44 Presidents

Reading

Learning about George Washington
GW: Life and Times
This site has 12 slides of artwork and text describing the life of George Washington and the formation of our government. Excellent material.

ipl.org (Internet Public Library)
Presidents of the United States (POTUS)
The site contains detailed background information for each president, including election results, cabinet members and notable events. Also links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and presidential sites.

Millercenter.org (The University of Virginia)
American President: An Online Reference Resource
The site has detailed profiles for each president, with links to full biographies, cabinet member profiles, speech transcripts, and Miller Center videos and audio files of journalists’ presentations.

USHistory.org
The President’s House in Philadelphia
This site gives students a historical overview of the times before Washington DC was the nation’s capital. It provides history of the old White House, photos, maps, news, and also historical context for presidents and their relations with slavery.

Whitehouse.gov
White House for Kids
Historical themes very accessible to young students. It links to the White House website for detailed profiles of each president, and provides a “real life” view of the President and his family, including information about their favorite books and sports, events they attend, and their pets. The Parents & Teachers section contains several classroom activities, including directions for writing letters to the President, trivia about the First Family and presidential quizzes.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Sheppardsoftware.com
Presidents Game
Great game about US Presidents, but only goes up to Bill Clinton. Lots of interesting questions and information. Also other information about presidents including pictures of each of them.

Sporcle.com
Presidents Name Game
This site has great games, and this is one of the best. President’s names must be spelled correctly and the game is timed. Older students will enjoy this is an individual or class activity.

Education-world.com
Campaign Ad Critic
Students analyze current campaign TV ads and literature, and then learn to look beyond the ad to understand its intended purposes and its real content.

Getting Out the Vote: An Election Day Classroom Experiment
Students learn through a hands-on experiment why voting is important, and about the potential impact of deciding not to vote.

How Well Do You Know Our Presidents?
Students research and create flip-up fact cards about the U.S. presidents.

If I Were the President
Students compose a brief essay telling what they would do to solve problems in the United States if they were elected president.

PBSkids.org
Painting Presidential Portraits
This lesson offers the opportunity for students to look at the duties of the president using the online game, “President for A Day.” The students can express themselves through art and creative writing, as they design new U.S. currency with presidential portraits, facts, and figures.

Teach-nology.com
United States President Biographical Data Form
Students pick a president and write a biography using this worksheet as a guideline.

Media

TeacherTube.com
Animaniacs Presidents (song)
Animated cartoon video from the former series, Animaniacs. They sing a song outlining America’s presidential history.

44 Presidents
Presented by RRR, this video shows pictures of all of the 44 presidents with the song “44 Presidents” playing in the background. Also available on YouTube.

BrainPOP.com
Presidential Election (video) (log-in and subscription required)
Tim and Moby teach students about the voting process and presidential elections.

Presidential Power (video)
Tim and Moby tell what it means to be the President of the USA. Students will learn about the three branches of government and which one the president is a part of.

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Bill of (Your) Rights

Reading

bensguide.gpo.gov
The Bill of Rights
Easy to understand definitions for each of the Amendments. Also links to other sites and pages.
Separate pages for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

archives.gov
Bill of Rights
Extensive history and discourse on the versions of the Bill of Rights, including dissent of George Mason and other attempts to write similar documents. An excellent site for discussion topics and extra credit reports.
Grades 6-12

Ourdocuments.gov
The Bill of Rights
A great site full of information about the writing of the Bill of Rights and related documents. ‘Tools for Educators’ an excellent site for ideas for classroom activities.
Good for grades 6-12

Lesson Plans & Activities

Many of the resources for the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence song pages also have materials for the Bill of Rights.

Ourdocuments.gov
The Bill of Rights (see above under Reading)

Constitutionfacts.com
The Bill of Rights
Lots of facts, games, puzzles and interesting information for grades 6-12. Excellent site for interesting data.

Media

Texaslre.org
Bill of Rights Match Game
This game is available on both elementary and secondary levels. Questions relate to school issues and require an understanding of the issue and the Amendment that applies.

ConstitutionCenter.org
Bill of Rights
Excellent explanations of all of the amendments plus an ability to download and print in other languages. Interactive.

