USEFUL LINKS
ARTICLES
Digg
http://www.digg.com
Digg is a news source for current events. Its website states the following: We pride ourselves on finding the most pertinent and important stories, videos, and every other kind of media: a mandatory daily dose of news and facts for the intellectually curious.
Smithsonian Tween Tribune
http://tweentribune.com/category/teen/
This website features topics about animals, fashion, entertainment, school, science, technology, national and world news written by kids and professional journalists. Articles are listed by Lexile reading level. There are articles for kids, middle school students, and high school students.
CIVIL RIGHTS
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
http://www.bcri.org/
This website contains information regarding the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Museum in Birmingham, AL.
Brown v.s Board of Education
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka
This website provides background information regarding the monumental court case of Brown versus the Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas.
Civil Rights Leaders
http://www.biography.com/people/groups/activists-civil-rights-activists
This website lists Civil Rights leaders as well as has background information about each individual.
Civil Rights Overview
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement
This website provides an overview of the Civil Rights Movement.
Eyes on the Prize Overview
http://worldchannel.org/programs/eyes-on-the-prize/
This website includes information about the definitive documentary entitled Eyes on the Prize. The descriptions are broken down by episode.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086
This website provides background information about Civil Rights leader and activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior.
Ralph Abernathy
http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-d-abernathy-9174397
This website provides an overview of minister Ralph Abernathy's life. He was a close advisor to MLK, Junior.
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/birmingham-church-bombing
This website contains information about the attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.
CRASH COURSES
Crash Course: The Atlantic Slave Trade (Middle Passage)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnV_MTFEGIY
This is a link to the YouTube video series "Crash Course" by John Green. This video gives an overview of the process by which slaves were captured, transported, sold, and used. It was the second video we viewed in class regarding slavery.
Transcript: docs.google.com/document/d/1PZosJWKUdt5grGyIZ5-6eNEUn3evwIl2lbJe8USAsGo/edit?usp=sharing
Crash Course: Civil Rights and the 1950s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S64zRnnn4Po&index=40&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtMwmepBjTSG593eG7ObzO7s
Crash Course: The Cold War
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C72ISMF_D0
This is a link to John Green's discussion of The Cold War, including information regarding The Red Scare.
Crash Course: Like Pale Gold
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9Au9OoN88&list=PLAUMgqnJEf4fSvFUw2QsMhfXm5N2boolk
This is part I of Green's videos on The Great Gatsby.
Crash Course: Nineteenth Century Reform
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t62fUZJvjOs
In this Crash Course video, John Green addresses various reform movements in the 19th century in the US. This includes transcendentalism.
Crash Course: Puritans
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o69TvQqyGdg
This link takes you to the transcript: https://nerdfighteria.info/video/crashcourse/o69TvQqyGdg
This crash course is called "When is Thanksgiving: Colonizing America."
Crash Course: The Roaring Twenties
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfOR1XCMf7A
In this Crash Course, John Green explains about the 1920s decade.
Crash Course: Slavery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajn9g5Gsv98
This is a link to the YouTube video series "Crash Course" by John Green. This video gives an overview of slavery in general. It was the first video we viewed in class regarding slavery.
Transcript: docs.google.com/document/d/1f_FI5_Pq33aA4LXVyY35Cl0uqPpUAMkcIcsCMhAe4aA/edit?usp=sharing
Crash Course: Was Gatsby Great?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0WZ8-0Z1Y
This is part II of Green's videos on The Great Gatsby.
THE GREAT GATSBY MOVIE ARTICLES
"From Flappers to Rappers: 'The Great Gatsby' Music Supervisor Breaks Down the Film's Soundtrack"
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/great-gatsby-soundtrack-track-by-track-521092
"Shimmying Off the Literary Mantle"
www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/movies/the-great-gatsby-interpreted-by-baz-luhrmann.html
"Why Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby is an Unappreciated Modern Classic"
www.indiewire.com/2017/04/baz-luhrmann-the-great-gatsby-underrated-leonardo-dicaprio-carey-mulligan-1201799900/
"Why The Great Gatsby May Be the Most Influential Film of 2013"
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-great-gatsby-may-be-670661
MISCELLANEOUS
International Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com
Many times in class I ask students to compare certain works to films/television or even to use critical thinking skills to determine which actors would be best suited for certain roles if pieces of literature were made into movie versions. This site is a great resource for this.
