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Cyberbee's Web Picks |
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For January 15, 2012: Listen to former slaves describe their lives in Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories.
For January 1, 2012: Through its website The World in 1898, the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress presents the Spanish-American War, offering valuable resources for teachers and students looking for primary source material.
For December 15, 2011: After your students have completed hands-on lessons with electrical circuits, send them to the BBC Circuits and Conductors site.
For December 1, 2011: Just in time for the holidays, a classic game for all to enjoy: Christmas Hangman, enhanced by online game developer Dimension's Edge.
For November 15, 2011: In a recent workshop given by Kathy Orr , library media specialist from Olentangy Liberty High School in Ohio, she discusses "filter bubbles" and how they affect searching on the Internet. To learn more about this fascinating concept, watch the video Eli Pariser: Beware online "filter bubbles."
For November 1, 2011: This year marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. The National Portrait Gallery's CivilWar@Smithsonian features a wide array of primary sources to help you teach and commemorate the event.
For October 15, 2011: Check out this interesting twist to searching. Twurdy is a search tool that automatically displays results according to readability.
For October 1, 2011: It's not too late to get involved with the Smithsonian's tree banding project You can do it now through Shoutlearning.org.
For September 15, 2011: Teachers looking for a free and safe place to share student-produced videos should check out SchoolTube, the largest K-12 moderated video sharing website in the country.
For September 1, 2011: As the tenth anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the 9/11 Memorial Teach and Learn website can help teachers looking for ways to include these events into their classroom curriculum.
For August 15, 2011: For elementary math and science teachers looking for videos or slide shows to introduce or augment a topic, check out Study Jams.
For August 1, 2011: Kids looking for a summer activity? Brush up on how to tie knots by watching animated illustrations at the user friendly Animated Knots by Grog website.
For July 15, 2011: Ready for a summer adventure? Explore prehistoric Native American pictographs and petroglyphs by visiting the numerous links to galleries and museums at Petroglyphs.us.
For July 1, 2011: If you haven't had an opportunity to visit the Field Museum in Chicago, you can explore some of its natural history treasures online.
For June 15, 2011: If there's one near you, visiting a prairie remnant makes a great field trip. For background, learn about the prairie regions of Ohio, native plants, and Making a Prairie Garden from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources' Ohio Prairies website.
For June 1, 2011: Race into summer with a boatload of craft ideas from the Free Nature Crafts website that will keep kids busy outdoors.
For May 15, 2011: Combine a lesson on nutrition with a hands-on activity in your school yard using these tips and resources on the Vegetable Gardens for Kids at the Growing Raw.com website.
For May 1, 2011: Help students hone their math skills with these entertaining games at MathNook. You can choose the level that meets the needs of your students, from basic computation to advanced equations.
For April 1, 2011: With the new GPS technology on smart phones, you can use apps like Star Walk and Sky Map to look at the night sky in your specific location.
For March 15, 2011: One of the best resources for earthquake information is from the U.S. Geological Survey: The U.S.G.S. Earthquake Hazards Program.
For March 1, 2011: There is an app for that, but which app is the best for kids? Visit Best Kid Apps to read reviews and ratings of iPhone, iPad, and Android applications.
For February 15, 2011: Cyberbee is always on the look out for software programs that are easy to use, free, and help teachers with technology projects. Any Converter, for video files, is one such program that fits the bill!
For February 1, 2011: Enhance your high school physics lessons with the information and video demonstrations from HyperPhysics, an award winning site hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Georgia State University.
For January 15, 2011: BrainPOP has hundreds of original animated movies covering a wide range of academic subjects. Now there's a BrainPOP app offering access to the free "movie of the day."
For January 1, 2011: The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, from the Clackamas County (Oregon) Heritage Partners, brings history alive through reenactments, videos, and print material. Historical information about the role of black pioneers in the settlement of Oregon is very informative.
For December 15, 2010: Ready to spark scientific minds with some fun activities? Then, visit the Science Kids website, where you will find experiments on a variety of topics such as electricity, aerodynamics, and chemical reactions.
