Update: Shortly after I posted this, the NPS did, in fact, shut down all its web content, as well. Sad! So bookmark this one for another time. Thanks to Anne D. for discovering this.
So you can’t visit National Parks in person due to the government shutdown. Thankfully, there is still lots of great content available online via the National Parks Service to take you on a virtual field trip!
The NPS website for teachers offers distance learning, videos, and materials lists. Their lesson plans are searchable by grade level and subject, so you can easily find standards-aligned lessons on everything from wild horses to Ben Franklin.
There’s lots of content here, and I love the idea of learning about history, biology, and ethics through the lens of our nation’s landmarks.
Every once in a while, I find a resource that just clicks. It’s informative, exciting, and relevant. The Crash Course video series, easily found for free on YouTube, is one of these resources.
These beautifully-produced videos are funny, hip, and chock-full of great facts. I will say right out of the gate, though, that they are obviously intended for high school and college students: material is covered VERY quickly, and occasionally the content leans in the direction of mature (think PG-13). If you do choose to show a video in class, be sure you have watched it all the way through first, so you aren’t surprised. However, for more advanced middle school students, or for unit review, these videos are aces.
There are six video series: World History (42 videos), Biology (40 videos), Literature (8 videos), Ecology (12 videos), and US History (2 videos so far, but growing every week), and Chemistry (just added last week!). Videos in a series follow a set format, complete with great explanatory animations. Complex ideas are explained in a way that even the most bored teen will follow.
The series I have watched most extensively, World History, does a great job of putting events in context and explaining why on earth this stuff matters. It also comments upon the nature of historical study, and the fact that history is often written by the victors. Even if you deem it too advanced for your students, I highly recommend watching for your own enjoyment and education!
Now that we know who won the big prizes at the Youth Media Awards, the question is, “What now?” Thankfully, there is a fantastic resource that will help you incorporate these fantastic books into your classroom curriculum.
TeachingBooks.net (which is a bookmark-worthy resource anyway) has a fantastic page with all of the winners. Clicking on a book will take you to a page with lesson plans, book trailers, author information, and even author book readings! Using these resources will help bring these books to life.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Image via Wikipedia
I’ve found the motherlode. A website so comprehensive, I didn’t think such a thing could ever exist. Cybraryman has put together an exhaustive collection of MLK resources, from lesson plans, to exploration sites, to articles, and even puzzles. Check it out here!
Fun fact: Often, we assume sites with the “.org” domain are reputable. Sometimes, people use this to their advantage. One example of this is martinlutherking.org (I won’t link to it here). It’s a site I use in my lessons on evaluating websites for bias; it’s a propaganda site by a white supremacist group!Â
The Library of Congress has an overwhelming amount of information, much of which is available online. With just a bit of effort, you can access and use this information with your classes. Jeff Dunn at the blog Edudemic has discovered a fantastic infographic to help us all understand the wealth of relevant, curriculum-aligned content available at our fingertips from the LOC. (Click on image to view larger.)
Yet another fantastic way to use Google for education! Google Lit Trips were created by teachers as a way to teach literature as a completely out-of-the-box experience. Rather than simply reading a story, students use Google Earth to go along on the journey of each character, following their geographical trail. Books for K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 are all available, though the selection is understandably small.
You can even create your own Lit Trip with your students, researching locations, finding quotes, and delving deeper into your source material. The site offers directions here.
This site, created by educators, is truly a labor of love, and a brilliant way to bring literature to life.
National Geographic does an incredible job of pulling together words and images to tell powerful stories. Right now, they’re co-sponsoring (with The North Face) an expedition to Mt. Everest. They have sent a photographer and a writer to accompany mountaineers up the deadly mountain, and their trek is being documented every step of the way.
With dispatches arriving daily, you get a truly in-depth look at just how much goes into a trek like this: the preparation, the waiting, the endurance. The most recent dispatch (including video) recounts the story of how their photographer, Cory Richards, had to be rescued from the mountain after experiencing chest pains and shortness of breath. It’s pretty gripping stuff!
I am fascinated by the Titanic disaster, and as we approach the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the unsinkable ship, all kinds of fantastic resources are popping up to further fan the flames of my curiosity. I don’t know if any of you are planning on covering this piece of history in your classes, but if you are, I’ve found some really sensational resources.
“1300 Passengers Are Rescued At Sea From The Sinking Liner Titanic, Wrecked In A Night Collision With An Iceberg.”
This was the headline of the Milwaukee Daily News on April 15th, 1912. Imagine the shock when the news came out that it was, in fact, more than 1300 killed on that fateful night. The History Buffs newspaper archive is an incredible repository containing scanned photos of newspapers from important historic events, including a few from April 15th and 16th, 1912. What a powerful discussion on information, misinformation, and journalism you could spark by showing these newspapers to your class! You’d think that major newspapers would no longer be making such enormous errors, but even now, in this age of instant news, reports are being published that are completely wrong. Remember when the Daily Mail’s website published a report that Amanda Knox’s murder conviction appeal had been denied?
Titanic: The Final Word With James Cameron
James Cameron has put together a brand new documentary, titled Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron, that pieces together the latest scientific research on the sinking of the Titanic. This National Geographic documentary includes a stunning computer simulation of the sequence of events that led Titanic to the ocean floor. It’s pretty incredible.
Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship
Finally, if you’re looking for a comprehensive overview of the Titanic (how it was built, who was on it, a timeline of events, and even some interactives), Britannica has you covered. Their site on Titanic links together all the information available in the encyclopedia, including pictures, into one-stop-shopping for all of your Titanic needs.
Of course, if you’re looking for more, Mr. Goodwin and I have put together a display in the library, complete with fiction, non-fiction, and magazines on all things Titanic.
Though it is one of the most commonly blocked websites at schools across the country, YouTube is trying to get into the education game. A new channel on the video service website curates videos that can be used in classes, sorted by grade level and subject.
The quality of the videos varies, but there are some good resources here. The organization is also really helpful, saving you lots of time by making it easy to find videos on the topic you’re looking for. As a matter of fact, the slogan of YouTube for Schools is “Spend more time teaching, less time searching.”
Take a look at this video on magnetic breakfast cereal!
As you may know, February is Black History Month. Hopefully, you’re finding ways to incorporate the accomplishments of African-Americans into your lessons, but if you need some help, check out the African American History and Heritage site. This site is currently School Library Journal’s site of the week– talk about just-in-time resources!
It may not be pretty, but it’s chock full of great resources: biographies, links to books and videos, and a Teacher Toolkit. The Toolkit contains links, lesson plans, and more, and is organized by discipline.
It’s pretty hard to navigate, and is so full of resources that it may be confusing, but if you’re willing to go exploring, you can find cool resources like the African American Inventors database.
Applewild Technology 