Ask an Historian: Spartacus Educational is now offering a new service to its visitors. In future people will be able to ask a panel of experts questions about history. The panel will include teachers, historians, authors and researchers with expert knowledge of the period. Where possible, people with actual experience of these events, will also join the panel. The following sections are currently available: Life and Death of John F. Kennedy, The Cold War, The Vietnam War, Nazi Germany, Second World War, First World War, Women’s History, Black History, Spanish Civil War and History of Russia.

The Incas of Peru: This site is designed as a resource for middle school History in the UK (Key Stage 3) - and for anyone coming to the subject for the first time. It features a large number of links, organised by topic, to Inca websites which are suitable for 'guided investigation' by young people; downloadable text and maps which present a simplified version of the 'traditional' narrative of Inca History; a worksheet that encourages thinking about how that narrative might be questioned; many pointers to how the topic lends itself to a multi-media approach to the subject; and a bibliography. It was written with 'a world study before 1900' in mind. But it could also be useful as part of studying 'empires', and includes a map of world empires in the 15th century. The thematic approach of the new Key Stage Three History curriculum offers many new topic possibilities - and a need for new materials suitable for classroom use.

Snaith Primary School: The website is primarily designed for classroom use. Many of the units available loosely follow the structure of QCA schemes of work, with humour and interactivity added. You will find 1500 pages of classroom resources, worksheets and lesson plans for Key Stage 1 & 2. This includes Myths & Legends, Aztecs, Ancient Greeks and Egyptians, Vikings, Victorians, World War 2 and much more.

Primary School History: School History has expanded its links to cover Primary history. There are currently a total of 128 reviewed links available, covering general sites, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Aztecs, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Tudor Times, Great Fire of London, Victorian Britain and Britain since 1930. Further links will be added on request. Each topic attempts to highlight existing material on the Internet that will be useful either for direct teaching or for teacher research.

History on the Net: A website designed and produced by Heather Wheeler, a History and Additional Needs teacher at Filsham Valley School, St Leonards, East Sussex. The site is comprised of four main sections: Subject information linked to the National Curriculum; lesson ideas for use in the classroom, including complete one-hour online lessons; a reference section with an A-Z of History, Timelines and links to other History sites; and a games section with History quizzes, puzzles and interactive activities. Recommended by the NGFL, National Curriculum Online and The History Channel, History on the Net is an expanding site which regularly posts new information and lesson ideas. Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Spartacus Educational: Established in September 1997, the Spartacus Educational website provides a series of history encyclopedias. Titles currently include British History: 1750-1960, United States: 1840-1980, First World War, Second World War, Russia: 1860-1945, Germany: 1900-1945 and France: 1900-1945. Entries usually include a narrative, illustrations and primary sources. The text within each entry is linked to other relevant pages in the encyclopedia. In this way it is possible to research individual people and events in great detail. The sources are also hyper-linked so the student is able to find out about the writer, artist, newspaper and organization that produced the material.

Active History: "Probably the best history website around" is how the Guardian recently described this site, which has been developed by Russel Tarr of Wolverhampton Grammar School. Active History provides dozens of self-contained interactive lessons for students and teachers of history throughout the 11-18 age range, in the form of historical decision making games, self-marking quizzes, virtual tours and summary slides. Worksheets and lesson plans are continually being added, and the site provides an excellent example of how ICT can effectively and simply be incorporated into the history classroom.

SchoolHistory: An award winning teacher-created website offering a plethora of resources and materials for history teachers and pupils. Includes categorised and reviewed internet links, interactive games, over 650 freely downloadable worksheets and presentations, online lessons, interactive diagrams and popular teacher and student forums. In addition to this, recent developments allow history teachers to submit their own versions of all the popular activities which can then be shared with the wider teaching community - and downloaded for their own use.

Learn History is a recently launched website by Dafydd Humphreys, Head of Humanities at Stanley Technical School in London. It features a full revision guide for the USA - A Divided Union, and exercises to revision notes for Nazi Germany and Superpower Relations linked to Spartacus Educational and History Learning Site. Revision guides to the American West and Crime and Punishment are planned for the future.

