TeachersFirst's Resources for American Presidents
Other TeachersFirst Special Topics Collections
Whether you are celebrating Presidents Day or learning about the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, this collection of reviewed resources about presidents provides a rich starting point for research, class study, or multimedia projects. If this list is too broad, use the search tool at the left of this page to find resources on a specific president or within a certain grade range. You may also be interested in TeachersFirst's Resources for U.S. Elections or TeachersFirst's Resources for U.S. Presidential Inaugurations.
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John F. Kennedy Presidential Library - JFK Library
Grades
7 to 12
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Recently, a large archive of material has been released by the JFK Library focused on the life of John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline. This site provides contextual information...more
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Recently, a large archive of material has been released by the JFK Library focused on the life of John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline. This site provides contextual information about these newly released records, as well as transcripts of oral history interviews. For example, you can now download previously secret audio recordings that were made during White House meetings, transcripts of oral history interviews with Jacqueline Kennedy, and a rich archive of other materials related to the Kennedy Presidency. This newly released material gives us insight into Kennedy's brief time as President, including his involvement in the Cuban Missile Crisis, his attitudes toward the Cold War relationship with the USSR and the build up of US troops in Vietnam. There are teacher resources and lesson plans that make use of the available archival material.
tag(s): history day (10), kennedy (6), presidents (78), vietnam (22)
In the Classroom
All of these topics are of interest to students doing research into 20th century US and international history, and might be particularly useful to students working on in depth projects for National History Day. After researching a specific topic, have students make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here.
This resource requires Adobe Flash and PDF reader software like Adobe Acrobat.
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Running for Office--Cartoons of Clifford K. Berryman - The National Archives
Grades
7 to 12
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Each Presidential election cycle brings with it a new crop of political cartoons and caricatures of politicians. Clifford K. Berryman drew political cartoons at the turn of the 20th...more
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Each Presidential election cycle brings with it a new crop of political cartoons and caricatures of politicians. Clifford K. Berryman drew political cartoons at the turn of the 20th century and US Presidents from Grover Cleveland to Harry Truman. This site profiles both the cartoons themselves, and the issues and personalities behind the cartoons. Visually attractive, the site also permits downloading cartoons so they can be printed and studied.
As an important primary source, political cartoons provide an important insight into the issues and controversies of their time period. More than simply who did what, and what happened where, these drawings show us the emotions and conflict involved in the ugly and messy business of politics.
As an important primary source, political cartoons provide an important insight into the issues and controversies of their time period. More than simply who did what, and what happened where, these drawings show us the emotions and conflict involved in the ugly and messy business of politics.
tag(s): comics and cartoons (51), elections (58), politics (57), presidents (78)
In the Classroom
Students can gain insight into the events of the first half of the 20th century as well as draw parallels between the issues of that time and today. How are Presidential campaigns different and how are they similar? Challenge students to create their own political comics using one of TeachersFirst's many comic/cartoon tools reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Biography Read-alouds - TeachersFirst
Grades
K to 6
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This readaloud collection is part of theHelp I lost my library/media specialist series, written by an experienced elementary library/media specialist. Although nothing can replace...more
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This readaloud collection is part of theHelp I lost my library/media specialist series, written by an experienced elementary library/media specialist. Although nothing can replace the specialized knowledge of a teacher-librarian, this collection of biographies to read aloud and accompanying activities will teach information literacy skills about what biographies are while exciting students to read some on their own. If your library does not have the books you want from this list, try using the ISBN numbers to borrow them on interlibrary loan from a public library nearby.
tag(s): biographies (24), famous people (12), independent reading (45)
In the Classroom
Mark this readaloud in your Favorites for use when studying famous Americans or as a wonderful lead-in to Martin Luther King Day or Presidents Day.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Social Studies Foldables - Susie Orr
Grades
4 to 8
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Find downloadable pdfs and templates to support US History social studies curriculum. An extensive list of offerings includes items from maps to events to documents etc. The site also...more
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Find downloadable pdfs and templates to support US History social studies curriculum. An extensive list of offerings includes items from maps to events to documents etc. The site also includes limited suggestions on how to use the offerings. There are also links to other maps at this carefully documented site. Scroll down to see the letter from the person who created the originals, as the "Read Me First" note suggests.
tag(s): abolition (6), american revolution (37), bill of rights (20), black history (33), colonial america (81), declaration of independence (7), history day (10), inventors and inventions (89), louisiana purchase (7), maps (165), native americans (34), politics (57), presidents (78), slavery (42), states (144), washington (18)
In the Classroom
Even if you do not have time to explore all the offerings, check the list of activities often to enrich your background information on U.S. historical events and people and your lessons. Search for templates or maps that are useful to what you are currently studying.
