Website Review: Thanksgiving

THANKSGIVING from the Library of Congress is a teacher’s guide providing educators with primary sources and teaching materials related to the annual holiday.

This easy-to-use educational resource contains historical context, instructional materials, primary source documents, and learning tools.

Librarians will find the materials useful for elementary and middle school levels. Rather than overwhelming teachers, this short guide focuses on just a few relevant, engaging primary sources to provide learners with an introduction to the historical context of the holiday.

To visit the website, go to https://www.loc.gov/…/class…/primarysourcesets/thanksgiving/.

Website Review: National Archives

The NATIONAL ARCHIVES features key Congressional Documents of interest to young history scholars. 

Did you know that the first Federal Congress passed a resolution recommending a day of thanksgiving in 1789? Or, that in 1941 Congress established a fixed-date for the holiday? The National Archives contains dozens of digitized documents associated with the holiday of Thanksgiving.

These documents are a fun way to focus on primary source documents throughout the year. Create a bulletin board featuring a different document every few weeks. Whether remembering the anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862 to celebrating the Civil Rights Act of 1942, primary source documents can bring history alive for students.

To locate the Thanksgiving documents, go to http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/thanksgiving/

For a list of featured documents, go to http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/

For many more ideas for using primary source documents in the classroom, go to http://docsteach.org/

Website Review: National Geographic Kids

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS is an outstanding source for informational reading materials. In addition to the print magazine, readers can also access thousands of articles at the National Geographic website without a subscription. 

This week, be sure to enjoy the “First Thanksgiving” article. It provides an excellent overview to the history of the holiday including dispelling myths. Links are provided to related articles.

A search of the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS website provides numerous articles on many topics making it a great resource for informational reading activities. The short articles generally include high-quality photos to engage readers. In addition to articles, the website also includes games and other interactive content.

The app version of the magazine contains rich opportunities for reading as well as engaging interactive content for subscribers. Print subscribers get complimentary access.

There’s also a National Geographic Kids YouTube channel. With both free and subscription-based content, this video resource is a great way to stimulate an interest in animals, adventure, and science

To read the First Thanksgiving article, go to http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/content/kids/en_US/explore/history/first-thanksgiving/

To go to the first page of the website, go to http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

To download the free app, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/national-geographic-kids/id436482773

To explore the YouTube channel, go to https://www.youtube.com/user/NatGeoKids