Technology | Dinosaurs | The Olympics | Space | Medieval Studies | The Holocaust | The Titanic | Biographies | The Underground Railroad | Ancient Egypt | Ancient Rome | The Rainforest | Volcanoes | Arctic/Antarctica | Endangered Animals | Mysteries | Seasons | Vikings | Aztecs | Inventors and Inventions | The Vatican, Popes and Conclave | Media Literacy

Technology

• Keyboarding Resources - A very good keyboarding site with links to resources for teaching keyboarding and infusing technology into the curriculum.
• Elementary Keyboarding Guide: Saskatchewan Education - A little out of date but still quite useful on the hows and whys of keyboarding instruction.
• BBC Education: Dance Mat Typing - This site provides an introduction to touch typing for children aged 7 - 11 years. Each of the 4 levels are divided into 3 stages. Begin at Level 1 and build up your skills gradually through to Level 4.
• Learning Electric - This software tutorial site provides short Quicktime videos covering software basics including Microsoft Office, Inspiration, and KidPix.
• Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101 - Easy to follow tutorials for Microsoft Word and Excel, Internet Explorer, and much more; includes Spanish translations for some lessons - it would be helpful to use these as a follow-up or extension activity for a professional development or computer application lesson.
• Actden: PowerPoint in the Classroom - Learn how to use Powerpoint in your presentation.
• The ABC's to Excel - Look here for a host of creative uses of Microsoft Excel for elementary grades.
• Chalksoft: PowerPoint - Here's another excellent Powerpoint tutorial.
• Intel Education: The Journey Inside - The Journey Inside is an interactive, media-rich Web site that answers important questions about computers and the Internet through activities that help explain how technology works and impacts our society. The site is designed for teaching and learning, and is divided into two parts: a student section and a teacher guide.
• Web Design: HTML Goodies - A very strong tutorial site to get you through making your first web sites.
• Web Design: Lisa Explains it All - A great site that teaches web design to kids.
• Web Design: Dynamic Drive - A great place to find free scripts to enhance your web page.
• Web Design: Cooltext.com - Cooltext.com is an online graphics generator for web pages and anywhere else you might need an impressive logo without a lot of work.
• Web Design: Great Sites for Free Fonts - For web designers it's great to find some cool fonts to spruce up your pages. I've collected some links and put them on the following page.
• Timeliner 5.0: Sample Timelines - Each month Tom Synder Software, the makers of a great piece of software called Timeliner release a new timeline that yu can download.
• Schoolhouse Tech - Create professional-quality customized worksheets and activities to advance the skills and enhance the learning of your students with Windows software tools from Schoolhouse Technologies.
• Lee's Summit, School District Technology Integration - This site, developed by a school IT team in Missouri, provides a comprehensive directory of annotated links to any information and help you may need to integrate technology into your classroom.
• Action Painting on a SMARTboard - Students will learn about the American born artist Jackson Pollock, who was famous for his "action painting." Jackson Pollock described his paintings as "energy and motion made visible." Students will have the opportunity to view some of his work and discover how it feels to drip and splatter paint across the virtual canvas as they make their own action paintings on the SMARTboard.

Dinosaurs

• Dino Dictionary - On average a new dinosaur is discovered every six weeks. The Dinosaur Dictionary has details profiles on over 300 of them.
• Dinosaurs Gallery - A few good PDFs of dinosaur activities. After you sign up for a free membership to Learning Page.com click here to access a great deal more.
• Dinosaur Provincial Park - Alberta dinosaurs and fossils organized for easy research; includes a kids' page.
• Royal Tyrell Museum - One of the world's most extensive collection of dinosaur fossils and exhibits on prehistoric life is here in Drumheller, Alberta.
• Sue the T-Rex - Meet Sue, the world's largest, most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex. Hear the story of how she was discovered and put together.
• Dinosaur Flip Book: T-Rex - For FUN, make your own flip book and watch the T. Rex run!
• Dinosaur Flip Book: Triceratops - The same as above but a triceratops.
• Dino Directory - This is a guide to 120 of the most well-described dinosaurs.
• Zoom Dinosaurs - Zoom Dinosaurs is a comprehensive on-line hypertext book about dinosaurs. It is designed for students of all ages and levels of comprehension. It has an easy-to-use structure that allows readers to start at a basic level on each topic, and then to progress to much more advanced information as desired, simply by clicking on links.
• Dinosaur Printouts - An information page on each dinosaur. Also includes a coloring page.
• American Museum of Natural History - Fossil Halls - The fossil halls provide information in a variety of formats, including timelines, which allow visitors to travel back into the past to explore environments and their inhabitants.
• Willo, the Dinosaur with a Heart - A site about a 66-million-year-old skeleton of a small, plant-eating Thescelosaurus that contains a fossilized dinosaur heart.
• Dinocountry - This site provides a descriptive and anecdotal research of one T-Rex fossil, Scotty, the T-Rex at Eastland, Saskatchewan.
• The Dinosauria - This site is excellent for researching dinosaurs and fossils, gives good images and text.
• Dinosaur Treks: A Thinkquest Site - Dinosaurs have fascinated millions. Learn all about individual dinosaurs, their tracks, and their associated extinction theories. Immerse yourself in three interactive dinosaur treks to get acquainted with the different dinosaurs that existed throughout the world millions of years ago.
• University of California Museum of Paleontology - This site includes a teacher guide section with a variety of classroom activities.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica - Discovering Dinosaurs - Explores how our conception of dinosaurs has evolved in the 150 years since dinosaurs were first discovered.
• BBC: Prehistoric Life - Learn about lifeforms in the prehistoric age with articles and quizzes.
• Discovery Channel's Dinosaur Guide - Come face-to-face with some of the biggest creatures to ever walk this planet. Enter your zip code so you can find out about the types of dinosaurs that used to live near you.
• The World's First Dinosaur Skeleton - A site about the first dinosaur fossil found in the United States. William Parker Foulke had discovered the first nearly complete skeleton of a dinosaur, an event that would rock the scientific world and forever change our view of natural history.