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The History of Thanksgiving and its Celebrations - Holidays on the Net
Grades
K to 6
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Welcome to your one stop holiday shop filled with a plethora of Thanksgiving ideas. Information, stories, recipes, blogs, crafts and Ecards fill the site. Fun facts and folklore give...more
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Welcome to your one stop holiday shop filled with a plethora of Thanksgiving ideas. Information, stories, recipes, blogs, crafts and Ecards fill the site. Fun facts and folklore give the extras you might not even know about. Presidential proclamations from the past five presidents give insight into our country historical perspectives and first hand information. Videos of recipes from the appetizers to the desserts help give a detailed explanation to make the perfect dish. An interactive fun game of Turkey Bowl puts you in the Thanksgiving spirit. This is a great site for much needed Thanksgiving information and celebrations.
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): blogs (51), crafts (25), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Lead your students to this site filled with information. Research can determine the many myths and true information about Thanksgiving. Allow students to plan and make parts of their Thanksgiving feast. Find fun activities, crafts, decorations to make your celebration perfect with your students and families. Add at a center for timely fun information and research time. Link this to your class website or wiki for parent information and extensions at home.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Welcome to Washington DC for Kids! - District of Columbia Government
Grades
2 to 6
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Find out why our nation's capital is such a special place when exploring this bright and lively site. Where else can you find George Washington playing a game of tic ...more
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Find out why our nation's capital is such a special place when exploring this bright and lively site. Where else can you find George Washington playing a game of tic tac toe with Abraham Lincoln? The main page features several games including a U.S. President's word search, Ben Franklin and Abraham Lincoln coloring books, and uncover the What's at the Smithsonian. At the bottom of the main page are links to About DC and Sports, be sure to take a look at what is offered in these sections. In the About DC section, you can hover their mouse over links to DC Superstars to view images of famous people born in DC or who moved there including John Phillip Sousa and Frederick Douglass. Read a short article by clicking on each of the titles. The Sports area of the website features more games and DC Superstars in sports. An especially interesting feature of this site are articles explaining how many of DC's sports teams got their start.
tag(s): famous people (12), landmarks (14), puzzles (146), sports (55)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector with students to demonstrate how to navigate the site then allow students to explore on their own. Have students create a multimedia presentation using ed.Voicethread reviewed here. This site allows users to narrate a picture. Challenge students to upload a copyright-safe photo, and then narrate as if it were a news report. Challenge your students to use a site such as TimeRime reviewed here to create an interactive timeline of important events in the history of Washington, DC.
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Hall of Presidents - Fraboom
Grades
3 to 9
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Use cartoons and humor to help teach civics. This section of the Fraboom website discusses the U.S. Presidents, the electoral vote, the creation of laws, and highlights key vocabulary...more
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Use cartoons and humor to help teach civics. This section of the Fraboom website discusses the U.S. Presidents, the electoral vote, the creation of laws, and highlights key vocabulary words. There are videos, interactives, cartoons, and more. There is an option to purchase a premium membership but the free account offer plenty of excellent features. Students do not need to create an account to access the "Hall of Presidents".
This site includes advertising.
This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bill of rights (20), comics and cartoons (51), drawing (58), elections (58), electoral college (8), lincoln (58), presidents (78)
In the Classroom
This is a great resource to use with your social studies curriculum or to teach about the Presidents. Use the animated videos on this site for an anticipatory set or "activator" that introduces a civics unit or lesson on how the electoral vote works. Share the interactives and/or videos on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Use this site as a center to support a unit about the Presidents of the United States. Have students practice identifying the humorous cartoons of former presidents. Post a link to this site on your class website so students can watch the videos at home. Use the video cartoon about Abe Lincoln to inspire students to animate biographies about presidents. Consider using sites such as go animate reviewed here to create these engaging reports.