For December 1, 2010: At the Energy Quest website from the California Energy Commission, discover interesting facts about energy through a virtual interface.
For November 15, 2010: Use the activities on the San Jose, California-based Tech Museum's robotics website to lay the foundation for studying robotics.
For November 1, 2010: At the USDA Forest Service's and Ad Council's Discover the Forest website find a forest or park by typing in your zip code, then start exploring!
For October 15, 2010: To students who think the field of physics is "mired with images of weird old men electrocuting themselves, strange equations, esoteric concepts, indecipherable books, etc.," the creators of the Fear of Physics website say: "NO WAY. Give it a chance!"
For October 1, 2010: Midterm Elections are just around the corner. Project Vote Smart is loaded with information about the candidates, including profiles, speeches, voting records, and campaign finances.
For September 15, 2010: Parents, kids, and teens will discover a wealth of information reviewed by medical and health professionals at the KidsHealth website, from the Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media.
For September 1, 2010: Constitution Day is coming up, and the Library of Congress provides excellent related resources for teachers through its Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention web page.
For August 15, 2010: Search for exemplary lessons and information by topic or keyword at the free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence website.
For August 1, 2010: Discover history in your own backyard by exploring a local cemetery, with the help of the website The Cemetery: History Written in Stone. Cemeteries are great primary sources, with lots more than dates and names.
For July 15, 2010: Spies are in the news, so visit the International Spy Museum if you're in Washington, D.C. this summer! Next best thing? Hit their International Spy Museum website! Be watching over your shoulder, though.
For July 1, 2010: Need an inexpensive video camera to record interviews and other school events in high definition? There are two popular cameras that will fit the bill, the Flip UltraHD and the Kodak Zi8.
For June 15, 2010: Create your own games using the templates provided by ClassTools. Add your own content and images, then copy the link to your blog or website.
For June 1, 2010: This summer have your students hone their keyboarding skills with Dance Mat Typing. It's fun, easy to use, and geared for ages 7-11.
For May 15, 2010: Want to brush up on Web 2.0 technology tools, gather ideas to use in your classroom, or add some professional development to your portfolio? Visit INFOhio's 21st Century Learning Commons.
For May 1, 2010: The huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a news maker that can be turned into a quick inquiry lesson for students. Try a lesson that Cyberbee has used with teachers and students to think about the best way to clean-up an oil spill. Then, visit NOAA's National Ocean Service website page.
For April 15, 2010: Meet the invertebrates through art and photography with help from watersheds.org, the website of the Bryant Watershed Education Project in south central Missouri.
For April 1, 2010: Cyberbee (well, Cyberbee's creator, Linda Joseph) was in Chicago recently and had the opportunity to see first hand the restored paintings at Lane Tech High School.
For March 15, 2010: Looking for some video clips to complement science lessons? Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science (DBIS) is a syndicated science and engineering news service for local television newscasts whose videos are available on the web.
For March 1, 2010: Through a collaboration of several federal government agencies, at the Women's History Month for Teachers website, teachers are presented with a variety of primary source materials to use in their classrooms.
For February 15, 2010: Introduce your middle school math students to topics that align with NCTM standards with the click of a mouse at the subscription-based Brainingcamp website.
For February 1, 2010: Want to create a list of high-quality children's literature or find out if a book has won an award? Search librarian Lisa Bartle's Database of Award-Winning Children's Literature.
For January 15, 2010: The interactive site Fresh from the World ... Where Your Food Comes From presents the history of 15 popular foods as well as how food is grown, processed, and distributed.
For January 1, 2010: Celebrate National Agriculture Day in your classroom or community. Each year the program promotes American agriculture and its essential role in maintaining a strong economy.
For December 15, 2009: Build a thematic unit by searching the Children's Picture Book Database at Miami University, a great tool for elementary teachers who want to create reading lists to complement the curriculum.
For December 1, 2009: At Amazon Interactive, one of a multitude of Eduweb interactive learning sites developed with a range of partners, explore the geography of the Ecuadorian Amazon through online activities.
For November 15, 2009: The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working worldwide to reconnect children with nature.