The Olympics

• Ancient Greek Olympics in the Classroom - It's around 480 BCE. You are an Olympian contestant, representing your city-state at the Olympic games! How would you behave?
• Scholastic.com: Go for the Gold - Filled with facts and fun, Scholastic's Go for the Gold site offers a cool way to celebrate the upcoming Olympics. The site includes online and offline activities, history, photos, the latest news, a teacher's guide, rubrics, and booklist. A companion article from Instructor Magazine offers several wonderful activities for introducing students to Ancient Greece. It is available at: The Ancient Olympics.
• CBC at the Olympics: Archives - Check out CBC's seven decades covering the Olympics.
• International Olympic Committee - A great place to start for all your Olympic needs.
• Canadian Olympic Committee: Educational Material - The Canadian Olympic Education Program features three elements, including the Canadian Olympic Resource Kit - a curriculum program intended for students in grades four to six designed to complement existing curriculum while containing both class and individual components. Canadian Olympic Values Education integrates the seven Canadian Olympic values-excellence, fun, fairness, respect, human development, leadership and peace into exciting Olympic-themed learning where students can participate in a unique educational experience that we believe will motivate them to pursue their dreams in all facets of their lives. The Canadian Olympic School Challenge is more detailed and involves the entire school population.
• Edgate Summer Games Site - A wealth of lesson plans and information about the Olympics and Greece in general.
• Science and the Olympics - Come and see how science and technology changing the games.
• The Ancient Olympic Games Virtual Museum - Login using the following username and password.
  USERNAME: pmlavery
  PASSWORD: qwerty
• Visit the Ancient Olympics - Thespis and Melinna are your Greek guides, and you're off to the Olympic Games. Follow them and find out just what went on there. On each page you'll be asked a question. Move your mouse around to explore what you see, and when you find the answer to each question click it!
• Olympics Through Time - Presented by the foundation of the Hellenic World, this site offers an overview of the Olympics, from the first organized atlectic festivals in Minoan Crete to the present-day Olympic Games.
• The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games - This site, from the Museum of Archaelogy and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, supplies a history of the Games, ancient Olympics FAQs, and an online Q and A survey. This site also explodes some of the myths about the ancient Games.
• Ancient Olympics - This site on the ancient Olympics was created to honour the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. The first-rate treatment of the evolution of the Olympic tradition includes a tour of Ancient Olympia, the Context of the Games and the Olympic Spirit, and Athletes' Stories.
• Brain Pop: Olympics - This site provides a multimedia movie that shares background information on the Olympic Games and offers lots of fitness tie-ins for teachers of health and social studies.
• Women in the Olympic Arena - This lesson plan explores the role of women in the modern Olympic Games.
• Olympic Torches - Take a look at the old Olympic torches and flames. Another great site with a little more historical information can be found here.
• Olympic Mascots - Find out all about the mascots who have represented each city and their games.
• Enchanted Learning: Olympic Site - Usually has a few good elementary Olympic activities for the students to get into.
• Corey and Laura's Olympic Site - Summer and winter games information, trivia, news, and various links.
• History for Kids: Olympic Page
• Athletic Events in Prehistory - Another great site to learn about the start of the ancient Olympic games.
• Olympic Primer - The Sports Library of the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, legacy of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, has created this Olympic Games Primer for teachers, students, and interested individuals who want to learn and teach others about the world's great celebration of sport and friendship: the Olympic Movement.
• Olympics: Ancient vs. Modern - A pretty interesting 15 question interactive quiz.

• Space Science Curriculum Standards Quilt - This interactive site from NASA offers K-12 activities and lesson plans for teaching about space science. This site also allows users to select the grade range and then highlights the "patches" where activities and lessons can be found that coordinate with themes, such as "Science as Inquiry," and topic areas, such as "Energy." The links to the downloadable lesson plans are then displayed in the box beneath the grid, or "quilt."
• The Hubble Space Telescope - An themeatic unit made up by Jim Cornish and Stemnet with a lot of real useful links.

Medieval Studies

• Time Ref - Want to know about Medieval Europe? At TimeRef you can learn about the Medieval period from 800 to 1500 A.D. Timelines are organized by century and 25-year spans, category, and episode. The site features architectural plans and graphics of abbeys, cathedrals, castles, and virtual buildings. Information about key individuals is available by century and alphabetically; genealogical charts are included for viewing or downloading. TimeRef also lists the Kings of Scotland and England, many of which are hyperlinked to more information. "This Day in Medieval History" is a wonderful feature that lists the key events which occurred on this particular date over the centuries. A Medieval Games section and a Medieval History Quiz are under construction. A glossary, maps, links, books, and references round out the site.
• Castle View - See all the workings of a medieval castle. You can even dress a knight for battle. To reach this page, click on the coloured tents, then on the ‘Knight in armour’ link. Use your mouse to drag and drop pieces of armour. There are more pieces than you will need.
• Medieval Women - Medieval Women is a fascinating look at all aspects of 15th century medieval life for women, including music, interactive games, a nunnery, "the world", and a timeline. Produced by McMaster University, Canada, the site accompanies the television series, "Mystic Women of the Middle Ages."
• Dragon Thematic Unit - A very complete dragon unit brought to you by Jim Cornish of Gander Academy.
• Castles for Kids
• The Middle Ages: What was it really like to live in the Middle Ages - In film and literature, medieval life seems heroic, entertaining, and romantic. In reality, life in the Middle Ages, a period that extended from approximately the fifth century to the fifteenth century in Western Europe, was sometimes all these things, as well as harsh, uncertain, and often dangerous.
• Ghosts in the Castle - This site from National Geographic for Kids is an interactive site that allows students to explore a virtual castle examining all of the rooms and people associated with it. This site is easy reading for young students.
• Discovery School: The Middle Ages - In this lesson students will understand about people from long ago by reading records, such as diaries, that they left behind. They will also learn that in medieval times, only the wealthiest people — the lords, knights, and ladies were able to read and write.
• Camelot Village - See how well you can fire arrows in a game. Choose an archer and try to hit the middle of the target with each arrow.
• Skipton Castle - See how life would have been in the principal rooms of the castle over 500 years ago. You can print your own colour pictures or black and white ones for the students to color themselves.
• Defend Yourself, Good Knight - What if you were a knight far back in history? What kinds of weapons would you see, and what kinds of armor would you use to protect yourself? Visit this site to find out.
• Dragons - Find out all about the history of dragons and where they come from.

