Teaching
History Online
Number
16: 4th November, 2001
Introduction
1.
Secret
Service in the Second World War
2.
Teacher
Oz's Kingdom of History
3.
Castles and Abbeys
4.
Henry II and Thomas Becket
5.
First
World War
6.
British
Museum Virtual Tour
7.
John
Calvin
8.
Tudors
and Stuarts
Introduction
Spartacus Educational
publishes Teaching
History Online
every week. The newsletter includes news, reviews of websites and
articles on using ICT in the history classroom. Members of the mailing
list are invited to submit information for inclusion in future editions
of Teaching
History Online. In this way we hope to create
a community of people involved in using the Internet to teach history.
Currently there are 15,993 subscribers to the newsletter.
John Simkin
spartacus@pavilion.co.uk
Secret
Service in the Second World War:
A study of the secret service during the Second World War. Biographies
of forty agents and accounts of the Office
of Strategic Services (OSS), Special
Operations Executive (SOE) and the Prosper Network.
Each
entry contains a narrative, illustrations and primary sources. The
text within each entry is hypertexted 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 hypertexted so the
student is able to find out about the writer, artist, newspaper, organization,
etc., that produced the material.
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.
Castles
and Abbeys: A
website that contains information on the castles, abbeys, churches,
manor houses and medieval buildings visited by Michael Cook. This
includes Battle Abbey, Michelham Priory, Arundel Castle, Bodium Castle,
Westminster Abbey, Greys Court, Rochester Castle, Hedingham Castle,
Castle Acre Priory, St Mary the Less, Bolton Castle and Castle Rising
Castle.
Henry
II and Thomas Becket: Pupils investigate and learn the story of
Henry II and Thomas Becket in an interactive decision making game.
Taking on the role of Henry II, pupils are required to build up reputation
points as reward for improving Henry II's reputation. Through the
activity pupils are guided through the events of Henry's reign, culminating
in the murder of Becket. This activity is a very useful way to introduce
or revise the events leading to the murder of Becket, improving pupils
ability to identify cause and effect.
First
World War: From the root causes of the First World War through
to technological advances made during the conflict this Schools History
unit provides easy to understand coverage of all aspects of the First
World War. Resources are written for students aged 13-16 and are carefully
constructed to meet the needs of the National Curriculum requirements.
The site provides a section of resources for teachers to make use
of and the casual reader will find many interesting facts within this
expanding collection of biographies, descriptions and pictures.
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 curricular 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.
John
Calvin: This is a comprehensive account of the life and impact
of Calvin. It is aimed at Advanced level students. Topics covered
are Calvin's early life; the development of his ideas and his move
to Geneva; his clash with the authorities in Geneva and eventual success
there and the spread of Calvinism.
Tudors
and Stuarts: History on the Net, produced by Heather Wheeler,
offers comprehensive coverage of the main events, features and personalities
of the Tudor and Stuart eras. Illustrations and maps are widely used
to enhance understanding.
Please email John Simkin at spartacus@pavilion.co.uk
if you have information you want included in next month's edition
of Teaching
History Online.