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Aaron's Awesome Adventure - Metmuseum.org
Grades
2 to 7
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This interactive story revolves around a young boy's reactions has each time he visits the Metropolitan. Sara Bradshaw, the winner of the Metropolitan Museum of Art story-writing contest...more
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This interactive story revolves around a young boy's reactions has each time he visits the Metropolitan. Sara Bradshaw, the winner of the Metropolitan Museum of Art story-writing contest in 2007, is the author. The story focuses on Aaron's fascination with; Ancient Egypt's "Temple of Denbur", the painting "Washington Crossing the Delaware," ancient funerary masks from Peru, and European coats of arms. Additional links provide students more background information and reference materials about the pieces mentioned in the story. You can choose to read the text themselves or have it read to them.
tag(s): egypt (53), pyramids (27), washington (18)
In the Classroom
Project this story onto an interactive whiteboard or projector for shared reading or have students listen to it in small groups at a computer station. Ask students to explore the "About the Art" tab, and research one of the four artworks featured in the story. Afterwards, have them present their findings to the class. Integrate the study of Art with writing lessons by inviting the class to compose an additional chapter and research page to this story. Let students decide what additional awesome adventures Aaron might have with other pieces of art in the Metropolitan. Let students choose artwork found in their database collection. If you are lucky enough to live within field trip distance to the Metropolitan, have students select a work of art while touring the museum. Consider having students post their stories on Voicethread (reviewed here), or create a comic strip version of their chapter with Comic Creator (reviewed here). Include a link to this site and the class stories on your class webpage.
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The White House for Kids - White House
Grades
3 to 8
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Presenting a view of the Executive Branch for elementary students, this site offers a thematic look at the White House, coupled with a regular rotation of special features. There's...more
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Presenting a view of the Executive Branch for elementary students, this site offers a thematic look at the White House, coupled with a regular rotation of special features. There's a lot here, and it's worth letting the kids explore.
tag(s): presidents (78), washington (18), white house (11)
In the Classroom
Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Have them explore the site, mainly the section on "Our Presidents." Assign each student group a president, and have them read and research the information provided about him from the site. To show what they have learned, have students create online posters on paper or do it together as a class using a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here) or PicLits (reviewed here). This site would be particularly useful around President's Day weekend, or during a unit in a civics class that focused on the role of Commander-in-chief!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Maps of War
Grades
9 to 12
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This site offers a collection of Flash presentations that illustrate geopolitical aspects of war and religion. It's an eclectic mix: one animation traces the spread of world religions...more
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This site offers a collection of Flash presentations that illustrate geopolitical aspects of war and religion. It's an eclectic mix: one animation traces the spread of world religions over time and over a world map. Another looks at the American death tolls associated with each U.S. conflict and associates the President and political party associated with each war. A third examines the various political entities that have held territory in the Middle East. Visually, the animations are fabulous, but in order to be more than good looking, they would need to be paired with significant teacher context-setting, which is not presented on the site. For example, what does it mean that there have been more U.S. casualties in wars under Presidents who were Democrats than in wars under Republican Presidents? That factoid is the subject of one of the animations. The creator of the site does not name him/herself, saying only that the animations are intended to be unbiased and factual.
tag(s): iraq (31), middle east (16), religions (27)
In the Classroom
The animations would be stunning on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and teachers doing a unit on world religions or trying to backfill a history of Iraq would find certain presentations very useful. Be sure to click "View Full Screen" to fill your projector or whiteboard screen. American history teachers could use the animation on U.S. wars and casualties as an overview. The animations can be streamed from the site, or the whole package can be downloaded for use locally. On the whole, however, the site still leaves questions: Why these topics? Despite claims to the contrary, is there a political message here somewhere? Be sure to open this discussion with your students, as well. Since the site has "professional looking" glitz, should we believe it without any knowledge of its creator? If not, how can we check its accuracy?
