WWW+assignment

Group Members: Alana Schultz, Nadeen El-Kassem, Ayse Karasan, Vanessa Whitlock, Lane Osborne, Laure Zajacz

Laura Zajacz //[]// This vast website for The Vietnam Center and Archive offers an abundance of useful resources for teachers and students, including course materials and lesson plans, maps, online exhibits, photographs and much more. One of the most interesting sections of the site is the Vietnam Archive Oral History Project Interviews. This archive boasts hundreds of recorded interviews with Vietnam veterans. These firsthand sources are exciting alternatives to simply learning about the Vietnam War out of a textbook or through the eyes of historians. Including a lot of personal background information, these interviews also give precious insight into everyday American life in 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
 * The Vietnam Center and Archive**

//[]// Harpweek is an indexed archive of Harper’s Weekly, essentially chronicling life in 19th Century America. This extensive site offers access to a huge amount of articles, editorial cartoons, illustrations, advertisements, and more. While it seems that the entire indexed archive is only available to those who purchase it, this website presents an incredible amount of resources for free. A link to an educational section provides teachers and students with three very detailed simulations including character profiles and an activity relating to the Civil War. While it would be helpful if there were more simulations and activities, the ones presented here are extremely well constructed and would make very engaging and unique lessons.
 * Harpweek**

//[]// Assembled by the Smithsonian, this multimedia website is a beautifully designed online exhibition examining the history of war in America. Using video, text, photographs, artefacts, and an interactive timeline, the American relationship with war is chronicled starting from 1775 through to present day. It touches on every major war event in American history: the War of Independence, the War of 1812, the Eastern Indian Wars, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Western Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, both World Wars, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and contemporary American war efforts (including the Gulf War, 9/11, War in Afghanistan, and War in Iraq).There are also extensive learning resources provided including images, worksheets, a self-guide, and supporting videos. Simple to navigate and extremely user friendly, teachers and students alike will enjoy exploring this site.
 * The Price of Freedom: Americans at War**

Alana Schultz History.Com. (American and World History) [] History.com is an American website that consists of an enormous database for historical resouces. These resources include a vast collection of games, television shows and videos pertaining to history and the social sciences, interactive maps that illustrate and explain historical events during certain periods in different parts of the world, audio recordings of historical events and speeches, and a drop down topics menu that features 11 different American history topics, one World history topic and all of the holidays recognized in the United States. Because this website is so vast, teachers may want to have students search specific topics and provide some directions for navigating through the website to view the most pertinent resources. A good activity would be to have students execute miniature in‐class resource assignment,for which they choose a particular holiday from the Topics menu, and navigate through the website to find as much related material as possible. For example, students could select Black History Month, read the provided information under the topic, view the collection of Black History maps, examine the profiles of prominent Black-American icons, watch Martin Luther King’s speech I Have a Dream,and research the issues that Black-Americans advocated for and fought against. Students could document their findings and present them orally at the end of class.

American Cultural History (20th Century) [] This website was organized and edited by historical reference librarians who have broken down the 20th century into decades. Users can click each decade to read very general overviews of the various cultural components, i.e. technology, events and issues, art and architecture, fashion, famous people, etc., that accompanied that particular decade. Each section also includes a “Facts About this Decade” key, that documents varying facts depending on the decade such as a population count, life expectancies, average salary, employment rates, and other information tidbits. Although the information is very brief, each section cites a multiplicity of books, websites, and other resources that go more in depth. This website would be astarting point for students to begin researching topics for an essay. Students choose their topic, examine some of the resources suggested and complete anannotated bibliography for a portion of the summative assessment grade.

Spy Letters of the American Revolution []‐gallery.html The Clements Library has posted photographs of original letters written by American and British spies surrounding the American revolution. Each letter is accompanied by typed text to communicate the message. The website includes a timeline from 1763 to 1783, a collection of stories that explain the context of the letter, a biography section that explains the roles of those who wrote and received the letters, and a map that illustrates battle grounds, British and American settlements and where letters were sent from and received. There is also a key that explains the secret methods spies used to relay confidential information, and classifies the different purposes of the letters. This website would be a great resource for teaching students about primary documents and how much information historians can extract from them. It is also a more exciting wabout famous individuals who played integral roles during the American Revolution.

