Website Review: Torn in Two

TORN IN TWO from the Boston Public Library is a website that explores defining events from the American Civil War.

The Virtual Tour examines people, places, and events connected with the Civil War. In the People section, users can explore the lives of a dozen different people impacted by the war. Students can explore their lives before, during, and after the war. In addition, users can examine maps related to their experiences and a timeline of events. The Places section provides access to period maps of the world, regions of the United States, and individual states. Finally, the timeline features maps, photographs, and other documents related to key events before, during, and after the war.

Curriculum guides are available for elementary, middle, high school, and special curriculum. These include standards-based lessons, students sheets, and supporting materials.

Librarians will find this website to be an effective way to illustrate the role of maps in understanding history. Consider collaborating with the history teacher on a project focusing on primary source materials, map reading, and history.

Sponsored by the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library, the Torn in Two experience can be extended by exploring other maps in the library’s collection.

To visit the website, go to http://tornintwo.org/.
To try the Virtual Tour, go to http://tornintwo.org/about-the-exhibi…/take-the-virtual-tour.
To download Teacher Resources, go to http://tornintwo.org/teacher-resources/curriculum-guides.