For November 1, 2009: Need ideas for a science project? Look no further than Science Buddies, a project of The Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation.
For October 15, 2009: Teaching students how to think mathematically through hands-on technology is one of the goals at the Center for Technology and Teacher Education.
For October 1, 2009: Zoomify Express is a slick tool for webmasters who want to magnify content ... ideal for enhancing primary sources such as maps, documents, and photographs.
For September 15, 2009: Want to make a rubric, but don't have time or need some assistance? At the Rubistar website, you can choose from a variety of templates and work through a ten-step process.
For September 1, 2009: At the National Archives' Charters of Freedom website you can view original documents, read transcriptions, gather biographical information about the Founding Fathers who attended the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, and more.
For August 15, 2009: Explore the wonders of astronomy at the Eyes on the Sky, Feet on the Ground website from the Smithsonian Institution through a variety of activities designed for elementary teachers and students.
For August 1, 2009: Visit the Firefly Files site to learn fast facts about fireflies' classification, habitat, behavior, and bioluminescence, plus fun activities for stuying them.
For July 15, 2009: The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has provided a website on energy efficiency and various applications of renewable energy including solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen, geothermal, ocean, and hydropower.
For July 1, 2009: Live by the ocean? Or not? Either way, learning about whales is a cool summer activity. Check out these two sites for loads of whale information.
For June 15, 2009: With help from the kidsgardening.org website from the National Gardening Association, you can easily kindle an interest in gardening concepts with your students.
For June 1, 2009: Smokey Bear has been around for 65 years promoting the prevention of wildfires. Visit Smokey’s website for some expert information for kids, plus perhaps some nostalgia for you!
For May 15, 2009: At the World Digital Library, your students can view primary sources of historical significance from around the world in multilingual formats.
For May 1, 2009: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, aka the CDC, was founded in 1946 to help control malaria. Since that time it has expanded its focus to prevent and control chronic and infectious diseases (Swine flu? They're on it.), injuries, workplace hazards, disabilities, and environmental health threats.
For April 15, 2009: The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History makes primary source documents and educational resources from all eras of American history available for free through the Institute's website.
For April 1, 2009: At the Arbor Day Foundation website, discover the history of Arbor Day plus a host of ways to incorporate it into the curriculum.
For March 15, 2009: At the “Votes for Women” Suffrage Pictures, 1850 – 1920 site in the Library of Congress’ American Memory Collection, students researching Women's History Month can find a selection of portraits featuring leaders of the suffrage movement.
For March 1, 2009: Hands-on science activities abound on the Jefferson Lab Science Education site produced by the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
For February 15, 2009: Abraham Lincoln, one of the most popular presidents to govern this country, left a legacy of more than 20,000 documents, and you can access them at the Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress.
For February 1, 2009: Through Government Information Online (GIO) you can ask questons of government information librarians who are experts at finding information from government agencies of all levels on almost any subject.
For January 15, 2009: Gadgets and widgets are small applications that can be pasted on individual Web pages or a computer desktop. Visit Widgetbox to find hundreds of widgets already created and ready to go.
For January 1, 2009: Need fast facts about energy sources, how they were/are formed, and their environmental impact? Start out at the federal government’s Energy Information Administration EIA Energy Kids Page.
For December 15, 2008: Want to know more about the traditions of past Presidential inaugurations? Get the scoop from the LOC’s American Memory collection and its Inaugurations Learning Page.
For December 1, 2008: Students will enjoy these virtual learning modules on matter, electricity and magnetism, energy, and fusion at the Interactive Plasma Physics Education Experience Online.
For November 15, 2008: Try out BookHooks and introduce your younger students to a place where they can share their book reports with other readers in a safe environment.
For November 1, 2008: Highlighting the BBC Ancient History: Egyptians website are two outstanding interactive features that will mesmerize your students.
For October 15, 2008: Money and financial planning. Too boring for kids, right? NOT! Have them blast off to Planet Orange to explore the world of money.
For October 1, 2008: Over 400 teacher-tested economic lessons are available for immediate use in the classroom at EconEdLink, from the National Council on Economic Education.
