World Religions Image Gallery

We have a new map and picture gallery, this one focusing on the beliefs, development, and practices of the world's religions.

World Religions Map and Picture Gallery

All of the major religions are covered--Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Sikhism, etc. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any suggestions.

Is an IB Diploma worth it?

Should my teenager go for an IB Diploma? Is an IB Diploma worth it?

The IB Diploma (IBDP, International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) has grown popular in recent years as a high-quality course of study for high school students hoping to gain admittance to a well-ranked university. Many parents have asked us, should my son or daughter work toward an IB Diploma?

The IB Diploma is not necessarily harder than a traditional college-prep program at the honors level. The main difference lies in tougher requirements for (a) community service, (b) essay writing, and (c) a focus on critical thinking.  If your teenager is bright and driven, and typically gets put into honors-level classes, the IB Diploma coursework should not be extraordinarily challenging for him or her.

The question is, then, is the diploma worth the effort?  

To answer this question, we have to look at the point of the IBDP.  This diploma program began in Europe, where both private and public universities receive large numbers of international students.  European universities had a problem: wanting to accept these foreign students, while wanting these foreign students to have a core knowledge and skills set.  The answer was to create a diploma program that would teach and assess this core knowledge and skills set (again, not entirely unlike the standard college-prep coursework that is commonplace in the United States).  An IB Diploma tells a university that the student meets the school's entry requirements, plain and simple.

In other words, the IB Diploma is terrific for any American (or other student) planning to attend college abroad.   For example, Marcus, earning an IB Diploma in Michigan, can feel confident that he has a good chance of getting accepted at Oxford, Cambridge, University College Dublin, etc.

The problem?

While American colleges acknowledge and respect an IB Diploma, they do not expect their students to hold such a diploma.  Not even ivy league schools like Harvard and Princeton expect their applicants to have an IBDP certificate. And, as stated earlier, the standard college-prep high school coursework is very similar to the coursework required for an IB Diploma.

Our advice...

If your teenager plans to attend college in another country, an IB Diploma is highly desirable.  But if he or she is planning to go to a university in the United States, the standard college-prep coursework (essentially, four years of everything, focusing on the "toughest" classes your teen can get into) will work just as well.

Show me the money!

Some U.S. schools offer IB Diploma coursework, but charge for the service.  You can save yourself the cost by simply working with your teenager (and school counselor, if you like) to craft a high school program that meets the IB Diploma standards.  Have your child take four years of advanced Math, preferably at the honors level.  Have your child do community service work.  This knowledge and experience are what American universities are looking for, rather than a single certificate.

Check out the IBDP official website: International Baccalaureate Organization

William Seward Biography Workbook Answer Key

This is the answer key for "William Henry Seward," part of our Biography Workbook Series.

EDIT: IT IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE HERE: https://studenthandouts.com/historical-figures/s/william-seward/william-henry-seward-biography-workbook.html

1. C - Florida, New York
2. B - Georgia
3. B - False
4. A - abhorrent
5. D - Whigs
6. C - merriment
7. A - Albany Regency
8. A - Andrew Jackson
9. A - consideration
10. A - True
11. Thurlow Weed
12. A - benevolent
13. B - general
14. D - William Seward
15. B - for
16. D - repugnance
17. B - highlighted
18. D - privilege
19. Answers will vary
20. Answers will vary
21. B - False
22. C - mental illness
23. D - Zachary Taylor
24. C - omnibus
25. B - slavery
26. C - Republicans
27. C - enhancements
28. D - perceptible
29. Abraham Lincoln
30. Secretary of State
31. Answers will vary
32. B - dexterity
33. A - Emancipation Proclamation
34. Thirteenth
35. Fourteenth
36. A - Andrew Johnson
37. A - France
38. A - Canada
39. C - kudos
40. Answers will vary

Crossword Puzzle Answer Key:

Across
2. felicity
4. abhorrence
8. amenities
9. acclaim
10. prerogative
11. catholic
12. accentuated

Down
1. repugnant
3. eleemosynary
5. conspicuous
6. adroitness
7. deliberation

Click here for our complete list of biography workbooks.

Johannes Gutenberg Biography Workbook Answer Key

This is the answer key for "Johannes Gutenberg," a workbook in our Biography Workbook Series.  This biographical sketch of the life of Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press, is complete with recall and critical thinking questions, as well as college admissions test prep vocabulary.

EDIT: This workbook is now available for free here (along with its answer key).

Lincoln (2012) Movie Review for History Teachers

Thanksgiving Clip Art

      Check out our free Thanksgiving clip art. These pictures are great for adding to your website, blog, newsletter, craft projects, and more.

Hurricane Sandy

As many of you know, our little home office is in New York City. We have been very fortunate in that our part of the city was one of the few areas to be largely unaffected by the storm. We've been warned to watch out for weakened trees, but that is about it. Still, the interruptions and limited services in the rest of the city mean that the best thing we can do right now is stay home, and let the authorities do their jobs. In this respect, we are very grateful to all of the government agencies, at the local, state, and federal levels, who have been working tirelessly to help fix this mess.

In the meantime, we encourage those who are interested in helping to do so. Please visit the Red Cross to find out ways that you can assist with relief efforts. Our thoughts are with everyone who is suffering through this disaster right now.