Category: History

What are parents and teachers most worried about over the summer? That kids will lose their sharp education edge, dulled by sun and sand and something else. Worry no more.

Your cure: learning disguised as play. Kids will think they’re playing games, but are actually participating in [mostly] free simulations available in the education field. A note: some must be downloaded and a few purchased, so the link might take you to a website that provides access rather than play. Choose what works for you:

• iCivics—experience what it means to be part of a democracy
• Second Life—simulates just about anything if you can find it
• Coffee Shop—run a coffee shop business

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Presidents’ Day is an American federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February–this year, February 17, 2025. It was originally established to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States, and expanded to also celebrate the birthdays and legacies of other U.S. Presidents, particularly Abraham Lincoln whose birthday is February 12th.

Here are great ways to celebrate in your classroom including websites, games, activities, printables, quizzes, audios, songs, interactive maps,  crafts, flashcards, videos, webquests, books, posters, trading cards, lesson plans, word searches, puzzles, speeches, articles, animations, biographies, and more (click the titles for the link): (more…)

Here are some activities for Groundhog Day–February 2nd (click here for updates to list):

1. Fun Facts About Groundhogs–video
2. Groundhog Day Digital Activities–grades 3-5
3. Groundhog Day for Kids–a video
4. Groundhog Day Games
5. Groundhog Day Teaching Resources
6. History of Groundhog Day–from History.com
7. Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Website
8. Why Groundhogs Supposedly Predict the Weather–video

For the 100th day of school, here are resources (if these sound familiar, we updated last year’s list):

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Watch this video and come away educated:

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Here are popular online resources to teach about History (click here for updates to the list):

1. Critical Past–original videos from mid-1800’s and forward of amazing events in world history.
2. DocsTeach
3. Hello History–chat with historic figures from the past
4. History Central
5. History for Kids--written by a ‘kid’ in well-chosen words his peers will understand
6. HistoryPin–connect your community with local history
7. Media History Project
8. Pass the Past–educational game to help students prepare for Virginia’s Standard’s of Learning (SOL) exams with a focus on World, United States and Virginia history, civics, and geography. (app)
9. Timelapse–watch the world change over time

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Presidents’ Day is an American federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February–this year, February 20, 2023. It was originally established to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States, and expanded to also celebrate the birthdays and legacies of other U.S. Presidents, particularly Abraham Lincoln whose birthday is on February 12th.

Here are great ways to celebrate in your classroom including websites, games, activities, printables, quizzes, audios, songs, interactive maps,  crafts, flashcards, videos, webquests, books, posters, trading cards, lesson plans, word searches, puzzles, speeches, articles, animations, biographies, and more (click the titles for the link):

1. Activities

Family Education has many president-themed quizzes, crafts, flashcards, as well as other patriotic activities.

2. BrainPop President videos

With the quality and ease-of-understanding teachers expect from BrainPop resources, this link provides classroom resources on fifteen presidents including Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Madison, Adams, Jackson, Nixon, Clinton, Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama. It also includes videos on the Presidential Election and Presidential Power.

3. Games and online activities

From Primary Games, popular home of a wide variety of edutainment for kids, this link includes a President’s Day Wordsearch, games, coloring pages, worksheets, jokes, stationary, and mobile games.

4. Google explores Presidents

This site is part of Google’s Arts and Culture, reputed to be well-done, visual, and immensely enticing to viewers. It is a curation of websites and web-based resources on each president, as well as general information on life in the White House. Each President’s archive is anchored by his official Presidential portrait.

5. History and background

From History.com, this is one of the most comprehensive, engaging collections of Presidents Day activities you’ll find online. It includes videos, animations, Presidential speeches, and articles as well as background on the White House and the holiday itself.

6. Learn about each President

Curated by WhiteHouse.gov, this site includes links to each President. From there, you get a fairly short though comprehensive biography of each president, interesting facts, and the part he played in creating the nation.

7. Presidential Timeline

Create a timeline of events in the life of one president or many.

–image credit Deposit Photos

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

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Copyright ©2024 worddreams.wordpress.com – All rights reserved.

“The content presented in this blog is the result of my creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Presidents’ Day is an American federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February–this year, February 20, 2023. It was originally established to honor George Washington, the first President of the United States, and expanded to also celebrate the birthdays and legacies of other U.S. Presidents, particularly Abraham Lincoln, whose birthday is on February 12th.

Here are great ways to celebrate in your classroom including websites, games, activities, printables, quizzes, audios, songs, interactive maps,  crafts, flashcards, videos, webquests, books, posters, trading cards, lesson plans, word searches, puzzles, speeches, articles, animations, biographies, and more (click the titles for the link):

1. Activities

Check out Apples 4 the Teacher, a well-known resource site for teachers and homeschoolers, this site provides links to President-themed coloring pages, stories, biographies, word searches, word jumbles, puzzles, and book reviews that can be used to reinforce learning about all of America’s presidents.