For September 15, 2008: Learn about Henry David Thoreau and his writings at The Thoreau Reader, a comprehensive website featuring online versions of many of his books and lots of links and annotations about his literary works.
For September 1, 2008: From the Scholastic News Online - Election 2008 site you can meet the candidates, join an online discussion of campaign issues, cast your vote in a mock election, and more.
For August 15, 2008: Need some great clip art for worksheets or letters to parents? You will love the graphics offered for teachers and students at The Graphic Site.
For August 1, 2008: Plan a virtual field trip to Amusement Park Physics sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation, where the question is always, "What are the forces behind the fun?"
For July 15, 2008: Down and dirty!: NASA and the Soil Science Society of America's Soil Science Education page is a tremendous site rich in content and detail.
For March 15, 2008: At Coolmath4kids, there are dozens of thinking games that wll keep students occupied for hours.
For March 1, 2008: If you are looking for information on the hot topic of biotechnology, for an annotated list of books about agriculture, or if you just need to know the date for National Cream Puff Day or International Pickles Week (!), then look no further than the American Farm Bureau Foundation's Educating for Agriculture website.
For February 15, 2008: Aboard the Underground Railroad showcases 55 historic places that are listed in the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places.
For February 1, 2008: It's winter, and the height of the cold and flu season, time to meet The Scrub Club in their quest to encourage effective hand washing to avoid infections.
For January 15, 2008: There are times when we simply have to "hold" a resource, touch it, and see it firsthand. The Library of Congress’ Primary Source Tool Kit website can make this possible!
For January 1, 2008: Get Ready, Get Set, and Go directly to the Read Write Think site, from the IRA, the NCTE, and the Verizon Foundation, for lessons that can be selected by grade band, literacy strand, or literacy engagement.
For December 15, 2007: Politics and polling are upon us, and the RealClearPolitics website can help students understand polling data ... and polling as a whole.
For December 1, 2007: Since 1996, B. J. Pinchbeck and his dad have maintained and regularly updated his Homework Helper website for students.
For November 15, 2007: In Find Your Longitude, a NOVA Online Adventure game from PBS, your students can find out why having a precise timepiece—a chronometer—helps determine your longitude.
For November 1, 2007: Walter Fendt has created a fabulous set of Java applets that may be used by educators.
For October 15, 2007: Study the Great Depression using the New Deal Network as an educational guide.
For October 1, 2007: Practice constructing a digital story at the Ken Burns PBS Web site.
For September 15, 2007: ReadPrint is a massive library of free online books that include authors such as Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, and H.G. Wells.
For September 1, 2007: The MY HERO project encourages families, schools, and organizations to publicly honor heroes that have made a difference through words, images, and short films.
For August 15, 2007: At Personal Educational Press, create free educational worksheets such as flashcards, game boards, and quizzes to print directly from your browser.
For August 1, 2007: Plan a trip to one of America's national parks using the comprehensive directory at the National Park Service Web site.
For July 15, 2007: Personal Educational Press lets you create free educational worksheets such as flashcards, game boards, and quizzes to print directly from your browser.
For July 1, 2007: The Cultural Arts Resources for Teachers and Students (C.A.R.T.S.) site is filled with folklore, history, culture, and arts-in-education resources and educational activities.
For June 15, 2007: At the Miami Museum of Science's pH Factor site, elementary and middle school students can learn all about pH and have fun while doing so.
For June 1, 2007: Summer's almost here; time to focus on playing to learn, and the Bubble Geometry Web site offers opportunities for both. Pop on over!
For May 15, 2007: Enter the world of author Jan Brett and you won't want to leave! Not only does she share her beautiful artwork for printing, but complete background information about her books.
For May 1, 2007: The prairie is one of North America’s great ecosystems and a vital habitat for many plants and animals. The Bell LIVE! On the Prairie site offers a great resource in understanding and restoring prairies.
For April 15, 2007: At Moneyopolis, treat your students to a hands-on/minds-on money management and financial planning learning experience.
For April 1, 2007: Use the National Paper Airplane Contest Web site from Scholastic as the basis for starting a paper airplane contest at your school.
