Biographies    

The Biography Maker
http://www.bham.wednet.edu/bio/biomaker.htm

Biography Magazine
http://www.biography.com/

HISTORY AND POLITICS OUT LOUD:
http://www.hpol.org/
Almost as good as being there... step into history with these audio file speeches from the 20th century. Examples include Watergate transcripts, Martin Luther King Jr. speeches, and the inaugural speech of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Spectrum Biographies
http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/index.html

Lives, the Biography Resource
http://amillionlives.com/

Biographical Dictionary
http://s9.com/biography/

Alphabetical Biography Listing
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/BiogIndex.html

Abraham Lincoln
http://www.berwickacademy.org/lincoln/lincoln.htm

Abraham Lincoln Research
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/lincoln/

The Outline of American History
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/B/

Presidents
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/P/

Benjamin Franklin resources

Current Events    

RAGING DEBATES:
http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/langarts/debates051499.html
Consider the suggestions here for adding debates to your classroom fare at year end; your students should have much to discuss by now.

CIA Interactive World Factbook
http://www.theodora.com/wfb/abc_world_fact_book.html

HeadlineSpot.com
Breaking headlines updated constantly.
http://www.headlinespot.com

Yahoo! Full Coverage
Rounds up sources for timely news stories.
http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/

CNN In-Depth
Offers background on the big events.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/

NYT Web Specials
Expanded coverage of select topics.
http://www.nytimes.com/specials/

MSNBC Specials
Special reports on important news stories.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/continuingcoverage_front.asp

Newsweek Education
Activities that tie in with weekly news.
http://school.newsweek.com/

Current Events--U.S.
About.com guide to current events.
http://usnews.about.com/

THE DEATH PENALTY
Teacher Edition at: http://teacher.deathpenaltyinfo.msu.edu/
Student information at: http://deathpenaltyinfo.msu.edu/
Here's a website for high school teachers and students on an engaging civic issue, the death penalty. There are actually two parallel sites: one for students and the general public, providing interesting facts, exercises on actual court cases, among other useful features; and a teacher edition with the same content PLUS teacher overviews, lesson plans and curriculum suggestions.

 

Geography    

Find a printable map
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html

Map Types
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/hall/

Central Intelligence Agency
https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/index.html

Xpeditions @ nationalgeographic.com
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/

Geographica
http://www.geographia.com/

National Geographic Online
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/index.html

U.S. Geography    

GeoAmericas Map Folio
www.geoamericas.com
GeoAmericas Map Folio at www.geoamericas.com. The GeoHistory Americas Map Folio provides a complete historical review of the Americas from the earliest days of exploration to the present. There are 470 separate map layers in this electronic collection, which includes North America, Central America and South America.

The USA Quiz
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/usaquiz.html

U.S. States and Capitals
http://www.quia.com/mc/4.html

The World    

Country Reports
http://www.countryreports.org/
In depth profiles on countries around the world.

CIA Interactive World Factbook
http://www.theodora.com/wfb/abc_world_fact_book.html

RULERS OF THE WORLD
Up-to-date lists of heads of state and heads of government of all currently existing countries and territories
http://rulers.org/

TIME AROUND THE WORLD
http://www.bsdi.com/date?America/New_York

What Makes Alaska Different
http://dac3.gi.alaska.edu/~ddr/ASGP/ALASKA/INDEX.HTM

JapanWeb
http://www.sover.net/~johnd/categories.html

Pictures from Japan
http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/

Japanese Kimono's
http://web.mit.edu/jpnet/kimono/index.html

Connecticut    

Town of West Hartford
http://www.west-hartford.com/

The State of Connecticut Website
http://www.state.ct.us/

Connecticut History Online
http://geomagic.lib.uconn.edu:82/website/CHOgaz/viewer.htm?Title=Connecticut%20History%20Online%20Geographic%20Locator

Connecticut Tourism
http://www.tourism.state.ct.us/

Connecticut Clearinghouse
http://www.ctclearinghouse.org/

Japan    

Gander Academy's Japan Theme Page
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/japan.htm

JapanWeb
http://www.sover.net/~johnd/categories.html

Pictures from Japan
http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/

Japanese Kimono's
http://web.mit.edu/jpnet/kimono/index.html

JapanKids
http://www.kids-japan.com/

Zoom School: Japan
http://www.ZoomSchool.com/school/Japan/

CITIZENSHIP DENIED--AN INTEGRATED UNIT ON THE JAPANESE AMERICAN INTERNMENT: 
http://www.intranet.csupomona.edu/~tassi/intern.htm
An excellent timeline on Japanese-American internment accompanies this unit, with activities across the curriculum and sample lesson plans.