The Holocaust

• The Truth About Anne Frank - A teacher resource for a 12 week study on Anne Frank's life.
• Anne Frank Center USA - A great resource for classes studying Anne Frank. Goes into great detail on Anne's life and how the Holocaust affected Holland.
• We Remember Anne Frank - This site from Scholastic includes an interview with one of Anne's close childhood friends and information on Miep Gies, the woman who hid the Franks.
• A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust - An overview of the people and events of the Holocaust through photographs, documents, art, music, movies, and literature.
• Museum of Tolerance Online: Multimedia Learning Center Online - The Simon Wiesenthal Center presents this comprehensive and authoritative multimedia archive for teaching and learning about the Holocaust and World War II. This is a rich resource for history teachers or anyone interested in learning more about the holocaust. The multimedia learning center includes text files and thousands of photos featuring the Jews, the Nazis, Resistance and Rescue, anti-Semitism and the final solution, the world response, and much more. Several virtual exhibits are available, from the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Museum of Tolerance archives, including the story of a rescuer of Jews during the Nazi Holocaust, the struggle for human dignity during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943, and images of the Polish Jews. Students will find quick answers to their research questions in the FAQ area that contains an interactive glossary of the Holocaust, an interactive timeline of the Holocaust, answers to 36 commonly asked questions about the Holocaust in three languages and current articles and publications. Additionally, there is a list of teaching resources for educators.

• Titanic: A Special Exhibit from Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Onboard the Titanic - This Discovery.com web site allows you to click on one of five silhouettes and follow the path of an actual passenger who traveled on the Titanic. You won't know who you are or if you survive until the fateful night.
• Titanic Online - RMS Titanic, Inc. was granted salvor-in-possession rights to the wreck off the Titanic by a United States Federal Court order in 1994, reconfirmed again in 1996. During the years 2000, 1998, 1996, 1994, 1993 and 1987, research and recovery expeditions conducted by RMS Titanic, Inc. have recovered approximately 6000 artifacts from the TITANIC wreck site. Take a look at some of the findings.
• Titanic Images from Maryland Newspapers - A series of images from Maryland newspapers, examining newspaper coverage of the Titanic disaster on April 14, 1912. Files are in PDF format.
• Shipwreck Central: Shipwreck Map - See on a map where all te famous shipwrecks occurred including the Titanic.
• Nautical Terminology and Practices in 1912 - This page provides information about nautical matters as they stood in 1912 including nautical miles, knots, RMS and SS.
• George Behe's Titanic Miscellaneous Facts Page - George is very knowledgeable on the Titanic and has written books and articles on that and other subjects
• Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax - The world was stunned in 1912 by the loss of the liner Titanic on her maiden voyage. Halifax, Nova Scotia, located on the eastern coast of Canada, has one of the most moving and intimate connections with the Titanic disaster, playing a key role during the tragedy's aftermath and becoming the final resting place of many of her unclaimed victims.
• Titanic Timeline - An easy to follow timeline of Thomas Henry Ismay, The White Star Line and the Titanic.
• The Jason Project - Founded by Dr. Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic. Together with JASON founder Dr. Robert Ballard and a team of scientists and researchers, you and your students can explore fascinating natural environments and apply what you learn to your own corner of the world.
• The 3D Titanic Homepage - David Clarke's superb Titanic computer model.
• Titanic Trivia
• RMS Titanic: Ship of Dreams - Over the years many people have written books, films, plays etc to illustrate the disaster. Most works have a haunting theme. Human error and arrogance were the direct cause of the disaster. It is this website's writers aim to highlight the main events of the voyage.
• Titanic Historical Society - A great information source for all things Titanic and White Star Line related. Formed in 1963, the THS was the first and is the largest global organization dedicated to preserving the history of RMS Titanic and the White Star Line. This site provides a Titanic Museum, which includes a unique collection of personal items donated by survivors and their families, historical documents and memorabilia from Titanic, Olympic, Britannic and White Star Line ships.
• Titanic - Visit the official Titanic web site.
• Encyclopedia Titanica - Over 2,100 individual passenger and crew biographies, regularly updated passenger and crew listings, exclusive research articles and ongoing discussions about the Titanic.
• Titanic's Sister Ship - Britannic - Learn about how Titanic's sister ship was lost in the Aegean Sea during WWI.
• The Titanic Research and Modeling Association - Has the most comprehensive database of Titanic pictures.
• Titanic and Other White Star Ships - Unique facts, photos and technical graphics by Mark Nichol.
• Titanic in the Classroom - A comprehensive web site with information to help put on a Titanic unit at school.
• Titanic Tidbits - George Behe attempts to separate fact from fiction regarding numerous Titanic legends.
• Frequently Asked Questions About the Titanic
• RMS Titanic's Final Resting Place - A Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition; includes extensive links to Titanic resources.
• RMS Titanic Radio Page - Detailed site about Titanic's wireless and the messages exchanged.

