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Homework Help Just a Click Away - Internet homework services
are happy to help curious, motivated students, but they don't want to
do the work for lazy ones. Oceanography professor Robert Stewart, who
hosts the "Ask Dr. Bob" marine science site, responds to questions
from teachers and adults, too.
Who's Afraid of Intelligent Design? - My favorite high school
teacher, Al Ladendorff, conducted his American history class like an
extended version of "Meet the Press." Nothing, not even the textbooks
other teachers treated as Holy Writ, was safe from attack. I looked
forward to that class every day. My biology class, sadly, was another
story.
Visit NASA – The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration where you will find
special sections for students, teachers, researchers, etc. and the
latest information on space travel and exploration as well as
fascinating looks into how space exploration is affecting research on
earth.
EDC Offers Teachers a Guide Through High School E-Science
- "Hands-on" science is becoming "hands-on-the-computer"
science. To support teachers in that role Education Development Center
of Newton MA, with support from NEC Foundation of America and National
Science Foundation, has produced a guide for teachers: "Selecting
Computer-Based High School Science Curricula." The guide is for
teachers trying to decide whether to use a particular curriculum that
comes in digital form. The guide questions them about the e-curriculum
they are considering: what learning is likely to occur, the teaching
requirements, the equity of access and benefit, and the
dollars-and-cents feasibility. The tool tells them why they should ask
those questions. It gives them sample answers written by teachers who
use the tool. It also profiles 14 e-curricula available to classrooms
electronically.
"Exploring Earth:
Visualizations" features more than 100 animations & images that
illuminate key concepts in earth science. Animations show coal
forming, nuclear fission, the growth of a continent, tectonic plate
movement, volcanoes & earthquakes, fault motion, the formation of the
Himalayas, a geyser eruption, how waves move, tornadoes, hurricanes,
thunderstorms, & more. Students can observe a single place on earth
from multiple views, 3-D models of water & common molecules, images of
different climate zones, & seasonal changes in the amount of sunlight
reaching locations on earth. Visualizations are organized by topic:
earth as a system, earth's structure & motions, rocks, atoms to
minerals, plate tectonics, volcanoes, earthquakes, mountain building,
weathering & erosion, water, wind & currents, atmosphere, weather,
oceans, planets, & others. (NSF)
http://earthsci.terc.edu/navigation/visualization.cfm
"Science: ENC Online" has collected more than 400 lessons & resources
for teaching science & organized them by topic: earth & space science,
history of science, life science, physical science, careers, &
informal education. (ED)
http://www.enc.org/weblinks/lessonplans/science/
"Teachers' Domain" is a digital library of multimedia for teaching &
studying life sciences -- ecology & ecosystems, evolution, adaptation,
genetics, the cell (structure & function, DNA, differentiation), &
more. It includes more than 150 broadcast clips & video modules from
WGBH Boston's programs such as NOVA, A Science Odyssey, & ZOOM;
interview segments; out-take footage; & interactive web-based
activities. Photos, animations, images, & text are catalogued &
presented with contextual information designed to help teachers
present science concepts & for independent study by students. (NSF)
http://www.teachersdomain.org
Education links and resources:
Links to Sites About Science
"Exploring Earth: Investigations"
provides more than 75 earth science investigations. Each
investigation is organized around a
question: What stories do rocks tell? Could
Mars support life? How can one volcano
change the world? Photos & text (& sometimes video) help
students answer each question. Among the
topics: earth's layers, rocks,
volcanoes & plate tectonics, earthquakes &
mountains, surface & ground water, wind &
currents, atmosphere & weather, climate
change, oceans, our moon & solar system, &
earth's history. (NSF)
http://earthsci.terc.edu/navigation/investigation.cfm
"Red Rock Adventures: A Teacher's Guide to Canyon Country Outdoor
Education" provides 100 science
activities for Grades 1-6. Topics
include the water cycle, air & weather, rocks, seasonal
changes in plants & animals,
habitats, ecosystems, biodiversity,
geological features & geographical concepts,
& microorganisms of the desert & wetlands.
