Resources for Teachers
History/Social Science/Government:
US Supreme Court Cases
• www.yahooligans.com
Search “supreme court”
• http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/
Database for court cases
• www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0873869.html
Kids’ information search engine
• www.oyez.org/oyez/frontpage
US supreme court multimedia site
• www.landmarcases.org/
Summaries of landmark cases
• www.supremecourtus.gov
Official government site on Supreme Court
• www.fedworld.gov/supcourt/
Database of text of Supreme Court decision between 1937-1975
U.S. Government:
First Gove for Kids: This website is a portal to the U.S. Government for kids
http://www.kids.gov/
Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/index.html
U.S. Census Bureau: Federal Websites for Kids (K-12)
http://www.census.gov/mso/www/educate/kidspage.htm
U.S. Constitution Online
http://www.usconstitution.net/
U.S. History:
American Rhetoric
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/top100speechesall.html
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speechbank.htm
The Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/index.html
Library of Congress: Prints & Photographs Online Catalog
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html
Library of Congress: American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
Smithsonian Institution: American History Timeline
http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/timeline.htm
Social Studies for Kids
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/ushistory.htm
U.S. Info
http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/histryotln/
United States History
http://countrystudies.us/united-states/
World History:
Hyper History Online
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html
Kidipede
http://www.historyforkids.org/
Humanities/Art/Music/Dance/Photography/Architecture:
Architecture:
The Birth of Gothic Architecture
http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/maxpages/classes/His311/Lecture%20Three/lect6.html
Boston’s Basic Architectural Periods
http://www.iboston.org/mcp.php?pid=arch
A History of British Architecture
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/architecture_01.shtml
History of Greek Architecture
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/org/orion/eng/hst/greek.html
History of Western Architecture
http://web.kyoto-inet.or.jp/org/orion/eng/hst/hist.html
Texas Architecture: A Visual History
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/exhibits/txarch/
Renaissance and Baroque Architecture
http://www.lib.virginia.edu/dic/colls/arh102/index.html
Landscapes Images:
History of Landscape Architecture
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~helphand/homepage.html
Music:
Classical/Romantic/ Baroque/Renaissance/Middle Ages:
Black History and Classical Music
http://chevalierdesaintgeorges.homestead.com/History.html
The Classical Music Pages
http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/classmus.html
Classical Period Music Links
http://www.carolinaclassical.com/classical.html
The Internet Public Library
http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/clas/index.htm
NPR Classical
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10003
Romantic Era Music Links
http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/
Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical Era Music: Composers
http://plato.acadiau.ca/courses/musi/Callon/2233/composer.htm
Jazz:
All About Jazz. Retrieved on November 1, 2007 from
http://www.google.com/ig
Google Images. James Van Der Zee. Retrieved on November 3, 2007 on
http://images.google.com/images?q=James+Van+Der+Zee&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi
Harlem.org. Retrieved on November 1, 2007 from
http://www.harlem.org/
Jazz Age Culture Part 1, 2, Jazz Age Writers (2007). Pittsburg State University.
Retrieved November 1, 2007 from
http://faculty.pittstate.edu/~knichols/jazzage2.html#harlemart
NPR Music (2007). Jazz Profiles. Retrieved on November 16, 2007 from
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10208861
Scholastic. Photographer James Van Der Zee. Retrieved on November 6, 2007 from
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=4796
Drop Me Off in Harlem: Exploring the Intersections. ArtsEdge, Education Department
of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. (School Library Journal
Accessed 9/15/06). Accessed November 11, 2006 from
artsedge.kennedycenter.org/exploring/harlem
This Web site features an interactive street map of Harlem linking people, events, and
places. There are video and audio clips of dancers and musicians along with photographs
and other primary sources. The site also offers well-developed lesson plans. This site
will be used to search for answers to the questions that the students have created.
PBS. Jazz in Time. Retrieved on November 8, 2007 from
http://www.pbs.org/jazz/time/time_women.htm
This link on the PBS website shares the timeline of Jazz from “Slavery” to “Beyond the
Sixties”, with a special look at the women of Jazz. Along with the text there are audio
clips that sample the sounds of Jazz by the various artists featured. This site will be used
to search for answers to the questions that the students have created.