History Teachers' Discussion Forum: Extremely popular discussion forum run in partnership with some of the leading teacher-created history websites. Offers discussions on teaching, suggestions, ideas, trials of ICT and history materials together with general help and friendly advice on issues faced by history teachers today. The detailed calendar shows up and coming history programmes on British TV. Anyone can access the forum and a simple registration enables you to get involved. Popular discussions have covered curriculum issues, GCSE questions, management questions, lesson plan ideas, textbooks, training and ICT issues.

Teacher Oz's Kingdom of History: This website is a database of topically organized internet resources for use by students, teachers, and history lovers. The site first appeared online in 1997 and currently includes over 100 separate topic pages. Founded on the premise that any topic relating to humanity relates to history, many different topics are featured that are not generally considered part of the history curriculum. While Oz's Kingdom focuses on U.S. History, the site also includes extensive areas on World History, Geography, Government, Art, Music, Literature, Film, and Education. Tracey Osborn, a teacher in Texas, USA and webmaster of the site, understands the importance of interdisciplinary studies and also includes sections on Science, English, Philosophy, and Math. The site is designed for easy navigation and includes helpful links for parents and families.

British Museum Virtual Tour: The All Souls British Museum Virtual Tour is one of the oldest UK History Education websites. It has two tours of Ancient Greek Artifacts + cross currciular resources linked to the Literacy hour. Look in the different rooms and learn about the everyday objects of Ancient Greece. There are many supporting teacher resources such as the Greek Alphabet bingo in PDF format.

A History of Flight: The Science Museum's On-Line Exhibition starts with a time-line of the History of Flight. The user can use this as a base to explore both the aircraft and the people involved in the development of the industry. Thirty-one people have been chosen and they range from King Louis XIV, who witnessed the early flight of the Montgolfier balloon, to Bill Bedford, the test pilot of the first vertical and landing jet areoplane. There are a large number of aircraft on display. This usually includes a photograph, background information on its development and technical details (span, length, weight, speed, power and armament).

Richard York: Historical Musician: Richard York travels widely to schools, museums and heritage sites presenting workshops in history through music and drama, and as a historical musician and interpreter, for medieval, Tudor, 17th century and Victorian periods. His website features an extensive resources section. Aimed largely at children aged 6-12 with whom he has worked, it's for anyone to find more about the many instruments he plays, their history, technology, social context, and historical sources; also other aspects of each period's history. So, for example, alongside pictures of the historical English and European bagpipes he plays, are period representations in paint, manuscript, or carving, on which they're based. There are also examples of period language, of other replica artefacts, references to clothing, social roles, etc.

Historical Terms: Using simple explanation, puzzles and interactive activities History on the Net offers information and online lessons on three key historical terms - Anachronism, Chronology and Sources.

HistoPortal: HistoPortal is a World history based portal site. Search through the ages by century, look for historical figures, countries and cities. Take a look at events like world wars, revolutions, religions, monuments, ancient civilizations, mythology, philosophy, sacred places, legendary figures, mysteries and everything else historical.

St Paul's Cathedral: An impressive website that enables you to take a virtual tour of some of the amazing architecture of St Paul's Cathedral. This includes six 360° panoramas: the High Alter and Quire, Centre of the Cathedral, Chapel of St Michael and St George, the OBE Chapel, Nelson's Tomb and the Great West Entrance. There is also a detailed timeline of the history of the cathedral.

Royal Genealogical Data: A database compiled by Brian Tompsett of the University of Hull that contains the genealogy of the British Royal family and those linked to it via blood or marriage relationships. As Brian Tompsett points out in the introduction, this means it is "the genealogy of almost every ruling house in the western world because of the intermarriage that took place between them at some time or another." The database includes details of over 21,000 individuals. The data is ordered alphabetically, by dates, by ruling house and title.

24 Hour Museum: This critically-acclaimed website guide to UK museums and galleries, launched its newly designed site this week with a section dedicated to teachers, offering information and support for schools across the UK. The updated site offers teachers a curriculum navigator. The database allows them to enter information such as subject and key stage coding in order to supply them with suggested museums and galleries. The search also gives details of educational facilities and resources currently available. For example, if a teacher requests appropriate information for 9 year olds studying Tudor history in the North East region, the results will recommend relevant institutions.