Studying Biographies

• Biography Channel - This A & E site corresponds with the Biography show. It has a searchable database that includes over 25 000 individuals.
• A & E Biography: Who's On - Take a look at this online calendar to find out who is on Biography each month.
• Building on Biographies: Bringing Real-Life Stories Into Your Curriculum! - Who can dispute the value of a good story? Though students may initially view them as dull, biographies are the stuff that great classroom activities are made of -- history, honesty, and heroism. With the help of the Internet, every teacher can bring biographies into their classrooms! This Education World site includes ten activities that begin with biographies.
• Biography Project for Schools - Take an indepth look at the lives of the following four individuals... Mark Twain, Mozart, Ponce DeLeon and Pocahontas.
• Biographical Dictionary - This massive biographical dictionary contains entries for more than 28 000 people and is searchable by name, birth or death year, position or profession, literary or artistic works, and miscellaneous achievements.
• The Day I Was Born: Discovering Your Place in History - Find out what memorable events happened the day you were born.
• Memorable Canadians - This site provides an index of biographies located throughout the National Library of Canada's Web site. The biographies focus on the National Library’s areas of emphasis: Canadian history and society, literature, music, and library and information science.
• Famous Canadians Theme Page - There are links to informational resources and links to instructional materials and lesson plans.
• Well Known People Who Happen to Be Canadian - An enormous collection of biographies of Canadian actors, educators, and politicians.
• Distinguished Women From the Past and Present - These are women who were writers, educators, scientists, heads of state, politicians, civil rights crusaders, artists, entertainers, and others. Search for biographies of distinguished women by name or by field.
• 4000 Years of Women in Science - This site lists more than 125 names from our scientific and technical past. They are all women!
• Gallery of Achievers - In the Gallery of Achievers, the focus is on individuals who have shaped the 20th century by their accomplishments.
• Spectrum Biographies - An indepth collection of 30 well known people throughout history.

The Underground Railroad

• The Path to Freedom - This article from Scholastic's Instructor Magazine uses meaningful activities to help students begin to understand life on the Underground Railroad.
• Scholastic.com: The Underground Railroad - Escape From Slavery - The Underground Railroad: Escape From Slavery online activity presents an accurate and personal view of the brutal practice of slavery, a concept that may be difficult for young students. Students will travel back to the year 1860 and follow a young slave as he flees a Kentucky plantation for Canada along the Underground Railroad. Along the way, they can read or listen to the runaway slave describe his terrifying journey from slavery to freedom. They'll discover what life was like as a slave, encounter the dangers of the Underground Railroad, meet brave abolitionists who took great risks to help runaways, and compare life in the North and South.
• Life Under Enslavement: African Americans on Hermitage Plantation - Visit the home of an enslaved carpenter from the Hermitage Plantation in Georgia and explore the ways in which African Americans cared for their families, used their skills, preserved their African traditions, and resisted enslavement.
• The Underground Railroad - This site was produced in May 1996 as a distance learning project for the U.C. Davis Division of Education. It is no longer updated by contains a wealth of information about the Underground Railroad including some primary material.
• The Life of Harriet Tubman - Harriet Tubman's life was a monument to courage and determination. Visit this site to learn about the crucial role she played millions of slaves.
• The Underground Railroad in Canada - The enslavement of millions of Africans sparked a long history of resistance. During the 19th-century, thousands of enslaved and many free African-Americans fled the United States and made their way to Mexico and Canada where they could live as free citizens. In Canada, the refugees arrived at points as far east as Nova Scotia and as far west as British Columbia, but the majority crossed over into what is now southwestern Ontario.
• Underground Railroad Code Words and Phrases - Take a look at some of the code words and phrases used by members of the Underground Railroad to discuss freeing slaves.
• Wikipedia: Songs of the Underground Railroad
• Coded Slave Songs - Before the Civil War, the crime of helping slaves to escape, or even inciting them to escape was punishable by death. For this reason the slaves started to put coded messages into their songs, so that they could communicate in ways that the ‘massa’s’ could not understand.
• The Freedom Trail: Finding Freedom in the Niagara Region - Includes biographies of many people who settled in this area.
• National Geographic: The Underground Railroad - A very informative site that goes into detail what it was like to escape from slavery and seek freedom.
• Roads to Freedom: Getting Free in the Slave South - Enter the site by clicking the Enter button. Scroll down to find Roads to Freedom: Getting Free in the Slave South. This is an interactive exhibition that will allow secondary students to explore the six routes most frequently taken by enslaved men and women who were seeking their liberty. Combining primary-source documents, images, slave narratives, spoken narration, and original music, the exhibition conveys the enormity of the challenges. Slavery in America.org also offers lesson plans, units, and additional information for teachers and students.
• The Blacks, Anti-Slavery and the Underground Railroad - Black slaves were bought to Canada as early as 1608. By 1759 there were more than 1000 Black slaves in the then New France. After the fall of New France to Britain in 1763 many Loyalists immigrating from the United States brought their slaves with them. However, most of the Blacks who settled in Nova Scotia after the American Revolution were free. In August 1834 slavery was abolished for all the British Empire including the North American colonies. At the outbreak of the Civil War, sentiment in British North America - while not necessarily pro-North - was definitely anti-slavery.
• The Underground Railroad - Though this site from U.C. Davis Division of Education is no longer maintained, it remains one of the best sites out there for information.
• Ontario's Underground Railway: Follow the North Star - Ontario’s Underground Railroad traces the perilous path of the 19th century Blacks as they fled to the sanctuary of the North along the silent and secret tracks of the famous Underground Railroad.
• Retracing the Route to Freedom - Back in 1996, to draw attention to the United States National Park Service's efforts to commemorate the Underground Railroad, Anthony Cohen traveled 1,500 miles from Maryland to Canada, following in the footsteps of escaping slaves.
• The Underground Railroad Years: Canada in an International Arena - Of all the great escape stories marking the Black North American experience the Underground Railroad stands alone. It does so for many reasons: intrigue, excitement, extraordinary individuals, overcoming enormous odds, a sustained example of co-racial co-operation, highlighting differences between Canada and the United States, and, perhaps most importantly, because the collective imagination loves a success story, especially one where the underdog triumphs.
• Taking the Train to Freedom - The Underground Railroad was perhaps the most dramatic protest action against slavery in United States history. It was a clandestine operation that began during the colonial period, later became part of organized abolitionist activity in the 19th century, and reached its peak in the period 1830 - 1865. The story of the Underground Railroad is one of individual sacrifice and heroism in the efforts of enslaved people to reach freedom from bondage.
• Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railway - A very good class created site from the Pocantico Hills School in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Ancient Egypt

