General Resources
While most teachers are expert in finding sources for the classroom, we all know that no one can keep track of everything in the fast-breaking world of twenty-first century information technology. That's where HISTORY NOW and I can be of some help. Don't hesitate to let me know, however, when I'm giving you the wrong kind of help. HISTORY NOW is a work in progress, and the format and content of the Archivist's contributions will be the subject of continuing attention and revision.
Before I turn to specific suggestions for the topics discussed in the articles and lesson plans in the inaugural issue of HISTORY NOW, I'll offer a few suggestions for broadly useful websites you may want to add to the list of "Favorites" or "Bookmarks" on your Internet browser.
1. If you don't know about it already, turn to the History and Social
Studies section of the National Endowment for the Humanities' (NEH's)
"Edsitement" website. You're probably familiar with the NEH's
programs for educators, so you won't be surprised that their site offers
excellent lesson plans and links to websites useful to classroom teachers.
http://edsitement.neh.gov/tab_lesson.asp?subjectArea=3
2. On the most general level, I'd suggest that you take a look at the
University of Michigan's "Internet Public Library" site:
http://www.ipl.org/div/about/
Within this site, you'll probably want to focus on the "History -
North America" section:
http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/hum30.55.00
But don't ignore the broader scope of the site. You'll find links here
to research materials and reference tools on the Web.
Finally, a word about two websites that you'll find cited in every issue of HISTORY NOW.
3. First, there's the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website.
This site includes images and transcriptions of hundreds of documents
in the Gilder Lehrman Collection -- a number that is constantly increasing.
The site also provides lesson plans, quizzes and other resources for teachers:
www.gilderlehrman.org
4. Lastly, there's the more broad-based "American Memory" series
at the Library of Congress. This website is dedicated to the Internet
publication of the Library's American history collections in all formats
--photos, newspapers, books, manuscripts, broadsides, and pamphlets. You'll
see several elements of "American Memory" highlighted in the
lists of resources for this issue, but give yourself time to go to the
website to review the breadth of choices offered in the list of all collections
so far included in this series:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amtitle.html
