Using Old Newspapers to Teach History
Few people think of today’s newspapers as tomorrow’s history books. But two history teachers have compiled reproductions of newspapers’ front pages to help students get a snapshot of events as they were reported.
Top Teacher Ties History to Current Events
By tying the lessons of history to the issues of the day, Deirdra Grode, a seventh-and eighth-grade social studies and language arts teacher at Hoboken Charter School in Hoboken, New Jersey, is teaching her students to be analytical and socially aware.
Social Studies Fairs Inspire Young Historians
Picture a room filled with colorful project displays and students who look like they just stepped out of the pages of a history book -- and you are imagining the view teachers and parents enjoy during a social studies fair. Included: Tips for starting a fair in your school.
Resources
History Articles
Education World provides practical resources for history educators. Click the links below to find lesson
plans, articles about what excellent teachers are doing in their classrooms, and additional professional
development resources.
Site Reviews
Education World reviews Web sites to supplement your curriculum. History and social studies teachers might
be interested in checking out the reviewed sites below.
Students Go Back in Time for a Week
Wearing long skirts and straw hats, third graders from Woodstock Elementary School spend a week learning in a one-room schoolhouse the way youngsters did in the mid-1800s. From using quill pens to rolling hoops, it's quite an education.
School, Town Create Holocaust Memorial
While studying the Holocaust, Whitwell Middle School students set out to collect 6 million paper clips to comprehend the number of Jews killed by the Nazis. They not only exceeded their goal, but with community help, created a memorial to those who died.
Celebrating the U.S. Constitution
September 16 is the day this year for schools and all Americans to honor and study the U.S. Constitution. Louise Leigh, the founder of Constitution Day, hope lessons give students a new appreciation of their heritage and freedoms.
Constitution Day
America and its educators recognize each September 17 -- the day our Founding Fathers signed the U.S. Constitution -- as Constitution Day. Education World has scoured our site and the Internet to gather dozens of teaching ideas to help you recognize this landmark day.
Will the Leaning Tower Fall?
Students in grades 9-12 research the Tower of Pisa and write a report about its history. They examine the physics
of why the Tower leans and whether it might fall. Finally, they plan a trip to Italy to see the Tower, developing
an itinerary and budget for the trip.
Presidential Bookmarks
Students in grades 3-5 use online resources to find basic information on a U.S. president. Then, using Microsoft Word,
they create bookmarks containing a few facts about the selected president along with his photograph, print the bookmarks,
and trade them with their peers.
Visiting a Historical Site
On the PBS show History Detectives, experts solve mysteries from the past using modern research methods. Teach
your students to think like the history-mystery detectives with these lessons for visiting a historical site. Appropriate
for grades 7-12, the lessons provide step-by-step instructions for research before a visit to a historical site, procedures
during the visit, and the creation of a poem based on the visit.
Four Days in Paris
In this foreign language or social studies lesson for grades 4-6, students research a travel destination, set up a
four-day itinerary, and then use iWork's Pages program to create an illustrated travel journal detailing their "experiences."
Hail to the Chief(s)!: Lessons from Presidential Libraries
Presidential libraries hold the papers and memorabilia of former U.S. presidents, making them available to the general
public, and preserving them for future generations. Discover how you can use online resources from presidential libraries
to teach students about U.S. presidents.
Poetry From Photos: A Lesson on the Great Depression.
Getting information from the Internet often is just a copy and paste operation. The challenge for teachers is to teach
students to apply and extend what they learn online. In this lesson, students view photographs of migrant families
during the Great Depression, try to interpret the photos to answer questions about the subject's life, and then write
a cinquain poem based on their interpretations.
I Do Solemnly Swear: Presidential Inaugurations
Stuffy and formal or disorganized and strange? Presidential inaugurations have run the gamut over the years. Check
out this lesson plan for grades 3-5 in which the facts and frenzy surrounding 55 presidential inaugurations are investigated.
Wireside Chat: Making Social Studies Work for At-Risk Kids
Joann Winkler, the 2004 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) elementary school teacher of the year, has
her at-risk kids running businesses, collecting for the needy, and giving national park "tours."
WebQuest: Thanksgiving Means More Than Giving Thanks!
The U.S. Congress has decided to change the name of the holiday celebrated on the last Thursday in November. The holiday
should be a day for more than just giving thanks, the lawmakers say. Your team will help Congress decide what the
new name should be.
Elections, Voting in Words a Kid Can Understand
The vocabulary and idiosyncrasies that surround voting and the election process are difficult for adults to grasp.
In America Votes: How Our President is Elected, Linda Granfield explains the whole process in words any fifth
grader will understand.
Sites to See: Lewis and Clark
Two hundred years ago, Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and more than two-dozen members of the Corps of Discovery set
out to discover a waterway linking the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. This collection of sites filled with
online activities, lesson plans, curriculum resources, primary documents, maps, and more commemorates the 200th Anniversary
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Country Comparisons in Current Events Class
Do you have middle or high school students who are eager to debate current events, but sometimes lack evidence for
their arguments? Or, are students struggling to understand the challenges faced in a developing country? If so, this
lesson plan, using online resources and a spreadsheet program, may be just what you need to inform and inspire classroom
discussions!
