Website Review: Monticello Digital Classroom

MONTICELLO DIGITAL CLASSROOM provides a wealth of information and educational resources about Thomas Jefferson and his life at Monticello.

A companion project to the Thomas Jefferson Monticello website, this archive contains 693 media items, 155 lesson plans, and 54 articles. Users can browse by topic such as slavery, American Revolution, and the Louisiana Purchase. The resource provides opportunities for both students and teachers.

Librarians will find this comprehensive resource to be useful for K-12 social studies teachers. Many of the articles contain options for elementary, middle, or high school reading levels making them particularly useful for targeted, informational reading experiences. An emphasis on primary source documents makes this website particularly useful for the informational literacy curriculum.

To visit the website, go to https://classroom.monticello.org/.

Website Review: Sea of Liberty

SEA OF LIBERTY is an interactive online exhibition tracing the influence of Thomas Jefferson’s ideas.

In addition to the digital collection, users can explore, create, and showcase their work. The explore section shares documents, letters, artwork, photographs and other materials related to the ideas of liberty, freedom, and self-governance. The create section encourages users to create digital projects that draw on the past. Finally, the showcase area allows users to see and learn from others.

Librarians will find that students enjoy the age-appropriate presentation of resources and information. The educational materials focus on teaching digital citizenship and historical thinking through primary sources. These concepts fit well with the standards for 21st century learners.

To visit the website, go to https://seaofliberty.org.

App Review: Slavery at Monticello

SLAVERY AT MONTICELLO is an app that tells the stories of people who lived and worked in Thomas Jefferson’s agricultural businesses.

After an introduction, users can explore the app through sites, people, or themes.

The “Discover Sites” section allows users to explore the stable, Hemmings cabin, textile workshop, stone house, storehouse for iron, nailery, blacksmith’s shop, joiner’s shop, coal sheds, and beyond Mulberry Row.

The “Meet People” section provides insights by more than a dozen people who worked for Thomas Jefferson from weavers and woodworkers to runaway slaves and the slave owner. Timelines visualize the lives of each person.

The “Explore Themes” section explores key themes including family and separation; labor, trade, and economy; life after Monticello; living and working conditions; racial identity; resistance and punishment; and studying slavery at Monticello.

Animations, stories, slideshows, and other approaches are used to share primary source documents and information related to each topic.

In addition to the major sections, users can also use a map to zoom-in on the historical site and explore various sites.

Librarians will find this to be an effective tool for discussing the history of slavery and Thomas Jefferson’s connections to the issue. History teachers will find that the format is attractive and easy to use with students. Immerse youth in the app through role playing activities.

To download the app from the App Store or Google Play, go tohttp://app.monticello.org/.