Victorian Books: The 19th century witnessed the economic, social, political and cultural transformation of Britain. The printing and publishing industry was caught up in this transformation, benefiting from the application of power to the various stages of the manufacturing process, but also able to exploit developments in other technologies, most notably the railways and telegraphy. This website celebrates this process with sections on printing technology, illustrations, lithography, wood engraving, the novel, yellowbacks, penny dreadfuls and children's books.

HistoryWorld is a highly interactive site in which users can move back and forth through time along interconnecting pathways. In 'What When Where' they can discover contemporary events selected by time, place and theme. Tours offer a two-speed navigational system from Big Bang to the present. Illustrated Timelines (thirty of them relating to curriculum subjects) provide ready-made surveys of the appropriate material. Users of the sophisticated HistoryWorld database can also select images and events to mix their own timelines. At any moment a single click will bring up a narrative account of a selected event. There is also Whizz Quiz, an addictive history quiz against the clock. And in HistoryClub people can publish their own articles online. There are few educational sites where pupils can become so actively involved in so many different ways.

People's Century: This website is a companion to People's Century, a 26-episode television series broadcast on the BBC and PBS. The site contains material of interest to a general audience, with special content for teachers and students. The website includes a timeline, which shows the relative time span of each episode and highlights significant world events related to the topic. There is also a teacher's guide, which provides discussion questions to help students in viewing the programs, as well as classroom activity that focuses on a selected programme segment.

The History Net: Web 100 claims that the History Net is the highest ranking history website on the Internet. The site's sections include World History, American History, Civil War, Personality Profiles, Great Battles, World War Two, Eyewitness Accounts, Great Battles of the Ages, Arms, Armies and Intrigue, Historic Travel, Aviation & Technology and Homes & Heritage. Other features include a Daily Quiz, Today in History and Picture of the Day.

History Ideas: A collection of twenty history activities for students aged between 5 and 11. Titles include Creative History, The Greek Alphabet, Perseus Role-Play, Boudicca's Revolt, Roman Invasions, Poor Tudors, Looking at Historical Objects, Greek Theatre, Our Roman Roads and Roman Britain.

Centre for Study of Cartoon and Caricature: This site based at the library of the University of Kent at Canterbury is an excellent location for all those interested in the use of cartoons as historical sources. In particular teachers will find the searchable database an excellent resource for creating source-based questions. The database contains a wide range of British cartoons from the First World War to the Gulf War. This site is superb and it is worth taking a little while to come to terms with a slightly idiosyncratic search engine (if you are having trouble getting it to recognise keywords try using the year of the event instead).

History Gateway: This site is produced by Beal High School in Ilford and aims to provide pupils with a resource for research, homework and revision to use at home or at school. The site contains links to hundreds of useful websites (some of which have been reviewed in this newsletter). Pupils will find it especially useful that the sites are organised into National Curriculum topics, and the areas of the OCR GCSE Modern World Syllabus. Many of the sites have been reviewed and given 'star', 'recommended' or 'hard site' ratings to help pupils choose the most suitable sites.

The Dating Game: Russel Tarr of Active History has created a new website for students revising for exams. Called the Dating Game, it gives you two minutes to guess the dates of as many historical events on your chosen topic as possible. An incorrect guess will result in being told to guess 'higher!' or 'lower!' whilst a correct guess improves the quality of your 'date' for the evening!

Virtual Museum: Using original documents, images, and film from the Public Record Office's 1000 year old collection, the 'Virtual Museum' provides a showcase for some of the treasures at the PRO. Visitors can explore everything from Famous Names to Crime & Punishment, and from War & Defence to Kings & Queens. They can find out surprising facts about famous people - including William Shakespeare, Robin Hood and Sir Elton John - as well as the extraordinary feats of ordinary people. Explore each century of the last millennium in the 'Millennium Galleries' and find out more about
the most famous documents at the PRO in the 'Icons' galleries.

