The Luso-Hispanic World in Maps jmccartney Wed, 10/07/2009 - 15:00
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Provides approximately 50 maps and paragraph-long descriptions of more than 1,000 maps in the Library of Congress' collections pertaining to exploration, colonization, and military efforts and concerns by Spain and Portugal from the mid-16th century to 1900. Includes approximately 10 maps of Mexico and southwest U.S. made during the U.S.-Mexican War of 1846-1848; and five pertaining to Spanish claims in North America. An 8,700-word informative guide provides historical background. While the site will be useful to those planning to visit the Library's extensive map collection, online visitors may be frustrated by the lack of search capabilities. Maps included in the site are not indexed, and users can access them only by paging through the entire catalog.

Web de Anza

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Web de Anza presents material relating to Juan Bautista de Anza's two expeditions into Alta California that resulted in the settlement of San Francisco in 1776. The site is under development, but it is easy to navigate. Visitors will find a 700-word background essay on the historical context of the expeditions and links to seven other sites about de Anza and California history. Primary source material currently includes eight diaries and two letters, available in English and Spanish and indexed by date. This material is supplemented by a gallery of 11 portraits, 14 images of scenery relevant to De Anza's expeditions, and drawings and photographs of nine objects such as a musket of the kind that De Anza probably used.

The site also includes six photographs of re-enactments of events in de Anza's expedition. An Atlas section provides 10 trail route maps, and 20 maps of the area of de Anza's expedition. The site provides useful material for students of California history, religion, and Native Americans at every level, from elementary to graduate school.

Voices from the Gaps: Women Writers and Artists of Color

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Descriptive information about the lives and works of 136 "women writers of color in North America" is provided in this site, designed primarily for high school and college classroom use. Offers introductory material, including images, bibliographies, quotations, biographical sketches, and critical views with regard to writers such as Toni Morrison, bell hooks, Evelyn Lau, Winona LaDuke, Terry McMillan, and Alice Walker.

While the site concentrates primarily on 20th-century figures, it also contains 10 entries on women from the 19th century, including Sarah Mapps Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper.

The material is arranged into four indexes: name, birthplace, racial/ethnic background, and significant dates. Annotated links to 18 related resources are included.

The site relies on contributions from interested students and teachers, and promises to grow to more than 500 entries in the future.

Immigration

Teaser

Very few of us have ancestors who were not immigrants. Bring the topic of immigration to life.

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Description

Primary sources and questions for a unit on immigration to the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

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Primary source documents and statistical tables about immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries anchor this lesson. Analytical questions about the documents and the tables require students to draw conclusions from the data, as well as evaluate opinions regarding immigration as expressed in the primary sources.

These materials are supplemented by Digital History’s larger Immigration Learning Module which provides many hyperlinks to additional primary sources including a timeline and documents. (NOTE: To access these documents, paste the title of the document into the search field when you arrive at the Library of Congress Learning Page.)

Links to primary source sets from the Library of Congress and other features of the Ethnic America section of the Digital History site are also provided.

Overall we feel that the basic lesson plan provides an excellent set of teaching materials, but we encourage you to explore the interrelated hyperlinks of the Learning Module to find additional materials that will inspire you and your students.

Topic
Immigration; early 20th century
Time Estimate
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Rubric_Content_Accurate_Scholarship

Yes

Rubric_Content_Historical_Background

Yes
Much information is available on the website. In addition, Digital History’s online textbook provides detailed background information on the topic.

Rubric_Content_Read_Write

Yes

Rubric_Analytical_Construct_Interpretations

Yes
In the basic lesson students are asked to draw conclusions from immigration data. Other documents that you may decide to use from Digital History’s online textbook may elicit student analysis and interpretation as well.

Rubric_Analytical_Close_Reading_Sourcing

Yes

Rubric_Scaffolding_Appropriate

Yes
While no specific audience is stated, we feel the basic lesson and accompanying questions are suitable for middle school. Other materials on the site may be useful for all grade levels.

Rubric_Scaffolding_Supports_Historical_Thinking

No
Teachers will want to provide some scaffolds of their own to help students understand and interpret texts and data tables.

Rubric_Structure_Assessment

No
No assessment criteria are included. As teachers define their goals for this lesson they will have to determine how to assess student learning.

Rubric_Structure_Realistic

Yes
The basic lesson is unstructured, but the questions and activities are clearly presented. It would be easy to use these materials to teach about immigration in normal classroom settings.

Rubric_Structure_Learning_Goals

No
Teachers must provide structure and goals for this lesson.