Nadeen El-Kassem The History of Jim Crow Educators' Resources http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/resources/resources.htm This website is developed by teachers who have put together what they believe are all of the best resources to teach about Jim Crow. All of the activities can be linked to the award-winning PBS series, //The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow//, but can be done without reference to the series. The site includes a 'Jim Crow Gateway' with links to other useful websites related to the topic, for example, a few links to African American newspapers with archives of articles written at the time that the Jim Crow laws were still enforced. Each website is evaluated by a team of evaluators who rate the site for its usefulness to educators and students. Unfortunately, some of the links provided are broken but it is, nonetheless, a great starting point, especially for research assignments. There are also many unit plans and lesson plans, some better than others, with materials attached or with links to materials. For example, there is a lesson on the 'Briggs v.s. Elliot' case, that discusses the psychological effects of segregation and recreates the 'dolls test' where students have to show which doll of two they would prefer to play with, the black or the white. Some of the lessons do a good job of bringing the subjection of segregation to life. There is also a 'Simulations' section that includes historical simulations, webquests, graphic organizers, and quizzes, amongst other things. There is a 'Narratives' section that offers first-hand accounts from people who lived through the time period of Jim Crow from different perspectives, included teacher and student. There is also an extensive 'Image Gallery' and 'Enyclopedia.' The resources vary in terms of level but many are designed for intermediate and senior level students. Lessons can be easily modified and provide many starting points for creative ways to teach about this topic. Overall, the site is very useful and has access to diverse media to assist in teaching about Jim Crow and generally about African American history.

Teaching about Race: The Story of the Boxer, Jack Johnson Teacher's Guide http://www.pbs.org/unforgivableblackness/teachers/ This teacher's guide is written to accompany the film, //Unforgivable Blackness//, a documentary about the life of Jack Johnson, a controversial American cultural icon whose relationships with white women and other controversial aspects of his life, got him into trouble. This guide uses his life as a starting point to critically explore questions of race in American history. The guide explicitly states that it can be used in conjunction with the film, but that it is a stand-alone guide that can be used independently. There are a variety of lessons included that seem to meet the criteria for differentiated instruction, with written components as well as role play. There is also a strong emphasis on media literacy and the role of the press in perpetuating ideas about race and racism. There are also lessons where students will use primary source documents in order to write about Johnson's life in different written forms including newspaper articles and poetry. The activities included in this guide are great for teaching to the EQAO literacy test because of its emphasis on newspaper articles and other forms of literacy. The great thing about it is that the subject matter is engaging for students since it is focused on a boxer and has a lot in terms of intrigue and relationship issues. The lessons can be modified for different levels but are generally aimed at 9-12, since the content of his life and story are fairly explicit.

The Library of Congress American Memory Collection http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/about/index.html //American Memory// is a Library of Congress initiative whose main aim is to provide free and easy internet access to primary source documents including, 'written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music' that would otherwise be difficult to find. This resource is especially useful when teaching or taking the American History course here in Ontario since we will not have as abundant access to primary sources. Some of the collection dates as far back as 1400. You can browse the collection by theme/topic, time period, region/place, or content. There is a section for teachers that focuses not only on using the content of the site in the classroom, but also on how to teach about primary resources and professional development. In terms of the classroom, there are themed resource kits as well as themed lesson plans, for example, on immigration in America. In this section there is a unit plan on immigration/migration that compares the life histories of people at the time of the Great Depression to those of the students' experiences. It allows students to map out their immigration stories and compare and contrast them not only with on another but with stories of the past. The lesson uses images and primary source documents as well as the students' own experiences to teach the history of immigration in the United States. In terms of working with primrary sources, there is a great section on how to properly cite them in both Chicago and MLA styles that is written and demonstrated in an accessible way. Amongst the professional development seminars on offer are how to analyze primary source photographs, or how to analyze primary source maps for example. The seminars provide the particpant with a certificate at the end. The site provides lesson plans and ideas that could be used at all levels, with much to offer to secondary teachers both in terms of in their classrooms and in terms of their own professional development.