Best of History Web Sites: Designed for history educators and students, Best of History Web Sites is a useful portal that provides convenient access to many of the best history resources online. The portal provides descriptions and ratings of hundreds of excellent history-oriented web sites, all organized into ten main categories: Prehistory, Ancient History, Medieval History, US History, Early Modern European History, 20th Century History, World War II History, Art History, General History Resources, and Maps. There are also three special categories: Lesson Plans/Activities, Multimedia, and Research. Best of History Web Sites also contains a special informative section on Teaching With Technology that offers articles and advice about integrating computers in the classroom. In this section you will also find links to dozens of useful resources on educational technology.

History Channel Website: The online accompaniment of the excellent UK History Channel, this website provides a comprehensive history resource for both student and enthusiast alike. Visitors can listen to history's greatest speeches, re-live battles blow by blow with the animated battle guides, find events and exhibitions in their local area, or test their knowledge with the history quiz. The debate chamber is a popular place for regulars to voice their opinion, and for students "The History Study Stop" is the place to go to make revision fun.

History Buff: This website, developed by the Newspaper Collectors Society of America, provides articles on major, and not so major, events in history. For example, there is a series of articles published on the Jack the Ripper case. The website also includes a Historic Voices Library where you can hear the voices of famous people. Other features includes a Presidential Library, Interactive Quizzes and Online Auctions.

History of Hinchingbrooke House: This website not only provides a history of the Country House of the Earls of Sandwich but a history of the site from Anglo-Saxon times to the present day, a history of its inhabitants - from prioresses and nuns through the landed gentry to schoolmasters - and a microcosm of English history from 600 AD to the present day. The website is designed for the teaching of history, with work tasks on every page, and shows the links between on the one hand a particular building and its inhabitants and on the other the broad sweep of English history. Hinchingbrooke House is the sixth form centre for Hinchingbrooke School, Huntingdon.

Absolute Facts: True stories about people and events that changed the life of mankind. Recent additions include articles on Alfred Nobel, Edvard Grieg, Vincent van Gogh, Adolf Hitler, Elvis Presley and Marilyan Monroe. The material is organised into the following categories: Architecture, Arts, Celebrities, History, Inventions, Literature, Movies, Classical Music, Pop Music, Organizations, Politicians, Transportation and World War II.

Play Your Dates Right!: This new game from Active History tests historical knowledge by inviting students to choose a topic area and then presenting them with a series of shuffled 'cards'. They then have to determine whether the event described on each new card happened before or after the one to its left. Visitors are invited to submit their own topics in a timeline format which Russel Tarr will be happy to convert for use in the game!

Web of English History: Marjie Bloy has been a history teacher since 1968. This website began life as a project at the University of Sheffield and then grew into a resource for people studying British history between 1830 and 1850. Currently it is being extended to include the period 1760-1830. The website has sections on Political Personalities, Tory Governments, American Affairs, Popular Movements, Irish Affairs, Political Organizations, French Wars and Economic Affairs.

Crime and Punishment: This local history website was created by Powys County Archives with the help of the county museums and libraries in the area. Subjects covered include Religion, Education and Poverty. The Crime and Punishment section provides a large collection of primary sources on the way in which offenders were dealt with by the authorities in the counties of Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Breconshire in earlier times.

Tag TeacherNet: TagTeacherNet is an online arena for the teaching community. The website allows teachers to share news, views, resources and advice. The history section provides links to Associations, Events, Journals, Learning Resources, Lesson Plans, Maps, Revision, Suppliers, Teaching Resources, Timelines and Virtual Museums.

Life in the Whitehouse: The White House is more than 200 years old and its next door neighbor, the West Wing, is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. Learn about the White House and the people who have lived there through these activities and games.

Country Reports: This website has over 1,500 pages of information about every country in the world. As well as covering issues such as economy, government, armed forces, geography it also includes a detailed history of the country. Other features include flags, national anthems, exchange rates and current weather.

Peace Pledge Union: Educational materials produced by the Peace Pledge Union. Subjects covered include Pacifism, Conscientious Objection, Conscription, First World War Christmas Truce, Treaty of Versailles, Armistice Day, Just War, War and the Environment, Poetry and War, Landmines, Arms Trade, Chemical Weapons and Biological Weapons. The website also includes biographies of peace campaigners such as Vera Brittain, Dick Sheppard, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Siegfried Sassoon, Fenner Brockway, George Lansbury and Albert Einstein.