Or, try Family Education, for quizzes, crafts, flashcards, as well as patriotic activities.

2. BrainPop President videos

With the quality and ease-of-understanding teachers expect from all BrainPop resources, this link provides classroom resources on fifteen presidents including Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Madison, Adams, Jackson, Nixon, Clinton, Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama. It also includes videos on the Presidential Election and Presidential Power.

3. Enchanted Learning Activities

From Enchanted Learning, one of the older but respected names in classroom printables, find crafts, printables, short printable books, a general collection of activities, spelling and writing activities, math worksheets, US symbols activities, quizzes, and more.

4. Games and online activities

From Primary Games, popular home of a wide variety of edutainment for kids, this link includes a President’s Day Wordsearch, games, coloring pages, worksheets, jokes, stationary, and mobile games.

5. Google explores Presidents

This site is part of Google’s Arts and Culture, reputed to be well-done, visual, and immensely enticing to viewers. It is a curation of websites and web-based resources on each president, as well as general information on life in the White House. Each President’s archive is anchored by his official Presidential portrait.

6. History and background

From History.com, this is one of the most comprehensive, engaging collections of Presidents Day activities you’ll find online. It includes videos, animations, Presidential speeches, and articles as well as background on the White House and the holiday itself.

7. Learn about each President

Curated by WhiteHouse.gov, this site includes links to each President. From there, you get a fairly short though comprehensive biography of each president, interesting facts, and the part he played in creating the nation.

8. Presidential Timeline

From Education World, this lesson plan guides students and teachers in creating a timeline of events in the life of the president. It includes materials required, time allotted, objectives, lesson plan, assessments, and tie-ins to academic subjects.

–image credit Deposit Photos

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Copyright ©2023 askatechteacher.com – All rights reserved.

Here are some activities for Groundhog Day–February 2nd:

1. Fun Facts About Groundhogs–video
2. Groundhog Day Digital Activities–grades 3-5
3. Groundhog Day for Kids–a video
4. Groundhog Day Games
5. Groundhog Day Teaching Resources
6. History of Groundhog Day–from History.com
7. Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Website
8. Why Groundhogs Supposedly Predict the Weather–video

If this is the 100th day of school, here are resources for that:

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If you’re a history teacher, here’s a reprint of an article I wrote a few years ago. It’s a great tie-in to Hour of Code:

During WWI, the Choctaw language had been used to transmit U.S. military messages. With this thought in mind, Philip Johnston, the son of a missionary grew up on a Navajo reservation and spoke the Diné tongue fluently, brought the suggestion of a similar code to General Clayton Vogel early in 1942. The Diné language has no alphabet, uses no symbols and one sound may hold an entire concept. The idea was tested and proved to be faster and more reliable than the mechanized methods. The language has more verbs than nouns, that helps to move the sentences along and makes it far more difficult for outsiders to learn – making it the most ingenious and successful code in military history.

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A lot of teacher-authors read my WordDreams blog. In this monthly column, I share the most popular post from the past month on my teacher education blog, Ask a Tech Teacher. Today, it’s my Book Launch for my latest historical fiction, Natural Selection. History teachers: If you teach about our ancestors’ roots, this is for you!

I will visit blogs through May 2023 to chat about my newest prehistoric fiction, Natural Selection, and writing in general. Here are articles you can read:

1. A [Prehistoric] Day with Lucy 
2. Could an almost-blind person get around feral Africa?
3. Did wanderlust drive man throughout the planet? Science thinks so. (Liesbet)
4. Early Man Can Talk. Change my Mind.
5. Early Man Could Run Down His Prey. Change my Mind.
6. Why Early Man didn’t Use Proper Nouns.
7. How Did Early Man Count?
8. How did Early Man Find His Way Around
9. How Did Early Man Tell Time?
10. How Smart was Lucy 2 mya
11. Prehistoric fiction is boring. Change my mind.
12. Why did Early Man Squat, not Sit?
13. Was Early Man Spiritual
14. What Did Early Man Eat?
15. What I learned from Lucy
16. 10 Characteristics of Great Writing 
17. 10 Things you probably don’t know about me (Marcia Meara)
18. 13 Writing Tips and 10 Criticisms I’ve Gotten from Twitter
19. 60+ Characteristics That Make Your Character Memorable
20. 5 Excuses Why Writers Don’t Write and 9 Ways to Overcome Them
21. Why Follow Genre Rules (OC Writing)

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