Voice of Experience: Gaga Over Google: Photo Images Bring Lessons to Life
You probably know about the Google search tool, but have you made use of Google's image search engine? Max
Fischer thinks Google's image library is a virtual goldmine. Included: Ideas for using Google's image search tool
to bring lessons to life.
Voice of Experience: Poetry Writing: A Comprehension Tool Across the Curriculum
Educator Max Fischer's most recent Aha! moment came when he let students use poetry to demonstrate their comprehension
of the history curriculum. Now Fischer has one more tool for engaging students, one more tool for his growing "bag
of tricks."
Voice of Experience: Some Classroom "Dilemmas" Are Beneficial
Max Fischer shares his experiences using moral dilemmas to bring classroom lessons to life. Discussions of dilemmas
tied to his curriculum challenge students to think critically as they reflect on history. Dilemmas teach many other
skills too.
Brown v. Board of Education Celebrates 50 Years
On the fiftieth anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in the case of Brown v. Board of Education, Education
World offers this special lesson planning resource. Included: Links to more than 3 dozen lessons.
An Experiment in Unfair Treatment/Prejudice
Pauline Finlay, who teaches at Holy Trinity Elementary School in Torbay, Newfoundland (Canada), submitted this lesson,
which offers a simple experiment to help launch a discussion of unfair treatment and prejudice/bias. (Grades 3-12)
The Ride of Their Lives
A combination museum and amusement park is being planned for your hometown. Each section of the amusement park will
be related to one of the exhibits in the museum. You and your classmates have been asked to design a ride or other
activity related to the museum's circulatory system exhibit.
Electing a President: Lessons for Teaching About the Presidential Primaries
Candidates are crisscrossing the country in a quest for the votes that will put their name on the presidential ballot
in November. Capitalize on this "teachable moment" with five lessons that teach about the process and engage students
in learning about it.
Strategies That Work: Teaching About Current Events
The statistics we read about students' awareness of world events are frightening. Every teacher must play a role in
building students' current-events knowledge. A strong current events program can also teach essential skills related
to writing, geography, and history.
My Five Senses
The science teacher at your school is preparing a unit on the five senses. He wants to start with the most important
sense, but he can't decide which one that should be. Students choose which of the five senses they think is most important
and complete a book about the five senses.
El Juego que Aprende: The Learning Game
When LaToya Maker, president of Teach Me Toys.com, learned that Hispanics make up 12.5 percent of the U.S. population
and 17 percent of the public school enrollment, she asked designers to create a game to teach kids about Hispanic
heritage.
Save Our Schoolhouse!
An abandoned one-room schoolhouse in your community is scheduled to be torn down. In this WebQuest, students work
in teams to create a presentation demonstrating how the schoolhouse can be restored and used as a "living museum"
for the benefit of the community.
Remembering Those Who Gave Their Lives: Lessons for Memorial Day
What does Memorial Day mean to your students? Do they grasp the significance of the sacrifice that American men and
women have made to preserve our freedom? Included: Five lessons help students understand the meaning of Memorial Day.
Lessons for War
Teachers at every grade level are struggling for ways to help students deal with the war in Iraq and with issues related
to the war. To aid you in that effort, Education World has collected some age-appropriate online lesson plans.
Lessons in Life: Connecting Kids and Soldiers
Many teachers are finding that both they and their students want to do something to help U.S. troops abroad.
Education World has compiled a list of organizations that link classes with deployed servicemen and women
Put the "Memory" Back in Memorial Day
Some teachers, concerned about students' ignorance of the origin and meaning of Memorial Day, have created programs
that stress the importance of remembering and honoring U.S. war veterans on that day.
Wire Side Chat: Lessons of the Holocaust
To help you provide your students with the information and insights they need to understand the events and implications
of the Holocaust, Education World interviews Warren Marcus, a teacher educator for the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum.
Reviving Reviews: Refreshing Ideas Students Can't Resist
Is review time a deadly bore for you and your students? Add a little fun to review time and you might be surprised.
Games will spice up reviews, revive interest, and ensure retention! Included: Five activities for use in all subjects,
all grades!
It's Up for Debate!
Debates are a staple of middle and high school social studies classes. But have you ever thought about using debates
at the lower grades -- or in math class? Education World offers five debate strategies and extra lessons for students
of all ages.
Five Lessons in Black History
Primary source materials teach about Rosa Parks, school integration, and the growth of the African-American population
throughout history. Plus: Students create a database/timeline and write a rap about a famous figure in Black History.
More!
Lewis and Clark: The Journey West
In 1803, Meriwether Lewis was selected to lead an expedition that would map a water route from the Mississippi River
to the Pacific Ocean. Included: Classroom lessons to help you celebrate the 200th anniversary of this historic journey.
Teaching About Tolerance
These lessons are designed to teach kids about Martin Luther King's dream of tolerance. Included: Lessons on stereotyping,
appreciating differences, recognizing how words can hurt (or heal), and more!
