Who needs textbooks when you have a computer and high speed Internet! Check out a sample of FREE resources on the Internet for teaching history:

History Reference Resources:

• World Wide Web Virtual Library of History: http://vlib.iue.it/history/index.html
  
• EyeWitness to History, from Ancient World to present day through the eyes of those who lived it: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/
  
• Ancient Civilizations: http://killeenroos.com/link/anchist.htm
  

Lesson Plans and Teaching Ideas:

• Teaching Ideas for History: http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/history/contents.htm
  
• Teaching with Historical Places, Lesson Plan Index: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/twhp/state.htm
  
• Country Report Notebook Ideas: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/countryrpt.html
  
• Thinkquest Projects for US History: http://www.thinkquest.org/library/cat_show.html?cat_id=52
  
• Archiving Early America Videos - Watch online if you have Flash and high speed access. Videos cover the major characters from Early America: http://www.earlyamerica.com/series.html
  
• Free Unit studies for History:
  
  • Cindy free unit studies.
    
  • Mr. Donn's Page: http://members.aol.com/donnandlee/SiteIndex.html
  • Cindy's How do I Teach . . . ? blog has lots of ideas for teaching history.
    

Biographies of Historical Persons:

• Famous People Biography: http://www.indianchild.com/famous_people.htm
  
• Need a picture of the person you are studying? Try Utopia's Portrait Gallery: http://utopia.utexas.edu/project/portraits/
  

Be sure to include primary sources in your studies. Here are some free resources:

• 100 Milestone Documents: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/content.php?flash=true&page=milestone
• AmDocs, Documents for the Study of American History: http://www.vlib.us/amdocs

If you need a map, try one of these resources:

• Historical Maps from Perry-Castaneda Library: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/map_sites/hist_sites.html
• Map Machine from National Geographic: http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html
• National Atlas - 50 printable maps of the US. You choose what you want on your map!: http://www.nationalatlas.gov/index.html

How about a recipe?

• Food Timeline - recipes related to a time period: http://www.foodtimeline.org/
  

Need a coloring page for your younger children?

• Activity Village: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/history_coloring_pages.htm
  
• Teacher Helper Bible History coloring pages: http://www.teacherhelp.org/color.htm#bible
  

For the crafty ones, here are some history craft resources:

• History for Kids: http://www.historyforkids.org/crafts/index.htm
  
• Colonial Crafts: http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/colonial.htm#K5
  
• Western Crafts: http://www.makingfriends.com/western_crafts.htm
  
• Egyptian Crafts: http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/egypt/index.htm
  
• Roman Crafts: http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0210200/ancient_rome/directions.htm
  
• Victorian Crafts: http://www.craftown.com/vic.htm

Music & History:

• Songs for Teaching: http://www.songsforteaching.com/socialstudiessongs.htm
  
• History in Song: http://www.fortunecity.com/tinpan/parton/2/history.html
  
• Popular Songs in American History: http://www.contemplator.com/america/
  

History Worksheets:

• School History: http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/resourcesprimary.html
  
• Worksheets 4 Teachers: http://www.worksheets4teachers.com/socialstudiesheets.php
  
• Teach-nology: http://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/soc_studies/
  
• Homeschool Forms: http://www.oklahomahomeschool.com/forms.html
  

Field Trips:

• Links to Living History Museums: http://www.alhfam.org/alhfam.links.html
  

Don't forget the free quizzes:

• Quiz on Early American Heritage: http://www.earlyamerica.com/games/index.html
  
• Who's Who and What's What? http://www.nytimes.com/learning/students/quiz/index.html
  
• World History Quizzes: http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/history/world_history_31.html

Finally, History Videos

Liz Eubanks started this list from YouTube videos and I'm trying to finish it! You can get started by clicking the first movie in the series, then you have to search for the remainder on YouTube. I will try to add them all eventually.

• Abraham Lincoln Part 1.
• Abraham Lincoln Part 2.
• Alexander Graham Bell, part 1.
• Alexander Graham Bell, part 2.
• Beethoven part 1.
• Beethoven part 2.
• Benjamin Franklin.
• Christopher Columbus.
• Florence Nightingale Part 1.
• Florence NIghtingale Part 1.2.
• Florence Nightingale Part 2.
• Galileo.
• George Washington.
• Harriet Tubman.
• Helen Keller.
• Joan of Arc, part 1.
• Joan of Arc, part 2.
• Leonardo Da Vinci part 1.
• Leonardo Da Vinci part 2.
• Louis Pasteur, part 1.
• Louis Pasteur, part 2.
• Maccabees, part I.
• Maccabees, part 2.
• Marie Curie, part 1.
• Marie Curie, part 2.
• Marco Polo.
• Pocahontas Part I.
• Pocahontas Part 2.
• This is America Charlie Brown - The First Thanksgiving.
• This is America Charlie Brown - The Wright Brothers.
• Thomas Edison, Part I.
• Thomas Edison, Part 2.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 1.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 2.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 3.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 4.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 5.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 6.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 7.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 8.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 9.
• William Bradford - the First Thanksgiving Part 10.
• Wright Brothers, Part 1.
• Wright Brothers, Part 2.

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