Jimmy Fallon Clip: "Ironic"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJLiqR0rVDE
This is the clip of Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake singing Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" from The Tonight Show in October 2016.
The Learning Network
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com
The Learning Network is published by the New York Times. Its mission is to offer rich and imaginative materials for teaching and learning using New York Times content. Every weekday they offer new educational resources based on the articles, photographs, videos, illustrations, podcasts and graphics published in The New York Times – all for free.
Sarah Panzau Evans's Journey
sarahsjourney.com/
Sarah Panzau Evans was the featured speaker for the 2016 Homecoming assembly that took place following BOTC. Sarah spoke about the consequences of drinking and driving.
Storyboard That
http://www.storyboardthat.com
Storyboard That is a site that allows users to make digital stories through images and words.
READING
Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com
Goodreads is a free website for book lovers. Imagine it as a large library that you can wander through and see everyone's bookshelves, their reviews, and their ratings. You can also post your own reviews and catalog what you have read, are currently reading, and plan to read in the future. Don’t stop there – join a discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing.
Oyster
http://www.oysterbooks.com
Oyster is an electronic books provider. The service offers unlimited access to over 500,000 books for $9.95 a month, with new titles added all the time.. A one month free trial is offered for first time users.
SALEM WITCH TRIALS/SENATOR JOE McCARTHY
Joseph McCarthy
www.coldwar.org/articles/50s/senatorjosephmccarthy.asp
This site from The Cold War Museum provides details from the life and political career of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Salem Witch Museum
www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education/
This is the official website of Salem, Massachusetts's most visited museum.
Salem Witch Trials
law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm
This is a collection of images, documents, essays, maps, links, games, and other information pertaining to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
Similarities and Differences between McCarthyism and the Salem Witch Trials
prezi.com/mrtlvem03nth/mccarthyism-vs-salem-witch-trials/
This Prezi presents many of the similarities and differences between the phenomenon known as McCarthyism (or the Red Scare) and the legendary Salem Witch Trials.
Sound Smart: Joseph McCarthy
www.history.com/topics/cold-war/joseph-mccarthy/videos/sound-smart-joseph-mccarthy?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false
This video from the History Channel includes biographical information of Senator McCarthy and his role in stoking fears of communism and its sympathizers during the 1950s.
Sound Smart: The Red Scare
www.history.com/topics/cold-war/joseph-mccarthy/videos/sound-smart-the-red-scare
This video from the History Channel includes an explanation about The Red Scare and differentiates between the two Red Scares in the 1900s.
SLAVERY
Frederick Douglass Biography video
www.biography.com/people/frederick-douglass-9278324
This is a clip we watched in class from the Biography channel that gives some background information about his life.
Morgan Freeman reads from "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro"
www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass/videos/the-meaning-of-july-4th-for-the-negro
In this segment, actor Morgan Freeman dramatically reads a portion of Frederick Douglass's speech entitled "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro."
The Slave Trade and Slavery
www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/slavery-and-anti-slavery/resources/facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery
The page from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History includes facts about slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade/The Middle Passage.
Slavery and the Making of America
www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/memories/index_flash.html
This PBS hosted site is full of timeline formatted information about slavery's roots in America. It includes both images and text.
Shmoop Harriet Jacobs's narrative summary
http://www.shmoop.com/incidents-life-slave-girl/summary.html
This website provides an overview of the entire work Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. It is written in a light-hearted tone.
TEST PREP
ACT Online Prep
http://www.actstudent.org
This site contains a variety of information for students preparing for the ACT. Links on the site include practice tests, question of the day, and study tips.