Voice of Experience: Teaching Religion in Public Schools: Removing the Angst
Do you run from any mention of religion in your public school classroom? How do you escape that during this month
of holy celebrations? Educator Max Fischer has been thinking about this issue, and his thoughts might help relieve
some of your angst.
Simulations Engage Students in Active Learning
Teacher Max Fischer, the author of a book of simulation activities for the social studies classroom, shares his initial
simulation experiences, his process for creating simulations, and tips for using simulations in the classroom. Included:
Fischer shares a favorite activity.
Move Over Halloween - Here Comes Historical Figure Day!
Historical Figure Day is a celebration held at a middle school in Moorpark, California. Find out how middle schoolers
get into character and bring the past to life. Teacher Mike Winters shares project details, and students voice their
reactions to the learning experience!
Thinking About Thanksgiving: Lessons Across the Curriculum
Are you teaching about the "First Thanksgiving" as it is written in many children's books, or are you teaching about
it as it really happened? Education World helps put Thanksgiving in perspective and challenges students to "think
about Thanksgiving."
Remembering September 11
Education World offers five new lessons to help teachers commemorate the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attack
on the United States. Those lessons will keep alive the spirit of patriotism and tolerance stimulated by the events
of 9/11.
Bring Ancient History to Life!
Five lessons that challenge students to use and translate hieroglyphics, solve math problems using Roman numerals,
learn about gods and goddesses, explore the society of ancient Egypt, and draw like an Egyptian.
Women's History Month
Each March, Education World -- and the rest of the world -- recognizes Women's History Month. These lessons, activities,
and resources will involve your students in the study of women's contributions to the world.
Celebrate African American History Month
Black history is such a part of the American fabric -- and the school curriculum -- that it's difficult to imagine
a time when that wasn't so. This special archive offers lesson plans, activities, resources, and more to emphasize
the history and achievements of African Americans.
Presidents' Day Activities!
The third Monday in February is the annual observance of Presidents' Day. Education World offers excellent activities
to teach students about the presidents of the United States.
A World at War
Education World presents "The World Wars," the latest article in our yearlong Millennium Series.
The Holocaust
Twelve lesson plans for teaching about the Holocaust. Included: Activities that involve students in creating time
lines and ABC books, writing poetry and letters, and learning about Anne Frank and Holocaust rescuers!
Civil War Lesson Plans and Activities
More than a dozen lessons for teaching about the Civil War. Teachers can use these lessons to teach what caused the
war, what it was like to live in a nation divided, and much more.
From Sea to Shining Sea: A Nation Moves Westward!
Education World introduces you and your students to 65 years of history from Lewis and Clark to the transcontinental
railroad. Included: More than 20 activities to help students take part in America's westward expansion.
Join the Revolution!
Invite your students to follow the progress of the American Revolution -- from the first battle to the final surrender
-- by participating in these Revolutionary War lessons and activities.
Back in the Day: Lessons from Colonial Classrooms
Encourage your students to experience the lives of colonial children by participating in some of the same activities
children enjoyed -- or endured -- more than 200 years ago. Then invite them to explore similar lessons -- updated
for the technological age.
Discoverer's Day
Land ho! From Columbus to Cortez...Education World spans the globe in search of great sites, lesson plans and new
ways to explore the world of Discoverer's!
Ahoy, Mates! Here Lie a Dozen Pirate Treasures!
Aye, ye landlubbers! Take to the high seas for some fun and adventure with the theme of piracy! Meet Captain Dave,
find out how he created his on-line search for lost treasure, and read about 12 other ways to bring privateers and
mariners into your classroom activities.
'Every Day' Activities: Today in History
Many sites offer "This Day in History" resources that are a great way to teach current events, history, and cultural
literacy. Imagine a classroom timeline that highlights current events or events connected to historic periods. A great
opportunity for learning!
Timelines: Timeless Teaching Tools
Across the grades and across the curriculum, teachers treasure the value of timelines. And all the timeline resources
you'll need are right at your fingertips! Included: Activity ideas for teachers across the grades!
Award-Winning History Series Takes Students by Storm!
Author Joy Hakim has changed the face of history instruction with her award-winning 11-book series A History of
US. This series won the 1997 James A. Michener Prize in Writing. More importantly, kids who use the series seem
to love it.
Remembering D-Day: Great Sites on the Web
June 6 is the 56th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. To mark the occasion, Education World looks at some of the
more interesting D-Day Web sites.
Wax Museum Biographies Teach and Entertain!
Cheryl Anderson's fifth-graders are performing the "Wax Museum Biographies." The students mentally leave their small
South Dakota town -- population 913 -- for such places as the moon, a street in Montgomery, Alabama, or the steps
of the White House.
Days and Days of Knights: A Unit on the Middle Ages
You've tried an activity or two on the Middle Ages -- and your students are begging for more. This is the kind of
topic cross-curricular units are made of. Don't miss your chance! Included: A teacher-created unit on the Middle Ages!
Beyond Columbus: Teaching the Lessons of 1492
The voyages of Christopher Columbus provide unlimited teaching opportunities that can be pursued without glorifying
the man or denigrating his achievements. This year, help students put the controversial explorer's achievements into
historical perspective.