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African Odyssey - Kennedy Center
Grades
6 to 8
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Appropriate for students High School and above as well as a resource for educators. This site is divided into three sections. The first lists African and African American arts and ...more
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Appropriate for students High School and above as well as a resource for educators. This site is divided into three sections. The first lists African and African American arts and cultural events at the Kennedy Center, in Washington DC and around the world. Another sections contains information and resources for learning and teaching about African arts and culture. The Interactive Opportunities section contains links to online discussions, events and educational projects. A very valuable site to those studying African Art and Culture! This site is maintained by the Kennedy Center and sponsored by American Express
tag(s): africa (169)
In the Classroom
The K-12 Teacher's Resource has many links to organizations dealing with these topics.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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This Day in History - A&E Television Network
Grades
5 to 12
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This historical site features short videos (1 minute in length) that highlight "This Day in History." Topics include a mix of everything: government, world geography, world history,...more
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This historical site features short videos (1 minute in length) that highlight "This Day in History." Topics include a mix of everything: government, world geography, world history, health history, discoveries, and much more. The video clips highlight several events from each day. They span the past few centuries and include various subjects and topics. Be aware with the videos, if you stay on the site and do not click "pause" or click on another link, you will automatically go to the video for the following day. So if you don't want your students to "peek ahead," be sure to click "pause." There is a short advertisement when you arrive at this site, so you may want to click on the site before you use it with your students and then click "pause" at the start of the video clip.
Although the videos are the highlight of this site, there is much more to explore! On the right side bar you will find text boxes to enter ANY date and choose the category. Some examples of categories include Civil War, Cold War, Presidential, Sports, Old West, World War I and II, Entertainment, and several others. On the left side bar there are even more topics and links to explore. Once you click on the subject area, specific "story topics" are provided under the subject. Both of the features on the right and left side of the site display text information, not video clips. This site does require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
Although the videos are the highlight of this site, there is much more to explore! On the right side bar you will find text boxes to enter ANY date and choose the category. Some examples of categories include Civil War, Cold War, Presidential, Sports, Old West, World War I and II, Entertainment, and several others. On the left side bar there are even more topics and links to explore. Once you click on the subject area, specific "story topics" are provided under the subject. Both of the features on the right and left side of the site display text information, not video clips. This site does require Flash. You can get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
tag(s): presidents (78)
In the Classroom
You can add this in your RSS reader. Why not use the RSS feature to remind you of the day's events? Share the site on an interactive whiteboard or projector. The topics on the left and right side bars make excellent research references.For a classroom-ready activity each day to build understanding of historical events in the context of your students' prior knowledge, also try TeachersFirst's Dates That Matter. Include both links on your teacher web page for instant access by students both in and out of class. Maybe start a class wiki for your own "This Day" collection and assign student groups a day of their own. Add to it from year to year. Or have students write blog responses on class or individual blogs as they choose an event for the day from several sources and react to it.
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The American Journey: Modern Times - McGraw Hill
Grades
6 to 12
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McGraw Hill publishes this set of videos as a companion to their textbook "American Journey: Modern Times" which covers US History from the Civil War to the Present. This collection...more
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McGraw Hill publishes this set of videos as a companion to their textbook "American Journey: Modern Times" which covers US History from the Civil War to the Present. This collection of over 50 short videos is designed to accompany sections of the text; the videos are labeled according to the section of the text. There is a short title that will help you locate videos focused on various eras even if you are not using this particular textbook. If that's the case, however, you'll need to do a little digging to see what each video covers, as the titles are very general.
tag(s): civil war (80), great depression (14), presidents (78), world war 1 (23), world war 2 (119)
In the Classroom
Use these videos on an interactive whiteboard or projector as a class opener, or as a transition between lecture and an activity. Their length (2 to 3 minutes) makes them perfect for helping visual learners focus on the main events, or for providing a preview or summary of lecture topics. They may not form the centerpiece of your lesson, but they're nice to have in your "back pocket" to use as an enhancement.
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JFK 50 - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Grades
7 to 12
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This web site honors the legacy of President John F. Kennedy in recognition of the fifty years that have passed since his inauguration on January 20, 1961, when he first ...more
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This web site honors the legacy of President John F. Kennedy in recognition of the fifty years that have passed since his inauguration on January 20, 1961, when he first captured the hearts of Americans and memorialized a moment in history with his words, "Ask not what this country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." JFK50 is filled with cutting-edge multimedia that inspires and invites students to explore the themes of public service, civil rights, leadership, and more to discover how relevant they remain to social and political issues today.
