History links
They Made America.
Although this is a companion site to a PBS mini-series airing in
November
2004, the content easily stands alone. Students can investigate the
stories of
influential "great minds" whose entrepreneurial spirits dramatically
affected
American industry and culture and then play an NCAA-style "tournament"
to
isolate the most influential innova
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/
History Detectives.
Although this site is a companion to a PBS series by the same name,
many of
the activities can be used independently to tap into your students
deductive
reasoning abilities. Prowl through the rooms of a virtual house to
investigate
clues and determine its age; open a time capsule to examine its
contents and
decide when it was originally buried; and learn about the many
techniques used
by historical sleuths, including forensic anthropology, DNA analysis,
timber
dating, and document examin
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/
Liberty! The American Revolution
This outstanding resource provides students with a concise
understanding of
the establishment of the American republic - from the earliest rumblings
of
rebellion, to the creation of the Constitution. Although a companion to a
PBS
mini-series, the site is filled with fascinating information, interactive
maps, and lesson plans that can easily stand alone. Click on "Chronicle
of
Revolution" to find a collection of newspaper articles that focus on
historical headlines. An assortment of interactive activities allows
students
to experience daily life in the colonies, discover the differences between
American and British soldiers, and test their "Revolutionary" know
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/index.html
Famous Moments in Early American History
These eight, high-quality mini-movies highlight true stories of historical
significance using scenes and portraits from Early America. Titles
include
"The Ben Franklin Story," "Declaring Independence,"
"The Treason of
Benedict
Arnold," "Paul Revere - Messenger of the Revolution," and mo
http://earlyamerica.com/series.html
Washington's home
Visit the Mount Vernon Web site to gain general background information
on
George Washington's life
and his home.
With a partner, create a trivia game about George Washington. Create
your game
with ten questions,
and then compete against another group. The team with the highest
score goes
on to play another
winning team. The class can continue playing until one group is the
winner.
http://www.mountvernon.org/
Today's Cabinet
Use the Internet to find the names of all 15 departments of the executive
branch of government and the
person who runs each today. Make a chart listing each department and
its head.
Then summarize the
departments' main functions.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html
Use the Internet to find information about the Federal Reserve System.
Then
build a database that
includes the main functions of the Federal Reserve System and the
locations of
the 12 regional reserve
banks.
http://federalreserve.gov/general.htm
