The YouTube Party Continues with the Causes of World War I

Courtesy of Erika Glover and YouTube

U.S. History: 1865 to the Present

The Research Channel on YouTube (University of Minnesota) has a lot of interesting, brief videos. These, along with other YouTube videos, are a great way for teachers to stay current, review course material, and essentially "stay in the game" during summer vacation.





The Research Channel

New Teacher Survey

America: A Story of Us - A Teacher's Review

The History Channel started broadcasting "America: The Story of Us" in April. This series spans the course of American history from the English settlement of Jamestown on May 14, 1607, to the present day.


PROS

• The series is fast-paced, with a lot of trivial snippets mixed into the history that will keep students interested in the story.
• Celebrity commentators (such as Meryl Streep, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Rev. Al Sharpton, Donald Trump, etc.) frequently remark on the significance of events and movements. Recognizable faces are great for getting kids' attention.

CONS

• The series skips around a bit in terms of how events are paced and scoped in typical classrooms. However, this can be a benefit as it serves as a review of previous course material, as well as a preview of future course content.
• Celebrity reviewers offer opinions, not historical perspective or insight (as would a professional historian).
• The series begins with English settlers. This perspective completely overlooks the thousands of years of Indian settlement that predated European arrivals. (Teachers may want to examine this during a classroom discussion. Possible question: Who is the "Us" in the title of the series?)

Please bear in mind that the entire series has yet to air. A thorough review is not yet available. While History Channel does have educator materials online already (available here and here), not even the title of each episode has been released (and titles that have aired do not line up with what is officially listed). Not surprisingly, History Channel is already taking DVD preorders of the series. If you are an educator, the terrific news is that your school can obtain a free copy by clicking here.

The accompanying book (with a forward by President Barack Obama) contains the following chapters:

1. Rise of the Patriots
2. Revolution!
3. Westward
4. Seeds of War
5. Civil War
6. Conquering the Plains
7. City
8. Boom
9. Bust
10. America at War
11. Then and Now
12. Then and Now (continued)

The episodes which have aired (to the best of our knowledge) are:

1. Rebels
2. Revolution
3. Westward
4. Division
5. Civil War
6. Heartland
7. Cities
8. Boom
9. Bust
10. World War II (WWII)
11. Metropolis
12. Rise of a Superpower

Don't forget to visit the History Classroom website.

Alabama Fever!

As part of our United States Geography unit, we have puzzles and more for each of the 50 states, including Alabama in the American South.



Famous Alabamians Word Search Puzzle

Famous Alabamians Word Search Puzzle Answer Key



Alabama Crossword Puzzle

Alabama Crossword Puzzle Answer Key



Click here to visit our U.S. Geography page.



Enjoy!

The Rise and Fall of African Civilizations Word Search Puzzle

A C H R I S T I A N I T Y N A S G
R P S J T L L S S O N G H A I O S
B O Z I K E M L S A D T H E B V U
U Q C O R N S A T A E O U A L N P
H O O K W O R M M F N E T N N U P
A R W E I I P A A R T P K N O A L
C L R E T H S L L I U S U R T U Y
G S I E D K N I A C R Q B M R M A
O I E E F A J Q R A E A M N A E N
L T S D O X C U I R D R I J D L D
D N Y L S U O O A T S N T T E S D
E U A W E M F I R O E K U I R K E
D E A N C L F V T B R O N Z E S M
A Y R E V A L S U E V I L O O J A
E S X R B U E G U M A R A B I C N
A K O R I E S R T W N L F A H N D
U V O A Z I Y E X A T G E S A L T
F R W M A N S A M U S A E S C T H
M E R C A N T I L I S M E D N I L





Terms:

AFRICA
AKORIES
AXUM
BENIN
BROCADE
BRONZE
CHRISTIANITY
COFFLES
COWRIES
DAMASK
GHANA
GOLD
GUM ARABIC
HOOK WORM
INDENTURED SERVANTS
ISLAM
MALARIA
MALI
MANSA MUSA
MERCANTILISM
OBAS
SALT
SLAVERY
SONGHAI
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
TIMBUKTU
TRADE
YAWS


Click here for a free printable (.pdf) version of this puzzle (and the answer key).

Most Popular Baby Names of 2009: Word Search Puzzle

The Social Security Administration has released its official list of the most popular names for girl and boy babies in 2009. For future students and expectant parents (puzzles are great games at baby showers), we have created a word search puzzle using the top ten names for each sex.



J A C O B R A S B A V A T C L
N A E D R E S A T F L G N H I
J R Y S K T M E I L E I N A D
C L N D L M E M S R N A S O T
E L P N E E Q A A R H A O N S
C D E W I N O U B T U V R W S
I E T M I C H A E L Z T Y L X
L R N A E L A B L E C I D L E
I D F O G U L O L I V I A R S
A L T H L I N I A E A J E K I
O I O U M V N R A N T H O N Y
E M I L Y A C U E M L W T I S
R P U Q M O H A M M E D X O S
S S R T T N L A I L A L M Y A
P A U L E A O N Z E A A J E M
A U B O I C E E I F D B E E U
Y I Z H V D L W G I S I S R E
J X P T X U W R S Q T G S I L
O O M H N Y K O O U P A I C J
S L Z K J J N I V H S I C A U
H L B M C N D O E P F L A G L
U A M A R I A N N E Z Q Y R I
A K T M I A J U I V H W G X A
S D M E R F Q B E N J A M I N
A N B O C P R E D N A X E L A


GIRLS

1. Isabella
2. Emma
3. Olivia
4. Sophia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Madison
8. Abigail
9. Chloe
10. Mia


BOYS

1. Jacob
2. Ethan
3. Michael
4. Alexander
5. William
6. Joshua
7. Daniel
8. Jayden
9. Noah
10. Anthony



For a printable version (PDF file) of this puzzle, click here.

For a printable version (PDF file) of this puzzle's answer key, click here.

For a page of word search puzzles featuring the most popular baby names by year (back to the 1800s), click here.