LEARN ABOUT JAPAN:
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/school/Japan/
Experiment with the art of origami, and create a paper whale, a butterfly, a jumping frog, or a tetrahedron. Also learn about the haiku format of poetry, and let students write their own. Then explore Japan--its geography, culture, industry, history, daily life--and then learn a few words in Japanese.

West Indies Click Here!

CNN - Content
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/multimedia/gallery/9809/george.images.gall/content5.html

Galapagos

Galapagos Expedition
http://www.mnh.si.edu/expeditions/galapagos/

India 

INDIA, an Introduction. A concise guide to everything about India
members.xoom.com/dipindia/

India
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/in.html

Welcome to India
http://welcometoindia.com/home.asp

Harappa: The Indus Valley and the Raj in India
http://www.harappa.com/

Mohandas K. Gandhi
http://www.engagedpage.com/gandhi.html

THE MAJESTIC TAJ MAHAL:
http://rubens.anu.edu.au/student.projects/tajmahal/home.html

Africa    

AFRICA -- ONE CONTINENT MANY WORLDS:
http://www.nhm.org/africa/
You will find quite a healthy file of resources at this site, with classroom activities, lesson plans on geography, culture, art, African stories, history, and much more, on every country in Africa.

Meet the Children of East Africa
http://www.ccph.com/coea/

The Living Africa
http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/contents.html

Zoom School: Africa
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/school/Africa/

Africa Online
http://www.africaonline.com/AfricaOnline/coverkids.html

Go on an African Safari
http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/safari/index.html

AFRICA ART AND CULTURE LESSON:
http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/teaching_materials/curricula/curriculum.cfm?mode=objectives&curriculum_id=46
Elementary students will become explorers themselves as they begin to discover the continent of Africa, through both geography and African art.

National Museum of Kenya
http://www.museums.or.ke/

Ancient Africa
http://www.penncharter.com/Student/africa/index.html

Africa.com
http://africa.com/

K-12 Africa Guide
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Home_Page/AFR_GIDE.html

Kenyaweb
http://www.kenyaweb.com/

AFRICAN ANIMALS:
http://www.davidson.k12.nc.us/webquests/pre-K/pre-K.htm
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my . . . Well how about lions and monkeys instead? This primary webquests introduces these two animals to students and has them making lion masks and reciting monkey poetry.

Mexico    

Mrs. Laudadio's Mexico and Central America Sites
http://home.att.net/~laudadio/samerica.htm

Meet Mexico
http://www.demon.co.uk/mexuk/meet_mex/

Zoom School: Mexico
http://www.ZoomSchool.com/school/Mexico/

NATIVE FOODS OF THE MAYA:
http://www.kstrom.net/isk/food/r_choc.html

MAYA ADVENTURE:
http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/ma/sites.html

THE ANCIENT MAYA:
http://www.penncharter.com/Student/maya/index.html

THE MAYA CIVILIZATION THEN AND NOW:
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/travel/ldumois/maya/mayanindex.html

MESOAMERICA WEB:
http://www.mesoweb.com/welcome.html

MYSTERY OF THE MAYA--A TEACHER'S GUIDE:
http://www.civilization.ca/membrs/civiliz/maya/mmedueng.html

Stories in Spanish
www.ika.com/cuentos/menu.html

Book Lists
www.csusm.edu.csbs/english/lists

Mexican Legends
www.contenidos.com/literatura/leyenda/index.html

Diccionario De Mitos Y Leyendos
www.cuco.com.ar/index_az.htm

El Tesoro Del Arociris
www.mundolatino.org/rinconcito/arcoiris.htm

AZTEC ADVENTURES:
http://www.umeedu.maine.edu/coehd/aztec/

MAYA, INCA, AND AZTEC:
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/52K_Maya.pdf
This fifth grade Meso-American unit covers ancient Mayan, Aztec, and Incan civilizations and culture, and includes architecture, technology, and math. Students will be creating model cities, going on mini archaeological digs, writing comparative essays, much more. PDF format.