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Civil Rights Movement

Reading

Watson.org/lisa cozzens
Civil Rights Movement
This site is extensive and covers many events preceding the civil rights movement beginning with the Dred Scott case of 1857 as well as more recent events. Written as a high school and college project, the main contributor to this well-written history is Lisa Cozzens. It is a worthy site for all high school students as Ms. Cozzens is an excellent writer and historian.

Cnn.com
Civil Rights Timelines
This site has time lines of early civil rights efforts from 1783-1952 and civil rights struggles and activities from 1954-1996. There are also related sites and reading listed. The site is easy to navigate, concise, and provides a useful chronological framework for further study.

Martin Luther King Institute (Stanford University)
MLK documents
Houses literally 100s of speeches, documents, photos and other authentic material from the early civil rights efforts until the late 1980s. The broader questions of human rights and global civil and human rights are also discussed with documentation, essays and photos. A great site to explore for individual or class study projects.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Martin Luther King Institute (Stanford University)
MLK documents
As cited earlier, this site is a gold mine for authentic information on MLK and other significant participants in the civil rights movement. It is comprehensive and all materials may be downloaded easily. There are excellent lesson plans with discussion questions and activities. Federal educational standards met by these lesson plans are listed.

Civilrightsmuseum.org
Virtual Tour
Take students on a virtual tour of the museum so that they can learn about related exhibits.

Discoveryeducation.com
The Civil Rights Movement
This comprehensive website features lesson plans, activities, assignments, links to other resources and a glossary of terms to assist in understanding the central themes of the movement.

The End of the Civil Rights Movement?
This link challenges students to think critically about where America is today in the struggle for civil rights.

Racial Inequality: The Remnants of a Troubled Time
This informative link talks about the 14th Amendment and Brown v. Board of Education.

EdHelper.com
Black History Theme Unit
The historical content of this unit begins during exploration and ends in the 1900s. It provides links that are broken down into specific subjects, such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Sit-Ins. Each link has detailed summaries of the topic as well as links to worksheets and activities.

Educationworld.com
Black History Month
This collection of web resources includes information and activities on everything about the Civil Rights Movement. Activities include writing raps about influential figures and participating in a treasure hunt.

PBS.com
Freedom: A History of US
This PBS feature showcases lesson plans, resources, and learning materials for several themes surrounding American freedom, including the Civil Rights Movement.

Media

BrainPOP.com
Civil Rights (video) (log-in and subscription required)
Tim and Moby introduce students to the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. They share what this movement was all about and why it was so important. It includes the famous Brown v. Board of Education trial case, and about what happened when Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama. Sit-ins, Freedom Rides, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and what he did to contribute to the civil rights movement are also discussed.

Malcolm X (video)
Tim and Moby tell students about why Malcolm X was an important American figure, including how his politics differed from those of other civil rights activists of the 50s and 60s. Also discussed is black nationalism and why Malcolm’s political convictions lead him to reject his last name in favor of ‘X.’ Included are Malcolm’s early years, how prison changed his life—and how a trip to Mecca changed it again. Students will also learn about Malcolm’s untimely death.

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Declaration of Independence

Reading

bensguide.gpo.gov
The Declaration of Independence
Features a comprehensive history of the Declaration of Independence, and links to the writers’ biographies and a full transcript.

Archives.gov
The Declaration of Independence
Features a complete transcript of the Declaration of Independence and links to other resources which describe its formation. Excellent for class discussion as it connects the Declaration of Independence to civil rights struggles throughout history.

NPS.gov
Teaching with Historic Places: Independence Day
Features a variety of lesson plans and information sources that explain events leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Designed for middle school students.

USHistory.org
The Declaration of Independence
Index of Signors by State
Provides a transcript of the Declaration of Independence, biographies of people who created it, and the history of the document.

Lesson Plans & Activities

PBS.org
The Declaration of Independence: An Analytical View
This lesson plans requires students to watch clips from the PBS program “Liberty! The American Revolution” read documents, and answer sets of questions using knowledge.