Quizlet
http://www.quizlet.com
Quizlet is a free website providing learning tools for students, including flashcards, study and game modes. It was created by a high school sophomore in 2005 and now contains over 30 million study sets. All of the material is user-generated.
SAT Online Prep
collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests
This site contains information about the SAT as well as various resources for preparing for this test.
WRITING
Active vs. Passive Voice
owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/02/
This site describes both active and passive voice as well as examples of how/when to use each effectively.
Glossary of Writing Terms
www.ilwritingmatters.org/uploads/4/0/7/1/40712613/glossary_for_writing.pdf
This link is provided to define the new Illinois writing standards' essential writing terms.
Nuts and Bolts: "Thought" Verbs
litreactor.com/essays/chuck-palahniuk/nuts-and-bolts-%E2%80%9Cthought%E2%80%9D-verbs
Purdue Online Writing Lab
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional materials, and they provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects.
Transitions
msu.edu/~jdowell/135/transw.html
This site explains the function of transitions and categorizes the different types that exist. Lists are also provided for each category.
Word Counter
https://wordcounter.net/
Wordcounter is a word count and a character count tool. To operate, users place their cursors into the box and begin typing. Word counter will automatically count the number of words and characters as you type. You can also copy and paste a document you have already written into the word counter box and it will display the word count and character numbers for that piece of writing.
Writing Arguments
https://sites.google.com/site/successinenglish101/essays--write/writing-an-argumentative-essay
This site provides a useful summary of the information needed to compose an argument.
Writing an Extended Definition slides
https://sites.google.com/a/rock.k12.nc.us/english-according-to-mrs--melissa-daniels-motley/Home/writing/writing-an-extended-definition-essay-1
This is a link to teacher Melissa Motley's Google slides that are an overview of the extended definition essay.
Digg
http://www.digg.com
Digg is a news source for current events. Its website states the following: We pride ourselves on finding the most pertinent and important stories, videos, and every other kind of media: a mandatory daily dose of news and facts for the intellectually curious.
Smithsonian Tween Tribune
http://tweentribune.com/category/teen/
This website features topics about animals, fashion, entertainment, school, science, technology, national and world news written by kids and professional journalists. Articles are listed by Lexile reading level. There are articles for kids, middle school students, and high school students.
CIVIL RIGHTS
Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
http://www.bcri.org/
This website contains information regarding the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Museum in Birmingham, AL.
Brown v.s Board of Education
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/brown-v-board-of-education-of-topeka
This website provides background information regarding the monumental court case of Brown versus the Board of Education in Topeka, Kansas.
Civil Rights Leaders
http://www.biography.com/people/groups/activists-civil-rights-activists
This website lists Civil Rights leaders as well as has background information about each individual.
Civil Rights Overview
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/civil-rights-movement
This website provides an overview of the Civil Rights Movement.
Eyes on the Prize Overview
http://worldchannel.org/programs/eyes-on-the-prize/
This website includes information about the definitive documentary entitled Eyes on the Prize. The descriptions are broken down by episode.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
http://www.biography.com/people/martin-luther-king-jr-9365086
This website provides background information about Civil Rights leader and activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior.
Ralph Abernathy
http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-d-abernathy-9174397
This website provides an overview of minister Ralph Abernathy's life. He was a close advisor to MLK, Junior.
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/birmingham-church-bombing
This website contains information about the attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.
CRASH COURSES
Crash Course: The Atlantic Slave Trade (Middle Passage)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnV_MTFEGIY
This is a link to the YouTube video series "Crash Course" by John Green. This video gives an overview of the process by which slaves were captured, transported, sold, and used. It was the second video we viewed in class regarding slavery.
Transcript: docs.google.com/document/d/1PZosJWKUdt5grGyIZ5-6eNEUn3evwIl2lbJe8USAsGo/edit?usp=sharing
Crash Course: Civil Rights and the 1950s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S64zRnnn4Po&index=40&list=PL8dPuuaLjXtMwmepBjTSG593eG7ObzO7s
Crash Course: The Cold War
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C72ISMF_D0
This is a link to John Green's discussion of The Cold War, including information regarding The Red Scare.