• Ancient Egypt at the British Museum - Ancient Eygpt at the British Museum offers a digitized collection of artifacts along with stories, exploration, and challenges for each section of the virtual museum. Sections include: Eyptian Life, Geography, Gods and Goddesses, Mummification, Pharaoh, Pyramids, Temples, Time, Trades, and Writing.
• Writing With Hieroglyphics - So you want to write like an Egyptian, huh? Well it took several years for aspiring scribes to learn how to do it, so for the sake of time we'll just cover the basics.
• Ancient Egypt: Lesson Plans for Teachers - Sponsored by the Detroit Institute of Arts Education Programs and submitted by Detroit-area art teachers, these lessons focus on ancient Egyptian art and include standards-connections, materials lists, detailed instructions, pictures & illustrations. K-6
• Ancient Egypt: A Journey Back in Time - Ancient Egypt was the birthplace of one of the world's first civilizations. This advanced culture arose about 5,000 years ago in the Nile River Valley in northeastern Africa. It thrived for over 2,000 years and so became one of the longest lasting civilizations in history.
• Cleveland Museum of Art: Egyptomania - Here you will find animals...creatures great and small that live in Egypt. Also, explore some of the finest objects from Ancient Egypt and download the coloring book in PDF format.
• Time Travel: Ancient Egypt - Come take a look inside an Egyptian pyramid.
• The Mummy Maker Game - The Mummy Maker is an interactive learning game in which students play the role of an embalmer's assistant in ancient Egypt. Students make a series of choices based on their knowledge of the times and hints from the embalmer's cat. If the game ends too quickly because of wrong choices, it can be played again.
• Pyramid History - Pyramid History, presented by the BBC, offers a great collection of in-depth articles, interactive activities, multimedia galleries, timelines and more about the Egyptian Pyramids. This site has it all from articles about how the Great Pyramid was built to an interactive game where the user chooses the site, negotiates the Nile and motivates a workforce to build the ultimate tomb. Visitors can listen to a letter from a king, a princess's prayer and the dream of a temple dancer, learn about the lives of the ordinary people who built the Pyramids and the methods used in the construction, or find out how the hieroglyphic code was cracked. The multimedia galleries include the God’s Gallery featuring the important deities that were worshipped by the Egyptians, the Pyramids Gallery that traces the evolution of the pyramids, Khufu’s Pyramid Complex and the Animal Gallery showing the animals that were important to the Egyptians. Included is a timeline that traces the main events of ancient Egyptian history and a section on historic figures such as Khufu and Menkaura.
• Explore the Pyramids - A great site which deals with the pyramids of ancient Egypt. Have all your questions answered in one single site.
• Egypt: Secrets of an Ancient World - This interactive site from the National Geographic Society features an exploration of the pyramids, lesson plans, and student activities. The interactive adventure, Explore the Pyramids focuses on who built them, how old they are, and what's inside. The pyramid index allows the user to roll the mouse over the different pyramids to see the name and location on the map. Clicking on a pyramid reveals a diagram of the interior, facts about the construction and photos. Egyptian dynasties are shown on a timeline with brief information about each. Lesson plans are available for grades K-12 that include objectives and correlations to geography standards as well as suggestions for assessment and lesson extensions.
• Mysteries of Egypt - Egyptian civilization originated over 5,000 years ago, and the country’s historic sites are among the world’s greatest tourist attractions. The first seeds of civilization were sown in the fertile Nile Valley, surrounded by the endless desert, at the crossroads between East and West. Here, the first multinational state was born, the first writing system using hieroglyphs was invented, the concepts of kingship, religion and bureaucracy were developed. Mysteries of Egypt takes us on a voyage that traverses the centuries, with amazing views into the wonders of ancient Egypt.
• Ancient Egypt - People have always been fascinated by the Ancient Egyptians. From their preoccupation with death, (it seemed they spent their entire lives preparing for it), to the relics left behind by a succession of pharaohs. The Pyramids of Giza were tombs for these pharaohs, and The Great Sphinx still guards these today. Learn more about the Ancient Egypt today.
• Ancient Egypt for Kids - Learn about the history of Egypt in a much simpler version. Also includes good coloring pages for kids.
• National Gallery of Art: Treasures of Ancient Egypt - From the earliest times, Egyptians denied the physical impermanence of life. They formulated a remarkably complex set of religious beliefs and funneled vast material resources into the quest for immortality. This exhibition focuses on the understanding of the afterlife among Egyptians some 3,000 years ago, in the period of the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BC) through the Late Period (664-332 BC). The New Kingdom marked the beginning of an era of great wealth, power, and stability for Egypt, and was accompanied by a burst of cultural activity, much of which was devoted to the quest for eternal life.
• Hieroglyphic Alphabet - Alphabet characters were the basis for hieroglyphic writings. The basic hieroglyph characters are refered to as the aphabet. They 'spell out' names or anything which can't be represented by other characters. The alphabet characters are read as the sound of the object they represented.
• Secrets pf the Pharoahs - Explore Tutankhamun's tomb and fly through a three dimensional model of a pyramid.