The Illustrated Enemy: This website looks at graphic depictions of national leaders and military and civilian life, as illustrated by artists both before and during World War I. These images were originally published in magazines, books, posters and postcards. The artists are French, German, Italian, Dutch, British and American. Many are unabashedly patriotic, even jingoistic; others are just as firmly anti-war.

Scottish History Online: The Scottish History Club was originally formed during 2001 to allow visitors who have a serious interest in Scottish History to be able to interact with each other and share their knowledge, research, theories, photographs and general enthusiasm for Scottish History with others within a website that was ‘password protected’. The Club has basically two elements the ‘Club Web Site’ and the ‘Club Community Site’. The Community is by far more interactive with the ability to post your own images, contributions and have online discussions with other members, whether in the chat room or posted up on the site.

Local History Trail: Take part in the National Grid for Learning's local history trail and explore the people, places and events that have made your community what it is today. The trail features online activities to show you how to get started in local history, how to explore further and how to use the internet to help you discover the past. You can try out your new skills by investigating the history of your local area - and return to the trail to share your discoveries with others in the online gallery. Everyone who sends in a contribution will be entered into a prize draw to win a year's family membership of either English Heritage, Historic Scotland or Heritage in Wales.

British Timelines: This BBC websites provides a collection of timelines on British History: Neolithic and Bonze Ages (8300-750 BC), Iron Age (751 BC - AD 42), Roman Britain (AD 43 - 409), Invaders (410-1065), Anglo-Normans (1066-1215), The Middle Ages (1216 - 1347), Late Medieval (1348 - 1484), Tudors (1485 - 1602), Stuarts (1603 - 1713), Georgians (1714 - 1836), Victorians (1837 - 1900), Early 20th Century (1901 - 1944) and Post WWII (1945 - 2002).

Interactive Games: Learning history doesn't have to be all about reading textbooks and watching drab documentaries. At the ActiveHistory website interactive games add a completely new dimension to history studies. Subjects covered include the Murder of Archbishop Becket, Bayeux Tapestry, William Rufus, Henry VIII, Medieval Time Machine, Coalbrookdale, Home Front, Victorian Entrepreneur, Emily Davison, Bolshevik Revolution, Wall Street Crash, Adolf Hitler, Weimar Republic and the League of Nations.

Prime Ministers in History: There have been 51 British Prime Ministers since 1721. These figures include some of the most influential and interesting figures in British history. At this 10 Downing Street website you will find a biography and interesting facts about each Prime Minister from Robert Walpole to Tony Blair. More interesting and bizarre facts about past Prime Ministers can be found at the Prime Ministerial record breakers section.

Teaching English and History Using Historical Fiction: This project began in 1993. It is primarily concerned with the use of historical fiction to teach English and history. The essence of the project has been for students to read historical fiction set in a particular period, to research aspects of that historical period and then to write their own historical fiction. The original work centred upon the Medieval Realms history study unit using 'A Little Lower Than the Angels' written by Geraldine McCaughrean. This has been successfully used by a number of Year 7 classes around Dorset as a springboard for their own writing. The website provides a list of books that supports this approach and covers topics such as the Romans in Britain, Britain 1500-1750, the Tudors, the Renaissance, Victorian Britain, Britain 1815-1851, American West 1840-1895 and Britain since 1930.

Virtual Tours: These 3-d Virtual Tours allow you to experience a historical building or structure. This BBC website includes the Mary Rose, Captain Cook's Endeavour, World War One Trench, Ironbridge, Medieval St Edmunds Abbey, London Bridge, Viking Age Farmhouse, Housesteads Roman Fort and Scottish Crannog. If the virtual tour doesn't play, you may need to download a free VRML plug-in such as Cortona.

Kings and Queens: This Grid Club website provides brief biographies of all British monarchs since William the Conqueror. It also contains overviews of the Normans, Angevins, Plantagenets, Lancasters, Yorks, Tudors, Stuarts, Hanovers, Saxe-Coburg Gothas and Windsors. These pages include some good coloured illustrations that could be used to explore changes in clothes and fashions over the centuries.

 

 

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