FLASH: Federal Resources for Lesson Plans by Subject

This may not be news to everyone, but I was pleasantly surprised to run across this resource while searching for other materials.  Free--Teaching Resources and Lesson Plans from the Federal Government (http://free.ed.gov/) is a well-organized pathfinder of information provided by all federal agencies and organizations.  The spotlight for February is on Black History Month resources.  A drop-down menu offers search options by subject.  I haven't spent a great deal of time exploring the resources available, but I have definitely bookmarked this source for future reference.  Maybe you will, too!

Lights!...Camera!...Academy Awards!

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards are airing on March 7, 2010.  Remarkably, movies can provide a jumping off point for lessons in social studies, language arts, the arts, and even science and math.  If you're planning on incorporating the big entertainment awards show into your lessons, here are a few resources you won't want to miss!

First, the Museum of the Moving Image, in Queens, New York, offers resources online.  Their web resources include a digital collection of criticism and original articles about film; there are short films about the science of movies and a collection catalog as well here: http://movingimage.us/site/online/index.html.  My favorite resource are the program guides.  Illustrated study guides, available for 2 reading levels, can be downloaded and reproduced; they are companions to specific movies that tie in with topics like immigration, the judicial system, and civil rights.  You can find a list of these resources, and links to download them, here: http://www.movingimage.us/site/education/index.html.  Their home page is located here: http://www.movingimage.us/site/site.php.

Second, my favorite resource for movies and the people associated with them is IMDb: Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/).  This database is easily navigated and includes collocation tools, so you can discover who played the lead in a favorite movie then also see what other movies he or she may have starred in.  What was Tom Hanks' first movie?  How many movies have Johnny Depp and Tim Burton made together?  All the answers can be easily found at IMDb; and this is a reliable source!

Lastly, Oscar has his own Web presence.  A visit to http://www.oscars.org/ allows you to go back in time to see previous telecasts, review lists of winners through the history of the Academy Awards, and so much more.

Fanfare for the Common Man: Let the Games Begin!

Wow, February is a busy month in 2010!  In addition to being Black History Month, and the date of the official holiday celebrating United States presidents, the Olympic Games are set to open on February 12.

If you're preparing lesson plans or programming around the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, be sure to take a look at the official Olympic Museum online at http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Museum/.  Virtual exhibits include "The Spirit of Vancouver 2010" and "Champion in the Mind."  The website also includes an interactive map, an RSS feed of Olympic news, and a virtual tour fo the physical museum.

The museum's website is part of the official Olympic movement Web presence.  Tabs on the top of the page link to the games, athletes, and even youth olympic games.  The organization's website offers a single, reliable source of information about the international games.  There is also a link to the official Winter Games 2010 in Vancouver (http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympic-Games/All-Future-Olympic-Games/Winter/Vancouver-2010/).

NAACP Resources

The Library of Congress just posted information about their NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom online exhibit (http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/naacp/Pages/default.aspx).  According to their Facebook post, this collection is the largest and most used; now it is available online.  Primary-source materials are among the resources available for classroom use from this link: http://loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/naacp/.

Be sure to bookmark these links for planning programming during February!

Hail to the Chief!

With Presidents' Day fast approaching, you may be looking for a fresh way to present pertinent but fun lessons about the Chief Executive.  If you're short on time, or are only looking for quick inspiration, I have the perfect one-stop-shop to recommend.  The National Archives includes a page dedicated to Presidential Libraries online at http://www.archives.gov/presidential-libraries/.  From this portal, you can access something as basic as an interactive presidential timeline (http://www.presidentialtimeline.org/; please note: this timeline is not created by the National Archives but was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts) to a virtual tour of the White House (http://www.jfklibrary.org/).  Students can hear the voices of some presidents.  Teachers are rewarded with lesson plans that incorporate primary documents, artifacts and other resources.  Virtual tours of each library are available as well.

Additional online resources include state historical societies (for information about presidential landmarks by state) and the National Park Service.  One of February's featured lesson plans is "Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial: Forging Greatness during Lincoln's Youth."  This teacher resource provides an opportunity to teach with historic places (http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/126libo/).

For something a little different, or for another perspective on life in the White House, visit to the National First Ladies' Library (http://www.firstladies.org/).  Lesson plans are available based on a variety of standards and for a wide range of grade levels.  The "resources" page is loaded with links on a variety of topics.  A button for "facts & trivia" would make a great resource for a scavenger hunt or for creative questions for a quiz.

Celebrating Black History Month

In reviewing children's materials for a course last summer, I ran across an overwhelming number of materials related to the great Americans that created and elaborated on Jazz.  Since music is a universal language, wouldn't jazz make a great theme for lessons in February?  For a list of resources I've reviewed, be sure to read through my children's materials blog, here, and click the categories "Multicultural Picture Books" or "Coretta Scott King Award" for lists of suggested resources.  Please remember that most local public libraries offer teacher services.  Often, you can request materials from my list of suggested resources and the library staff can pull what they have in their collection for you to check out.  Most libraries offer teachers extended loan periods, typically 4-6 weeks.

The Smithsonian Institute's Museum of American History has a remarkable online jazz exhibit. Smithsonian Jazz (http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/) offers online jazz classes (like a Duke Ellington class), images of artifacts from the museum, and other rich resources.  In fact, you can search the Media Mix and listen to jazz from this portal.  The online exhibit is a collaboration with America's Jazz Heritage (a partnership of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution) and the U.S. Department of Education.

Another often overlooked resource is the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.  Their Teacher Lesson Plans page (http://www.freedomcenter.org/expand-your-knowledge/educator-resources/lesson-plans/) is overflowing with detailed lesson plans which can be used independent of a visit to the museum.  From the eLearning link, you can be connected to their On Demand Digital Video Collection and a link to podcasts to download from iTunes.

And last, but never least, the National Park Service has an online teacher resource they call Teaching with Historic Places.  During the month of February, their featured lesson plan is for using places to teach African American History.  Historic sites, from infamous to obscure, are included from this portal page: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/twhp/feb00.htm.