Crash Course: Like Pale Gold
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9Au9OoN88&list=PLAUMgqnJEf4fSvFUw2QsMhfXm5N2boolk
This is part I of Green's videos on The Great Gatsby.
Crash Course: Nineteenth Century Reform
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t62fUZJvjOs
In this Crash Course video, John Green addresses various reform movements in the 19th century in the US. This includes transcendentalism.
Crash Course: Puritans
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o69TvQqyGdg
This link takes you to the transcript: https://nerdfighteria.info/video/crashcourse/o69TvQqyGdg
This crash course is called "When is Thanksgiving: Colonizing America."
Crash Course: The Roaring Twenties
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfOR1XCMf7A
In this Crash Course, John Green explains about the 1920s decade.
Crash Course: Slavery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ajn9g5Gsv98
This is a link to the YouTube video series "Crash Course" by John Green. This video gives an overview of slavery in general. It was the first video we viewed in class regarding slavery.
Transcript: docs.google.com/document/d/1f_FI5_Pq33aA4LXVyY35Cl0uqPpUAMkcIcsCMhAe4aA/edit?usp=sharing
Crash Course: Was Gatsby Great?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn0WZ8-0Z1Y
This is part II of Green's videos on The Great Gatsby.
THE GREAT GATSBY MOVIE ARTICLES
"From Flappers to Rappers: 'The Great Gatsby' Music Supervisor Breaks Down the Film's Soundtrack"
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/great-gatsby-soundtrack-track-by-track-521092
"Shimmying Off the Literary Mantle"
www.nytimes.com/2013/05/10/movies/the-great-gatsby-interpreted-by-baz-luhrmann.html
"Why Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby is an Unappreciated Modern Classic"
www.indiewire.com/2017/04/baz-luhrmann-the-great-gatsby-underrated-leonardo-dicaprio-carey-mulligan-1201799900/
"Why The Great Gatsby May Be the Most Influential Film of 2013"
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-great-gatsby-may-be-670661
MISCELLANEOUS
International Movie Database
http://www.imdb.com
Many times in class I ask students to compare certain works to films/television or even to use critical thinking skills to determine which actors would be best suited for certain roles if pieces of literature were made into movie versions. This site is a great resource for this.
Jimmy Fallon Clip: "Ironic"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJLiqR0rVDE
This is the clip of Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake singing Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" from The Tonight Show in October 2016.
The Learning Network
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com
The Learning Network is published by the New York Times. Its mission is to offer rich and imaginative materials for teaching and learning using New York Times content. Every weekday they offer new educational resources based on the articles, photographs, videos, illustrations, podcasts and graphics published in The New York Times – all for free.
Sarah Panzau Evans's Journey
sarahsjourney.com/
Sarah Panzau Evans was the featured speaker for the 2016 Homecoming assembly that took place following BOTC. Sarah spoke about the consequences of drinking and driving.
Storyboard That
http://www.storyboardthat.com
Storyboard That is a site that allows users to make digital stories through images and words.
READING
Goodreads
http://www.goodreads.com
Goodreads is a free website for book lovers. Imagine it as a large library that you can wander through and see everyone's bookshelves, their reviews, and their ratings. You can also post your own reviews and catalog what you have read, are currently reading, and plan to read in the future. Don’t stop there – join a discussion group, start a book club, contact an author, and even post your own writing.
Oyster
http://www.oysterbooks.com
Oyster is an electronic books provider. The service offers unlimited access to over 500,000 books for $9.95 a month, with new titles added all the time.. A one month free trial is offered for first time users.
SALEM WITCH TRIALS/SENATOR JOE McCARTHY
Joseph McCarthy
www.coldwar.org/articles/50s/senatorjosephmccarthy.asp
This site from The Cold War Museum provides details from the life and political career of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Salem Witch Museum
www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education/
This is the official website of Salem, Massachusetts's most visited museum.