• Ancient Rome - This site put together for the Provincial Museum of Alberta gives a great deal of information on what Roman life was like.
• Time Travel: Roman Settlement - Come take a look at a typical Roman settlement.
• Ancient Arcade - Boost your knowledge of mythological figures with this game of gods and symbols. From the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
• Daily Life in Ancient Rome - If you had lived in ancient times, would you have chosen to become a Roman citizen? You might have! The ancient Romans invented more games than any other culture. This site has sections on entertainment, meals, family life, house, toys and games and what school was like.
• The Romans - The Romans from BBC, offers students in the middle grades an opportunity to learn more about the Romans in Britain. Using printable activities, key information, quizzes, a timeline, a glossary, and additional resources, The Romans is a wonderful site for learning more about Roman Britain.
• Encyclopedia Mythica: Greek vs. Roman Names - Keep straight which god is which when switching from Greek to Roman.

The Rainforest

• Rainforest Plants - Take a look at this Newton's Apple web site to answer the following questions. What's unique about plant life in the rain forest? What are rain forests? Why are tropical forests important to everyone?
• Discovery School: Rainforest Lesson Plan - In this lesson students will learn how scientists are conducting experiments to verify the powers attached to herbs and other plants by native peoples.
• Sights and Sounds of the Amazon - Check out the sounds of a jaguar, howler monkey, macaw and frog.
• Rainforest Action Network - Find out what you can do to protect the rainforests. This site also includes a great kid's corner link for younger students.
• Rainforest Animals - Answer the following questions. How are animals in the rain forest unique? In what ways are rain forests important to your survival?
• Biomes of the World: Rainforests - Did you know there are two types of Rainforest - the temperate and the tropical? Tropical rainforests are found close to the equator. Temperate rainforests are found near coastal areas, such as the Pacific Northwest of the USA.
• Discovery School: Rainforests - Students will understand that scientists are conducting experiments to verify the powers attached to herbs and other plants by native peoples. They will also learn to evaluate the accuracy and biases of all so-called scientific studies, especially those reported only on the Web.
• The Living Eden: Manu - Peru's Hidden Rainforest - This site provides information on the people of Peru’s rainforest. It also provides information about the history of the area, flora and fauna, and conservation issues. Classroom resources, a trivia challenge, and related web links are available.
• Science in the Rainforest - Students can “Take a Walk in the Rainforest” to learn about rainforest plants and animals. Also, includes rainforest facts, a trivia contest, and related links.
• Journey to Amazonia - Amazonia is the world's largest tropical rainforest, spanning more than half of Brazil. Within the 2.5 million square miles of the Amazon Basin resides a wealth of life richer than anyplace else on earth, including 500 mammals, 175 different lizards, 300 other reptile species, tree climbers of every kind, and a third of the world's birds. Millions of species that remain undiscovered. Learn more about Amazonia and how it is being threatened.
• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute - This sites intention is to increase understanding of the past present and future of tropical biodiversity and its relevance to human welfare.

• Pompeii: Unravelling Ancient Mysteries - On August 23, 79 AD, Pompeii looked like any other busy, prosperous city. People were moving about, trading goods, news, and friendly talk. Three days later, on August 26, all of these sounds had fallen silent, and the place itself had vanished. Almost nothing was seen of Pompeii for more than 1500 years. Now, more than 1900 years later, we are learning more and more about the last days of Pompeii.
• Scholastic Instructor Magazine: The Amazing World of Volcanoes - Share with students the secrets of Earth's fire-breathing mountains with these learning-filled activities.

• The Arctic - Learn about animals, plants, the land and people of the Arctic.
• Amazing Arctic Tours - Students collaborate within their group to develop characters who partake in an arctic tour scenario in which an Arctic animal is identified and studied.
• Beyond Polar Express: Fast Facts on the Real North Pole
• Wired Antarctica - At this site for teachers and students, you'll learn about the fragile environment of Antarctica, the science that takes place there, and the people who actually like working in this cold place.
• Through the Eyes of an Arctic Animal - The students researched on the internet with regard to Canada's northern environment and wildlife. The end results of the project were student written-stories and student-designed web pages.
• Arctic Animals - A good Thinkquest site that teaches students about animals unique to the Arctic including... the Arctic fox, tern and hare, Narwhal, Caribou, Polar Bear, Muskox, Walrus and Wolverine just to name a few.
• My Life As An Arctic Animal - Students play the role of an Arctic animal, writing a letter to another Arctic animal.
• The Inuit - A web quest designed to help students learn about this special community.
• The Endurance: Ernest Shackleton's Expedition - This Web site lets you take an inside look at Ernest Shackleton's amazing 1914 Antarctic expedition. Amazingly, Shackleton managed to bring all twenty-eight of his crew home after their ship was destroyed by pack ice. Equally amazingly, the expedition included photographer Frank Hurley, who documented the story in pictures. At this Web site you can view Hurley's photos, learn more about the expedition with a timeline, and read biographies of Hurley and Shackleton.
• Glacier - This website is all about Antarctica and the part Antarctica plays in our global system of weather and climate and oceans and geology! The GLACIER Web Site is intended to introduce you to the Antarctic and the brave souls who are investigating that vast, frozen continent.

