AMERICAN REVOLUTION
A CHRONICLE OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle.html
We can learn a great deal on the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the American Revolution by reading the headlines of the times. Choose your city here: Boston, Philadelphia, Trenton, or Saratoga, or Yorktown, and find out what was happening while freedom was ringing throughout the land.

A DICTIONARY OF INDEPENDENCE:
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/act/indep.html
Here is a creative idea for a final project in your American Revolution unit this year. Students will create their own dictionary of independence, defining important terms for a democracy and a constitution. For extensions, let students illustrate their dictionaries using multimedia software; try the Print Shop for Mac, available at:
http://www.riverdeep.net/products/print_shop/print_shop_for_mac.jhtml

LIBERTY!
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/road.html
Do you know the path that Americans took on their road to revolution and liberty? Test your knowledge here, as each correct answer furthers your quest for liberty. Documents
and research complement this online, interactive exhibit, with selections from primary documents and the periodicals of the time included.

B
C
COLONIAL AMERICA
YOU BE THE HISTORIAN:
http://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/springer/
Student research first focuses on daily living 200 years ago, examining records and artifacts. The lesson plan takes a twist when students will also need to plot out discoveries for future historians, analyzing what they might wish to know about life today.

EARLY AMERICAN LEADERS:
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/programs/leadersofearlyamerica/index.html
What characteristics constitute a great leader? Brainstorm with your students, and try to list some examples through American history. Students will review essential qualities of leadership and create a chart on Paul Revere, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson.

VIRTUAL JAMESTOWN:
http://ab.mec.edu/jamestown/jamestown.html
Stop by for a trip back to virtual Jamestown, where you can explore both ship and village life, examine the first forts, and determine how difficult it may have been to survive in this first successful English colony in America.

D
E
ELECTIONS
IF I WERE PRESIDENT:
http://pbskids.org/arthur/parentsteachers/activities/acts/if_president.html?cat=life
Even kindergarten children can appreciate the role of the American President, and you can help them understand its various functions and features with this lesson plan for early elementary students. They will also get a basic understanding of voting and the election process as they hop over to the snack of their choice and enjoy the results of their election.

NATIONAL STUDENT MOCK ELECTION:
http://www.nationalmockelection.org/
http://www.nationalmockelection.org/curriculum.html
Take the BrainPop quiz to find out how much your students already know about Presidential elections, then access the 2nd URL above for an educational curriculum. Included are lesson plans for all grade levels, covering a guide to the electoral process, issues in the election, motivating citizens, a mock election handbook, and Spanish resources as well. Numerous student activities support learning about the entire election process.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2004 -- FROM START TO FINISH:
http://www.teachablemoment.org/high/election2.html
How do you create a campaign to become President of the United States? From fundraising, to primaries, to party conventions, to the general election campaign and election day, follow the processes involved. Student discussion questions and activities are included.

THE BFG FOR PRESIDENT:
http://www.roalddahlfans.com/teachers/bfgf.php
Use this lesson plan to review or cover American election and campaign processes. You can tailor it to your own class needs, choosing characters from books you are reading to run as candidates, and creating posters and speeches in support of chosen platforms.


INSIDE THE VOTING BOOTH:
http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/vote/index.html
Does one vote really count? Step into a voting time machine, cast your own vote, and learn how, throughout
different times in history, one vote only has made all the difference in election outcomes, with this online exploration from PBS.

HOW AMERICANS ELECT THEIR PRESIDENT:
http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/elections/cover.html
How many of your students are confident they know the process of electing the office of the Presidency? This social studies unit for grades 4 through 8 looks at the creation of the institution of the Presidency, the powers of the President, how to interpret an electoral map, the function of the Electoral College, presidential campaigning, and the roles of political parties.Student materials and worksheets are included.

HOW THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. IS ELECTED:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/vote/presidential_elections.shtml
Find an overview here to print out for students, on the processes involved in the election of our United States President. You may wish to create a fill-in-the-blank or multiple choice reading comprehension quiz, or conduct your own class election following the process outlined here.