PBS. Kids Go: Jazz. Retrieved on November 8, 2007 from
http://pbskids.org/jazz/
This link on the PBS website is geared toward children and offers an interactive overview
of the Jazz timeline from 1700 to 1960. Each link shares information about Jazz during
the time period. The “Jazz Greats” link provides bibliographic information on seven
artists that have impacted Jazz. This site will be used to refresh all participants on the
timeline of Jazz as well as to answer the questions that the students have created.
Smithsonian Jazz Class. America's Jazz Heritage, Smithsonian Institution. (School
Library Journal Accessed 10/20/06). Accessed on November 11, 2007 from
www.smithsonianjazz.org
The Smithsonian's umbrella jazz site has links arranged according to three categories:
"Live It!" "Learn It!" and "Love It!" The "Jazz Class" begins with four featured artists-band leaders and composers Duke Ellington and Benny Carter, innovative jazz singer
Ella Fitzgerald, and the legendary jazz icon Louis Armstrong. The site offers the
opportunity for students to listen, utilize print outs, and participate in a “Match Game"
where students match photos of artists. The Smithsonian site offers entire songs. Each
section includes a teacher lesson plan replete with objectives, activities, and National
Standards for Arts Education. (Some areas require Flash 5 Plug In). This site will be used
to search for answers to the questions that the students have created.
Multiple Periods:
Essentials of Music
http://www.essentialsofmusic.com/
The History of Music
http://archiv.radio.cz/hudba/classic.html
The Internet Public Library - Music History 102
http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/
Visual Art:
KQED: (Public TV-multimedia/shows) Spark
http://www.kqed.org/arts/programs/spark/
Library of Congress: Prints and Photographs Online Catalog
http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/catalog.html
Met Museum of Art: Timeline of Art History
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/splash.htm
MoMA: The Museum of Modern Art
http://www.moma.org/
SFMOMA: Education, Teacher Program (Lessons, Media)
http://www.sfmoma.org/education/edu_teacher.html
Multiple Subjects/Multimedia/Lesson Ideas:
BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/rockindie/
NPR
http://www.npr.org
PBS (Public Broadcasting Station): Multiple subjects, articles, video, audio, images, etc
http://www.pbs.org/
PBS Teachers: Resources for the Classroom
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/
Sites for Teachers: Multiple Subjects, Lesson Plans, Worksheets, Activities, etc
http://www.sitesforteachers.com/index13.html
Smithsonian Institute
http://www.si.edu/
Teacher Tube: Teach the World | Teacher Videos | Lesson Plan Videos | Student Video
Lessons | Online Teacher Made Videos
http://www.teachertube.com/
Reading:
Los Angeles Public Library: Kids & Teens
http://www.lapl.org/kidspath/books/index.html
AND
http://www.lapl.org/ya/readingclub/
San Francisco Public Library: kids & Teens
http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/sfplonline/kids/booklist.htm
AND
http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/sfplonline/teen/recreadnew.htm
YALSA: Recommended Summer Reading & Awards
http://wikis.ala.org/yalsa/index.php/Summer_Reading
AND
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook.cfm
Research:
ALA/ALSC: Great Websites for Kids
http://www.ala.org/gwstemplate.cfm?section=greatwebsites&template=/cfapps/gws/defa
ult.cfm
An organized directory of sites selected by members of the American Library Association
using rigorous evaluation guidelines to assure high quality content, authority and
"strength of character."
