|
Presidents of the United States
Education World's Great Sites for Teaching About… page highlights Web sites to help educators work timely themes into their lessons. This week's sites are among the best on the Web for teaching about U.S. presidents.
White House Historical Association
http://www.whitehousehistory.org/
Where better to start a study of the presidents than at the White House? Andrew Jackson, the president who first opened the White House to visitors, is your guide on this virtual tour of White House history. Explore the timeline, choose a decade between 1790 and 1990, and select one of five topics -- Music, Presidents, First Ladies, Architecture, or Social Life -- to immerse yourself in the country's rich history. Read about White House visits -- or write about your own. Be sure to visit the Learning Center, offering lessons and activities on five different themes for three different grade levels. My favorite was First Kids!
The American Presidency
http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/preshome.html
Grolier's site on the U.S. presidency includes biographies, an online exhibit hall, presidential flip cards, past and upcoming election information, audio files of presidential speeches and music, and more. When students finish their informational exploration, encourage them to visit the Presidential Tests of Strength -- a collection of three quizzes from Encyclopedia Americana, Academic American Encyclopedia, and New Book of Knowledge.
Project Vote Smart
http://www.vote-smart.org/index.htm
Project Vote Smart provides fact sheets on candidates for current elections. As a national library of factual information, Project Vote Smart covers candidates and elected officials in five basic categories: biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances, and interest group ratings. Contact information is also provided -- in case students have additional questions!
Who is That?
http://www.funbrain.com/who/index.html
This Funbrain game is actually an interactive quiz in which visitors identify U.S. presidents based on a sketch and a number of clues. Each quiz focuses on 20 presidents, randomly generated to keep things interesting. This is a great activity for students in upper elementary and middle school.
POTUS
http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/
An acronym for Presidents of the United States, POTUS is the Internet Public Library's offering on all 42 U.S. presidents. For sheer reference value, you won't find anything better online. Election results, cabinet members, historical primary resources, and links to additional materials combine to make this a comprehensive treatment of the presidency.
The Presidents' Hall
http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/
This is the Presidents page on the official White House Web site. It includes bios (as well as bios of the First Ladies), links to a tour of the White House, and much more.
Article by Walter McKenzie
Education World®
Copyright © 2006 Education World
Originally published 02/14/2000
Links last updated 01/17/2006
| 