Virted.org
Declaration of Independence Activities
Features twenty activities concerning the Declaration of Independence include writing a letter to King George and watching the movie “1776”.

Media

BrainPOP.com
Declaration of Independence (video) (subscription and log-in required)
Tim and Moby introduce students to the Declaration of Independence and find out what actually was declared in reaction to events leading up to 1776.

Cosmeo.com Powered by the Discovery Channel (must have log-in; can do a free trial, otherwise must pay for yearly subscription)
“The Declaration of Independence: A Foundation of Ideas for a New Age”
Video explains basic principles and concepts set forth in the Declaration of Independence, and explores American leaders, their ideas, and the historical events that led them to declare independence from England in 1776

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Geography in the USA

Reading

Kids.gov
Maps/Geography
Contains several links to other web resources and maps from government cites and other learning venues. Maps may be downloaded from their store. Some are free.

USGS.gov
US Geological Survey
This government website has maps and resources explaining the geography of our country.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Sheppardsoftware.com
USA MAPS
This wonderful site is filled with information about individual states, regions, landscapes, maps, and a host of other interesting facts. Very easy to navigate and full of useful information. Extremely useful for classroom activities.

Eduref.org
State Geography
For this group activity, students create posters advertising assigned regions of the US.

Three Dimensional Physical Map of the United States and Canada
Using various classroom supplies, students make a map of the US, carefully marking regions, rivers and landmarks.

Enchantedlearning.com
US Geography
Requires membership and log in. This site features a wide variety of classroom activities to help students learn about US geography including quizzes.

Nationalgeographic.com
What’s Your Region Really Like?
Students use maps of the US to help better understand the country’s regions. This lesson plan also includes the idea of making a culture capsule that represents the specific region the class is in.

PBSkids.org
City, County, Community
This collection of lesson plans includes making travel brochures for US regions, using maps as learning tools and deciding on what makes a desirable community to live in.

Census.gov
FactFinder Kid’s Corner
This Is a fun site with lots of interesting facts and trivia about each state and quizzes. Good information, easy to navigate.

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Redcoats vs. Rebels

Reading

AmericasLibrary.gov
Revolutionary Period (1764-1789)
Reading only, this site provides links to a wide variety of topics related to the Revolutionary Period. Good for reports and extra credit assignments.

PBS.org
Liberty! The American Revolution
There is a lot of excellent information and a game to play on this easy to navigate and attractive site. Excellent for individual or group study.

Military Perspectives
Pictures and text detail the differences between British and American soldiers’ uniforms, gear, weaponry, and social status.

Timeline of the Revolution
A detailed timeline of the American Revolution from 1760-1791.

Chronicle of the Revolution
Very comprehensive. The site provides a link to each city and an in-depth summary of the events that happened in the city that are significant to the Revolutionary War.

USHistory.org
Virtual Marching Tour of the American Revolution
Photographs and detailed information from major battles in the Revolutionary War.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Discoveryeducation.com
American Revolution Games
Has lesson plans for 6-12 on American Revolution. Excellent site for games, lesson plans and other helpful ideas.

EdHelper.com
American Revolution Theme Unit
Fee-based subscription. Comprehensive American Revolution website including quizzes, maps, reading comprehension, biographies and much more for many grades.

Education World.com
The American Revolution
Though a little confusing to navigate, Education World has links to other resources for the American Revolution and classroom activities including charades and rebus puzzles.

History.org
Loyalty or Liberty?
A role-playing adventure. Students play the part of a slave who must choose to side with the British Loyalists or the Patriots. Interesting and unusual. Good classroom discussion material!

PBS.org (Video)
Factors that Handicapped the British
This lesson plan recommends watching the fourth episode of “Liberty!” The material analyzes which factors led to American victory over the British.

The Reluctant Revolutionaries
This lesson plan recommends watching the first and second episodes of “Liberty!” and reading Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. The goal is to help students realize the tough decision-making process colonists were faced with before the war.

Revolutionary War Music (songs)
This lesson plan investigates some of the famous songs of the Revolutionary War period and examines how music helped convey messages of patriotism and popular sentiments.

Media

BrainPOP.com
American Revolution (video) (subscription and log-in required)
Tim and Moby teach students the basics of the Revolutionary War.