The guide also outlines 18 one-day field
trips. While best suited to the high desert
of southeastern Utah, many field trips can be
adapted for other sites. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/seug/ccoe/guide.html
"Watershed Ecology" introduces basic
watershed ecology concepts. It examines
physical forces that shape watershed
ecosystems, plants & animals that inhabit
watersheds, typical watershed structures, &
how watersheds function -- at different
geographic scales & over time. (EPA)
http://www.epa.gov/owowwtr1/watershed/wacademy/acad2000/ecology/
Acronyms
EPA -- Environmental Protection Agency
NPS -- National Park Service
NSF -- National Science Foundation
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Google Gets Earthy
- Google has launched Google Earth, a free software package that
gives detailed, 3-D views of cities across the globe replete with
thousands of restaurants, schools, hotels and other establishments.
For months, users have been gaga over Google Maps, which quickly and
easily conjures up maps of nearly anywhere in the United States.
Particularly popular is the service's satellite views, which show
detailed images of neighborhoods or particular streets. And because of
its open architecture, others can create imaginative hacks that
combine Google Maps with third-party services like craigslist. Google
Earth is Google Maps on steroids -- and the company has incorporated
the hacking element into the product by allowing anyone to add their
own details. [Source: Wired News, June 30, 2005]
New Michigan Week Page:
History, Arts and Libraries - For one week in May each year,
Michigan residents are invited to celebrate all that makes our
communities, our businesses, our schools and our collective heritage
so very unique and worth sharing. The Michigan History, Arts and
Libraries Department (HAL) has established a special web page to
provide Ways Students and Teachers can Celebrate Michigan's Heritage
(easily adaptable to other states as well for our out-of-state
readers). Help HAL spread the word.
National Atlas:
Map Maker - This free tool allows you to zoom in, zoom out, or
point and click your way to a customized map of the U.S. Includes the
basics like roads, counties, and capitals but goes several steps
further to include agriculture (crops), climate, geology,
transportation, water and much, much more.
Election Co-nection Project - The Election Co-nection Project
is a free, online curriculum and interactive learning experience that
focuses on the process that a candidate must follow to run for
president of the U.S. and how citizens participate in the electoral
process. The project has two main online activities. The first
activity, Vote for President is open to all K-12 students. In this
activity, students are able to vote, from October 18–22, for the
presidential candidate they want to win the 2004 election. Includes
teacher guide.
Veteran's Day Activities/Info from the
U.S. Department of Education
White House Lessons of Liberty -
The Veterans' Experience, an Education Website
Veterans
History Project - The Library of Congress invites you to
join it in collecting audio- and video-taped oral histories, along
with documents such as letters, diaries, maps, photographs, and home
movies, of America's war veterans and those who served in support of
them during World War I, World War II, and the Korean, Vietnam, and
Gulf Wars.
50th Anniversary of the Korean War
- Historical information, images, interviews with Korean War
veterans, commemorative activities and information for teachers and
students.
Arlington National
Cemetery Home Page
Burial
of the Unknown Soldier - November, 1921 -- a first person
account
"The Campaign for Vicksburg, 1863"
describes the effort by Major General Grant & his Union Army of
Tennessee to capture Vicksburg, Mississippi. Taking Vicksburg,
President Lincoln said, was the key to ending the Civil War. It was
the key to his administration's regaining control of the lower
Mississippi River, which had been lost when southern states seceded &
Confederate forces closed the river. Regaining control of this area &
the river, the most important economic feature of the continent, would
allow the rich agricultural produce of the Northwest to reach world
markets. It would also split the South in two. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/vick/vcmpgn/vcmpgn.htm
"Creation of the National Mall" looks at the grounds that serve as the
setting for the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson
Memorial, & Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, as well as the Vietnam
Veteran's Memorial, D.C. War Memorial, & Korean War Veteran's
Memorial. The Mall, known as "America's Common," is a place where
Americans gather to exercise our democratic rights, reflect on our
great leaders & pivotal events, & celebrate the birth of our nation.
This website includes a history of the Mall & a timeline of key dates
in its evolution. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/nama/feature/article.htm
"Our Documents: Teacher Sourcebook" is designed to help teachers use
in the classroom 100 of the most important documents in our nation's
history. The 100 milestone documents appear on a timeline, along
with descriptions telling why they're important. Key themes are
discussed -- rights & responsibilities, individuals & society,
state & federal power, & commerce & regulation. Guidelines suggest
ways to use primary sources as teaching tools. An essay recounts what
happened at the Constitutional Convention. Three indepth lesson plans
are provided on Thomas Jefferson & the Louisiana Purchase, Alexander
Graham Bell & Thomas Edison, & Brown v Board of Education. The 80-page
sourcebook accompanies the National Initiative on American History,
Civics, & Service announced by President Bush in September 2002.
