Web Site Evaluations:
1) Name of Web Site: teachinghistory.org
National History Education Clearinghouse
3) Copyright date and/or last update: Copyright 2010-2016
4) Author/organization credentials: It has funding from the
federal department of education at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and
New Media at George Mason University.
5) Web site design and ease of navigation
As the name of the website would suggest, this
website is designed for the teaching of history for all ages. They have links
for the use of all teachers, and also links for teacher of elementary, middle,
and high school students. In addition, there is links to contact historians, a
digital classroom, quizzes, videos, teaching materials, historical content, and
how to think like a historian. All of these links can be found on the homepage.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing of course, but the homepage does have a lot
of stuff on it, this means that a lot of the links or information can get
overlooked. Also, while some of the materials are designed for all history
teachers regardless of the age of their students, some of the links, it isn’t
clear if it’s for elementary school teachers or high school teachers. I hope to
teach high school so I clicked on the link for high school. It gives you
historical lessons. One was the landmark Supreme Court Case Marbury v. Madison, if you click on it,
it will have a lesson with links for additional sources, a video review from a
teacher who has used the lesson, and links to materials and lessons from
similar type subjects. Also on the high school page, there is links to help
teachers think critically and historically as well as help their students do
the same. Moreover, there is instruction on how to incorporate technology into
the classroom. In addition, there is pages on the website dedicated to
materials for teachers and examples, testimonials, and that sort of thing from
other history teachers.
6) Your response and recommendation for use
Overall, I think that it is a pretty useful
website for social studies teachers of high school students. I didn’t spend
really anytime on the elementary or middle school pages so I won’t speak to
that. I would personally use the site myself. Having other teacher examples,
and what worked for them and didn’t work for them is useful. There is just a
lot of links, preparing for lessons using this site would require a lot of
bouncing around different pages on the site, but as I said before, I would
recommend this site. I think it’s important for people, regardless of what it
is, are always seeking to improve, and I think this site could be really useful
for me to try and learn from others and improve myself to the best teacher I
can possibly be. Also, as stated in the previous section it helps teachers with
incorporating technology into the classroom, I may be wrong on this, but it
does make sense that as technology continues to advance, the amount of
technology in peoples’ lives continue to increase, and peoples’ efficiency with
that technology also increases, it just makes sense that technology will start
to play a more prominent role in the classroom and it’s important for teachers
to be up to date with it.
1) Name of Web Site: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of
American History
2) Web Site Address: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/
3) Copyright date and/or last
update: Copyright
2009-2016
4) Author/organization
credentials: It
was founded in 1994 for the purpose of improving history education. Been
recognized by the White House and other prestigious organizations for its work.
5) Web
site design and ease of navigation
This website is basically exclusively U.S.
History, they have broken down American History into eras, and then sub-eras.
For example, the Civil War and Reconstruction is its own era with dates from
1860-1877. Each era has its own overview. But then has specific points of view
from historians and scholars. There is also separate pages with primary sources
having its own page with links to all kinds of reference pages, and all
different types of primary sources. There is also a page called History Now, I
would say it is American History through a different lens. It is a visual way
to look at American history with descriptions from historians. They also have a
multimedia section, that features all kinds of videos regarding the history of
the United States. There is also audio materials, kind of podcast type stuff.
Lastly, there is pages and links on the website that promote being involved
with history, whether it be organizations or cultural events that are going on
that individuals can participate in. Overall, a very easy site to use,
everything is easy to find, navigate, and use.
6) Your
response and recommendation for use
I would highly recommend this site for
American History teachers. Really all American History teachers even through
college level could find something on the site useful. Obviously, since the
focus is on one specific area (U.S. History) it can’t be used for all of the
social studies classes, so it is limited in that sense. I think the links to
primary sources could be very helpful for any papers or assignments that
require some kind of research. For students who probably don’t have much
experience finding good sources or researching, it’s convenient to learn what a
good source is and have a bunch of them listed out in one place.
1) Name of Web Site: iCivics
2) Web Site Address: https://www.icivics.org/
3) Copyright date and/or last
update: I couldn’t
find anything for certain but there were recent dates on the site.