Discoveryeducation.com
Rebels and Redcoats & An Army of Amateurs – The Revolutionary War 5 Pack
(video)
The war for American independence began almost by accident, when a single, unidentified shot rang out at Lexington. Examine the decade of conflict that sparked rebellion, as well as the Continental Congress’ decision to hire a
physically imposing Virginia aristocrat to lead its army.

The Revolutionary War (video)
Charles Kuralt hosts a searing portrait of the struggle from the first rebellion of the farmers against the redcoats to the final victory at Yorktown.

PBS.org
LIBERTY! The American Revolution (video series) (check listings for viewing times)
A six-part series of one-hour documentaries describes how the American Revolution evolved and how a new nation was born in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War.

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The Civil War

Reading

Schmoop
The Causes of Civil War
Contains helpful information on the war’s causes, along with a timeline, biographies, and more The site also contains other helpful information on US history and civics.

Civil-war.net
The Civil War Homepage
This comprehensive website contains links to other resources, as well as battle maps, official war records, images, research materials and much more.

Socialstudiesforkids.com
The Civil War
Contains links, summaries, biographies and information about the Civil War.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Discoveryeducation.com
The Civil War: A Nation Divided
Lesson plans, activities, links and a glossary of terms. It primarily focuses on the causes of the war, and the role of Abraham Lincoln.

EdHelper.com
Civil War Theme Unit
Civil War quizzes, links, worksheets, maps, reading comprehensions and more.

Educationworld.com
Civil War Lesson Plan and Activities
Page has over a dozen lesson plans about the Civil War, including a worksheet for making timelines and recipes of foods that soldiers often ate.

Lessonplanspage.com
Advantages/Disadvantages of the Civil War
A lesson plan describes converts the card game ‘War’ into a history lesson.

Teach-nology.com
American Civil War Worksheets
Hosts a wide variety of worksheets with Civil War content.

Media

BrainPOP.com
Civil War (video) (log-in NOT required – special feature)
This video is a Q&A about the events of the Civil War.

Causes of the Civil War (video) (log-in required)
Tim and Moby teach students about the two major issues that led to the Civil War — slavery and states’ rights. The video explains how newly formed states fell into the slavery/states’ rights equation, and why some of the established states sided with the North on some issues, while siding with the South on others.

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The President’s Cabinet

Reading

Teachervision.fen.com
U.S. President’s Cabinet
This website provides a description of each department featured in the Cabinet. Though subscription-based, you are allowed access to a certain number of documents before you must log-in.

Whitehouse.gov
The President’s Cabinet
Students will get a brief summary of the Cabinet, as well as detailed profiles and pictures of member.

The official websites for each department of the Cabinet:
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Department of Justice
Department of State
Department of Transportation
Department of the Treasury
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Homeland Security

Lesson Plans & Activities

Trumanlibrary.org
A Cabinet Meeting
For this activity, the teacher will form an agenda for a mock Cabinet meeting, and assign roles to each student. There are other games and puzzles on this site as well.

Middleschool.net
The President’s Cabinet (internet & printers required)
Students will use computers to create templates for collecting information and photographs of each secretary, and then print them to form larger charts.

PBS.org
The President’s Cabinet: Choosing the Right Person for the Job
This is a multi-day lesson plan designed to give students an opportunity to better understand the three branches of government, and checks and balances. The activities include graphing data and participating in a classroom debate. National curriculum standards are listed.

Media

BrainPOP.com
Branches of Government (video) (subscription and login required)
Tim and Moby talk about the three different branches of the United States government and how the system of checks and balances helps limit the power of each branch.

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The Rest of the Amendments (11-27)

Reading

archives.gov
Constitution of the United States: Amendments 11-27
This is a full transcript of Amendments 11-27 with notes on changes.

Congressforkids.net
Amendments
Has good reading list on Amendments and related subjects

civil-war.net
This is a content-rich site for many topics including an excellent copy of Amendments 11-27. Informative and easy to navigate, this site is useful for many topics related to American history and government.