(NARA)
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/content.php?page=download_sourcebook
"Statue of Liberty: Teacher's Corner" features the 305-foot monument
that stands in New York Harbor as a symbol of political freedom &
democracy. The copper statue, a gift from the people of France, was
built by Frederic-August Bartholdi in Paris & was dedicated in the
U.S. in 1886. This website identifies 11 symbolic elements in the
monument & describes seven individuals responsible for its
construction. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/stli/teachercorner/index.html
Social Studies - Coming Events: A listing
of social studies professional development activities around the State
of Michigan, including some activities and events for students. For
more details, visit
http://www.muskegon-isd.k12.mi.us/social_studies/calendar.htm
"Archeology for Interpreters: A Guide to
the Knowledge of the Resource" can help students learn about
archeological methods & how archeological interpretations are made. It
is organized around questions that include: What is archeology? What
do archeologists do? How do archeologists determine how old things
are? (NPS)
http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/afori/
"Cowpens National Battlefield" commemorates a battle at the "cow pens"
in South Carolina (January 1781) that helped turn the tide of war in
the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution. Coming on the heels
of a patriot victory at nearby Kings Mountain (October 1780), it was
the second successive staggering defeat for British forces under
General Cornwallis. Nine months later (October 1781), Cornwallis
surrendered to Washington at Yorktown, Virginia. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/cowp/
"Effigy Mounds National Monument On-Line Teacher's Guide" offers 40
lesson ideas in archeology, art, language arts, math, science, social
studies, & other subject areas. The website also provides articles on
the history, geology, & ecology of the mounds. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/efmo/parks/table_of_contents.htm
"Eisenhower Home Virtual Tour" walks students through the only place
President Eisenhower & his wife ever called home. In 1950, as they
approached retirement, the Eisenhowers purchased a farm adjoining
Gettysburg National Military Park. During his Presidency, President &
Mrs. Eisenhower used the farm as a weekend retreat, a refuge in time
of illness, & a comfortable meeting place for world leaders. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/eise/tour1a.htm
"Grant-Kohrs Ranch" commemorates America's frontier cattle era. The
ranch -- located north of Yellowstone in Deer Lodge, Montana -- is
among the best surviving examples of an economic strategy based on the
western cattle industry of the 1850s-1970s. A German immigrant, Conrad
Kohrs, purchased the ranch in 1866 & began by supplying to mining camp
butcher shops. In 1874 he inaugurated rail shipment to Chicago's Union
Stock Yard. He upgraded the bloodlines of his stock by introducing
purebred Shorthorn & Hereford cattle, which were better suited to the
northern climate & put weight on faster than the rangy Texas
Longhorns. He located & moved cattle among rangeland in four states &
two Canadian provinces. This website tells his story. It includes
information about cowboys, cattle drives, & the winter of 1886. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/grko/kohrs.htm
"Helping Your Child Become a Responsible Citizen" defines "strong
character" & how parents can help children develop it. The booklet
includes chapters on "dealing with media pressures" & working with
schools, lists of books & magazines that can support character
development, & 18 activities. (ED)
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/citizen/index.html
"Revolutionary War Timeline" describes 125 battles, incidents, & other
developments during the Revolutionary War. Descriptions are brief
(often one sentence) & presented chronologically over the nine- year
war. Many include links to additional resources. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/cowp/Timeline.htm
"Rise & Fall of Jim Crow" accompanies a PBS series examining the
century of segregation following the Civil War (1863-1954). "Jim
Crow," a name taken from a popular 19th-century minstrel song, came to
personify government-sanctioned racial oppression & segregation in the
U.S. This website describes pivotal developments during that time --
the Emancipation Proclamation, the Compromise of 1877, the Brown v.
Board of Education decision, & others. It tells of actions taken by
Presidents, Congress, & the Supreme Court, as well as organizations
that opposed & supported Jim Crow. Interactive maps show Jim Crow laws
across the U.S. (& over time), as well as migration patterns,
population changes, & more. Individuals who endured Jim Crow tell
their stories. A 20-minute video, narrated by Ozzie Davis, recounts
the 1919 Elaine, Arkansas, riot & its aftermath. (NEH)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/
"Ships/Piers, San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park" presents
photos & stories of six of the park's collection of 100 of schooners,
ferryboats, tugs, & other traditional & significant small boats. (NPS)
http://www.nps.gov/safr/local/ship.html
Supreme Court Puts
Learning Center Online -
The Learning Center at the new Hall of
Justice is now available on the Internet through a virtual tour on the
Supreme Court's Web site.