4) Author/organization
credentials: The
site was founded by former Justice of the Supreme Court Sandra Day O’Connor
5) Web site
design and ease of navigation
The website more than anything is designed to
get individuals, especially students interested in how their government works,
and the role they can play in the government. There is games, information, and
activities pertaining to this type of stuff. There is a game where you can
pretend you are running for president, games you can write things into law, and
so on. They are actually a valuable way to learn about the way the government
works. While it would probably be most useful for an American Government
classes, they have a whole section called Teach. In this section, you can find
the standards for most classes in pretty much any subject area. However, as
stated previously, this site would work best for a civics or U.S. Government
class. Games, lesson plans, different types of quests, and other kinds of
materials. It’s easy to navigate for this stuff. The other subjects it isn’t
quite as easy.
6) Your response
and recommendation for use
I would recommend this site. There is a lot of
non-academic materials, which is a good thing in this case, it’s an interactive
site. I think it could be really useful for driving interest in this material. I
think in addition to teaching instruction and motivating the students to learn,
I think it is important to for the teacher to create excitement about the
subject they are teaching. This is especially true for history, government, and
other types of social studies classes which a lot of students either aren’t
naturally interested in or don’t see the use for in their lives. So while this
particular site is more geared toward a U.S. Government class, I think finding
a site like this could be useful for any teacher teaching any subject to drum
up some excitement. Not knowing exactly what Justice O’Connor’s involvement and
history with the site is, I would assume that’s why she founded it, to drum up
excitement about something that is more important to students’ lives then they
realize.
1) Name of Web Site: HippoCampus
2) Web Site Address: http://www.hippocampus.org/HippoCampus/?user=hippocampus
3) Copyright date and/or last
update: 2016
4) Author/organization
credentials: Copyrighted
by the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education.
5) Web
site design and ease of navigation
Designed for the furthering of education in
all content areas. The way it works, is you click on the subject you are
wanting and it will pop up with a whole list of categories. When you click on a
category, it will respond by giving the user a big list of specific parts of
that category. For instance, when you click on American history before 1877, it
give you a list of videos pertaining to that time period in American History,
the website is pretty much all content videos, the videos could be used for
showing the class, or simply ideas for the teacher to use in class as well. Overall
there just isn’t a whole lot to the site outside of videos so it’s pretty easy
to use. Although if the individual using the site didn’t have kind of a
specific purpose or subject in mind when they started using it, it might be a
little more difficult.
6) Your
response and recommendation for use
This site is easy to use. It gives the
students a different perspective on American History which is a good thing. The
use of multimedia in the classroom, in this case videos, is often productive.
Doesn’t have much to offer other than that. While obviously teachers should not
spend too much time showing videos during class time, it can be an effective
change of pace that can refocus students while still providing them with
instruction. Hearing a teacher talk day after day can get monotonous and I
think most students, (myself included) like videos in class whether they have
some kind of humor or entertainment, or purely informational. Also, as stated in the previous section it can
be a tool for a teacher to gain additional information ideas for them to use in
class as well.
1) Name of Web Site: Smithsonian Education
2) Web Site Address: http://smithsonianeducation.org/index.html
3) Copyright date and/or last
update: 2013
4) Author/organization
credentials: Smithsonian
5) Web
site design and ease of navigation
This site has tabs and resources for teachers,
parents, and students. Some of the materials overlap a little bit, but it’s
kind of nice all three parties of their own section. As far as ease of
navigation it isn’t the quickest or easiest to use, but it’s the Smithsonian,
so the resources and materials are endless. If you type in the age of the
students you are teaching and a couple of key words from the lesson and it will
give you lots of sources and readings you can use. Additionally, it will give
you readings and sites tailored for your students. Some of the sources include
lesson plans with activity ideas and such that pertain to the lesson. So for
example, one thing I did is I went to the teachers page and typed in Civil War
for grade 9-12 and it gave me several results and there is always additional
readings. On the student page there is lots of informational resources but
there is also a lot of interactive activities including little quizzes over
different subjects and even guessing games.