ConstitutionCenter.org
Amendments 11-27
Excellent explanations of all of the amendments plus an ability to download and print in other languages. Interactive

Lesson Plans & Activities

Eduref.org
US Constitution and Amendments
This lesson plan has the goal of teaching students about the Constitution’s constant presence in our lives through debate and a project with newspaper articles.

EducationWorld.com
Create a New Amendment
A lesson plan that has students propose new amendments based on what they think our Constitution lacks.

Media

Classbrain.com
Amendments Match
Short matching game using a selection of Amendments. Good review although doesn’t cover all of the amendments.

Congressforkids.net
Amendments Game
A scramble game that can be printed for classroom use. Amendments 11-27 are tested.

BrainPOP.com
Bill of Rights (video) (subscription and log-in required)
Tim and Moby teach students why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution, why some states wouldn’t approve the Constitution immediately, and who wrote the amendments. The video also covers who deals with interpreting gray areas in the law and what kind of amendments have been passed beyond the original ten.

Women’s Suffrage (video)
Tim and Moby teach students about the struggle for women’s voting rights. It explains why women started pressing for the vote during the 19th century, and what people were doing in various countries around the world.

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What Does the Constitution Do?

This song was chosen to be a part of the National Constitution Center’s Celebration in 2011. Get your FREE Constitution Hall Pass!

Reading

bensguide.gpo.gov
The Constitution of the United States
Provides a comprehensive history of the Constitution and a detailed summary of the document’s main points. Contains games (both print and interactive), glossary, links to US Government sites, etc. Excellent resource!
Individual pages for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12

archives.gov
The Constitution
Features complete transcript of the Constitution and links to resources which describe its formation. Section with bios on all the signers. Excellent site for extra credit work.

Congressforkids.net
The Constitution
Information about the writing of the Constitution its signers and all the Amendments, as well as the Great Compromise.
For younger students

USConstitution.net
US Constitution: Related: Not!
This site lists topics or ideas commonly believed to be addressed as part of the Constitution but in fact are not. Information about these topics tells where to find the topic or issue in other documents. Excellent for class discussion.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Constitutionfacts.com
Lots of facts, games, puzzles and interesting information.
Grades 6-12

Col-ed.org [Columbia Education Center]
The Constitution – Behind Closed Doors
Activity is a staging of the Constitutional Convention. Students are assigned a role and position to debate.
Grades 8-12

How a Bill Becomes a Law
Lesson plan suggests several activities for students to better understand the process through which bills become laws. Activity ideas include inviting a Congressman to class and examining newspapers to see what kinds of bills are currently being voted on.
Grades 7-9

How an Idea Becomes a Law
Poster-making activity that teaches students the 14-step process for an idea to become law. This activity emphasizes the process used in creating laws.
Grades 6-9

Human Bingo
A Constitution-themed bingo game for the 8^th grade classroom. Involves interaction between students.

US Constitution and Amendments
Activities encourage students to view the Constitution as a living document, not just historical artifact. Included are examining newspapers to find ways that the Constitution is currently affecting us and assigning groups specific pieces of the Preamble to analyze. Excellent way to break down and understand the various powers and responsibilities inherent in the Constitution.
Grades 4-12

We the People
Activities suggest students compare our current world with how it would be without a government. Goal is to have students understand the importance of established rule.
Grades 5-8

Eduref.org [The Educator’s Reference Desk]
The Constitution: Our Plan for Government
Teacher-submitted lesson plans. Suggestions for helping students understand basic parts of government, from what the Constitution says to what each branch of government does. Also recommends students use relevant newspaper articles that apply.
Grades 8-9

US Constitution and Amendments
Lesson plan has the goal of teaching students about the Constitution’s constant presence in our lives through debate and a project with newspaper articles.
Grades 4-12

dirksencenter.org [The Dirksen Congressional Center]
Class Constitution
Using the US Constitution as a guide, the activity asks students to write a classroom constitution.
Grades 6-12

Media

BrainPOP.com
US Constitution (video) (log-in required)
Tim and Moby unpack the meaning behind the U.S. Constitution. Teaches the founding fathers’ plan for the government and the seven principles on which the Constitution is based.

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