British Library
British Library: Discovering Literature: Travel, Trade and Exploration in the Middle Ages
Medieval Europeans were fascinated by the lands that lay beyond their own continent. This article looks at the real and imaginary travels of explorers and tradesmen through works including The Book of John Mandeville, The Travels of...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: An Age of Adventure
Learn about the adventures of Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, and Zheng He on this site. Compare their journeys with charts and maps that are found here.
Other
The Map as History: Europe's Colonial Expanision 1820 1939
European countries began exploring and seeking to dominate the rest of the world during the 15th and 16th centuries, thanks to their ability to control sea routes and to the discovery of the American continent. In the 19th century,...
Pamela Seed
The Art and Science of Fifteenth Century Navigation: Latitude
Chronicle of the changes that occurred in various areas when latitude was identified in 1516. Site includes links to the changes in maps, compass roses, and the science of sailing.
Library of Congress
Loc: Portuguese Mapping the New World
The Library of Congress provides a discussion of the importance of Portugal in the "European Age of Discovery and Exploration." Includes links to related pages within this same Library of Congress site.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: Making Steel
Examine the historical and economic impact of the Pennsylvania's steel industry. Included in this historical account are video, maps, and pictorial artifacts of this era.
NASA
Nasa: Precipitation Towers: Modeling Weather Data
This lesson uses stacking cubes as a way to graph precipitation data, comparing the precipitation averages and seasonal patterns for several locations. Variations on the lesson can accommodate various ages and ability levels. Students...
National Library of France
National Library of France: Heaven and Earth
Learn how art through the ages has been influenced by the Earth and the heavens. See paintings that attempted to explain the Earth's creation from a scientific standpoint, sacred architecture that provided a place to worship the heavens,...
University of Virginia
University of Virginia: Innocents Abroad; Or, the New Pilgrim's Progress
Extensive collection from the University of Virginia that explores many aspects of Twain's short story, "Innocents Abroad; or, The New Pilgrim's Progress." Included are links that examine pre-texts, letters, sales, advertisement,...
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: American Empire
This exhibition explores the origins, development, and eventual fall of the American empire and maps the diverse and rocky terrain of the American empire to show how it informs contemporary conversations on heritage, citizenship, racism,...
ibiblio
Ibiblio: 1492: An Ongoing Vogage: Inventing America
Archived exhibition reveals how European writers and mapmakers thought about America during the Age of Discovery. Describes the allegorical images Europeans sometimes used to portray America and features the Gutierrez map, drawn in 1562,...
American Geosciences Institute
American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Texas Rocks
For this investigation, students start exploring the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) online version of the geologic map of Texas. The geologic time scale shown will help them figure out how old the rocks are in various parts of Texas.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Africa: Teacher's Guide
Explore the world of Africa through these teacher's guides. This site features teacher tools for middle school age students.
Other
Exploring the Past: An Archeological Journey
Through an overview of past archeological expeditions, the author recounts the "Land Bridge" theory and delves into the life of the first inhabitants of North America.
Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum (London): The Endeavour Botanical Illustrations
A series of articles and online exhibits that gives information on the various specimens, plants and animals that were collected and illustrations were then made. Cook led the world's first scientific naval expedition to the South Pacific.
BBC
Bbc: Captain Cook: Explorer, Navigator and Pioneer
A engaging biography of the great British explorer that discusses not only his contributions to expanding the British empire but also his work in the prevention of scurvy. Archived.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Never Say Die: Wisdom of the Worms
Explore scientific research in gene mapping, and discover the way genes regulate aging in people. View actual DNA after isolating it from onion cells.
Other
Warwick Castle
Enjoy this castle as you view the rooms through the ages. This is an excellent example of a medieval castle in England. Younger students can create a character and print it out to send to the castle itself.
Other
Institute of Physics: Physics Evolution
The interactive map explores physics characters, their stories, and how they influenced each other. The ancient philosophers, the Arabian age, and the electrical enlightenment are included.