MAYA QUEST LESSONS:
http://www.ties.k12.mn.us/~mayatch/mq96/lp.html
If you are studying the Mayan civilization at all this year, you will want to bookmark this site and return often. Included in its contents are numerous lesson plans and activities across the curriculum, covering such diverse topics as mythology, politics, math, science, and additional teacher resources.

Elementary Mexico Sites

MEXICO -- A MINI-UNIT:
http://multimedia2.freac.fsu.edu/fga/academy/k1mexico.htm
Several classroom activities explore the culture and geography of Mexico, including flags, family, Spanish, houses, more.

PRINTABLE MAP:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/school/Mexico/Mapprintout.shtml
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/school/Mexico/Map.shtml
This map of Mexico is perfect for third grade, with geographic information included. Print these off and have your students color them.

MEXICO -- BIG NUMBERS:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/96/mexico/learn/age03.html
This classroom activity for K-4 attempts to have students understand the phenomenal population growth rates for Mexico City.

HOW TO MAKE A MEXICAN PAPER FLOWER:
http://www.kckpl.lib.ks.us/ys/CRAFTS/Papflowr.htm
I love the colorful bouquets of paper flowers on the streets of Mexico. Here are some simple instructions to recreate the flowers in your classroom.

Canada   

Mrs. Laudadio's Canada Links
http://home.att.net/~laudadio/canada.htm

THE DEVELOPMENT OF WESTERN CANADA -- UNIT:
http://www.enoreo.on.ca/met_update/rtf/western/WESTERN.html
This history unit covers the growth of the Canadian west, covering diverse topics such as immigrants, the Metis, and government. Appendices include maps, organizers, and writing, debate, and presentation rubrics among others.

Virtual Exhibits from the Virtual Museum of Canada
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/English/Exhibits/index.html
View Canada in terms of the artwork of Canada and the Americas, historic events that have impacted the Canadian people, and major influences in the Canadian culture.

Canadian Encyclopedia 
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?TCE_Version=A

First Among Equals ****
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/4/index-e.html
First Among Equals is an online version of an exhibit on the twenty Prime Ministers of Canada. Students can learn about the role of each Prime minister, the path they take to gain power, and even their private lives during and after they've been elected.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School

Government of Canada
http://canada.gc.ca/

The National Atlas of Canada
http://atlas.gc.ca/

Quebec City - Alive With History
www.travel-wise.com/destination/quebec/quebec5.html

CANADA UNIT:
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/elemsoc/g5tcess.html

FLAGS OF CANADA:
http://www.fraser.cc/FlagsCan/

Natural Resources of Canada
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/caninfo/ecaninfo.htm

National Library of Canada - subject listing
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/caninfo/ecaninfo.htm

Find out about Nunavut
http://www.nunatour.nt.ca/about.html

Canada's SchoolNet
http://www.schoolnet.ca/home/e/

Canada:A Family Vacation WebQuest
http://www.cesa8.k12.wi.us/it/webquests/canada/index.html

CANADA AND ITS TRADING PARTNERS:
http://www.occdsb.on.ca/~tec/webquesteng.htm

Statistics Canada
http://www.statcan.ca/start.html
Contains more "actual data" numbers than you will ever use! They are only social and economic statistics however.

Asia

Eastern Studies Database
www.Eastern Studies.com
The #1 web site on the internet for Asian and Mideastern Studies according to NBCi.com, The History Channel, Yahoo, and many other prominent search engines) for virtually thousands of references for Global Studies research. The site is designed for retention of Regents Global critical questions among many other educational strategies. Site also contains over 1000 highly acclaimed (by the History Channel) images and over 300 links to other fine research areas. Both your teachers and your students will hopefully enjoy the contents.

RUSSIA -- THE ROAD TO CHANGE:
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/russia/change.html
Another excellent Annenberg exhibit; find an exploration into Russian policy and factors leading to the dissolution of the USSR. Activities and investigations accompany the various segments.

CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA:
http://worldviewsoftware.com/sample2.html
While the lesson plan is subtitled, "What is Yeltsin's Place in Contemporary Russia?", the focus widens to include analysis of problems faced by Russia today.

GETTING THERE -- RUSSIA:
http://www.geography.unr.edu/GAIN/materials/getting_thereassign.html
Students will explore Russia from an economic viewpoint, and create a map and illustration to show economic movement and change.

THE ARAL SEA:
http://www.geography.unr.edu/GAIN/materials/aral_sea.html
What have been the disastrous effects of river diversion for this arid section of Russia? Students will answer environmental impact questions as they examine the story of the Aral Sea.

CULTURAL SHOPPING TRIP IN MOSCOW:
http://www.geography.unr.edu/GAIN/materials/shopping.html
Have any students who love to shop? Send them to Moscow, to plan a metro route and a day of sightseeing after reading the story of shopping in Russia.

Middle East

Lebanon and the Middle East
http://almashriq.hiof.no/

THE ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES OF EGYPT:
http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/teachers/egyptlessons.html
The history of Egypt is studied first in this excellent Odyssey unit in order to come to a comprehension of Egypt and Egyptian life and culture today. Students will apply critical thinking skills to solving modern issues facing Egyptian society.

Egypt: The Complete Guide
http://touregypt.net/index.htm

Eastern Studies Database
www.Eastern Studies.com
The #1 web site on the internet for Asian and Mideastern Studies according to NBCi.com, The History Channel, Yahoo, and many other prominent search engines) for virtually thousands of references for Global Studies research. The site is designed for retention of Regents Global critical questions among many other educational strategies. Site also contains over 1000 highly acclaimed (by the History Channel) images and over 300 links to other fine research areas. Both your teachers and your students will hopefully enjoy the contents.

China

All About China
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/asia/china/
The theme here is--you guessed it--China, and this site offers loads of printables and resources on several aspects of Chinese culture, history, and geography, including flags, maps, and quizzes.

Searching for China 
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/China/ChinaQuest.html
China is a hot topic in today's political arena... students will address American foreign policy (re: China issues); they will consider human rights issues in China and make an action plan. This unit provokes some creative critical thinking and problem solving techniques in collaborative settings to provide student solutions.

Six Paths to China 
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/China

Exploring Ancient World Cultures 
http://eawc.evansville.edu/index.htm
Exploring Ancient World Cultures is "an introductory, on-line, college-level 'textbook' of ancient world cultures, constructed around a series of cultural pages consisting of: The Ancient Near East, Ancient India, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Early Islam, and Medieval Europe.

Does the Tiger Eat her Cubs? 
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/China/childquest.html
Reports have come out of China suggesting some terrible things about the way children are treated in Chinese orphanages. As with most things relating to this complex country, it's hard to tell what's true and what is propaganda. 

GlobalWeb 9 
http://www.bestschools.org/hs/sstudies/global9/home.html
Are your students researching world cultures from 4000 BC to 1700 AD? This site does a great job of encouraging student research in both traditional media (newspapers and journals) and the Internet. Created by a high school teacher/media specialist, check out a reasonable amount of links for African Civilizations, the Renaissance, or the Ming Dynasty of China. 

Discovering China 
http://library.advanced.org/26469/
A ThinkQuest project composed of six sections: History (from Opium war to reunification of Hong Kong); The Cultural Revolution (its history, background, impact and aftermath); Movers and Shakers (biographies of famous Chinese including from Empress Dowager Cixi to Yo-Yo Ma); Cityscape (history, culture, economy and tourism of main cities and province of China); Contributions (various Chinese contributions to art, food, and medicine); and the Interactive section (quizzes and polls.) 

Daily Life in Ancient Civilizations 
http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/indexlife.html
Students can explores daily life in five ancient cultures- Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, and China. This site includes basic information for each culture and links to other resources as well.

China.com
http://english.china.com/cdc/en/culture/0,1259,,00.html

Chinese Zodiac 
http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~agenhtml/agenmc/china/zzodiac.html
Use this as a fun enrichment activity when studying cultures.