6) Your
response and recommendation for use
Easy to navigate, the only thing I would say
is if you type in something broad like the Civil War, dozens of sources come
back, and it can be hard to find exactly what you are looking for. So I would
say be as specific as possible when typing in the key words. I do like that it
has separate pages for teachers, parents, and students, I think having parents
involved as possible with their child’s education is important. While it may
not be the most simple site out there, it’s really not bad especially in
today’s world where everyone is pretty tech savvy. It’s a good mixture of being
informational, while still being interactive and having fun things on the site
as well. It’s a site that can be used for students of any age with a whole
platitude of subjects. Honestly, this is probably the site I foresee myself
using the most as a teacher just because the volume and quality is second to
none.
Other Helpful Websites:
- https://www.archives.gov/education
- http://kacv.pbslearningmedia.org/
Game:
Reading Recommendations
These are all books that I would recommend, in many cases I would say they are interesting even for individuals not usually into history.
· Title:
1776
· Author:
David McCullough
· Illustrator:
N/A
· Publisher: Simon & Schuster
· Copyright:
2005
· ISBN#:
13:978-0-7432-2671-4
· Genre:
Historical Non-fiction
· Library
Location: Amarillo Public Library, Southwest Location
· Summary:
The book is about the American Revolution. It mostly focuses on the war itself,
such as the principle figures for both British and Americans, although the
focus is on the American side. It talks about different battles and kind of the
uphill battle American soldiers faced not only on the actual battlefield, but
also off of it, with their lack of resources and things of that nature. While a
large portion does focus on the actual fighting and war itself, there is also
mention and talk of the other things of historical significance that are going
on during this time. One such thing perhaps obviously is the signing of the
Declaration of Independence among other things. And as one might expect from a
book about the American Revolution, George Washington is talked about a great
deal.
· Personal Comments: David
McCullough is an author that I really like. He’s written several historical
non-fiction books and biographies. This particular book is a really easy read,
while it is historical non-fiction it has a good flow that makes it easy for
the reader to follow along. There are characters, who are obviously actual
people from history, that the reader gets to know and gain great insight on.
For me, it was interesting to see what made George Washington such a respected
and revered leader.
· Suggested
Use in Classroom: The American
Revolution is a large, crucial part of American History. This book is a great
account that covers a lot of aspects of the Revolution. It is detailed and engaging.
It could be used for greater detail on individuals such as George Washington or
greater details on individual battles. It could also be used to spark
discussion on the rationale of the decisions of both the British and Americans.
It has a lot of information a textbook would have, just in a much more fluid
and engaging way.
· Title:
Duel Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr
and the Future of America
· Author:
Thomas Fleming
· Illustrator:
N/A
· Publisher: Basic Books, A Member of the
Perseus Books Group
· Copyright:
1999
· ISBN#:
0-465-01736-3
· Genre:
Historical Non-fiction/Biographical
· Library
Location: Amarillo Public Library, Southwest Location
· Summary:
The title suggest a specific event, which is the duel that would occur between
Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. However, it is a deep dive into the lives of
these two men. It also lays a landscape for the happenings of the years
following the American Revolution and how America is developing in its infancy.
At its core, this book is about two men, their similarities, their differences,
and just their lives in general in what would lead up to one of them killing
the other.
· Personal Comments: For
me, Fleming is another author that writes in a way that is very easy to read. I
have always found Alexander Hamilton to be fascinating, I wrote a long paper
about him in high school, and have read and learned a lot about him since that
time as well. So picking this book was easy for me, and I actually learned a
lot from it, mostly about Burr because all I really knew about him is the basic
things heard in a history class or at the end of a book about Hamilton. I found
him to be a unique character to say the least.
· Suggested
Use in Classroom: I think this
book does a good job illustrating the politics during this time. It also
describes an event that is incredible to have had a place in politics, which is
dueling. The duel between Hamilton and Burr is something that gets mentioned in
every American History class but rarely at any kind of length or depth.
Hamilton’s ideas and leadership were pivotal to the shaping of the United
States, some of his writings are still in effect today, and many would argue his
vision for the United States is what ended up mostly coming to pass. This book
could be a good way to talk about the two competing visions for America at the
time.