ALA/AASL KC Tools: Tools to assist students in learning how to research
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/schlibrariesandyou/parentsandcomm/k12students/
aaslkctools.cfm
Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need
http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html
The Fact Monster: Fact-finding hunt (This search tool gathers information from
Encyclopedia, Almanac, Thesaurus, Dictionary)
http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/archives/factmonster.shtml
Research 101: The Basics - Primary and secondary sources
http://www.lib.washington.edu/uwill/research101/basic03.htm
The Library-University of California, Berkeley: Primary & Secondary Sources
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/instruct/guides/primarysources.html
Evaluating Sources
UC Berkeley: Evaluation OF Websites Form
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/EvalForm.pdf
San Francisco Public Library: Evaluating Websites (This public library provides
researchers a checklist of five key things to consider when evaluating a website
http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/sfplonline/kids/webevaluation.htm
Evaluating Websites
Ask yourself:
Who: Who created the site? Can the authors be identified as experts? (See bottom of
page)
What: What is the purpose of the website? (Usually to inform, persuade, sell, or
entertain) Is the information from the site useful to you?
When: When was the site created or last updated? (See bottom of page)
Where: Where does the information on the site come from? Do these seem like reliable
sources?
Avoid Plagiarism
Plagiarism is taking another’s work as your own without permission or without properly
citing.
When you use printed, electronic or human resources that:
Give you new information
OR
Validate information you have
You must:
Cite appropriately
Put the information in your own words
Synthesize the information so it is not presented exactly as it was in the source you used
Science:
APS Physics: Science Education Websites (K-8)
http://www.aps.org/programs/education/resources/precollege-k8.cfm
Discover Education: Lesson Plans (K-12)
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/
DNA Tube: Scientific Video Site
http://www.dnatube.com/
Teacher Tube: Teach the World | Teacher Videos | Lesson Plan Videos | Student Video
Lessons | Online Teacher Made Videos
http://www.teachertube.com/
Technology:
Information Today, Inc
http://www.infotoday.com/
Tech Soup
http://www.techsoup.org/index.cfm?cg=header&sg=home
Tools:
Google: Docs, Earth, Readers
Social Bookmarking: delicious
http://delicious.com/
Search Tool Definitions
What is a database?
Simply stated a database is “A database is an organized collection of information that is
made up of related records.” (Runet.edu, retrieved Sept 2008)
http://lib.runet.edu/tutorial/IV/index.asp
(Shares what is a database and how to select a database?)
What is a Search Engine?
Search Engines are tools that can be used to seek out information on the Web (articles,
pictures, video clips, etc).
Lesson: General Web Search Tools: An Introduction
1. Search Engine: An Internet software program that creates huge databases of web
documents. Search engines send out "spiders" or "robots" to crawl through web
files and index them. Examples: Google, AltaVista. CAVEATS: No search engine
indexes the entire web. · Not all search engines are updated in a timely manner.
2. Search Directory: A special kind of file used to organize other files into a
hierarchical structure. Internet directories begin with broad categories and become
more specific as you descend in to the hierarchical list. Examples: Librarians'
Index to the Internet, Yahoo, Looksmart, Yahooligans, KidsClick.
3. Metasearch Engine: A search engine that searches multiple search engines
simultaneously. Examples: Dogpile, Ixquick, Vivisimo.
(http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/lgensearch.html retrieved Sept 2008)
Choose the Best Search for Your Information Need
http://www.noodletools.com/debbie/literacies/information/5locate/adviceengine.html
Research Definitions Terms
Abstract: a brief summary of an article or a book that includes
bibliographic information such as author, title, source, subject headings
or descriptors, etc.
Almanacs: annual publications that contain calendars, facts, statistics,
and other miscellaneous information.
Atlases: Collections of maps.
Author: a person who writes a novel, poem, essay, etc.; the composer of
a literary work, as distinguished from a compiler, translator, editor, or
copyist.
Bibliography: a list of books, periodical articles, government documents,
or other materials systematically arranged by author, title, date and
place of publication, publisher, details of edition, and page numbers.
Published bibliographies on specific subjects are often found in the
reference collection.
Biography: a written account of a person's life or the group of literature
concerned with people's lives.
Boolean Operators: words such as AND, OR, and NOT that are called
"logical operators" and are used to combine search terms to either
broaden or narrow the retrieval results of a search. Boolean Searching
describes the method of searching in which terms are combined to either
recall more documents or to retrieve a more precise set of documents.
