Review by Jennifer Sitkin, Common Sense Education | Updated December 2014
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BBC History

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Multimedia resources address fascinating historical questions

Subjects & skills
Subjects
  • Social Studies
Skills
  • Critical Thinking
Grades This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.
6–12
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (3 Reviews)
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Website

Take a look inside

4 images
Search by time period to find interactive iWonder presentations.
Resources are added and updated regularly.
Students take an active role in learning about historical events.
Radio broadcasts cover a wide-range of historical topics.

Pros: Interactive iWonders and news articles support student learning in class or in solo research.

Cons: The iPlayer videos are unavailable outside of the UK; some of the links to videos and articles do not work.

Bottom Line: A solid source for supplemental social studies content.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Use a projector to share the various broadcasts, articles, or presentations with the entire class. For example, students can listen to a podcast on "A history of ideas" to jump-start a discussion; students might review the iWonder presentation on "How close did D-Day come to failure?" to address the key details of the WWII invasion. Students will also benefit from accessing the resources on their own devices, so consider sharing the link to your class homepage or use a QR code reader to share the link. The site can be recommended for historical research, or specific assignments can be designed around a particular resource. Depending on lesson goals and student ability level, it may be useful to develop guided worksheets for students to complete. 

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Standards:

BBC History is a website that hosts a large collection of multimedia resources on high-interest social studies topics. The home page changes regularly and highlights a variety of topics. There are four different types of resources on the site: iWonders, news articles, iPlayers (only in U.K.), and radio podcasts. The iWonders focus on an interesting historical question. For example, in "How did so many soldiers survive the trenches?" students read about a typical day in the trenches of World War I, view graphics, and watch videos on the topic. Many of the resources also include interactive features and links to further information. Students and teachers can search by topic and find additional materials on a number of historical events including British history, ancient history, family history, and historical figures. 

The site's content goes far beyond a review of basic history and provides opportunities to delve into some especially fascinating historical events. The videos (when they work), the podcasts, and the graphics and images should all combine to increase student interest and engagement. The iWonders, in particular, examine unique historical questions such as "Why friends fought together in WWI," "Why didn’t Christianity die out in the first century?" and "Did a Welshman discover America?" While there's no doubt that the content will be interesting, teachers will need to explore to find which resources are relevant and accessible to their specific students. For example, some of the articles and podcasts may be difficult to understand for ELL students, while others may require more context to make the content accessible for students. Overall, this is a great tool to extend your existing curriculum with some thoughtful, engaging multimedia content. 

Overall Rating
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Unique topics, high-quality graphics, and a wide range of interactive content should increase student interest and understanding of historical events. 

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

There are no lesson plans provided, but the articles, iWonder resources, and BBC Radio broadcasts can all be easily integrated into a history curriculum.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Although there's no explicit support for how to use the site with students, the majority of the content is easy to access. When a feature doesn’t work, there are explanations and suggestions for how to troubleshoot the issue.

Common Sense Reviewer
Jennifer Sitkin Classroom teacher
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Key Standards Supported

Reading History/Social Studies

  • RH.6-8.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.

  • RH.6-8.7

    Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.

  • RH.6-8.1

    Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

  • RH.6-8.2

    Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

  • RH.9-10.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.

  • RH.9-10.7

    Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.

  • RH.9-10.1

    Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

  • RH.9-10.2

    Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

  • RH.11-12.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

  • RH.11-12.7

    Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

  • RH.11-12.1

    Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.

  • RH.11-12.2

    Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.

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Teacher Reviews

(See all 3 reviews) (3 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Suzy L. , Technology coordinator
Technology coordinator
Cherokee County Schools
Canton, GA
Eyecatching Multimedia History for Students
The BBC is a great resource for video content, as everyone knows. However, I like that they're trying to take their content and focus it on things that students might like to know about history, such as one of the current videos, which focuses on football (soccer) and how it came about/relates to WWI. The visuals on the sight are eye-catching as well. What I don't like is the organization of the site. Everything has a magazine/Pinterest-like feel, which is attractive, but it doesn't make the site easy to navigate or search. Also, because the History section is just part of the BBC site, the search returns results from everywhere on the BBC site, instead of just the History section. The site certainly has potential--it just might take some time to mine through the resources for what you need.
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