"President's Day: United in Service"
was unveiled February 14, 2003, at the White House website for
kids. This new feature includes web-exclusive videos,
presidential biographies developed with help from area 5th-
graders, coloring pages by a White House artist, & resources
on volunteer service, history, & civics. In web videos, "Lord
of the Rings" actor Sean Astin, Arizona Diamondback Luis
Gonzalez, & former Washington Redskin Darrell Green discuss
the importance of volunteer service. (WH)
Visit:
http://whitehousekids.gov
"Attu: North American Battleground of
World War II" is the site of the only land
battle on the North American
continent during World War II. In June 1942, Japanese forces
invaded Attu & other Aleautian islands.
Americans feared the islands would be
used as a staging area to attack the
mainland. The U.S. had to regain the Aleutians at all costs.
(NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/7attu/7attu.htm
"The Battle of Oriskany: Blood Shed a Stream Running Down"
tells how long-standing prejudices & the
Revolutionary War unleashed massive
bloodshed among inhabitants of New York's
Mohawk Valley. Located in rich farmland & at a strategic
point in a fur trade route, the valley had been settled by
Dutch, German, Irish, Scotch, &
British immigrants who had prospered from
productive farms & lucrative trade. As war
broke out, everyone had to choose sides: Rebel or Tory. It
was not easy for many, including the Iroquois Confederacy,
which could not agree. Five hundred years of unity among the
Six Nations was broken. On August 6, 1777, as Rebels crossed
a ravine preparing to attack a British camp, they were
ambushed by Seneca Tories. Thus began the battle where
neighbor fought neighbor & a quiet ravine became a bloody
slaughterhouse. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/79oriskany/79oriskany.htm
"Chicago's Columbus Park: The Prairie Idealized"
presents the story of Jens Jensen, who immigrated from
Denmark to the U.S. in the 1880s,
took a job as a Chicago street sweeper, was
promoted to gardener, & rose to renown as a
landscape architect. Jensen aimed to portray "the soul of the
landscape" & developed the "Prairie
style," incorporating regional trees &
flowers in idealized settings of groves,
streams, limestone outcroppings, & flat
fields. His crowning achievement was
Columbus Park, a 150-acre park of wildflowers,
waterfalls, stepping stone paths, & a river 7 miles from
downtown Chicago. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/81columbus/81columbus.htm
"Coffeyville, Kansas: The Town That
Stopped the Dalton Gang" recounts the bank
robbery attempt that made Coffeyville famous
in 1892. Bob Dalton's gang had been robbing trains, stealing
horses, & looting gambling houses in
the Midwest. But Dalton wanted more. He
claimed he would "beat anything Jesse James
ever did -- rob two banks at once, in broad
daylight." This is the story of his attempt
to do so & the response he met from the
citizens of this small southeastern Kansas town.
When the dust had settled, more than half a dozen
citizens & four of the five outlaws
lay dead. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/99condon/99condon.htm
"The Freeman School: Building Prairie
Communities" examines a once common feature
on the American West landscape:
the one-room schoolhouse. This particular one-room school,
originally known as the Red- brick
School House, served the community of
Blakely Township, Nebraska, from 1872 to 1967.
When closed, it was the oldest
continuously used one-room school in
Nebraska. It served not only as a school, but also
as a church, meeting hall, polling
place, & social & political center of the
community. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/80homestead/80homestead.htm
"Going-to-the-Sun Road: A Model of Landscape Engineering"
was the first highway by which visitors could
see the lakes, glaciers, alpine
peaks, & meadows of Glacier National Park.
Work on the 50-mile route, which connected
the east & west sides of the park & crossed
the Continental Divide at Logan Pass, began
in 1921. The high technical standards of the
Bureau of Public Roads (later the Federal Highway
Administration) needed to be balanced
with the commitment of the National Park
Service to minimize damage to the landscape.
