A good website for quick historical information.

Submitted 8 years ago

Community Review for America's Story from America's Library

Miriam K.
Miriam K.
Cornell Elementary School
Coraopolis PA, US
My Rating
Pedagogy
Supports

My Take

I loved at this website required almost no setup. You do not need user names or a log-in to get your kids working on this website. This website is best for elementary students and gives a brief overview of the topics. Meet Amazing Americans, States, Time Periods, are just a couple examples of what this website has to offer. While there is good information it is very light information. This would be good to go along with a lesson but can not really stand alone.

How I Use It

My 5th grade students are beginning a unit on American geography. I had each of the students pick 3 states out of a hat, as well as PA since that is where we live. The students used this website to answer a few questions on each of the states. I liked that each state has a picture with the capital located as well as when each state received statehood. This was a great way to introduce the states to the kids and then the students in turn introduced their states to the class. We created a huge fill-in map and had the students write down all of their information in each state.

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Isaac P.
Isaac P.
December 11, 2014

A useful website to explore American history for young learners. Great content, dated website.

Great website with lots of engaging resources for younger learners to inspire them to learn about American history through a variety of resources and activities, including primary sources drawn from the Library of Congress. A useful resource for teaching or for student exploration. Bottom line: great site in terms of content, but a little limited in terms of the technology it uses.
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Elizabeth E.
Elizabeth E. Teacher Isidore Newman School New Orleans, LA
July 31, 2014

User-Friendly Website from Library of Congress Full of Brief Summaries, Primary Sources, and Other Pertinent Links

America's Story is a free resource that requires no setup time, no usernames or passwords, and minimal background knowledge of topics, historical figures, or time periods. Students can learn more about states, American pastimes, significant Americans, and more. This site is most age-appropriate for late Lower School- or early Middle School-aged students, as the summaries are phrased in an elementary way and are relatively superficial. The option to read articles and primary sources, however, leaves room for deeper challenge. I recommend using America's Story as a supplement to in-class activities or as an option for early finishers; it is best suited for small group or individual activity.
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