Medieval Chinese Inventions and Innovations
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/chinin/chinintg.htm

 

Europe

COUNTRY AT A GLANCE -- EUROPE:
http://www.un.org/Pubs/CyberSchoolBus/infonation/e_g_count.htm#eu
Click on any country to find fact sheets and flags.

European History: General Western Civilization Sites
http://www.tntech.edu/WWW/ACAD/HIST/european.html

Argos:A limited area search engine for the ancient and medieval worlds. Very effective for research.
http://argos.evansville.edu

The End of Europe's Middle Ages: the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries: A tutorial "presented in a series of chapters that summarize the economic, political, religious and intellectual environment of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries." From the University of Calgary. 
http://www.ucalgary.ca/HIST/tutor/endmiddle/

European Voyages of Exploration: the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries: A second tutorial from the University of Calgary which documents the age of overseas exploration and conquest, focusing on Spain and Portugal.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/HIST/tutor/eurvoya/  

European History: Homework Center links
http://www.mcallen.lib.tx.us/Library/Child/Homework/European_History.htm

The British Monarchy
http://www.royal.gov.uk/

History of England and Great Britain
http://web.uccs.edu/~history/index/england.html#norman

General English Sources
Includes a section on General
European Sites
Archives and Libraries
Medieval England
16th, 17th & 18th Centuries
19th & 20th Centuries
Royalty and Other Historic Personalities

Winston Churchill Home Page (Churchill Center)
http://www.winstonchurchill.org/

Alaska

ALASKA -- THE GREAT LAND:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/greatland/ax/primary_fs.html
Take an online tour with National Geographic through the land, wildlife, people, and history of Alaska.

ALASKA ACTIVITIES:
http://fga.freac.fsu.edu/academy/k1ak.htm
While generally geared to younger children, nevertheless many of these activities can be adapted for older grades, especially if you are planning an Alaska Day celebration.

AN ALASKA ALPHABET BOOK:
http://www2.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/upk/books/alpha/b.html
For early elementary, try creating your own version of this Alaskan alphabet book. Use PowerPoint or Kid Pix for a slide show, or do a hard copy the children can take home.

THE ARCTIC AND ITS ANIMALS:
http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3500/animals.htm
Discover all the animals of the Arctic: the caribou, muskox, tern, norwhal--in this entry from ThinkQuest Junior.

ALASKAN ADVENTURES:
http://tqjunior.thinkquest.org/3784/Adventures/photo.htm
Alaska is unique in many ways--find out a child's perspective from their stories, online here. After studying something of Alaskan climate and geography, have your own students create a fictional story of what it would be like if they had to move to Alaska--now or in the past.

NATIVE EXPRESSIONS:
http://www.uaf.edu/anlc/expressions.html
Learn some common expressions in Native Alaskan tongues; then have your students practice for an Alaska Day (Alaska actually has its own celebration on Oct. 18th).

EXTREME MOMENTS IN ALASKA HISTORY:
http://www.discovery.com/stories/nature/alaska/moments.html
Climb Mt. McKinley, revisit the big oil spill, rebuild the Alaska highway--or even go back in time to when humans first arrived. Alaska's history has been as extreme as its environment, as this site clearly demonstrates.

LEARN ABOUT ALASKA:
http://www.50states.com/alaska.htm

http://sled.alaska.edu/akfaq/akfaqindex.html

http://fga.freac.fsu.edu/academy/k1ak.htm

http://www.everythingalaska.com/

http://home.gci.net/~michaelqueen/links_to_alaska.htm

Use these numerous online resources for student  research projects, and/or general info on diverse aspects of Alaskan culture, geography, history, etc.

ALASKA SCIENCE EXPLAINED:
http://www.alaskascience.com/
This site offers a glimpse into the mysteries of the Aurora Borealis. A bonus--students can make their own rockets with the instructions provided here.

ALASKA GOLD:
http://www2.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/upk/gold/gold.html
Discover gold in Alaska--find history timelines, miners' stories, gold facts (what makes gold gold?), and more in this elementary school site.

ALASKAN ADVENTURE -- WEBQUEST:
http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us/schools/ashburnannex/holt/

JulieHildbold/Alaskawebquest.html

Tour guide, journalist, photographer, or director--choose your career and off you go to Alaska's several national parks to create an informative tourist brochure.