Choose a topic:

Math

English/Reading/Language Arts

Science

Spelling

History/Geography/Social Studies 

Arts

Links to study-related websites

Michigan's Family FUNdamentals

The Homework Spot

Answers.com - Over a million topics, covering people, places, words and names, drawn from reliable dictionaries, encyclopedias, websites, and more. Check out our Directory of content areas and sample topics.

KidsClick! Web Search for Kids by Librarians: Search our 600+ subjects by letter.

Mike's Math Club: Math can be fun! Check out Mike's "Do the Math" downloadable activities and Teacher-directed activities that will bring your math lessons to life!

Bridges4Kids Book Review: The Monstrously Fun Fraction Book - click here.
  

Bridges4Kids Featured Resource

Sylvan Learning Centers - Sylvan's tutors can accommodate every family's unique needs and schedule. There are more than 1,100 Sylvan's conveniently located in neighborhoods throughout the United States and Canada. In addition, Sylvan offers live, online tutoring in reading and math to ensure your child can receive the same personalized attention from the comfort of home.

How to Help Students with Their Assignments - There were the complaints from the teachers: The students don’t do their homework. How am I supposed to teach when they do not come prepared? The students lose everything I give them. They never bring their materials—no pencils, no papers, and no signed papers!

Numbers Game Scores - MATHCOUNTS, a problem-solving version of a spelling bee that celebrates the unpredictability of mathematics, has spread to about 6,000 U.S. schools and continues to grow.

Education World's Educational Website Reviews (3/04)

The Molecular Workbench - A simulation that teaches molecular structure.
The U. S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Education Page - Invaluable resources for a key historical topic.
National Mental Health Information Center - The Department of Health and Human Services site on mental health info.

Grand Rapids Academic Summer Program For All Michigan Kids: The GRASP program is a nine week correspondence summer program written by Grand Rapids Public Schools staff in math and reading. It is designed for children who have completed grades K-8. Children receive a packet of materials for the nine weeks of summer, and mail in a lesson a week. The lessons are scored, results recorded, and lessons returned to the children.

UK Homework Fails to Make the Grade - Children have long suspected it, and now research confirms it: homework is a waste of time. Anxiety, boredom, fatigue and emotional exhaustion are all side-effects of bringing schoolwork home, according to a review of 75 years of study into the issue.

Homework help for your kids - The do’s and don’ts of helping your child with school assignments.
 

Experiencia: Program Connects Classroom and Home Instruction Through Immersive Learning for 3^rd - 6^th Graders - What is Experiencia? Experiencia is pioneering a proprietary learning system, Immersive Learning™, that enhances and connects classroom and home instruction with vivid learning experiences at interactive simulation sites. Experiencia programs transform teaching and learning by brining theory and best practices to life.

Family FUNdamentals Summer Learning Program

MI Watkins Unveils Summer Learning Program - Before a rapt audience of 6, 7 and 8-year-olds, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Watkins unveiled a new program that could have them doing school work throughout the summer.  Read the MDE Press Release - click here.   To find out more about this program online, visit http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140--69358--,00.html.  (June 2003)

Family FUNdamentals PDF Documents

Also see IEP Issues - Math Resources

Need Help With Class? YouTube Videos Await - When University of Central Florida junior Nicole Nissim got stumped in trigonometry, she checked out what was showing on YouTube. It turned out YouTube was full of math videos. After watching a couple, the psychology major says, she finally understood trig equations and how to make graphs.

Bridges4kids Featured Math Resource: PlaneMath - One of the best academic sites for students with -- and without -- physical disabilities is Plane Math. This Internet-Based Curriculum on Math and Aeronautics for Children With Physical Disabilities site was developed in cooperation with NASA. It is designed to provide students in grades 4 and above with mathematics-based activities that don't require manipulative materials -- and are therefore accessible for people with physical limitations -- and that increase awareness of career opportunities in aeronautics. The exciting movies and activities in Pioneer Plane and PlaneMath Enterprises make full use of the interactive medium with lessons such as Gone With the Winds (mapping the flight of Amelia Earhart) and Mission Possible (sharing the adventures of Jimmy Doolittle). The Applying Flying section has word problems that include people with disabilities, as well as interviews with people with disabilities who are working in the field of aeronautics. The site also provides instructional strategies, a forum for teachers, and links to additional resources. This is a terrific inclusion site that allows all students to compete and collaborate in exiting and highly educational activities. (Thanks to Education World for information used in this review.)

Despite High School Algebra Focus, More Students Need Remedial College Math - Five years ago, California took a bold step and began requiring algebra of every graduating high school senior. The grumbling ran deep. The work was hard. The underlying equation came through loud and clear: More math in high school would equal more students prepared for college. For many, it hasn't added up.
 

CA At L.A. school, Singapore Math Has Added Value - Here's a little math problem: In 2005, just 45% of the fifth-graders at Ramona Elementary School in Hollywood scored at grade level on a standardized state test. In 2006, that figure rose to 76%. What was the difference?
 