tag(s): kennedy (6), presidents (78)
In the Classroom
Use this website as your online destination for teaching, researching, and starting a conversation about the primary people, changes, speeches, and events of the John F. Kennedy era. Do not miss the links at the upper left corner of the home page for the Legacy Gallery, Downloads and Resources, and "History Now" which provides an interactive timeline that links today's date to details of what transpired during JFK's presidency. Highlight the ideals articulated fifty years ago to serve as a springboard for today's students to become actively involved in public service by projecting the authentic broadcast reports, videos, newspaper accounts, and other media on your classroom whiteboard or projector. Team up with colleagues in other departments to engage in interdisciplinary learning projects. You may want to have students collaborate to put a new spin on a research report. Challenge them to create a newspaper article about the domestic affairs, foreign policies and diplomacy, the arts, or any of the other extensive topics found on JFK50 by using the Newspaper Clipping Generator. Polish it off by having students create magazine covers that reflect the content of their articles, essays, or reports by using Magazine Cover Maker reviewed here.
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Springfield Library-Google Options - Joyce Valenza
Grades
4 to 12
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Find a collection of Google search tools all in one place! For those trying to figure out all of the wonderful options for searching on Google, this is the site. ...more
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Find a collection of Google search tools all in one place! For those trying to figure out all of the wonderful options for searching on Google, this is the site. It was created using GlogsterEDU reviewed here which makes this site interactive. Just click on the type of Google search you want to learn about, and you will be there! Whether you need to search for books online, scholarly articles, or want to search the New York Times or the Washington Post, this is the place to start. Whether your search is professional, for research, or personal, make it easy on yourself and start with this site.
tag(s): search engines (41)
In the Classroom
Share on your projector or interactive whiteboard to give kids an overview--or explore yourself to learn all the options! This is a great resource for searching through different tools. Students could each take one of the sites for video and dissect it to look for things like intended audience, subject matter it's best for, and advantages and disadvantages of the site as a source. This is a great link to share on your class website for students (and parents) to use at home.TV and Yearbook Classes: The links under "Copyright-friendly" would be a great starting point for a dialogue on what is fair or unfair to use, and would be a wealth of resources for students as they work to complete projects and pages. TV: The student video portion as a go-to for high-quality student-produced content is a must for any class in production. Have students share news from around the world posting on your class Wiki. Not familiar with wikis? Check out the TeachersFirst's Wiki Walk-Through. Have student groups "Advertise" different Google tools by doing a live demo on projector or interactive whiteboard for the class. Then use a poll such as Flisti, reviewed here, to find out which tool students vote as "most useful."
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State of the Union Address 2011 - guardian.co.uk
Grades
6 to 12
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See a comparison of State of the Union Address language from President Obama, 2011, to past presidents and speeches. These word clouds offer a visual comparison of the most frequent...more
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See a comparison of State of the Union Address language from President Obama, 2011, to past presidents and speeches. These word clouds offer a visual comparison of the most frequent words in different presidential speeches. You can make your own clouds of speech text using Wordle, reviewed here and similar word cloud tools to add to the comparison options.
tag(s): presidents (78), speech (80), speeches (12)
In the Classroom
Share these word clouds on interactive whiteboard or projector to analyze the presidential agendas in a civics or government class. Have students make their own clouds of text from other speeches using Wordle, reviewed here or similar word cloud tools to add to the comparison options. During political campaigns, share this comparison and invite students to create ones of their own between different candidates. In English/language arts classes, use the word clouds to spark discussion of propaganda techniques, word choice, and effective speech techniques. Share this discussion in debate club, as well, to point out the importance of carefully crafted messages. Have students create and compare clouds of their own speech drafts while studying persuasive writing.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mr Nussbaum's Language Arts - Greg Nussbaum
Grades
K to 8
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This site was developed with the idea that crucial concepts, themes, ideas, and fact sets taught in the classroom can be enhanced over the internet through interactivity. Furthermore,...more
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This site was developed with the idea that crucial concepts, themes, ideas, and fact sets taught in the classroom can be enhanced over the internet through interactivity. Furthermore, for teachers to have a reliable k -8 internet site to use in the computer lab or in the classroom, that likely covers one or many themes currently being taught. The Language Arts portion of the site contains several activities that can supplement any Language Arts program. Spelling Central allows teachers to input their own spelling words then converts the list into a word search, abc order practice, missing letter practice and a mixed up word activity that can be printed or practiced by students online. In addition, there are Language Arts games, reading comprehension exercises, story units, practice with commas, abc order, nouns and pronouns and more. Be sure to check out the animated biographies of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Abraham Lincoln. Students will need to be cautioned to ignore the ads on the right hand side of the page when exploring the site.
tag(s): alphabet (56), alphabetical order (7), presidents (78), spelling (124)
In the Classroom
This site will work well for classrooms with individual spelling lists as students can input their own list to create printables and online activities for spelling practice. Watch the animated biographies on your interactive whiteboard as part of your President's Day activities. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Share the link to the site on your classroom website or blog for students to access from home.