This website tells how those goals were pursued & why this
road served as a model for subsequent
road construction in national & state parks
for more than 25 years. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/95sunroad/95sunroad.htm
"Hardin County, Iowa"
presents 26 historic places -- barns, civic buildings,
churches, railroad depots, schools, &
libraries -- that depict the history of this
county, known as the "Heart of the
Heartland." (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/hardin/
"Hispano Ranchos of Northern New Mexico:
Continuity & Change" features the small
subsistence farms, or ranchos, created by
"Hispanos," early Spanish settlers of New Mexico, during the
1800s in the mountain valleys of the
Pecos & Mora rivers. Houses were built from
the same adobe used to construct Indian
pueblos & Spanish missions, with decorative
details added based on architectural
fashions brought to New Mexico after it
became a U.S. territory in 1851. Irrigation ditches were dug
& regulated by rules dating back
centuries. The website provides an
historical view of this region during the 19th
century & of the Hispanos' cultural
heritage & how they adapted to change. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/96ranchos/96ranchos.htm
"Hopewell Furnace: A Pennsylvania
Iron-making Plantation" focuses on one of
the 65 small ironworks operating in
southeast Pennsylvania during the American Revolution. The
Hopewell Furnace, located in forested
hills & valleys along French Creek in Berks
County, operated from 1771 to 1883. The
furnace was the center of a self-contained
hierarchical community of 200-300 people,
all of whose work was related to the
production of iron. Hopewell produced shot & cannon for
Continental forces during the Revolution;
between 1825 & 1844, it supplied
various iron products to eastern cities, including
the popular "Hopewell Stove." This
website offers a glimpse into the early days
of the iron & steel industry, which played a
central role in the growth of America as an
industrial nation. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/97hopewell/97hopewell.htm
"Joseph Bellamy House: The Great
Awakening in Puritan New England" examines
the life & times of the Reverend Joseph
Bellamy (1719-1790), a leading preacher,
author, & educator in New England. At the
age of 20, Bellamy became the minister in
Bethlehem, Connecticut, in 1740. He & other ministers,
including Jonathan Edwards, spent
most of 1741-1742 riding about New England
delivering impassioned sermons to bring
sinners back to the fold of the church. The movement, known as
the Great Awakening, appealed
particularly to working class people &
spread throughout the northern & central colonies.
Through his sermons & writings,
Bellamy linked traditional Calvinist
doctrine with reformers' belief that the "call of
the gospel was to everyone without
exception." He molded religion to fit people
instead of vice versa -- an approach
many of his colleagues opposed vehemently. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/85bellamy/85bellamy.htm
"Lexington, Kentucky: The Athens of the
West" highlights 29 places that illustrate
the transformation of the city from a small
frontier post during the Revolutionary War
into a center of economic, intellectual, & political
activity. Photos, maps, & essays are
included. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/lexington/
"Memories of Montpelier: Home of James &
Dolley Madison" describes the setting, main
house, & grounds of the home of
our fourth President & "father" of our Constitution. It also
looks at daily life in this 19th century
home on a 5,000-acre plantation in
the Piedmont of Virginia. The Madisons received
many visitors. In fact, it was not
uncommon for them to have as many as 25
guests requiring both room & board. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/46montpelier/46montpelier.htm
"Springwood: Birthplace & Home to
Franklin D. Roosevelt" is the only place in
the U.S. where a President was born,
maintained a lifelong connection, & lies buried. The estate,
located in Hyde Park on the Hudson
River (New York), is where Roosevelt was
raised & where he & his wife, Eleanor, raised
their five children. From the time of
his first political election, he delivered
his acceptance speeches from the portico of
this house. Cabinet members, heads of state,
royalty, congressmen, senators, & Secret Service stayed at the
house during his presidency. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/82springwood/82springwood.htm
"Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site:
Birthplace of the Modern Presidency"
examines the career of our 26th
President -- the conditions under which he
became a vice presidential candidate, the
assassination of President McKinley, the
home where TR was hastily inaugurated in
1901, & the influence he exerted on the
nation & the presidency. His inauguration marked a turning
point in the role of the presidency, launching a
change in national policy &
propelling the U.S. into world affairs. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/77troosevelt/77troosevelt.htm
"These Honored Dead: The Battle of Rivers
Bridge & Civil War Combat Casualties"
recounts a battle in a cold, rainy swamp in South Carolina
during the last year of the war. In contrast to major
campaigns & battles, this small
battle presents the war on a human scale.