Posted 01 Apr 2007
For March 15, 2007: At APTE's free Puzzle Center, you can construct crosswords, word scrambles, and more ... and send them on to friends or students whose brains you want to tease!
For March 1, 2007: At the Learn to Be Healthy Website, you'll find sample health science activities and lessons for all age levels.
For February 15, 2007: Sponsored by the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, the Cyberbullying site provides the Educator's Guide to Cyberbullying, Parent's Guide to Cyberbullying, and links to real life stories.
For February 1, 2007: At the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives , kids can "play" with loads of computer-based manipulatives created to help them visualize mathematical relationships.
For January 15, 2007: Span It is an engineering simulation challenging kids to build--within budget!--bridges that will support designated loads, such as a freight train! It's fun, and not even too geeky!
For January 1, 2007: NetSmartz is an educational resource for children, parents, and teachers on how to stay safe on the Internet.
For December 15, 2006: Remember Etch A Sketch? Well, it's still out there, and it's very popular. At the Etch A Sketch Web site, see how Etch A Sketch becomes an art form, then give it a try yourself.
For December 1, 2006: Fact Monster, a great, free research, homework help, and just plain fun site from Information Please, provides loads of features targeted to students.
For November 15, 2006: At the Nutrition Café, "where nutrition information is fun,"students get to learn about and demonstrate their knowledge of nutritional facts.
For November 1, 2006: You can encourage students to explore the world around them through Earthcaching--treasure hunting for the caches that the Earth has stored. Where do you start? Earthcache.
For October 15, 2006: “You never know where a science fair project will take you.” That’s the philosophy behind the creation of the School Science Fairs Web site! Cyberbee says the site should be your first stop when looking for science fair project ideas.
For October 1, 2006: Just for fun, test your visual memory at the Droodles and Memory page at the Exploratorium’s Web site. Your job is to try to remember—and draw—the droodles named with made up words.
For September 15, 2006: It’s election season and a time for civics lessons. The Committee for Citizen Awareness produces and distributes a series of educational civics videotapes, with titles including The U.S. Congress and You, Your Court System and You, The Executive Branch and You, and more.
For September 1, 2006: From the National Park Service's Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (one of 27 federally designated heritage areas in the nation), the CampSilos History Center Excursion Web site lets your students role play as curators, historians, and archivists in a museum.
For August 15, 2006: Make your own change, learn how coins are made, and find out the latest news from the U.S. Mint’s H.I.P. Pocket Change site.
For August 1, 2006: At DigiTales, multiple media and storytelling really come alive! The Web site presents seven steps to creating a 3-5 minute digital movie, with specific directions for each step.
For July 15, 2006: The National Audubon Society's Web site is geared up for the society's centennial year. Check out some conservation history as well as features like guidance in setting up a bird-friendly back yard.
For July 1, 2006: BubbleShare, “the best way to share your photos and the stories that go with them,” is worth considering if you want empower your students to create and share their work. Safety features included!
For June 15, 2006: Kids looking for a fun summer science activity? Frogwatch USA is a frog and toad monitoring program managed by the National Wildlife Federation in partnership with the United States Geological Survey. Go on! Wade in!
For June 1, 2006: The USDA's Sci4Kids Web site is a series of stories for students ages 8-13 illustrating the work of the Agriculture Department scientists. Learn how satellites determine where cows Moo-ve (roam) and why that is important, how food might be grown in space, and lots more.
For May 15, 2006: Amazing fact to illustrate the concept of "billion" that you can learn from A Maths Dictionary for Kids: You have 10 billion brain cells working for you right now! That, plus the opportunity to practice math skills, and more await your students at this animated, interective site.
For May 1, 2006: Gear up for a day at the creek with help and guidance from the Kids in the Creek Web site. You and your students will soon be testing Ph, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen, as well as collecting aquatic insects.
For April 15, 2006: Lots more fun than the I.R.S. (!), the federal government's National Postal Museum, a Smithsonian Institution museum, features exhibits such as Mail to the Chief, Object of the Month, and Posted Aboard R.M.S. Titanic at its Web site.