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Gettysburg Address on Vimeo - Adam Gault
Grades
6 to 12
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Our students are accustomed to having both audio and video content to the information they access. Consequently, just reading something like the Gettysburg Address can seem dry and...more
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Our students are accustomed to having both audio and video content to the information they access. Consequently, just reading something like the Gettysburg Address can seem dry and sterile to them. This video provides both a rich reading of Lincoln's famous speech, but an accompanying video track to illustrate it.
tag(s): civil war (80), gettysburg (9), gettysburg address (5), lincoln (58), presidents (78)
In the Classroom
For those who are not strong readers, the audio-video combination provided here may make the concepts in the Gettysburg Address more accessible. For other students, there may be deeper, more complex questions sparked by the video. Did the creator of the video capture the concepts authored by Abraham Lincoln adequately? This video could be the "jumping off place" for a variety of questions the class might consider or project ideas for individual students. How might you do it differently? What about other well-known speeches or documents? How would you illustrate them for a similar video? Challenge students to create their own video accompanying a famous speech and share the video using a site such as SchoolTube (reviewed here).
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MathTrain.TV - Eric Marcos
Grades
5 to 9
3 Favorites
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This site is part of the Mathtrain.com Project and was created to host student-created math video lessons all in one place. It was created by Mr. Marcos and his students ...more
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This site is part of the Mathtrain.com Project and was created to host student-created math video lessons all in one place. It was created by Mr. Marcos and his students at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica, CA. Videos are searchable by topic or by most viewed, most recent, or most discussed. The site is highly interactive and has an option to subscribe to their free podcast through ITunes. In addition to the student-created videos, there are also teacher-created videos with explanations on different math topics. Most videos are under 2 minutes in length making them perfect to use for introduction or review with different math topics. This site runs in conjunction with mathtrain.com.
In the Classroom
Choose a student-created video to use as an introduction for a new math topic. For example, when working with multi-step equations, show one of the student's videos on the site on your interactive whiteboard as an example of how one student solved the problem. Use this as a springboard to classroom discussions on problem solving equations. There are several videos on the site with this topic, so a new video can be shown each day as examples of different problem solving methods. Use the student examples in your classroom to demonstrate how students can explain different math topics, then create your own explanatory video or audio presentations. Have students create podcasts using a site such as PodOmatic (reviewed here). Or challenge students to create a video and share using a site such as SchoolTube (reviewed here). Post student work to your classroom website or blog for students to use at home for review.
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Congress.org - C-Q Roll Call, Inc
Grades
9 to 12
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Congress.org is a product of the larger group of news publications that include Congressional Quarterly and Roll Call, both long-time sources of news about Washington politics. The...more
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Congress.org is a product of the larger group of news publications that include Congressional Quarterly and Roll Call, both long-time sources of news about Washington politics. The site collects news stories, letters to congress and statements from political advocacy groups in one place for the reader to survey. The site is as non-partisan as possible, and it's possible you will find links to statements from the National Rifle Association next to those from the the Society of Friends. There is also a running accounting of recent votes in Congress for those trying to keep up with current legislation. Be aware, however, that one portion of the site includes letters to Members of Congress written by subscribers; previewing in advance is advised.
tag(s): congress (17), elections (58), house of representatives (8), senate (9)
In the Classroom
Consider placing this site on your class web page for students to use in researching political viewpoints, both in relation to upcoming elections and in ongoing political debate. It's a site for true politics junkies, but will be useful for those who are looking for concise information collected in a readable, easy-to-access format. Use the site during your study of the legislative branch and have groups follow congressional groups of individuals, creating a timeline of their activities using a tool such as XTimeline, reviewed here or Dipity, reviewed here. Embed the congressional timelines in your class wiki for students to compare and critique or to trace an incumbent's activities during an election cycle.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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