This site, National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, contains the following  information:

• 9-11 History
• Exploring 9-11:  The World Before & After
• Timeline of Events
• Origins & Impacts
• Explore the designs and learn about the planning of the museum
• Photo Albums of the Memorial & Museum
• Growing collection of artifacts & oral histories
• Education Resources (see below)

This site, Education Resources for Teachers & Students, contains the following information:

• For high school educators:  a discussion guide and activities to download
• 9-11:  Stories of Survival and loss
• The Spirit of Volunteerism:  9-11 and Beyond  (a short film)
• Teaching Guide with take-home pages to download
• Scholastic Kid Reporter Articles

Video: September 11 Memorial Video Tribute

Share with a friend!

• Abraham Lincoln
• Andrew Jackson
• Barack Obama
• Benjamin Franklin
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• George Washington
• James Madison
• James Monroe
• John Adams
• John F. Kennedy
• Ronald Reagan
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Thomas Jefferson

Teachers will need to log in and register their class so students can take the online tests.  Remember there is no cost for anything!

Share with a friend!

(THIS COULD ALSO BE USED AS AN INTEREST CENTER.)

This is a very interesting project!  I imagine most people know someone who lived through WWII and have heard stories of what life was like during that  period in history.   What made this particular project interesting was that the student (actually my son) interviewed several people who lived during this time period.  He received first hand information about what life was like and how so many people pulled together for the good of our country, even though they had to ration items and do without some items.  Interviewing these people helped make this project come alive for him.  We knew someone whose best friend was killed at Pearl Harbor on the USS Arizona.  It was such a sad time in history for all those involved!

Another interesting factor was that we had actually been to Pearl Harbor, saw the short movie (which made it seem like we were really there and brought tears to my eyes), went through the museum, and bought memorabilia such as a copy of the newspaper which showed the headline “WAR!”

TIPS FOR THIS PROJECT:

• Interview people who lived through WWII and get a first hand account of what it was like.
• Get copies of pictures of people who served in the war to add to the project.
• Read children’s books about Pearl Harbor.  See list below.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS ON PEARL HARBOR:

• Pearl Harbor: A Primary Source History by Jacqueline Laks Gorman. Good for ages 8-12.
• The Attack on Pearl Harbor (Cornerstones of Freedom Series) by Tom McGowen.  Good for ages 9-11.
• Attack on Pearl Harbor by Shelley Tanaka.  Good for ages 10+.
• Air Raid – Pearl Harbor!:  The Story of December 7, 1941 by Theodore Taylor.  Good for ages 12 and up.
• Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Harry Mazer & Triston Elwell.  Good for ages 12 and up.
• Pearl Harbor: Day of Infamy by Stephanie Fitzgerald.  Good for ages 12 and up.
  

Share with a friend!

Many people celebrate both Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays or all of the presidents’ birthdays on Presidents Day, but it was originally instituted to celebrate George Washington’s birthday alone.  However, it is convenient to celebrate more than one president on that day and most people do that.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS ON PRESIDENTS:

• So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George.  (2001 Caldecott Medal Award Winner)  Great for ages 8-12.
• Our Country’s Presidents:  All You Need to Know About the Presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama by Ann Bausum.  Great for ages 9-12.
• You’re Kidding!  Incredible Facts About the Presidents by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff.  Great for ages 8-12.
• Don’t Know Much About the Presidents by Kenneth C. Davis.

CHILDREN’S DVD’S & VIDEOS:

• Presidents Day DVD ( Holidays for Children DVD Series)  by Library Video Company
• Presidents 2-DVD Special – Abraham Lincoln and George Washington by Nest Learning System

MORE INFORMATION ON WASHINGTON & LINCOLN:

• Teaching About George Washington
• Teaching About Abraham Lincoln
  

Share with a friend!

• George Washington was the first president of the United States.
• It is not a fact that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree.  His biographer, Mason Weems, made this up to illustrate how honest Washington was in dealing with people.  It is a fact that Washington was an honest person.
• He is known as “The Father of our Country.”
• Washington is known for being “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

TEACHING UNIT ON GEORGE WASHINGTON:

• Short biography on Washington that students can read plus free printable worksheets (These were written by an experienced teacher and are free for teachers and homeschooling parents.)
• FREE online test for George Washington (also printable)

CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

• The Story of George Washington by Patricia A. Pingry.  Great for ages 2-6.
• George Washington’s Teeth by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora.  Great for ages 4-8.
• George Washington:  Soldier, Hero, President  (DK Series) by Justine Korman and Ron Fontes.  Great for ages 5-8.
• George Washinton by Ingri d’Aulaire and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire.  Great for ages 5-11.
• George Washington and the General’s Dog (Step Into Reading) by Murphy.  Great for ages 6-8
• A Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler.  Great for ages 7-10.
• George Washington (History Maker Bios Series) by Candice F. Ransom.  Great for ages 7-10.
• George Washington by Cheryl Harness.  Great for ages 8-10.
• George Washington:  A Photographic Story of a Life (DK Series) by Lenny Hort.   Great for ages 9-12.
• Our Country’s Presidents:  All You Need to Know About the Presidents, from George Washington to Barack Obama by Ann Bausum.  Great for ages 9-12.
• George Washington, Spymaster:  How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War by Thomas B. Allen.  Great for ages 10-12.
• George Washington’s World by Geneviev Foster and Joanna Foster.  Great for ages 12 and up.  Contains world history.

CHILDREN’S DVD’S & VIDEOS:

• George Washington:  Great Americans for Children Series – DVD by Schlessinger Media
• Presidents 2-DVD Special – Abraham Lincoln and George Washington by Nest Learning System
• Presidents Day DVD ( Holidays for Children DVD Series)  by Library Video Company

ACTIVITY:

• Read George Washington’s Breakfast by Jean Fritz.  Make “hoecakes” for the children.

Share with a friend!

1.  KNOWLEDGE

• Recalling of information such as places, dates, and events (who, what, when, where, how)
• Knowledge of subject matter, main ideas, basic concepts and principles
• Memorizing

2.  COMPREHENSION

• Understanding meaning
• Applying knowledge in a different context
• Simple comparing and contrasting
• Making inferences
• Predicting outcomes
• Describing in one’s own words
• Making interpretations
• Making sumarizations

3.  APPLICATION

• Problem solving
• Applying what has been learned through exhibits, demonstrations, graphs, charts, etc.
• Using information, concepts, and methods in different situations
• Using facts to answer questions such as “How is ___ related to ___?”

4.  ANALYSIS

• Dividing a whole into its component parts
• Outlining and diagramming
• Identifying literary elements and breaking the story down into different parts
• Distinguishing between inferences and actual facts
• Analyzing components of an event in history
• Identifying motives and hidden meanings
• Separating the components of the scientific process
• Seeing patterns
• Teacher asks questions such as “What is the order of steps in ___?”  or “What are the functions of ___?”  or “How does ___ compare/contrast with —?”

5.  SYNTHESIS

• Using already existing concepts to create new concepts or ideas
• Creating and designing something new and original.  This could be a short story, poem, music, plan for an experiment, new way of classifying ideas, etc.
• Combining information from several sources
• Finding solutions
• Teacher asks questions such as “How would you create a new ___?”  or “What ideas can you add?”

6.  EVALUATION

• Comparing ideas
• Developing opinions and judgments
• Judging the value of something for a given purpose, based on definite criteria
• Resolving differences of opinion
• Making value decisions about issues
• Teacher asks questions such as “Do you agree?”  or “What do you think is most important?”

Share with a friend!

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Large piece of heavy cardboard or plastic foam for the base
• Assortment of cardboard boxes to form the levels of the garden
• Heavy-duty tape to tape the boxes together
• Modeling clay – white
• Acrylic paint – blue & green
• Piece of plastic greenery that has many small removable pieces on it
• Coat hanger
• Wire cutter to cut the coat hanger

PROCEDURE:

• Make the basic shape of the varying levels with the assorment of boxes that you have.
• Tape them together securely with heavy-duty tape
• Tape the boxes securely to the base
• Cover the entire area of the boxes with white modeling clay
• Remove many small pieces of greenery from the large piece.  Shorten if necessary.  Place in rows in the modeling clay while the clay is still soft, securing with a small mound of clay at the base of each piece of greenery (tree).
• Paint the green grass in rows.
• Paint the blue waterfall, stream, and pond of water.
• Cut the coat hanger to make the irrigation line to take water to the top level.  Bend the coat hanger two inches from the end at a 90 angle to make the coat hanger not touch the ground.  Do this on both ends of the coat hanger.  Secure both ends of the coat hanger to the project with a mound of modeling clay.
• Touch up with paint where necessary.

Share with a friend!

• Word Web Lesson Sheets – free, printable lesson sheets to teach about how to use word webs.
• Basic Word Web Worksheet - free, printable worksheet that is in basic word web format
• Cluster Word Web Worksheet – free, printable worksheet in cluster format
• Advanced Word Web lesson sheet – good example of an advanced word web for older students.  Free, printable lesson sheet.
• Halloween Word Webs – here are some cute examples of word webs to use for Halloween as well as a couple of free, printable word web worksheets.

