It is expected that at the end of this guide students will determine where they stand on this controversial issue.
Bough Down to Trees
Students become familiar with the impact trees have in their lives and learn about some of the conservation issues that we face in the 21st century.
Hip Math and Shape Art
This lesson builds upon student knowledge of basic geometric shapes by studying the art in the illustrations shown in the video. Students draw and name organic, non-geometric shapes.
The Bill of Rights: Debating the Amendments
In this lesson, students will examine a copy of twelve possible amendments to the United States Constitution as originally sent to the states for their ratification in September of 1789. Students will debate and vote on which of these amendments they would ratify and compare their resulting “Bill of Rights” to the ten amendments ratified by ten states that have since been known by this name.
The Last Days of a President: Films of McKinley and the Pan-American Exposition, 1901
This site provides 28 films that include footage of the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, President McKinley at his second inauguration, and McKinley's funeral. Two brief essays recall the politics and status of the U.S. at the turn of the century.
Women: Struggle and Triumph
Ever wonder what women were doing during the 1800s or what is known as the antebellum period of United States history? Men are well represented in our history books as they were the powerful, educated leaders of our country. Women, on the other hand, rarely had opportunities to tell their stories. Powerful stories of brave women who helped shape the history of the United States are revealed to students through journals, letters, narratives and other primary sources. Synthesizing information from
The Thomas Jefferson Papers
The complete Thomas Jefferson Papers from the Manuscript Division at the Library of Congress consists of approximately 27,000 documents. This is the largest collection of original Jefferson documents in the world. Document types in the collection as a whole include correspondence, commonplace books, financial account books, and manuscript volumes. The collection is organized into ten series or groupings, ranging in date from 1606 to 1827. Correspondence, memoranda, notes, and drafts of documents
Today in History
This sit efeatures a different person or event in history each day. Past features include Frederick Douglass, Woodrow Wilson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Banneker, Rosa Parks, Samuel Slater, Louisa May Alcott, Radio City Arts Hall, the Wright brothers' first flight, the Bill of Rights, the Gadsden Purchase, the Federal Reserve System, the Wounded Knee massacre, Pearl Harbor, the first controlled nuclear fission chain reaction, and more.
Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire, 1897-1916
This site provides 26 films of San Francisco from before and after the Great Earthquake and Fire. The earthquake struck on April 18, 1906, along the San Andreas Fault, damaging most central California cities and killing more than 3,000 people. These films show Market Street, Chinatown, a parade, San Francisco viewed from a balloon, and vast devastation from the 8.3 magnitude earthquake and 3-day fire.
Band Arts from the Civil War Era
provides examples of brass band music that flourished in the U.S. during the 1850s and remained popular through the 19th century. It includes 700 musical compositions, 8 full-score modern editions, and 19 recorded examples.
An American Ballroom Companion: Dance Instruction Manuals, 1600-1920
This site presents a collection of 200 social dance manuals and related materials. Along with dance instruction manuals, this online presentation also includes a significant number of antidance manuals, histories, treatises on etiquette, and items from other conceptual categories. Many of the manuals also provide historical information on theatrical dance.