Citation: a reference to a text or publication that includes the
bibliographic information--author, title, name of journal or name of
publisher, date, pages, volumes and other information that is necessary
to locate a book, a magazine or journal article, or some other material.
Database: a collection of data or file of information in a form accessible
by computer or indexed in machine readable form. In a sense, a database
is a computerized library in which individual records can be retrieved.
Descriptors: A word or a group of words used as a subject to describe
the content in books, articles, and other materials for the purpose of
indexing or organizing these items by topic. As an important element of
effective research, descriptors are needed to determine the correct
headings for a specific database or catalog. See also Subject Headings
and Thesaurus.
Directory: a systematically organized list of persons, businesses,
organizations, or associations that provides addresses, affiliations,
telephone numbers, and similar information.
Government Document: a publication or any printed matter originating
or printed by the authority of any office of a legally organized government
body.
Journal: a periodical collection of articles or other material such as
reports, proceedings, or transactions issued by a society, an
organization, or an institution.
Keyword: Searching which uses a few key, or important, words to
retrieve books or articles on a specific topic or associated with those
words in some way. The keywords could be used to search from the text
of the document (if it is a full-text database), or some named Field
(author, title, etc.) depending on the Database being used and the
searcher's intent.
Keyword Searching - a method or strategy of construct a search by
looking for a word or combination of words that describe a document in a
natural language as opposed to the controlled language of subject of
descriptor searching.
Magazine: a periodical publication for general interest such as news,
current events, and popular material.
Periodicals: publications issued in successive parts at regular intervals,
including journals, magazines and newspapers. Current periodicals are
ones that have arrived recently within the last six months to two years.
Bound periodicals are back issues which have been sent to the bindery,
covered with a binding, and placed in the stacks.
Periodical Index: an access tool that locates and lists articles which
have appeared in journals, magazines, or newspapers that is organized
by subject. A periodical index lists the author, title, name of periodical,
volume, pages and date of publication.
Primary Source: Manuscripts, records, or documents providing original
research or documentation.
Secondary Source: materials or sources that contain information that
has been cited, translated, or based upon another--primary or original
source.
Serials: publications issued at regular intervals--daily, weekly, monthly,
quarterly, annually, or biannually-- and are generally intended to be
continued indefinitely. Serials include Periodicals as well as annual
publications, proceedings, and transactions.
Series: a group or a number of related or similar things, events, etc.,
arranged or occurring in temporal, spatial, or other order or succession;
sequence.
Subject: the theme of a sermon, book, story, song, etc.
Subject Headings: a word or groups of words that are assigned to books,
articles, and other materials in order to indicate the subject matter and
to group or organize similar materials by topic. As an important element
of effective research, subject headings are needed to determine the
correct headings as indexed within a specific database or catalog
Thesaurus: a list of words or group of words that can be used as subject
headings or descriptors in a particular database, catalog, or index.
Title: the distinguishing name of a book, poem, picture, piece of music,
or the like.
Non-Fiction Reference Tools
Atlas
1. A book or bound collection of maps, sometimes with supplementary illustrations
and graphic analyses.
2. A volume of tables, charts, or plates that systematically illustrates a particular
subject: an anatomical atlas.
3. A large size of drawing paper, measuring 26 × 33 or 26 × 34 inches
Almanac
1. A book or table, containing a calendar of days, and months, to which astronomical
data and various statistics are often added, such as the times of the rising and setting of
the sun and moon, eclipses, hours of full tide, stated festivals of churches, terms of courts,
etc.
2. an annual publication containing tabular information in a particular field or fields
arranged according to the calendar of a given year
3. an annual publication including weather forecasts and other miscellaneous information
arranged according to the calendar of a given year
Dictionary
1. A book of alphabetically listed words in a specific language, with definitions,
etymologies, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of alphabetically
listed words in one language with their PIE equivalents in another, also known as
a lexicon.
Encyclopedia
1. Reference work containing articles on a wide range of subjects or on numerous
aspects of a particular field, usually arranged alphabetically