Ayse Karasan 1) []

The Best of History Websites aims are to provide quick, reliable, convenient access to the history-oriented resources online in a wide range of categories. It is specifically designed to benefit history teachers, students, and history enthusiast for the purpose of assisting them in an in-depth research and analysis of world history. Topics include ancient/biblical history of all religions, early and modern history of Europe, contemporary history of the world, etc. It also provides detailed information on American History examining themes and events from social, economic, cultural, diplomatic, and the military perspectives from the pre-colonial era until the end of Cold War. Special emphasis is placed on industrial growth, continental expansion, the closing of the frontier, urbanization, immigration, progressivism, the two world wars, the depression, and America’s rise to global power. The website is not specific to any age group however the information that it contains might be more suitable for high school and higher because of the level of content. It provides value added lesson plans, activities and animations that could be used by teachers to help motivate and engage students in their classrooms. Since the website is very rich in resources the teacher can actually assign students a project using only this site as the main source in which the students would be responsible for gathering information about American history. Also there is a brief but informative annotation provided for each of the sites that are linked making it easier and helpful for users to locate specific information.

2) []

History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web is an impressive site which features an annotated guide to the most useful websites for researching and teaching the U.S. history and social studies. Each link on this site is carefully selected and screened for quality of material and accuracy of content. Within the annotation the site clearly identifies the strengths, weaknesses and it uses for teachers. The following additional information is provided for each site: the type of website i.e. journal article, archive, essay, organization etc., and the type of resource i.e. text, images, audio, and video. The website is very research friendly and easily accessible. The site provides an advanced search function that assists users to quickly locate information with ease; one can search using keywords, or select a topic which can range from early colonization to contemporary U.S.A. including economical, social, and military factors that contribute to U.S. history. Also one can limit research results by identifying whether they want a primary or secondary source, text, image, audio, or video. One can also specify what type of resource they are looking for by selecting from the following: archives, journal articles, organizations, assignments, and etc. The website is a highly regarded gateway to web resources as well as a repository of unique teaching materials, first-person primary documents, and guides to analyzing historical evidence for high school and college students and teachers of American history. The site was first developed in 1998 by the American Social History Project, City University of New York. In January 2005, the American Historical Association awarded website the James Harvey Robinson Prize for the site’s “outstanding contribution to the teaching and learning of history.” In April 2005, the New York Public Library selected the site for its “Best of Reference 2005.”

3) []

American History Websites and Internet Resources provide abundant sources on the American history. It features hundreds of useful websites that can assist both teachers, and students with their research on American history. The website provides sources that start from early American history/pre-1492 to modern history including wide range of topics that made a significant impact on American History such as American Revolution to Civil War. The site also features general topics from women’s history, African history to military and diplomatic history. It also contains a specific section for lesson plans and resources for teachers. One problem that I encountered with this site is that there is no search function making it impossible to locate specific information and the topics that are examined on the site are very broad it can also be very time consuming for users. This website would be a great source for those that are not particular about specifics and just acquiring general knowledge about American history this would include students beginning their research for a project and teachers looking for general sources on the topics listed. Because the site provides a number of websites for each topic it can be used as a working bibliography if someone is seeking various interpretations on the same topic.

Vanessa Whitlock

"Famous Trials." Famous American Trials. University of Missouri School of Law, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. <[]>. Unique, and exciting, this website is a good tool for teaching American history from the perspective of legal battles. The site design is simple and easy to use. Although the website is specific to documents on courtroom procedures, students and teachers alike will find this a refreshing break from traditional educational resources. Images are directly related to the trials. In terms of organization, the main page is the index to the site which makes navigation easy and teachers will spend less time searching.