The Online Math League - Here's a great new contest to get students excited about learning math: The Online Math League! You'll get: challenging, but fun tests that are aligned to State of Michigan Grade Level Content Expectations, separate grade-level contests for students in 3rd through 8th grade, plus separate Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, and Advanced Math contests, instant scoring, and impressive plaques and trophies. Individual schools, classrooms, and even students can participate. No computers are required to take the tests. If you've never had your students participate in a math contest such as this, you will be amazed at the enthusiasm it can generate. They will be thrilled as they watch scores show up online in real time. For more information about the Online Math League's 2005-2006 contests, to download free sample tests, or to register visit their website.

back to the top

Online Guide to Writing and Grammar - Includes easy-to-follow rules of grammar, sentence construction, quizzes, how to write an essay and a thesis, PowerPoint tips…in short, everything you need to properly express yourself.  The Guide to Grammar and Writing is sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation, a nonprofit 501 c-3 organization that supports scholarships, faculty development, and curriculum innovation.

MI Michigan Launches New Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCE) - Michigan’s new nationally recognized GLCE provide schools, teachers, and parents with the detailed information they need to understand what students are expected to know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The new annual MEAP (Michigan Education Assessment Program) will be aligned to the GLCE. Download a copy of the new grade level content expectations and Michigan curriculum framework for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, as well as teacher professional development materials, a parent guide, a list of frequently asked questions, and other resources.

"Piers Plowman Electronic Archive" offers a hypertext archive of the three versions of the William Langland's 14th-century allegorical poem "Piers Plowman." The poem was reproduced by scribes & early editors, & the surviving 54 manuscripts are full of errors -- some the result of incompetence, others the product of sophisticated re-writing. This electronic edition differs from most printed editions in that it does not suppress editorial disagreement among the manuscripts. It embraces the provisional nature of scholarly editing & proposes a set of solutions to editorial problems without suggesting they will have the final authority. (NEH) http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/seenet/piers/

READING A-Z
http://www.readinga-z.com
Reading A-Z supports a balanced approach to literacy by providing a rich selection of resources that will help children become fluent readers. In addition to 237 leveled reading books, 621 guided reading lesson plans and worksheets, Reading A-Z provides phonics resources such as 57 decodable books, 18 read-aloud books, 116 worksheets, and over 1500 flashcards. All are downloadable with Adobe Acrobat.  You can preview a sampling of 30 books with accompanying lesson plans and worksheets and sample leveled readers, decodable books, read-alouds, and alphabet books.  If you decide to join, an individual subscription is for one person only and can only be used on that person's work or home computer. A six month subscription is $29.95 and 12 months is $49.95.
 

Acronyms
NEH -- National Endowment for the Humanities
 

back to the top

TestToob Allows Young Scientists to Collaborate - TestToob, an online community where young people can collaborate on science, was "born in the backyard and incubated on the kitchen table," its founder says. Now the promising Louisville startup is leaving the nursery.

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
 

back to the top

USA Map Test: A Great Way to Know Your States! - A fun way to test your knowledge. Try to put the states in their correct locations.
 

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

• Patriotic Fact Sheet - Information about America's most beloved national customs, plus a list of possible school activities for Veterans Day.

• 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

back to the top

"Ernst Ludwig Kirchner" is the first major exhibition of Kirchner's work to be shown in the U.S. in 30 years. Kirchner (1880-1938) was among the most prolific & creative of the German expressionists. He was the leader of Die Brucke (The Bridge), a group of architecture students turned painters who were opposed to the academic art that surrounded them. Available online are 12 of the more than 140 paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, & sculptures from the exhibit. (NGA) http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/kirchnerinfo.htm
 
"Frederic Remington: The Color of Night" is the first exhibition devoted to the nocturnes, or night paintings, of one of America's most gifted interpreters of the Frontier West. A selection of paintings from the exhibit, on display through July 13, 2003, are available online. They're organized around Remington's life & career -- his early years as an illustrator, his stint as a war correspondent in the Spanish-American War, & the artistic experiments that led to his nocturnes. These works explore the challenges of painting darkness yet are filled with color & light -- moonlight, firelight, & candlelight. Recognized immediately as innovative, the nocturnes (1901-9) confirmed Remington's position as a first-rate American artist. (NGA) http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/remingtoninfo.htm
 
"Thomas Gainsborough" presents 12 paintings that illustrate the range, richness, & originality of this British master of 18th-century portraits & landscapes. Gainsborough's works are characterized by noble & graceful figures, poetic landscapes, & fancy depictions of the rural poor. (NGA) http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/gainsboroughinfo.htm

Acronyms
KC -- ARTSEDGE, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts NEH -- National Endowment for the Humanities NASA -- National Aeronautics & Space Administration NIST -- National Science Foundation

back to the top

Spelling it Right comprises seventy pages of advice and free worksheets on spelling and is used by many parents, students and teachers in North America and the UK. It is featured in internet educational directories throughout the world, including those specializing in homeschooling.

A free course for spelling help - This free, thirty unit spelling course has been made available courtesy of Marie Rackham, author and producer of The Basic Cozy Grammar Course, The Basic Cozy Punctuation Course, The Basic Cozy Essay Course, and The Cozy Classroom CD. Born and raised in North Vancouver, Marie earned degrees in English and Geography from the University of British Columbia. She worked as a public school teacher for thirty-four years, teaching at all levels from kindergarten to grade twelve.

back to the top