1. Social Studies Web sites

 
 

Social Studies Web sites
 

MarcoPolo provides many great resources to help your students learn more about the elements that shape society: culture, social customs and beliefs. The lessons and activities highlighted below from the MarcoPolo Partner sites will help you bring creative social studies activities into your classroom.
Here are some trivia questions to get you started! Scroll down for answers and links.
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QUESTIONS:  
1. What inspired writer/director George Lucas to develop the theme of journey and redemption in his famous "Star Wars" trilogy?
2. In 1999, Shawn Fanning dropped out of college to develop “Peer to Peer” communications software that eventually became the downfall of his company. What is the name of the online file-sharing company?
3. In the field of archaeology, what is an “ecofact?”

4. In China, children tune in to "Zhima Jie" (starring a character called Da Niao), that country’s version of a popular American children’s television series. What is the name of the American series?
5. When did the world's population reach 6 billion people?


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You might also want to try www.nationalgeographic.com/news . This site is
always free, and often carries AP (associated press) stories, that you may
be
paying for on the New York Times site.

MarcoPolo has gone to the trouble of archiving every page on the
nationalgeographic.com site for the MP search engine, but the news site is
updated daily, so you may want to bookmark the site.
Call for Participation -- Congress in the Classroom® 2001

Congress in the Classroom® is a national, award-winning education program
now in its tenth year. It is sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional Center
located in Pekin, Illinois in cooperation with Bradley University, Peoria,
Illinois, and is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information on
teaching about Congress.

Congress in the Classroom® is designed for secondary school teachers and
junior and community college faculty who teach U.S. history, government,
civics, political science, or social studies. Between 30 and 35 teachers are
selected each year to take part in the program.

The 2001 program theme will be "The Legislative Process." Individual
sessions will be offered on these topics, among others: lobbying,
committees, the demographics of membership in the House and Senate, the
policy agenda for the new Congress, the relationship between the President
and Congress, and the exercise of leadership in Congress. You will also gain
experience with The Center's educational Web site, "CongressLink" --
( http://www.congresslink.org/) , which features online access to lesson
plans, student activities, historical materials, related Web sites, and
subject matter experts. Throughout the program you will work with national
experts as well as colleagues from across the nation. This combination of
first-hand knowledge and peer-to-peer interaction will give you new ideas,
materials, and a professionally enriching experience.

The workshop will be held August 5-8, 2001, on the campus of Bradley
University in Peoria, Illinois. Congress in the Classroom® 2001 is free to
participants. All conference costs are underwritten by The Center, including
materials, lodging, and some meals. Each participant who completes the
workshop will receive $100 and will have the option of purchasing one hour
of graduate credit for the workshop from Bradley University.

The deadline for application is April 17, 2001. Enrollment is competitive
and limited to thirty-five. Selection will be determined by The Dirksen
Center. Individuals will be notified of their acceptance status by May 15.

Take a look at The Dirksen Center Web site --
( http://www.pekin.net/dirksen/progcongressinclassroom.htm ) -- to see what
participants say about the program.

If you are interested in registering for the Congress in the Classroom® 2001
workshop, you can complete an online registration form found at --
( http://www.pekin.net/dirksen/CiCapplication.htm ). If you have any questions
or want more information, call, write, or e-mail:
I agree there are terrific resources at the Library of Congress. There is a wonderful little museum in Kansas City of a steamboat that was buried in mud from the 1850s and has been unearthed with most things aboard intact. Their web site is only marginal (a couple of spelling errors, etc.), but does have some good images you can use.  
That address is: http://www.1856.com/home.html  
 
Sylvia Earle is an Explorer in Residence at the National Geographic Society
who was the chief scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and has been published more than 125 times. Her research in
marine biology and technology for research is world famous.

You might want to share her site with your child, and discuss contributions
women have made to the sciences and the arts, especially since it is Women's
History Month. (The lead image in the "Arctic and Antarctic Circles" Family
Xpeditions was taken by a woman photographer in Antarctica).

Dr. Earle's biographic information is on
 http://www.nationalgeographic.com/eir/bio_earle.html
and you might want to visit the wonderful interactive game called Monterey
Bay, based on her research.
 http://www.nationalgeographic.com/monterey/ax/primary_fs.html

Just a follow-up on Susan Jenson's post re: the Social Studies forum.

I've posted a few of the topics the forum will discuss on this list, and
certainly would invite anyone associated with this list to join us on
Wednesdays. We meet from 8-9 p.m. Eastern (5-6 p.m. Pacific) in TAPPED
IN ( http://www.tappedin.org ). TAPPED IN is a MUVE (multi-user virtual
environment).

In addition, we keep a series of "transcripts" of forum sessions as well
as moderate a listserv for the forum. You can access past transcripts
of sessions and suggest resources on the listserv. The listserv address
is http://www.tappedin.org/mailman/listinfo/ssf .

