Gilder Lehrman

Gilder Lehrman:

The Gilder Lehrman website (and group) is a huge help for US history teachers.  The site has 60,000" 60,000 letters, diaries, maps, pamphlets, printed books, newspapers,
photographs, and ephemera that document the political, social, and
economic history of the United States."  There also have presentations, contests, etc. and even more benefits if your school becomes a member (and at $0.00, the price is right).

An overview
of all of the great new resources and tools is available here.
Some of the highlights of the new site include History by Era section,
which includes podcasts,
interactive features, online exhibitions, timelines and terms, primary sources,
teaching tools, and content spanning all of American history. 

The new
website also includes 10
Common Core units by 2009 National History Teacher of the Year Tim Bailey.
For more literacy-based learning, you can also take a look at our new Featured
Primary Sources, from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, annotated and accompanied
by teaching guides and questions. Our Collection search.  Ten new short-videos, “Essential
Questions in American History,” which features ten essential American
history questions and in our multimedia section you can find nearly 40 under
five minute video clips, great for use in the classroom!

Cloud Storage

Cloud Storage:

To continue Ken's blog about on line storage, you might check out Amit Argarval's blog in which he compares the three services and also does a price comparison of the three services (Dropbox, Google Drive and SkyDrive). He offers a lot more detail than the Post.  Here is his price comparison chart and here is his comparison of services.

Cold War cartoon on Iron Curtain

Cold War cartoon on Iron Curtain:

The Cold War is rich with symbols that help students truly understand the conflict. This cartoon is no exception.
Published in 1947 in the wake of Soviet involvement in Greece and Turkey, Jay “Ding” Darling captures the feelings of the hopelessness ahead in resolving issues with communist Russia.
We have included questions and answers for your classroom use.
For more Cold War resources check out our PowerPoints:

• US Foreign Policy in the Cold War Era: Truman to Kennedy
• US Foreign Policy in the Cold War Era: Johnson to the Fall of the Berlin Wall
• The 1950s
• 1960s
• Vietnam
• The 1970s
• Late History Overview: 1970s, 1980s, 1990s
• The 1980s
• The Modern Era: 1945-1970  World History
• The Modern Era 2: 1971-2009   World History

Classroom history games:

• Critical Decisions of Harry Truman
• Critical Decisions of John F. Kennedy
• Causes of the Cold War, Part 1: 1946-1960
• Causes of the Cold War, Part 2: 1961-1980
• Causes of the Cold War, Part 3: 1981-2008

Filed under: classroom activities, Lesson Plan, political cartoon, Primary Source Documents, Teacher Resources Tagged: 1940s, Cold War, Cold War cartoons, Cold War lesson plans, Cold War propaganda, iron curtain, political cartoons, Primary Source Documents, Teaching history, teaching social studies, teaching the cold war, teaching us history, teaching world history, US History, World History

Eye Witness to History

Eye Witness to History:
Eye Witness to History is a wonderful website to incorporate primary sources such as first-hand accounts, vintage photographs, and radio broadcasts into your classroom.
Eye Witness to History is a wonderful website for both Global and United States History. The website presents history through the perspective of those who actually lived it – from the ancient world through the 20th century.

Diigo Tags

My Diigo Tags

WebQuest and Internet Safety:

Earlier this week I assigned my students a WebQuest. I know some parents have been questioning the assignment because of internet safety reasons. I think your senior students are fairly comfortable and intellectual when it comes to the internet. I think WebQuest is a great way to get your students away from the text books and on to critical, real world thinking.
In the WebQuest assignment I listed specific websites as well as videos that the students could use. This is a great way to keep the students on task and off of websites that can be distracting or harmful in any way. There are many other ways to keep your students safe on the internet. I have created a glog as well as a powerpoint explaining the dangers of the internet as well as ways they can stay safe.
Some ways you can keep your students safe are to inform them of certain websites you will not allow them on and blocking these websites from your home computers. You should also tell your students what the dangers are and how to avoid them. Informing them is the best way to keep them out of trouble.
The internet is a fantastic technology that teachers and parents should not be afraid of. Our students will benefit greatly from these tools. We must inform them of the dangers but allow them to use these technologies for educational purposes freely.

If you have any questions or concerns you can call or email me.
Thank you!
Ms. Graefe

Hello Parents and Welcome to US History!

I wanted to write you all a little introduction about me and the class your juniors will be embarking on.

My name is Alisha Graefe. I am a born and raised Idahoan and am thrilled to be teaching your juniors this year. I just recently moved to Sandpoint and am loving it. This is my first year at Sandpoint High School and am a recent graduate of Boise State University.
I can easily be reached via email at alishagraefe@ymail.com for any questions concerning the class or your child.

Some of my class expectations are:

• Students engaged in the topics at all times
• Homework on time and done well
• Class participation
• Respect for me and fellow classmates
• Readings completed
• Test scores high
• Students to leave my classroom with a wealth of knowledge concerning US history

Parental involvement is always welcomed and even encouraged. Where parents should start would be at home with their child. Helping your junior out at home and being involved that way can really help them. If you would like to email me about getting involved with the class in other ways it is more than welcomed.

Thanks everyone! I can't wait to meet you all at Parent-Teacher Conferences soon.

-Alisha Graefe