Educational Resources - Social Studies

Ancient History || Culture || Local History

Ancient History

	Animals In The Kelsey
	The animals in this particular Kelsey Museum exhibit range from representations of familiar fish to mythical beasts. Students at the University of Michigan's Department of Classical Studies used all these artifacts to explore and present different aspects of animals in antiquity: animals as food, laborers, entertainment, pets, sacrificial victims, and symbols of power and terror.
	Community Outreach	Some sixth-grade students in Ann Arbor used the Animals exhibit to learn problem-solving and information-seeking skills, how to research the role of animals in the ancient world, something about how exhibitions are created and to create an artifact of their own. This section includes lesson plans and a student art gallery.
	Related Resources	Web links related to Animal Archeology, General Archeology and Teacher Resources.

	Francis W. Kelsey Near East Expedition
	Travel with a team of archaeologists in search of artifacts from ancient civilizations. This site was created by University of Michigan students studying image selection and manipulation, in conjunction with the Kelsey Museum of Archeology.
	Interactive map	Students can orient themselves to the geography and its corresponding history with this map that links to pictures of archeological artifacts.

	Magic of Amulets
	In 1927, Professor Francis Kelsey bought this collection of amulets from a Miss Wolff who worked in a government hospital in Sudan. Few records are associated with the collection, but each amulet was carefully tagged with descriptive information. Most of the amulets were taken from the children who came to the hospital for treatment which attests to the fragility of the lives of infants at the time.
	Points For Discussion	Thinking about amulets and folk medicine
	More Information	Other sites about amulets and folk medicine

	Mummies of Ancient Egypt
	Enter the age of the Pharaohs and explore the world of the afterlife. Students will find this web site particularly inviting because of its images and interesting information. Use it as a reference source when studying Ancient Egypt.
	Glossary	A comprehensive list of terms used throughout the web site.
	Dateline	Students can see the major events of this teime period in a concise timeline and select certain people or ruling dynasties to research.
	Heiroglyphs	Includes symbol, meaning and sound; an excellent reference source for an introduction to hieroglyphics.

	Taste of the Ancient World
	In cooperation with the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology and the Classic Civilizations department of the University of Michigan, this web site is a redesign of an original site for an exhibition of the same name. A Taste of the Ancient World was an exhibit displayed at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology about Greco-Roman eating, drinking, and farming presented by University of Michigan undergraduates in Classical Civilization 452: Food in the Ancient World.

Culture

	African Presence in the Americas
	A photographic exhibit from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. This exhibit introduces the dynamics and dimensions of the 500 year history of African people in the Americas
	For Teachers	Program Objectives; Historical Context; Instructional Strategies; Glossary
	Resources	Bibliographies and related web sites

	Coming To America
	Experience the journey to America through the eyes of four different children. This web site was eveloped with Wild Swan Theater, an Ann Arbor theatre specializing in students and audiences with disabilities.
	Resources	Web links, bibliography and community resources related to immigration
	Activities	Word search; pictures to color; classroom activities

	Great Lakes Powwows
	Have you ever been to a powwow? Every weekend throughout the spring and summer, powwows are held in Native American community halls, campgrounds, cultural centers and traditional grounds across North America. Families travel together, driving across the state or even across country to participate.
	Resources	Other Powwow and Native American links; books; music; journals; video

	Harlem 1900-1940
	Harlem has long symbolized the culture of the African-American experience in 20th-century America. Its history has been well documented in photographs, literature and other media. The New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, created an exhibit in 1991 to showcase some of this documentation. The exhibit, entitled, "Harlem 1900-1940: An African-American Community," was a history education portfolio of the first four decades of the 20th century in Harlem. The web site is an online version of the Schomburg's extraordinary exhibit.
	For Teachers	Program Objectives; Instructional Strategies; Photography in Harlem; Oral History Guidelines
	Resources	Bibliography; Online Resources

	Masks of the Yup'ik People
	A glimpse of Yup'ik culture through traditional and contemporary Yup'ik masks, featuring the Yup'ik Mask Gallery which contains more than 100 images of Yup'ik masks held by museums from around the world.
	Ecology Lesson Activities	Lessons on Ecosystem, Habitat, Community, Food Chain, Your Ecosystem
	Teachers' Curriculum	Includes interdisciplinary lesson with extensions and student tracking guide

	Rainbow Crow
	Learn how Crow brought fire to the woodland animals in this Lenape Indian legend. Developed with Wild Swan Theatre.
	Teacher's Guide	The Lenapes; Crows; Classroom Activities
	Other Resources	Web links, Bibliography and Community Resources (Ann Arbor/Detroit)
	Fun & Games	Games and pictures to color

	Snapshots of Who We Are
	Students in grades 4-12 from across North America offer a look at their corner of the world through images and stories.
	Share	Students are invited to share their world by sending us pictures of art, music and history in their neighborhoods, as well as community and local events and festivals

Local History

	Along The Tracks
	Wild Swan Theater created Along the Tracks: Michigan and the Underground Railroad so that young people in Michigan would have a chance to see a play that was related to important aspects of Michigan's history that they study in school.
	Some Background	United States in 1860; Canada and the Underground Railroad; Washtenaw County heroes
	Activities	Games and discussion topics
	Resources	Bibliography and suggested websites

	Flint Timeline
	Chronicling two centuries of history in Flint, Michigan, through images and stories - a model for community collaboration. This site is maintained by the Flint Public Library. The Flint Timeline Project is a work in progress and continues to develop through the work of community and classroom activities.

	Girls' Middle School
	Join us in our exploration and celebration of Ann Arbor oral histories. This project was designed by the students from the Ann Arbor Girls Middle School and two graduate students at the University of Michigan's School of Information. The girls from the Middle School conducted the interviews, and the graduate students created the website.
	Relevant Links	Includes web links relating to the Great Depression, World War II and the Civil Rights Movement.
	Timeline	Historical timeline of key events in U.S. history.

	Students On Site
	Designed to use local history and geography as a site of innovative teaching and learning for educators and students, this is a collaborative initiative exploring communities and neighborhoods of Ann Arbor, Michigan. This site is maintained by the Arts of Citizenship Program.
	Resources for Educators	Students On Site curricula for 3rd and 4th grade classrooms

	A Woman's Town
	Some of the best storytellers in Ann Arbor are the African-American women interviewed by Lola Jones and her daughter Carole Gibson. In fact, the stories are so well-told, their company, Another Ann Arbor, Inc., produced two documentary films with the interviews. Ann Arbor: A Woman's Town covers the first half of the twentieth century. The second film, A Change Was in the Air chronicles the tumultuous civil rights era in Ann Arbor.
	Timeline	African American Timeline; listing of related web and print sources