While it's a "social studies" forum, we're not limited to simply
inviting teachers in that discipline. For example, tonight (3/14),
we're discussing lessons relating to the sinking of the Titanic. A
journalism teacher might want to find information about lessons
regarding this event in order to develop a lesson comparing the coverage
of the sinking of the Titanic with the explosion of the space shuttle
Challenger. A science teacher might look for lessons regarding the
construction of the ship or how the composition of the metal of the ship
contributed to its sinking.

We're a fairly informal bunch, and we'd welcome new participants to join
us. We've been fortunate to have "special guests" join us in the forum,
for example, producers from PBS, representatives from the Library of
Congress, and the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees.

Please feel free to e-mail me offlist if you'd like more information or
have questions about the forum. We'd love to have you join us!
A little after the fact, but check out the lesson plans, "Images at War"
 http://edsitement.neh.gov/lessonplans/images_at_war.html and "Holocaust and
Resistance" http://edsitement.neh.gov/lessonplans/holocaust_resist.html on
EDSITEment exploring WWII poster art.
You can take a look at CongressLink -- ( http://www.congresslink.org/)

For those of you who are not familiar with CongressLink, it is a free
educational web site for teachers and students that can be translated
from English to French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Spanish.
Over the past five years it has been in existence, the site has undergone
many changes and will continue to do so to meet the needs of its users.
CongressLink has a growing library of lesson plans and other resources
to encourage a better understanding of Congress. The site also gives
teachers the opportunity to communicate with their colleagues and with
subject matter experts. And if you can't find what you are looking for on
CongressLink, we have an annotated list of over seventy-five related web
sites to help you.

CongressLink is a service for teachers and students of government, politics,
civics, and history. It is committed to exploring new ways to learn about
Congress, how it works, its Constitutional underpinnings, its leaders and
members, and the public policies it produces. CongressLink, developed by
The Dirksen Congressional Center, focuses on serving teachers and students
in schools. It employs innovative, technology-based approaches to
instruction and cutting-edge services for teachers that will enhance civic
education in the schools. These resources are designed in cooperation with
teachers of American government, American history, and civics to address
current trends toward student-centered, research-based, authentic
curriculum. CongressLink serves as a laboratory within which to explore the
new information technologies as tools for learning and for gaining a deeper
understanding of Congress, the Constitution, and how they work.

Please take a look at CongressLink -- ( http://www.congresslink.org/) . You
may also be interested in subscribing to CongressLink webCOMMUNICATOR --
( http://webCOMMUNICATOR.congresslink.org/) -- a free newsletter Web site
providing educators and other CongressLink users with news about
CongressLink
and ideas for using the site to enhance civic education and improve
understanding of Congress.

We welcome you to forward this message to any interested colleagues.
Resources at the Library of Congress and the American Memory program
will be featured in this week's installment of the Social Studies
Forum. The forum is held at 8 p.m. Eastern (5 p.m. Pacific) Wednesdays
in TAPPED IN ( http://www.tappedin.org )

Join us as representatives from the Library of Congress demonstrate
resources that can be used in the classroom. As always, all teachers
and prospective teachers are invited to join us for the session. The
TAPPED IN interface is easy to use and navigate, and is user-friendly
for both Macintosh and Windows environments. As always, TAPPED IN help
desk personnel will be onhand to assist new users.
QUESTIONS:  
1. The first Women’s Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. How long after this date were women granted the right to vote?
2. Prior to her death, this First Lady burned personal letters and documents to ensure her family’s privacy. Who was she?
3. Opera singer Marian Anderson (1897-1993) performed a free concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday, 1939. Why did this concert represent an important event in history?
4. Although Elizabeth Blackwell entered Geneva Medical School (N.Y.) in 1848, her admission to the all-male college was not based on qualifications or gender. Why was she accepted?
5. How many women have appeared on currency circulated in the United States?



ANSWERS:  
(NOTE: If you have trouble clicking on the links in this message, copy and paste the URLs into your browser's address field. If the URL is split on two lines, make sure you copy the complete URL.) 
1. Seventy-one years later, in 1919, the 19th Amendment became part of the U.S. Constitution and gave women the right to vote.
Have your students read original speeches and the Seneca Falls “Declaration of Sentiments” to discuss the history of the Women’s Rights Movement in “Cultural Change” (Grades 10-12).
http://marcopolo.worldcom.com/partner/07neh_cultural.cfm  
 
 

 