For April 1, 2006: Each spring when the falcons nest, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources sets up the Ohio Peregrine Falcons site, using a live cam on the 41st floor of the Rhodes Tower in Columbus.
For March 15, 2006: Life re-emerges as we spring into spring! Take frogs, for instance. At the Something Froggy Web site, choose from the Primary (K-3) or the Junior (4-8) version to learn about frogs and their life cycle.
For March 1, 2006: Ah, yes. March! That transitional, traditionally windy month. What you need is Kite Flying, a complete lesson on kite flying for all age levels.
For February 15, 2006: Electric Universe is "a universe of information about electricity, how it affects our lives, and how to harness its power safely." Check out "Louie's Space" and other electrifying spots on the site!
For February 1, 2006: At The Jigzone, students can create, decipher, and otherwise work on jigsaw puzzles online.
For January 15, 2006: At FERI's Been Here So Long: Selections from the WPA American Slave Narratives site, 17 American Slave Narratives have been selected from approximately 2,300 that were compiled by the Federal Writers Project.
For January 1, 2006: Students will be fascinated by Henry Box Brown, who mailed himself to freedom. His story is told in UNC Chapel Hill's Documenting the American South digital publishing initiative.
For December 15, 2005: At the RIF (Reading is Fundamental) site, the focus in on developing children's as well as family literacy programs. RIF's Reading Planet is full of fun activities that lead the way!
For December 1, 2005: Examine four different sculptures to discover how modern artists use different methods and materials to convey ideas at the Art Interactive site from the Hirschhorn.
For November 15, 2005: Have you ever wondered "How Stuff Works?" ... as in how a microwave heats food or why a phone can still work when the electricity goes out? ...
For November 1, 2005: Explore Newton’s Castle, a “stimulating journey into the revelations of Sir Isaac Newton,” where you can learn about his discoveries … and secret life! Learn about color, optical illusions, and lots more ... such as why dogs chase cars! (Did they have cars in Newton's day??)
For October 15, 2005: Miami Museum of Science's Atoms Family Web site presents a seasonal way to explore energy forms, hosted by the likes of Wolfman, Count Dracula, and their ilk.
For October 1, 2005: Here's a quick reference on organizing a science fair project for your students to use.
For September 15, 2005: Audacity is a solid audio recording and editing program for the budget minded teacher, and here's where you can get it.
For September 1, 2005: Just right for the upcoming Constitution and Citizenship Day, Centuries of Citizenship: A Constitutional Timeline introduces key historical events while allowing students to think about the issues.
For August 15, 2005: At the Memorial Hall Museum Online, explore the history of New England through artifacts and historic documents … even a “magic lens”!
For August 1, 2005: Glorious to look at and a breeze to navigate, the Children’s Butterfly Web site is a great exploration starting point for students.
For July 15, 2005: Coolmath4kids is loaded with thinking games that will keep kids occupied for hours, so it can make a good break from outside activities on a hot summer day.
For July 1, 2005: Too hot? Check out polar bears and other critters cooling it in their simulated natural habitats at the San Diego zoo.
For June 15, 2005: Enter the front gate, virtually, of the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis via this Web site developed by the St. Louis Public Library.
For June 1, 2005: Travel virtually--via videocam--to remote Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, where puffins, kittiwakes, and other wildlife live during the all-too-brief but bright summer.
For May 15, 2005: Time-warp back 65 million years with Dino Russ (aka geologist Russ Jacobson) to the age of dinosaurs.
For May 1, 2005: Learn all about the artist D.B. Johnson and his unique process for creating the illustrations in his award-winning children's books based on the life of Henry David Thoreau.
For April 15, 2005: Get ready for a summer geology adventure. Your budding rock hounds won't want to miss the Rock Hounds Web site ...
For April 1, 2005: You can make your own Picasso-esque artistic masterpiece. It's April 1st, but we're not foolin'! Check out the Mr. Picassohead Web site ...
For March 15, 2005: Swing into spring with a fantastic weather lesson from Edheads.
For March 1, 2005: March is Women's History Month and the Women's Words of Wisdom: Thoughts Over Time site is a great way to introduce women's history to students.
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