Thanksgiving Day in 2010

In 2010, Thanksgiving will be celebrated on November 25. Annually, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. We have a fun, printable Thanksgiving Word Search Puzzle for kids that can be used in grades 4 through 12. This modern puzzle includes such terms as tofurkey, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

Trivia Question: What professional football team plays a game every year on Thanksgiving Day? The answer is a search term in the puzzle!

New: November, 2010

Is it really November already? Is Halloween actually over? Did I really eat that much candy? Yes, yes, yes.

Every month we write in our news, "We've been sooooo busy!" This month is no exception. As many of our new and old visitors know, we not only are now on Facebook, but Twitter as well. This is our main Student Handouts Twitter account. Try our free study games Twitter account if you (or your students) are interested in getting a single daily test-prep game.

So what have we been up to? We've been working to improve our teaching jobs pages. In the olden days, we had all of this information (on the 50 states and beyond) on a single page. This was easy for us, but was A LOT of information to scroll through. A few months ago, we created individual pages for each state. At the time, though, we never got beyond giving the basic links on each page. We've since started enriching these individual state web pages with more official links, as well as more detailed information. Hopefully this task will be completed by the end of the year (famous last words).

From user feedback, we have been thrilled to learn that numerous teachers have been using our games and tests with groups of students. Typically, the teacher takes her or his class to the school computer lab where the students locate this web site on the internet. Simultaneously, the students play a game or take a test. We are absolutely delighted that so many teachers are finding our interactive content so fun, easy, and practical to use! There is no joy quite like learning that your hours upon hours of hard work, thrown like seeds into the world, are taking root and nourishing others. Keep using the games and spreading the word! And, as always, if you have a suggest...for the love of cheese...send us an email! We check studenthandouts[AT]gmail.com at least a few times a week.

One visitor asked why we do not offer RSS feeds. Honestly, we first had to search Google to find out what on earth these are. It turns out that RSS feeds are alerts sent to visitors every time we update a web page or upload content. We spent about 1.2 seconds thinking about adding RSS feeds, and the answer was a resounding no. Why? This web site is absolutely enormous, and we are on our laptops constantly tweaking this and that. If we set up RSS feeds for you to receive, you might be driven mad enough to toss your own laptop or personal computer out of the window.

Instead, at least for the near future, we intend to keep you informed about the site like we always have...through this news article, as well as on our blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. If you are looking for something in particular, try the Google search box which is located at the bottom of nearly every page.

This Thanksgiving season, then, we are grateful for our loyal visitors, who keep growing in number. We are grateful for the fact that we have created useful course content that is accessible to all educators, regardless of type or location. We are grateful for whatever success we may be having in reaching our goal of helping to make the field of education a more equal playing field for all students. Thank you. We hope you enjoy your turkey (or tofurkey).

Tragedy in Myanmar..or Burma?

Our hearts go out to the victims of the earthquake tragedy in Myanmar/Burma. In classrooms, tragedies have the effect of highlighting an issue (faulty infrastructure, such as in Haiti), drawing attention to a region, and more.

A common question educators and parents ask is the simple: Myanmar or Burma? (Link to a BBC article on the issue.) We often wonder, "Where is that?"

As awful as this Myanmar/Burma earthquake is, educators can use this "current events" opportunity as an educative experience for students. Can something be done to help? Of course. Students can be directed to relief organizations such as the Red Cross. Teachers, parents, and students can educate themselves on the geography and politics of the region (southeastern Asia). Is it Myanmar or Burma? Why is the area called by a different name depending upon the writer's/reader's location?

Note: This is an excellent opportunity to impress upon young people the importance of being prepared for a natural disaster. After all, natural disasters happen all around the world. The Red Cross has excellent disaster preparedness materials for students.

What are your thoughts? How do you address tragic current events with your students/children?

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History of Ancient Rome - Teaching Materials

Many World History-Global Studies classes nationwide (and worldwide) are currently studying the rise and fall of the ancient Roman Empire. If this describes you, you're in luck! We have all of the PowerPoints, DBQs, and printable worksheets that you'll ever need.

Our PowerPoints include:

• "The Establishment of the Roman Republic"
• "The Punic Wars"
• "Civil War in Rome and the End of the Roman Republic"
• "The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire"
• "The Barbarian Invasions: The Migration Period in Europe"

There are also printable handouts such as T-charts, crossword puzzles, DBQs (document-based questions), readings, word search puzzles, and writing exercises. Need the perfect video? We have links to topic-specific movies and documentaries.

Are you in the mood for online games that you can play as a class? We have Ancient Rome Online Educational Games that your class can play together using a SmartBoard or projector. You can also share the games link with students, so that they can study at home on a laptop or PC. Kids can play Hangman or Playtime, or take a multiple-choice practice test, all with instant results. Not only will your students do better on their classroom tests, but they'll earn better scores on state exams.

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact of 1939

Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler (represented by Joachim von Ribbentrop) signed a non-aggression agreement in 1939. Hitler soon after violated this agreement, drawing the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) into the Second World War. Check out this and other World War II images in our educational image galleries. Each photograph, map, diagram, etc., is accompanied by easy-to-read informative text. Great learning and study tool for teachers and students!

Russian Revolution

We have a terrific photo gallery dedicated to the decline and fall of Russia's Romanov dynasty.

We also have a wonderful PowerPoint presentation that succintly covers the last five tsars, and the factors that led to the Russian Revolution. Our PowerPoints come in multiple formats - PPT (PowerPoint 1997-2003), PPTX (PowerPoint 2007), PDF (easy to print, or to read/display without downloading to your hard drive). We also have a pre-made handout for students (three slides per page, with lines for taking notes).

News: October, 2010

Many terrific teaching materials have been added to the site over the course of the last month. These include new galleries, new games, and new printables.

We have posted a new batch of games (and more) covering the Tang and Song dynasties of China. Click to test your knowledge of this important period in early Chinese history.

The image galleries are expanding daily. Currently, we are working on a comprehensive gallery for the Second World War. As part of this larger World War II gallery, we have created an image gallery for German dictator Adolf Hitler. You can browse the Adolf Hitler Image Gallery here. The gallery, like all of our galleries, comes complete with easy-to-read captions that educate you while you browse.

Adolf Hitler as a baby.

As always, we are open to your suggestions. If you have an idea for the website, please contact us at studenthandouts AT gmail.com.