EXPLORERS
EXPLORERS WANTED!
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/KingsParkES/technology/t4t/explorers/index.htm
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/KingsParkES/technology/webquests/explorers/index.htm
http://www.riverdeep.net/products/kid_pix/index.jhtml
How adventurous are your students feeling? Are they sturdy enough to make an ocean crossing, map uncharted territories, and create their very own countries? Then you've come to the right place, as this unit on explorers and exploration offers an exciting webquest, student worksheets, and printable passports. Use Kid Pix for designing luggage tags. Find Kid Pix software at the 3rd URL above; the 2nd URL leads to the webquest itself.

F
G
GEOGRAPHY
WORLD QUIZ:
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/worldquiz.html
Identify all major world oceans and continents on this online quiz for primary students, with eleven questions in all and three attempts available for each question.

U.S.A. QUIZ:
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/usaquiz.html
How well do your students know their fifty states? Test their geography skills online with this USA Quiz on the fifty states.

GEOBEE CHALLENGE:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee/ax/newquizstart.html
How well do you know your way around the world? Take theGeoBee Challenge to answer geographical trivia questions;archived quizzes are also available.

GEORGE WASHINGTON
GEORGE WASHINGTON & THE CONTINENTAL ARMY:
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/tguide_3.html
This lesson plan will examine several primary documents on-line to analyze the character traits of General George Washington, as he led the army Continental Army through disastrous conditions to win the Revolutionary War. Students will consider styles of leadership, difficulties in maintaining troop morale under hardship conditions, and the unique features of the Revolutionary War.

H
I
IMMIGRATION
IMMIGRATION TO THE GOLDEN LAND:
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/teachingheritage/lessons/lp4/
Students will investigate Jewish immigration to America through the decades, understanding the unique experiences of this cultural group.

J

JEWISH AMERICAN HISTORY
JEWISH AMERICAN HISTORY ON THE WEB:
http://www.jewish-history.com/Default.htm
Explore numerous resources tracing the Jewish American experience throughout several periods of American history.

K
L
LAWS
ENACTMENT OF A LAW:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/enactment/enactlawtoc.html

How does a measure pass to legislation on the Senate floor?Students can use this site for a detailed review of all the steps involved, including Forms of Legislative Business, the Origins of Legislation, Presenting Measures, Motions, Quorums, committees, reports, Senate and House Action, Presidential Approval or Veto, and more.

LEWIS & CLARK
LEWIS AND CLARK:
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/
PBS presents this detailed online exhibit, exploring the Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Learn about the supplies needed for the journey, follow an expedition timeline, meet the Indian tribes that Lewis and Clark encountered, and participate in an interactive expedition of your own planning. Teaching resources are also included.


M
MAPMAKING/CARTOGRAPHY
MAPMAKING WITH LEWIS AND CLARK:
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/class/l03.html

This lesson plan examines the skills involved with cartography and explores how Lewis and Clark created maps on their famous expedition. Student activity worksheets and background resources are all available on site.

MAKE A PLAYGROUND MAP:
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/wenviron5.html
In order to familiarize students with their surroundings and introduce them to basic map skills, have them draw their own map of the school playground. They will later pick one item to give directions to, exploring cardinal directions and writing instructions.

N
O
P
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT FOR A DAY:
http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/presforaday/index.html
Use this interactive exercise to see what happens during a day in the life of an American President. Students will have to make choices along the way, becoming informed about various Presidents' habits and typical chores.

THE PERFECT PRESIDENT:
http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/educators/perfectpresident.html
What characteristics do we look for in a President? Be-sides charisma and the ability to handle him/herself in
public, there are several traits which the top executive position in the country should have in order to best fulfill that role. Investigate this topic further with this lesson plan from the PBS Kids Democracy Project.

WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS:
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wcomp/index.html
Do you want to know how our President was occupied this past week? What kinds of official procedures did he have to deal with? Find a weekly compilation here, illustrating and documenting the office of the Chief Executive of the United States of America. Archived documents are also available for former U.S. Presidents.


PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES:
http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/
Look up background information on each of the Presidents of the United States, with biographies, notable events,historical documents, and audio and video files.
Q
R
S
SEPTEMBER 11TH
SEPTEMBER 11TH -- A NATION REMEMBERS:
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020909/index.html
Time magazine has put together a vast resource of their coverage of the events and aftermath of September 11th, providing an informative documentation and very moving memorial.

LESSON PLANS REFLECTING UPON 9/11 AS HISTORY:
http://www.familiesandwork.org/911ah/lessonindex.html
Sixteen lesson plans are available for teachers at this site, providing opportunities for students to reflect upon their reactions, discuss values, understand the context of the media, promote diversity, and find patterns in history that these events might relate to. Different lessons cover kindergarten through to grade twelve.

AMERICA REMEMBERS 9/11:
http://www.kqed.org/topics/news/worldnews/sept11/index.jsp
KQED Public Radio presents a thoughtful and provocative collection of audio programs on the transformations in our country since September 11th. Topics include rebuilding in New York, fieldworker responses, aroused patriotism, and vulnerability. Each documentary is one hour long.

PATRIOTIC ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS:
http://www.abcteach.com/USA/usatoc.htm
Be sure to put a positive note on your remembrance activities. This site offers printable flags, journal ideas and templates to express emotions, poem forms to celebrate heroes, and coloring pages on American symbols.

SEPTEMBER 11TH -- A NATION REMEMBERS:
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020909/index.html
Time magazine has put together a vast resource of their coverage of the events and aftermath of September 11th, providing an informative documentation and very moving memorial.

REMEMBER 9/11 BOOKMARKS:
http://www.abcteach.com/USA/911bookmarks.htm
Download and print these bookmarks for students to share with penpals, to keep for their own reading purposes, or to exchange with another classroom in your school.


T
TEXAS- THE ALAMO
THE ALAMO -- PRINTABLE:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/monuments/alamo/printout.shtml

Print out a coloring page of the Alamo for primary stu-
dents, with background information on its construction,
the Battle of the Alamo, and its reconstruction.

U
USA- STATES

USA DID YOU KNOW CARDS:
http://www.abcteach.com/USA/unit/dykcard.htm
Let your students work in teams, each team assigned a specific state, to keep track of pertinent facts and information on that state. They can later translate their research into a colorful brochure to share with the class.

50 STATES POSTCARD EXHIBIT:
http://atozteacherstuff.com/50states/
Click on any of the fifty states to find student postcards from around the country, including state facts and interesting pieces of trivia information.

UNITED STATES TREASURE HUNT:
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/hunt.cgi/es
Learn some interesting facts about each of the fifty states as you go hunting for pictures on the list. Student teams could also create their own treasure hunt after completing the initial learning game, coming up with a list of treasures to hunt for in each state they visit and exchanging their lists with competing teams.

EXPLORE THE STATES:
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es
Learn all about the fifty states in this online, interactive guide. Each state links to further stories, such as twisters in Kansas, mule trail rides in the Grand Canyon in Arizona, or Little Big Horn in Montana.

MAKE AN EDIBLE STATE MAP:
http://atozteacherstuff.com/pages/295.shtml
Here's a recipe for an American geography lesson plan that your students are sure to love, especially since they get to eat their state after making it.

THE NIFTY FIFTY:
http://www.teachers.net/lessons/posts/2266.html
Learn some interesting facts about the states of America, and then use this student worksheet to translate and quiz the learning.

STATE FLAG BOOKLET:
http://www.abcteach.com/States/bflag.htm
Have your students learn about the flags of each of the states, and then draw them here, writing down the name of the state as well. Work in groups to create all fifty pages and create a class booklet for Open House night.


THE FIFTY STATES CROSSWORD PUZZLE:
http://www.infoplease.com/xwords/states.html
If you know which state is called the Empire State, you're off to a good start. Try this interactive fifty states quiz to see how up-to-date you are on your American geography.


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