Share with a friend!

AGES 2-5:

• Abe’s Fish:  A Boyhood Tale of Abraham Lincoln by Jen Bryant, published Feb. 2009.  For ages 2-5, 40 pp.
• The Story of Abraham Lincoln by Patricia A. Pingry, published July 2001.  For ages 2-5, 26 pp.
• Abe Lincoln:  The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters.  For ages 4-8.
• Our Abe Lincoln by Jim Aylesworth, published Jan. 2009 by Scholastic.  For ages 4-8, 32 pp.

AGES 6-8:

• Abe Lincoln:  The Boy Who Loved Books by Kay Winters.  For ages 4-8.
• Our Abe Lincoln by Jim Aylesworth, published Jan. 2009 by Scholastic.  For ages 4-8, 32 pp.
• Abe Lincoln and the Muddy Pig by Stephen Krensky, published Jan. 2002.  For ages 6-8, 32 pp.
• Abe Lincoln’s Hat, Step into Reading Books Series by Martha Brenner, published April 1994.  For ages 6-8, 48 pp.
• Lincoln and Douglass:  An American Friendship by Nikki Giovanni, published Sept. 2008.  For ages 6-8, 40 pp.
• Abraham Lincoln (History Maker Bios Series) by Jane A. Schott, published Dec. 2001.  For ages 7-10, 48 pp.

AGES 8-12:

• Abraham Lincoln (History Maker Bios Series) by Jane A. Schott, published Dec. 2001.  For ages 7-10, 48 pp.
• Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington:  1837-1865 by Cheryl Harness, published Oct. 2008 (reprint).  For ages 8-12, 48 pp.
• Abe’s Honest Words, The Life of Abraham Lincoln by Doreen Rappaport, published Nov. 2008.  For ages 8-12, 48 pp.
• Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman, published Sept. 1989.  For ages 8-12, 160 pp.
• Lincoln and His Boys by Rosemary Wells, published Jan. 2009.  For ages 8-12, 96 pp.
• My Brother Abe:  Sally Lincoln’s Story by Harry Mazer, published Jan. 2009.  For ages 8-12, 208 pp.
• Young Abe Lincoln:  The Frontier Days 1809-1837 by Cheryl Harness, published Sept. 2008 (reprint).  For ages 8-12, 32 pp.

AGES 12 and UP:

• Abraham Lincoln by David Colbert, published Jan. 2009.  For ages 12+, 160 pp.
• Abraham Lincoln:  A Photographic Story of a Life by Tanya Lee Stone, published 2005.  For ages 12+, 128 pp.
• The Wit & Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln:  A Treasury of Quotations, Anecdotes, and Observations by James C. Humes, published 1996.  For ages 12+, 250 pp.

FREE ONLINE BIOGRAPHY:

• Abraham Lincoln

Share with a friend!

TEACHING ABOUT LINCOLN:

• On the Abraham Lincoln Museum site, there is one reproducible page for an Abraham Lincoln Discussion Web that would be great to use in the classroom regardless of visiting the museum.  Click on this site for Lincoln and scroll down to page 23.  This is a great page for a Discussion Web on Lincoln’s life.   I have used Discussion Webs many times, and they are great for students of all ages.
• Need a unit on Lincoln?  An experienced teacher has a free unit on Abraham Lincoln on her website with printable worksheets and also a biography.  These materials are free for teachers and homeschooling parents.
• Having an Interest Center in the classroom on Abraham Lincoln would help motivate students to learn about him.   The center could contain pictures of the era in which Lincoln lived.  Old looking objects could be placed in the center as well as student-level books on Lincoln.  Use your imagination and be creative!

Depending on the level of the students, here are some of Lincoln’s accomplishments to discuss with them:

1. His decision to fight kept the country from coming apart.
2. He had great foreign policy which kept other countries from getting involved in the Civil War.
3. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation which freed the slaves.
4. He strongly supported the Thirteenth Admendment which ended slavery.
5. He is known for his honesty,  leadership, and character.
6. He gave the House Divided Speech.
7. He gave the Gettysburg Address.
8. He is quoted even today due to having many famous quotes known world wide.

ACTIVITIES:

• Make a log cabin out of Lincoln Logs
• Make a log cabin by gluing Popsicle sticks together

CHILDREN’S BOOKS:

Some of your Lincoln books would probably come from the library.  Click here to see a list of good kids’ books on Lincoln available on this site. 

CHILDREN’S DVD’S & VIDEOS:

• Abraham Lincoln: Great Americans for Children Series – DVD by Schlessinger Media
• Presidents Day DVD ( Holidays for Children DVD Series)  by Library Video Company

Share with a friend!