[]

Digital History is a collaborative project of various public and private organizations dedicated to providing resources for teachers and students. A special feature is the online digital textbook, containing brief but straightforward descriptions from the American Revolution to the present. You can find a wide range of differentiated instruction from galleries, multimedia to timelines that students will enjoy looking through while gathering the basic historical facts and analysis. This site is limited in its collection of different themes however as a preliminary site students will find it engaging as they search information. Each time period is broken down into units so students can see what they are expected to know and learn. This site is very student-centered and would be good for independent learners self-motivated to look through the various links. The site is equipped with many resource tools to support content and student understanding. The "history reference room" is a great resource tool with links to encylopedias, maps and images. Teachers will find many resource materials from lesson plans to resource guides. The lesson plans highlight the major points followed by questions for students.

[|**//http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica///**] //This website// presents history not only as a series of facts to be learned, but as a series of enduring ideas to be explored. This site requires higher-level thinking and inquiry skills which makes it uselful as a teaching guide. The site offers different and competing viewpoints which students can analyze through the websites online interactive section. This site provides thought-provoking debates and short lectures which encourage critical analysis of the key social and political forces that have shaped America. First-hand accounts, images and documents give students insight into how historial figures were affected and the impact of these events on the lives of regular citizens.

"History Be More Courageous." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2010. <[]>. The Public Broadcasting Service makes available a comprehensive website on American History, dedicated to looking at history from the American experience. It is specifically designed to assist with the study of American history that highlights key formative social, political, and economic in American History. This site has a simple user friendly lay-out that organizes topics to make teacher search more efficient. This site is a good starting point for background knowledge supported by a collection of series that take an indepth look at major events. Here, there are links to other documents such as films, and lesson activities for teachers. Included are links to a 16 part series on the theme of exploring freedom in American History, organized into “Webisodes” that trace American History from 1765 to 2002.

"The U.S. Survey Course on the Web." History Matters. American Social History Project, n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2010. <[]>. The website History matters is designed for teachers and serves as a gateway for other web resources, which offers more material for teaching U.S. history. All of the links are on the main page with a description of the resources you will be taken to. The digital blackboard provides web-based assignments that are created especially for integrating media into history lessons.

Lane Osborne

http://www.chicagohistory.org/wetwithblood/
 * Wet With Blood: The Investigation of Mary Todd Lincoln’s Cloak**

The website //Wet With Blood: The Investigation of Mary Todd Lincoln’s Cloak// was created to provide the general public with access to an on-going investigation that is currently underway at the Chicago History Museum. As an artifact that has received widespread attention at the museum in recent history, a cloak believed to be worn by Abraham Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, on the night of the president’s assassination is the focus of this interactive site. On this website, students can read a brief history of the 1865 assassination, take a virtual tour of the lab where the cloak is being examined, and learn about science and technology’s role in solving historical debates. Although this website lacks in-depth content and background information relating to social politics of Lincoln’s era, it can be used in a “website investigation” type activity in order to hook students onto Civil War history.

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/exploring/harlem/artsedge.html
 * Drop Me Off in Harlem: Exploring the Intersections**

As a website owned and operated by the JFK Center for the Performing Arts, //Drop Me off in Harlem// provides a comprehensive history of the Harlem Renaissance in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s. Highlighting various influential figures in music, art and theatre from the era, the website offers links to several primary sources including photographs, manuscripts and newspaper clippings that emerged from the Harlem arts community in post-war America. For students, this site provides a concentrated wealth of information which could be used for research projects/papers that are focused on cultural communities and movements in the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. For teachers, this site is invaluable because it provides extensive information and resources on marginalized voices (the African American working class), which are largely absent from accounts of post-war social history.

http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/music/index.html
 * Lift Every Voice: Music in American Life**

//Lift Every Voice: Music in American Life// is an interactive website that features musical artifacts from American history, which are currently housed in the University of Virginia libraries. Showcasing several religious odes, folk, patriotic and protest songs, this website allows the general public virtual access to highlights of the collection. On the //Lift Every Voice// website, one can view primary sources (including musical scores and photographs) and listen to various compositions from American history that were written for significant social and political purposes from the sixteenth century onwards. As a comprehensive website featuring several artifacts that would be difficult to locate in Canadian libraries, //Lift Every Voice// is a valuable source for teachers looking to enhance their lessons with auditory examples. Moreover, the website’s provision of musical scores (some that are centuries old) make it a useful website for music teachers who are looking to take a more cross-curricular focus in their courses.