Salem Witch Trials
law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/salem.htm
This is a collection of images, documents, essays, maps, links, games, and other information pertaining to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692.
Similarities and Differences between McCarthyism and the Salem Witch Trials
prezi.com/mrtlvem03nth/mccarthyism-vs-salem-witch-trials/
This Prezi presents many of the similarities and differences between the phenomenon known as McCarthyism (or the Red Scare) and the legendary Salem Witch Trials.
Sound Smart: Joseph McCarthy
www.history.com/topics/cold-war/joseph-mccarthy/videos/sound-smart-joseph-mccarthy?m=528e394da93ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false
This video from the History Channel includes biographical information of Senator McCarthy and his role in stoking fears of communism and its sympathizers during the 1950s.
Sound Smart: The Red Scare
www.history.com/topics/cold-war/joseph-mccarthy/videos/sound-smart-the-red-scare
This video from the History Channel includes an explanation about The Red Scare and differentiates between the two Red Scares in the 1900s.
SLAVERY
Frederick Douglass Biography video
www.biography.com/people/frederick-douglass-9278324
This is a clip we watched in class from the Biography channel that gives some background information about his life.
Morgan Freeman reads from "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro"
www.history.com/topics/black-history/frederick-douglass/videos/the-meaning-of-july-4th-for-the-negro
In this segment, actor Morgan Freeman dramatically reads a portion of Frederick Douglass's speech entitled "The Meaning of Fourth of July for the Negro."
The Slave Trade and Slavery
www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/slavery-and-anti-slavery/resources/facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery
The page from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History includes facts about slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade/The Middle Passage.
Slavery and the Making of America
www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/memories/index_flash.html
This PBS hosted site is full of timeline formatted information about slavery's roots in America. It includes both images and text.
Shmoop Harriet Jacobs's narrative summary
http://www.shmoop.com/incidents-life-slave-girl/summary.html
This website provides an overview of the entire work Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. It is written in a light-hearted tone.
TEST PREP
ACT Online Prep
http://www.actstudent.org
This site contains a variety of information for students preparing for the ACT. Links on the site include practice tests, question of the day, and study tips.
Quizlet
http://www.quizlet.com
Quizlet is a free website providing learning tools for students, including flashcards, study and game modes. It was created by a high school sophomore in 2005 and now contains over 30 million study sets. All of the material is user-generated.
SAT Online Prep
collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests
This site contains information about the SAT as well as various resources for preparing for this test.
WRITING
Active vs. Passive Voice
owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/02/
This site describes both active and passive voice as well as examples of how/when to use each effectively.
Glossary of Writing Terms
www.ilwritingmatters.org/uploads/4/0/7/1/40712613/glossary_for_writing.pdf
This link is provided to define the new Illinois writing standards' essential writing terms.
Nuts and Bolts: "Thought" Verbs
litreactor.com/essays/chuck-palahniuk/nuts-and-bolts-%E2%80%9Cthought%E2%80%9D-verbs
Purdue Online Writing Lab
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional materials, and they provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects.
Transitions
msu.edu/~jdowell/135/transw.html
This site explains the function of transitions and categorizes the different types that exist. Lists are also provided for each category.
Word Counter
https://wordcounter.net/
Wordcounter is a word count and a character count tool. To operate, users place their cursors into the box and begin typing. Word counter will automatically count the number of words and characters as you type. You can also copy and paste a document you have already written into the word counter box and it will display the word count and character numbers for that piece of writing.
Writing Arguments
https://sites.google.com/site/successinenglish101/essays--write/writing-an-argumentative-essay
This site provides a useful summary of the information needed to compose an argument.
Writing an Extended Definition slides
https://sites.google.com/a/rock.k12.nc.us/english-according-to-mrs--melissa-daniels-motley/Home/writing/writing-an-extended-definition-essay-1
This is a link to teacher Melissa Motley's Google slides that are an overview of the extended definition essay.