Using Internet Primary Sources to Teach Critical Thinking Skills in History

History teachers and school library media specialists will find this guide a valuable resource for creating technologically advanced, resource-based instructional units in American and World History in grades 7-12. It is filled with 150 recommended primary source Internet sites about history ranging from ancient civilizations to 1998 and is stocked with exciting, interesting, and challenging questions designed to stimulate students' critical thinking skills. Dr. Craver, who maintains an award-winning interactive Internet database and conducts technology workshops for school library media specialists, provides an indispensable tool to enable students to make the best use of the Internet for the study of history.

Each site is accompanied by a summary that describes its contents and usefulness to history teachers and school library media specialists. The questions that follow are designed specifically to stimulate critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills are deemed essential for students if they are to succeed academically and economically in the twenty-first century. An annotated appendix of selected primary source databases includes the Internet addresses for 60 additional primary source sites.

Recommends 150 primary source Internet sites in history for teachers and school library media specialists to stimulate critical thinking in students.

Booknews

Designed for junior high and high school history teachers and school library media specialists, this guide provides a resource for creating technologically advanced, resource-based instructional units in American and World History. 150 primary source Internet sites ranging from the (2500 BCE), to (1822 CE) and up to events of 1998, offer vast amounts of information. Craver, Head Librarian at the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C., supplies brief but intelligent annotations on each site, as well as provocative questions to help teachers synthesize the material and encourage students to think critically about history. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

KATHLEEN W. CRAVER is Head Librarian at the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C.