Through maps, illustrations, photos, &
descriptions, one can comprehend the entire
battlefield & tactics used there. Excerpts
from letters help students see the war & its
effects from the perspective of individual
commanders & soldiers. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/94rivers/94rivers.htm
"The War Relocation Camps of World War
II: When Fear Was Stronger Than Justice"
looks at the causes & consequences of
President Franklin Roosevelt's executive
order, signed two months after the attack on
Pearl Harbor, that moved nearly 120,000
Japanese & Japanese Americans into 10
isolated relocation centers. The website
provides an excerpt from the executive order as well
as headlines from newspapers, a 1942 notice
of "instructions to all persons of
Japanese ancestry," a description of life in
the relocation centers, maps, photos of a
typical barracks room & mess hall, & more. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/89manzanar/89manzanar.htm
"Middle English Texts"
offers lyrics, tales, & other Middle English works (1350-1485) that
occupy an important place in the literary & cultural canon but that
are not readily available in student editions. More than 250 texts are
online, including "The Greene Knight," "The Prophecy of Merlin," "The
Death of Robin Hood," & "Robyn Hod & the Shryff off Notyngham." Each
text is supplemented with an introduction & notes. (NEH) Visit:
http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/tmsmenu.htm
"American Revolutionary War: Morristown National Historic Park"
describes the mansion and environs where General Washington & his
aides were headquartered for 200 days. It was here in the Ford Mansion
that he met with officers, scouts, spies, statesmen, and foreign
diplomats. His troops -- the Continental Army of over 10,000 soldiers
-- were encamped on the windswept hills & farmland nearby, where they
built a "log-house city" of more than 1,000 structures. Washington had
selected this site in Morristown, NJ, for strategic reasons. From
here, he could keep an eye on the British wintering in & around
Manhattan Island. He could guard roads that connected New England with
Philadelphia (the Revolutionary capital) & move troops swiftly to any
threatened point. Also, Morristown's rugged hills & mountains & broad
swamps provided a defensive advantage. (NPS,MMP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/revwar/morr/morroverview.html
"The Battle of Midway: Turning the Tide in the Pacific" examines a
pivotal World War II battle. In the spring of 1942, after victories in
the Pacific & southeast Asia, Japan was preparing to establish a
toehold in the Aleutian Islands, occupy & convert Midway into an air
base for invading Hawaii, & lure the U.S. Pacific Fleet into a final
battle & finish it off. The Japanese fleet depended on radio codes
that codebreakers in Hawaii & Washington, D.C., worked around the
clock to interpret. This website tells how they broke the code & how
the U.S. Pacific Fleet ended Japan's seemingly unstoppable advance
across the Pacific. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/90midway/90midway.htm
"The Battle of
Glorieta Pass: A Shattered Dream" examines the Civil War battle known
as the "Gettysburg of the West." Texans invaded this mountain valley,
intent on conquering New Mexico. Victory here would be a necessary
prelude to detaching the western states from the Union & expanding the
Confederacy to the Pacific Ocean. They were met along the canyon &
ridge on March 26, 1862, by volunteers from Colorado. A three-day
battle ensued, culminating with the Confederates retreating to Texas &
Confederacy hopes of expanding west shattered. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/91glorieta/91glorieta.htm
"The Emerald Necklace:
Boston's Green Connection" recounts the creation of a series of parks
in Boston in the 1880s. At that time, Boston was crammed with
buildings & people. It was overcrowded, noisy, & dirty. City
officials, concerned about the health & well-being of Bostonians,
hired Frederick Law Olmsted, who had designed Central Park in New
York, to create a park system. He developed & wove together a series
of small parks -- gardens, waterways, meadows, tree museums, & others
-- into what became known as Boston's Emerald Necklace. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/86bostonparks/86bostonparks.htm
"Mount Auburn Cemetery: A New American Landscape" describes the
country's first large-scale designed landscape open to the public. The
cemetery, established four miles outside Boston in 1831, stood in
stark contrast to the barren, crowded burial grounds in the city.