Endangered Animals

• Wildfiles TV - This creative Edmonton team has put together a collection of useful information on Canada's wildlife.
• Canadian Species at Risk - According to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, there are currently 431 plant and animal species at risk in Canada. The Whooping Crane, the right whale, the monarch butterfly and the blue ash are just a few examples. Find out about the other 427 species and learn how we know they're at risk and what can be done about it.
• Hinterland Who's Who: Species Fact Sheets - This is where you’ll find in-depth descriptions of wildlife, discussions on issues, actions that you can take to help wildlife, and educational materials that teachers and group leaders can use.
• Canadian Museum of Nature: Natural History Notebooks Extinct and Endangered Animals - In the Natural History Notebooks you'll find lots of fascinating facts about 246 animal species. This section on endangered and extinct animals includes information on close to 70 animals. You'll also learn about the amazing diversity of life on Earth (both past and present), and why it's important to protect that diversity.
• Endangered Animals - This site is a collection of other links to different sites regarding endangered and threatened animal species.
• Canadian Animals - Leaen about the food, enemies, adaptions and shelter of close to thirty different Canadian species.
• Kidsplanet: Animal Fact Sheets - Electronic fact sheets on over fifty species broken down by continents.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Endangered Species Information - Take a look at the TESS (Threatened and Endangered Species database System) database, about halfway down the page, to get an up to date list of all threatened or endangered animals. The list is actually updated daily!

Mysteries

• The Why Files: The Science of Crime - How scientists and forensic experts use technology to analyze evidence from crime scenes.
• Thunk.com: Secret Messages for Kids - Learn how secret messages are used and play around with the secret message scrambler.
• The Why Files: Art Attack - Fighting art fraud and theft with technology.
• Federal Bureau of Investigation - Kids and Youth Education Page - A Federal Bureau of Investigation Educational Internet Publication.
• Discovery School: The Science of Forensics - A good lesson plan to introduce students to the science of forensics.
• How Fingerprint Scanners Work - Your fingerprints are unique, attached to your body and very hard to fake. What better ID to use in a security system? Learn how fingerprint scanners detect a match.
• RCMP Forensic Laboratory Services - The RCMP's crime lab page.
• Forensic Files - APASE - The Association for the Promotion and Advancement of Science Education, invites you to become an Internet Supersleuth! You are about to set out on a mystery adventure. Travel the world and solve a mystery.
• Interactive Investigator - This site is for anyone with an interest in the different scientific methods used to solve crimes. You will be able to obtain general information and an introduction to the main aspects of forensic science from a database on the subject.
• Who Dunnit? - Explore the world of a forensic scientist, analyze evidence, study a crime scene and try solving the crime.
• Super Thinkers - A fun and challenging site targeted for learners in grades 5 through 8. It features a set of original, challenging interactive mysteries designed to help students learn to look beyond facts and analyze information to understand. The Peetnik Mysteries is a challenging mystery game in which students use common tools such as maps, phones, and phone directories to follow up on hunches and solve a mystery. Lesson plans, resources, and curriculum ties round out the site.
• Casting Animal Tracks - Learn how to make plaster casts of animal tracks.
• Virtual Exhibit on Forensic Science - A database, a timeline and an interactive game to introduce you to the world of forensic science.
• Evidence: The True Witness - Information on fingerprints, DNA fingerprinting, ballistics, entomology, hair and fibers and pathology. You name it this sites got it.
• Discovery School: Archaeological Detectives - This lesson plan introduces students to forensic archaology and some of the techniques these scientists use to solve crimes.
• Discovery School: Forensic Detectives - Who Did It? - This lesson plan introduces students to how forensic science is used in criminal investigations. Students will learn how to apply principles of forensic science to solve a hypothetical crime.
• Discovery School: Handwriting and Forgery - Student will learn how handwriting and paper analysis can be used to solve a crime. They will also learn about some of the famous forgeries of the past.
• Discovery School: The Case of Similar Substances - Become familiar with two chemical tests that can be used to identify unknown substances.
• Secrets and Spies - Find out more about the history of espionage by examining some of United Kingdom's National Archives Virtual Museum's most intriguing documents. Ranging from the sixteenth century to the twentieth century, the exhibition includes a selection of fascinating records such as the secret coded correspondence which led to the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots and the case files of "Treasure", a Second World War spy and double agent.

Seasons

• Winter - A good site from the The Grosse Pointe Public School System with links to Arts and Crafts, Lesson Plans and Units, Clipart, Songs and Poetry and Games and Printable activities.
• Spring - Same as above.