· Title:
Tried By War Abraham Lincoln As Commander In Chief
· Author:
James M. McPherson
· Illustrator:
N/A
· Publisher: The
Penguin Press
· Copyright:
2008
· ISBN#:
978-1-59420-191-2
· Genre:
Historical Non-fiction
· Library
Location: Amarillo Public Library, Southwest Location
· Summary:
This book focuses on, as the title suggest, Abraham Lincoln. It’s not really
biographical though as it mostly just focuses on his presidency, and in
particular as the second part of the title suggest, how he dealt with the Civil
War. It does mention several of the individual battles of the Civil War and a
lot of the other key figures of the War from both the Union and Confederacy.
Spends a lot of time simply talking about Lincoln’s mindset and the effect he
had on the war, with the war itself and the events surrounding it.
· Personal Comments:
Probably the book out of the five that I learned from the most. Mostly because
the Civil War is a weak point for me as far as knowledge goes. Also though just
a lot of really interesting information about Lincoln’s role in the war. The
Civil War was pivotal to American History so I wanted to be sure to include a
book from it. Also, Lincoln is perhaps the most well-known historical president
and probably the most respected as well, so a book that talked about them
together made sense.
· Suggested
Use in Classroom: As stated
above, the Civil War was pivotal to American History, and something every
history class learns about. This book could be used to not only learn about
President Lincoln and the War, but a springboard for other topics surrounding
the war. Also, the strategies that went into the war and how that led to the
results it did. Could even go into some hypotheticals on if a leader such as
Lincoln wouldn’t have happened to be at the helm of the country during this
time. In addition, may even be a good opportunity to talk about subjects
outside of history such as being rationale or being an exemplary leader.
· Title:
Flags Of Our Fathers
· Author:
James Bradley with Ron Powers
· Illustrator:
N/A
· Publisher: Bantam
Dell, A Division of Random House, Inc
· Copyright: 2000
· ISBN#:
13:978-0-553-38415-4
· Genre: Historical
Non-Fiction
· Library
Location: Amarillo Public Library, Southwest Location
· Summary:
This book is set in World War II and centers around the six soldiers who would
become known because of a picture of them taken that showed them raising the
American flag at Iwo Jima. It talks about their lives both before and during
the war. It does a good job of capturing the attitude and setting of the war.
It talks about what life was like for a soldier during this particular war.
· Personal Comments:
I do love this book and consider it relevant for a history class. However, I
will admit part of the reason I picked it is the fact that it was made into a
movie. Trying to think from a student’s perspective. It’s a good, inspirational
story about some bravery and patriotism, among other things. I would recommend
this book to anyone, not just history students, I think it is a good book for
anyone to read.
· Suggested
Use in Classroom: When learning
about World War II, it’s easy to learn individual dates, battles, the people
involved, the country involved, who started it, how it ended, and so on. This
book is about some guys that anyone can relate too, while still being
informational, in addition to being entertaining and inspiring. The students
might be more motivated to read it since it has been made into a move they can
watch as well.
· Title:
The Coalwood Way
· Author:
Homer Hickam
· Illustrator:
N/A
· Publisher:
Dell Publishing, a division of Random House, Inc
· Copyright:
2000
· ISBN#:
0-440-23716-5
· Genre:
Biographical Storytelling
· Library
Location: Amarillo Public Library, Southwest Location
· Summary:
This is a story about the Hickam’s, a family in Coalwood, West Virginia, and
the dynamics that faced them both as a family and as a town. The town is almost
completely reliant on coal for survival as a large percentage of the men are
employed at the coal mine.
· Personal Comments: This
author wrote the well-known book October Sky, which I first read for
school many years ago and I love. This book isn’t as well-known but an
interesting read nonetheless. There isn’t a lot of actual history information
in here, but there is a lot of information and little tidbits about what life
was like for ‘average’ families and individuals during this time period. In
college, I have had the opportunity to take a few classes that go into some
detail on how Americans lived during a particular time period and I find it
interesting and relevant.
· Suggested
Use in Classroom: As stated in
the comments section, could give some insight to how Americans lived during
this time period. Also, it could give the opportunity to talk about coal as a
resource and the effect it had on America over time. And also, the working
conditions that many Americans faced for a lot of years.
*All book images are courtesy of amazon.com
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