Providing ample space in a tranquil, natural setting, Mount Auburn
attracted not only mourners, but city dwellers wanting to experience
nature, as well as tourists & students. It inspired many offspring --
other rural cemeteries, the first public parks, & the first designed
suburbs in the 19th century. It marked a major shift in the way we
bury our dead. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/84mountauburn/84mountauburn.htm
"Papers of Jefferson
Davis" features more than 40 letters & speeches written by the man
best known as president of the Confederacy during the American Civil
War. Davis was also a Mexican War hero, member of the Senate & House
of Representatives, & secretary of war under Franklin Pierce. After
the Civil War he became a symbol of the Lost Cause. The website
provides extensive information on Davis & his family & numerous
images. (NEH) Visit:
http://jeffersondavis.rice.edu/
"Saratoga: The Tide
Turns on the Frontier" examines the turning point in the American
Revolution: two battles that demonstrated to France that the ragtag
Continental Army could win against Britain's better trained,
disciplined troops. Within months of the Battles of Saratoga, France
signed accords with Ben Franklin & other American envoys in Paris
recognizing America's Declaration of Independence & pledging full
military & financial support. France's allies, Spain & Holland, also
entered the conflict in support of the U.S. The victory at Saratoga
turned the American Revolution into a global war that Britain could
not win. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/93saratoga/93saratoga.htm
"Savannah, Georgia:
The Lasting Legacy of Colonial City Planning" describes the
establishing of Georgia as a colony in America & the design of the
settlement. When a friend in jail for debt died there, General James
Oglethorpe, a member of the House of Commons, asked Parliament for an
investigation into the suffering of debtors in London jails. A
committee concluded that a colony should be established in America for
the poor. Oglethorpe led a sea voyage of 114 men, women, & children
who hoped for a better opportunity in America. He also designed the
settlement layout to reflect both egalitarian principles & classical
standards of fortress construction. Savannah remains one of the few
surviving colonial city plans in the U.S. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/83savannah/83savannah.htm
"Thomas Jefferson's
Plan for the University of Virginia: Lessons from the Lawn" tells the
story of the creation of the University of Virginia. After serving as
President, Jefferson continued advocating for a statewide system of
education in Virginia, hoping to extend education beyond the elite to
the common man. Although the Virginia legislature refused to fund a
plan for primary & secondary education, when it approved funding in
1818 to establish a state university, Jefferson immediately drew
architectural plans for his ideal university. It would be "an
academical village" where professors would have their own separate
houses ("pavilions"). The curriculum would focus on scientific
knowledge, unlike at other universities, where preparation of clergy
for the church was the focus. The library would be located at the
center of the university -- a revolutionary concept because libraries
were not important features of other institutions where learning was
based on students' recitation of facts memorized from professors'
lectures. When construction at the site in the countryside west of
Charlottesville began, Jefferson made the four-mile trip on horseback
from his home, Monticello, almost every day to oversee the work. The
importance Jefferson attached to this work was reflected in the
epitaph he wrote for his grave marker. He omitted the fact that he'd
served as President of the U.S., noting instead that he was author of
the Declaration of Independence, author of the Statute of Virginia for
Religious Freedom, & father of the University of Virginia. (NPS,NRHP)
Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/92uva/92uva.htm
"Thurmond: A Town Born
from Coal Mines & Railroads" recounts the story of the New River Gorge
area in West Virginia. It is mountainous & remained sparsely populated
& largely inaccessible until 1873, when the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway
Company laid track through the gorge. Coal mining companies, towns, &
camps appeared almost overnight to mine the coal deposits. One of
these towns, the railroading town of Thurmond, reached its peak as the
major revenue producer for the C&O Railroad during the early 1900s --
a time when coal was king. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/28thurmond/28thurmond.htm
"Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Monument to the Gilded
Age" describes this Hyde Park estate that includes a palatial
Beaux-Arts mansion, stunning views of the Hudson River & Catskill
Mountains, & over 600 acres of landscaped property. The mansion
was built in 1895-8 by Frederick Vanderbilt, an heir of the fortune
created by Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt. Cornelius, at the age of
16, borrowed $100 from his parents, purchased a periauger (a
flat-bottomed sailing barge), & began a ferry service now known as the
Staten Island Ferry. Cornelius built a shipping empire, bought up
small railroads, & at his death in 1877, was worth $105 million, a
larger sum than in the U.S. Treasury at the time. Heirs to his
fortune, including grandson Frederick, lived like European royalty,
redefining what it meant to be rich in America. The Hyde Park estate
came to symbolize the enormous wealth accumulated by a privileged few
during the Gilded Age. (NPS,NRHP) Visit:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/78vanderbilt/78vanderbilt.htm
Acronyms
ED -- Department of Education
EPA -- Environmental Protection Agency
FREE -- Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
NPS -- National Park Service
NSF -- National Science Foundation
MA,DOT -- Maritime Administration, Department of Transportation
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