MarcoPolo Celebrates Black History Month  
Would you like to introduce students to leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, the founders of jazz, blues and soul music, the writers of the Harlem Renaissance, and other historic figures?
MarcoPolo features some great lessons that can help teachers explore the meaning and significance of Black History Month this February.
Feel free to share this message with anyone who may be interested in these lessons or in MarcoPolo.
“Families in Bondage” 
 http://marcopolo.worldcom.com/partner/06neh_families.cfm  
Subject Areas: U.S. History, Language Arts, Social Studies
Grade Level: 9-12
This two-part EDSITEment lesson plan draws on letters written by both enslaved and free African Americans, offering students a glimpse into slavery and its effects on African American family life.
“Harriet Tubman” 
 http://marcopolo.worldcom.com/partner/06kc__harriet.cfm  
Subject Areas: Language Arts, Performing Arts, U.S. History, Social Studies, Journalism, Music, Visual Arts, Literature, Dance, Painting, Folk Arts
Grade Level: K-4
This ARTSEDGE integrated unit incorporates five lessons, allowing students to learn about the life and times of Harriet Tubman through music, art, dance, literature and reference materials. Lessons in this unit can be adapted to focus on other famous people -- African Americans, famous women, freedom fighters, people involved in the Civil War or the Underground Railroad and others.
"Martin Luther King, Jr. Day" 
 http://marcopolo.worldcom.com/partner/06nce_martin.cfm  
Subject Areas: Economics, U.S. History, Social Studies
Grade Level: 6-12
In this EconEdLink lesson, students explore the history behind this charismatic man and learn about the relationship between Civil Rights legislation and the development of the black middle class.
"Learning the Blues" 
 http://marcopolo.worldcom.com/partner/06neh_blues.cfm  
Subject Areas: American Literature, Poetry, Art and Culture, Music, Social Studies, U.S. History
Grade Level: 6-12
This EDSITEment lesson introduces students to the blues, one of the most distinctive and influential elements of African American musical tradition. Students learn the history and evolution of the blues in relation to the African American experience, examine the structure and language of blues lyrics and compose their own blues lyrics to reflect present-day attitudes and concerns.
These are just a few of the numerous units offered by MarcoPolo partners that explore African American life and history. MarcoPolo features a specially designed search engine that can help you quickly find classroom-ready lesson plans that work with your existing curriculum. To find additional lessons on Black History Month, go to the search engine at http://marcopolo.worldcom.com/partner/06mp__search.cfm and try the following search terms: African American, slavery, black history, civil rights, Martin Luther King, Jr., or others that match your classroom needs.
 

 


Subject: Re: Holocaust Sites


I would start at http://www.facing.org . They offer a number of excellent
resources that can be loaned to you.
 
Use the Education Center at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.
PBS.org has several good sites on the Holocaust that your students might
be interested in:

Daring to Resist -- about the experiences of three young women in the
Holocaust who refuse to remain passive:
 http://www.pbs.org/daringtoresist/

NOVA: Holocaust on Trial -- about revisionist historians and the Holocaust:
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/holocaust/

Frontline "Shtetl" -- an exploration of Jewish/Polish relations:
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shtetl/

We have put some resources together for each of the fifty states drop by and
take a look. http://www.nebo.edu/nebo/learning_resources/states.htm Dave
I'm not sure if you've tried the US Mint website, but it sounds like the kind of site you need. The URL is:
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/
You will find activities about currency through the program called: h.i.p pocket change. I hope this helps.

 
Subject: RE: Holocaust Sites

There are some powerful images and information at www.remember.org

One of the sites my teachers have found helpful is:

 www.50states.com

There is a wealth of information on each state and the site links you to
over
20,000 websites with appropriate information.
You may want to check EDSITEment for the following resource on Islam for 5th
graders and older students.

 http://eawc.evansville.edu/ispage.htm from "Exploring Ancient World
Cultures" website
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has one of THE premier
sites for family history and genealogical searches. It can be found at:
 http://www.familysearch.org/ The site will walk you through the basics of
family history research and gives you access to millions of records for
searching. Yes, the site is Church affiliated, but the resources are
presented without bias and open to anyone.
Check out also, "My History is America's History," http://www.myhistory.org/
a National Endowment for the Humanities website for tracing family history
co-sponsored with Genealogy.com. and the White House Millennium Council.
This website has LOTS of great suggestions for tracing family history
including creating family trees, recording family treasures, and placing
family history into the context of American history. We hope to link to
this site from EDSITEment in the near future.
Student:CurrencyProject


OOPS! I am sorry for pasting the wrong link!!! I got it from that page but
it
is wrong. The correct link to the project is
 http://www.epals.com/projects/class/currency/index_en.html

In the meantime, I just found this other ePALS project...From Shekels to
Shillings which might looks interesting
 http://www.epals.com/interactive/shekels/final_shekels.e

> You might look at ePALS Currency, Money and the Barter System Project at
> http://www.ed.gov/Technology/guide/international/vocational.html You may
> be able to adapt some of the ideas for your student.
>
 

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