Vikings

• The Vikings at L'Anse aux Meadows - On the rugged northwest tip of Newfoundland, an important archeological site tells the story of the first known European settlement in North America. L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Viking explorers called this area Vinland. Remains of their presence, as much as one thousand years ago, were discovered in 1960. Today, full-scale replicas of Norse sod huts provide glimpses into life in a Viking colony in the New World.
• Time Travel: Viking Port - A fun site with lots of information about Ancient Viking history and their culture. Come take a look at a Viking Port City.
• The Vikings - A good site put out by the BBC in Great Britain.
• Decoding Messages - Runic, the writing of the Vikings, comes from a Gothic word meaning “secret”. Left mostly on wood or stone, there are many runic messages, found in Sweden. Invite students to visit this site, then write messages for other students to translate using the Runic alphabet.
• Return of the Vikings - Invite students to imagine that they are Vikings! Have them first visit this site to learn all about the exciting voyages of the Vikings, then ask them to write a first-person account of a day aboard a Viking ship. Encourage students to incorporate all the facts they've learned from this site in a creative interpretation of a "day in the life."
• Map the Viking Landings - Have students click on the interactive map at this site to see all the locations where Vikings traveled, then ask them to each find at least three facts about an area that the Vikings visited or settled in. Have students write the information they learned on separate index cards. Then set up a huge map of the region on a bulletin board and invite students to label the areas with their cards.
• Nova Online: Who Were the Vikings? - Welcome to the companion Web site to "The Vikings," a two-hour NOVA program originally broadcast on May 9, 2000. The program examines a new, less barbarian image of the Norsemen based on recent archeological investigations.
• Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga - From the rise of the Scandinavian kingdoms during the Viking Age (A.D.750 to 1050) to the demise of the Greenland colonies around A.D. 1500, Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga examines the history of the western expansion of the Vikings and sheds new light on a well known culture.

Aztecs

• Ancient Mexico - The art, the culture and the history of ancient mesoamerica.
• Time Travel: Aztec Great Temple - A fun site with lots of information about an Aztec Temple and their and culture.

Inventors and Inventions

• Lemelson MIT: Invention Dimension - Invention Dimension is a fun-filled and at times wacky approach to making learning about invention exciting for the kid in all of us. Have some fun with our invention games and explore the wealth of inventor and invention resources, including inventor profiles and patent guidelines.
• Canadian Inventions - Quick, can you name three Canadian inventions? Here is a list of thirteen. Unfortunately, it does not include Marconi's radio transmission received at Signal Hill, Newfoundland, in 1901.
• The Inventor's Workshop - Leonardo da Vinci's fascination with machines probably began during his boyhood. Some of his earliest sketches clearly show how various machine parts worked. As an apprentice in the studio of the artist Verrocchio, Leonardo observed and used a variety of machines. By studying them he gained practical knowledge about their design and structure.
• Explore Leonardo's Studio - Welcome to Leonardo da Vinci's imaginary workshop in 16th century Florence. No one knows what his studio really looked like. Based on what he did and said we've equipped the room with what Leonardo might have had to hand. Take a look around to discover what made his art and science unique.
• Invention at Play - Explore the playful side of invention and the inventive side of play. Learn how play connects to the creative impulse of both historic and contemporary inventors. Here students can build visual thinking, problem solving, exploration, and collaboration skills.
• Inventive Women - Imagine, from the tasty chocolate chip cookie to computer programming, inventions by women are everywhere! And many of these inventions were created by Canadian women. This site begins to tell their impressive story.
• Teacher Created Materials: Inventing Challenge - In this lesson plan students will attempt to turn ordinary materials into inventions which are useful in solving a problem.
• Alberta Invents - Alberta Inventors and Inventions, a dynamic resource for exploring a century of innovation in Alberta. Developed in proud partnership by the Heritage ommunity Foundation, Alberta Innovation and Science and Industry Canada, this site explores Alberta's inventive spirit.

The Vatican, Popes and Conclave

• The Holy See - The official site of the Vatican.
• Inside the Vatican: National Geographic Goes Behind the Public Facade - Take a closer look at the country/city known as The Vatican.
• Pflaum Publishing Group: Remembering Pope John Paul II - the Pope's story, in printable versions designed for young Catholics - from primary through senior high, reproducible prayer services, to help you and your students celebrate the Pope's life in age-appropriate ways and an overview of the ages-old process the Church follows to elect a new pope. Young people will find activities - both printable and interactive - to help them learn more about the holy man who led our Church and about the way the Church will elect a new leader.
• CNN.com: Biography of John Paul II - A great biography broken into three sections, The Early Years: An Unhappy Childhood, The Priesthood Years: Rebel with a Cause, and The Papal Years: Charisma and Restoration.
• Biography of the Life of Pope John Paul II
• Longest Reigning Popes - Take a look at the list of the 10 longest reigning Popes. Click here to see the list of the ten shortest reigning Popes.
• Wikipedia.org: Papal Elections - A good site to learn about how a Pope gets elected.
• Time For Kids: Honoring the Pope - Mourners all over the world remember the life and work of Pope John Paul II.
• BBC News Online: John Paul II - John Paul II's life and legacy and what's in store for the Vatican in the coming weeks and months.
• CNN.com: John Paul II and The Vatican
• Globe and Mail: John Paul II and The Vatican
• CBC.ca: Pope John Paul II
• USA Today: Pope John Paul II - Has a good graphic on how a Pope is selected.
• Newsweek: Pope stuff
• Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops: Pope John Paul II - This site offers numerous Canadian links to the papacy of John Paul II as well as resources to assist in lessons/reflections on the pope.
• Catholic Almanac Online: The Conclave - Learn more about how a Papal election occurs.
• Time Magazine: Conclave Procedures - The ritual papal election has always attracted special attention, as detailed sacred procedures are followed to secure a legitimate succession of power. Here's a brief outline of how it's done.

Media Literacy

• Media Awareness Network - Resources and support for everyone interested in media and information literacy for young people. As teachers you can find out what media education is all about, why media literacy and Web literacy are essential life skills for today's young people, and how you can begin to help students think critically about the media.
• Don't Buy it - This interactive site teaches children media literacy by focusing on advertising tricks and techniques in all media. Don't Buy It! provides children with numerous opportunities to learn about media literacy through participation. Such activities as designing a cereal box, becoming a detective, and creating an ad all help kids explore the tricks of the advertising trade. Children are encouraged to learn how to see through the sales pitch and become smart consumers. A look behind the scenes of music, magazines and television shows kids how products are made to look appealing.