Websites

Ghosts of the Hunley

by fifer1863 on February 7, 2012

Kevin Honeycutt has developed an excellent website for integrating technology to teach the Civil War. This collaborative learning project is focused around the H.L. Hunley, the famous Confederate submarine. This website is provides an in depth look into the history of the H.L. Hunley along with providing a great collection of links, photographs and videos. Let’s take a look at some of the different pages and sections of the site.

According to the page, the challenge for students is to “Partner up with another classroom and create a ten minute documentary telling the story of the H.L. Hunley.” The photos section of the website provides a nice collection of photographs related to the Hunley along with some additional links to Hunley related lesson plans. The Starter Videos Section provides links to a few videos related to the Hunley along with a great article about how Archeology Meets Technology. Finally, the Hunley Blog page contains a place where students place their artifacts, discuss their projects, share photos along with sharing their research and findings.

There is a great quote by Kevin on the website that says, “By allowing kids to collaborate with others online we allow learners to build and flex new muscles. These muscles will serve them well for the rest of their lives!” I could not agree more.

Here are some additional websites related to the Hunley for your viewing pleasure:

UPDATED: Check out Kevin’s Tell the Story of the Hunley PBL site

Until next time…

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Virtual Civil War Battlefield Tours

by fifer1863 on December 7, 2011

The Civil War is an integral part of United States history that has fascinated Americans for generations. The war began one hundred and fifty years ago, but its battlefields remain some of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. Each year, thousands of Civil War enthusiasts, schoolchildren, and master’s degree students visit such sites as Gettysburg, Manassas, Antietam, and Shiloh.

Though it’s not possible for everyone to see these places in person, virtual Civil War battlefield tours provide a way for Civil War buffs and educators to bring these battlegrounds to life in a matter of clicks. Here are some of the most popular websites for Civil War battlefield tours:

The Civil War section of John’s Military History Page features maps, concise descriptions, and present-day pictures of Civil War battlefields. A bonus of this page is it offers information on both famous and lesser-known battles. The color photographs on the page give viewers a clear idea of what the landscape and buildings on each battlefield actually look like, enabling them to see the battlefields as Civil War soldiers would have seen them.

Stephen Recker’s Virtual Gettysburg site offers panoramic views of the Civil War’s bloodiest and perhaps most decisive battlefield. Users can scan the area from various angles. By accessing the panoramas of Gettysburg, viewers will gain an appreciation for the immense size of the battlefield and realize what a peaceful, rural place it was before more than 50,000 soldiers died on its soil.

CivilWarAlbum.com prides itself on featuring modern photos of Civil War battlefields, and does so quite comprehensively. The site hosts panoramas of famous and obscure battles alike. It also features detailed maps of nearly 80 battlefields. These maps are particularly helpful, providing students with insight into the strategies and tactics of both the Union and Confederate armies.

Virtual Civil War battlefield tours can also be found at the National Park Service’s web site, which includes virtual tours of Fort Donelson, Tennessee; Fredericksburg and Petersburg, Virginia; and Wilson’s Creek, Missouri. The National Park Service has provided funds for other virtual Civil War battlefield tours as well. The Museum of the Middle Appalachians will begin hosting a virtual tour of the Battle of Saltville, Virginia next year.

Virtual Civil War battlefield tours are a practical alternative for history-lovers who wish to explore Civil War sites but don’t have the time or financial resources to travel to them. They’re also ideal for teachers who can’t take their students on physical field trips to Civil War battlefields. Whether individuals are seeking to learn about the Civil War out of personal interest or as part of a curriculum, they can now experience some of its key locations almost as vividly online as they could in person.

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Interactive Map on Civil War Battles and Casualties

by fifer1863 on May 24, 2011

As part of the 150th Civil War celebration, the Washington Post has created a special Civil War 150 website to share articles and resources related to the Civil War. One of these is resources is an interactive map that shows battles and casualties from the war.

Once you play the movie, you start to see red dots appear on the screen indicating where a particular battle took place and the extent of the casualties. The size of the red circle displays the number of casualties from less than 250 to 50,000. At any time during the movie you can pause the movie and then hover over a red dot to learn more about the particular battle the date of the battle and the casualties. If you notice the bar graph at the top of the page, you can also hover over the different bars to learn about the number of battles and casualties in a particular month / year. You can also view the red dots by year.

Applications for the classroom:

Have groups of students pick a particular year and write a summary of different battles and stats from that year
Ask probing questions like why were there fewer battles in December, January and February?
Have your students pick some battles based on different criteria and located them in Google Earth
Based on information by year or over all four years, talk about why particular battles were fought in certain geographic locations. For example, why were there so many in Missouri in 1861?

Just a few ideas. Be sure to explore the rest of the Civil War 150 website for more resources.

Until Next time…

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National History Day in Pa

May 18, 2011

Recently I had the opportunity to judge at the Pennsylvania State National History Day Competition at Millersville University. What a great couple of days! It was exciting walking around campus seeing students talking about history. There were students dressed as various characters from history for the performance category and displays that filled the gym at [...]

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