| It’s Thursday, and time for our latest Homeschool Resources: Social Sciences. I would like to ask you to check out the Recommended Websites: Teaching History with 100 Objects, Odyssey Online: Greece, The Life and Voyages of Henry Hudson, Education.com – Geography Resources. Teaching History with 100 Objects Age Range: 6-14 (Grades 1-9, with parental supervision) Using 100 objects from museums in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales and from the British Museum, this website strives to help teachers to teach “the new national history curriculum in England.” But nonresidents of England can reap the benefits of this website as well as it provides a wonderfully unique way to explore British history. On the home page, there are several ways to begin exploring the objects. Items can be sorted and displayed by: Key Stages – in the U.S. these are like grade levels (approximate equivalents are: KS1 = Grades 1-2, KS2 = Grades 3-6, KS3 = Grades 7-9) History curriculum topic – Events, people, time periods Date – specific time frames Places – include Africa, Americas, Asia, Britain, Europe, Oceania Theme – Beliefs and ideas, Conflict, Empires, Rules and rulers, Social and personal life, Technology and arts, and Trade and contact You can use a combination of these search methods to narrow the selections down. Once you have input your desired search selections, images of all available objects meeting that criteria will populate on the page. Select the object image and the page will open. On the object page, there will be a larger image of the item, a brief description and much more information about the object including where it was from, what period, culture, what material it was made from, its dimensions and more. Use the right-hand sidebar menu to dig deeper by selecting: About the object – more in-depth details about the item A bigger picture – explanation of the objects purpose and similar items Teaching ideas – ways to use the item to explore history For the classroom – Download the image and related images and find links to activities. All the items have downloadable PDFs of all the information and images for the objects. Add this website to your “go-to” list for British history. |
Recommended Website: The Life and Voyages of Henry Hudson Age Range: 10 and up (Grades 5 and up, approximately; children with parental supervision) June 22nd commemorates the day English navigator and adventurer Henry Hudson, his teenage son, and 7 crew members were set adrift by mutineers during a failed expedition to find a fabled route to the Indies. They were never seen or heard from again. At this website, you can read a fascinating account of Hudson’s failed expedition to find the “Northwest Passage” as well as details about the mutiny, Hudson’s other voyages, his life as an explorer, and information on his times, contemporaries, and crew. This is a great way to integrate language arts with history and social studies! When you get to the site, use the menu on the left side of the screen to learn about Hudson’s: Early Years to 1607 First Voyage – 1607 Second Voyage – 1608 Third Voyage – 1609 Fourth Voyage – 1610 Aftermath – 1611-on Maps of Voyages Hudson Family Tree It is helpful to read this account in chronological order. Click on “Short Story” to read a piece of historical fiction about Hudson. It was written by Canadian writer Ian Chadwick, the creator of this website. He also offers a compilation of the “Sources & Links” he used to create this work. You can read his bio too. There are also links to the author’s “Home” page and other websites, but we did not visit these pages, and they are not included in this review. Therefore, as always, parents should preview the site, determine the suitability of the content, and supervise Internet use. |
| Recommended Website: Odyssey Online: Greece Age Range: 9-18 (Grades 4-12, with parental supervision) This interactive presentation from the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University explores the world of ancient Greece. After watching the introductory slide show, select your topic of interest: Death & Burial – Discover what the Greeks believed about death and explore artifacts related to burials. Victory & Conquests – Learn how athletics and being a warrior were closely related during the days of ancient Greece. Gods, Goddesses & Heroes – Read the stories of the Greek gods and goddesses and just for fun, see how J. K. Rowling intertwined Greek mythology in her famous novels. Animals Real and Imagined – Examine artifacts of animals both real and imaginary and their significance to ancient Greeks. Greek Democracy – Explore the roots of democracy and how it helped form democracy in the United States today. And more! This website could make a good introduction into your ancient Greece studies or used as fun way to reinforce concepts taught. |
Recommended Website: Museum of Yo-Yo History Age Range: 8 and up (Grades 3 and up; children with parental supervision) Learn history through the world’s most treasured and enduring toy – the yo-yo! As June 6th is National Yo-Yo Day, we highlighted this virtual museum that contains yo-yo history, memorabilia, vintage and modern yo-yos, and articles about famous people in yo-yo history. When you get to the site you’ll see an introduction. Use the menu on the left of the page to explore: Exhibits – See the online collection of collectible yo-yos, yo-yo memorabilia, and related skill toys. Profiles & History – Read about yo-yo history and yo-yo hybrids. Learn about yo-yo manufacturers like Duncan, Fli-Back, Royal, and more. Enjoy the bios of yo-yo masters Dale and Valerie Oliver. Send in your own yo-yo history! Patents & Resources – Read about yo-yo collecting as a hobby and see a list of yo-yo patents. Get practicing your yo-yo skills! |
Recommended Website: Charles Lindbergh – An American Aviator
Age Range: 10-18 (Grades 5-12, with parental supervision) Charles Lindbergh began his courageous flight in his monoplane, the Spirit of St. Louis, on May 20, 1927, securing his place in history as the first person to fly non-stop from New York to Paris.
This comprehensive website examines not only this flight but also the other events and achievements of one of America’s most famous aviators.
When arriving at this website, begin by reading an excerpt from the May 21, 1927 New York Times article about the flight. Then use the left sidebar menu to examine Lindbergh’s life through articles, documents, images, videos, audios and much more. Some of the many topics to explore include:
- The Flight
- Spirit of St. Louis
- Guggenheim Tour
- Biographies of Charles and Anne Lindbergh
- Maps
- Airmail Pioneer
- Gliders
- Orient
- America First
- Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping
- Awards
- Lindbergh’s contributions to rocketry, cardiology, and conservation
- PDFs of FBI files
And much, much more. There are also a few downloadable lesson plans, additional website links, and Amazon links to books for further study.
This website is an excellent resource for an in-depth study of the man, aviator, innovator, and American legend.
| Recommended Website: Education.com – Geography Resources Age Range: 4-10 (Grades Pre-K-5, with parental supervision) This part of the larger Education.com website provides learning resources all about geography. NOTE: You must join Education.com (for free) to access the information. When arriving at the site, either use the image icons under the introduction to select the topic you wish to explore or use the left-hand menu to choose topics by grade level. Some of the topics are: Reading a Map The Continents Latitude and Longitude 50 State Capitals World Oceans The 5 Great Lakes Lines on the Globe and so much more! You can download a free worksheet and see related learning resources. You can also use the top menu to sort by: Printable Worksheets, Lesson Plans, Hands-On Activities, and Printable Workbooks all related to geography. |
| Thank you, Glenda, Charlie and David Cates |
