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Teaching current events ?  Here are  some resources that I put together for a current events elective. You'll find resources for fake news, migration and refugees, the Middle East, and white nationalism. And if you teach world religions , here are resources that I put together for each of the different religions.   They include lessons plans, links to videos and video clips, and links to other websites. You'll also find information about methodology for teaching religion from The Harvard Literacy Project. Finally,  if you teach indigenous religions, especially Native American religion , you might find this unit plan helpful.  The plan includes four lessons: one on the features of Native American religion, one on the Native American encounter with British colonists, one on the colonial effort to reeducate Native Americans and convert them to Christianity, and one on current issues affecting Native Americans.

Here's a great episode of Talk of the Natio n about the transatlantic slave trade.   The hosts interview the author of a book called Atlas of the Transatlantic Save Trade by David Eltis and David Richardson. David Eltis also created an online data base of the slave voyages. Both the interview and the online data base might be interesting to adapt for students.   The online data base includes some terrific maps  as well as lesson plans .

Here are some terrific short videos about specific topics between 1750 and 1900 from another teacher. Topics include the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution and  the development of capitalism and communism. They come from Mr. Byrd whose YouTube channe l also includes topics in psychology.

Playbuzz allows you to create  a variety of fun quizzes. Here's one I created for the inventors and thinkers of the Industrial Revolution. It's called a "gallery quiz." But you can also create quizzes using flip cards and you can create a poll or a ranked list. Embed the quizzes in Blackboard or simply put the link in Classroom.

Here's a terrific explanation of the difference between communism and socialism from "Now this World."

Bookmark this for next year or for review this year. This great five minute TedEd clip  narrated by Mark Anderson outlines the importance of Herodotus as the first historian.

Here is a terrific virtual library with all kinds of annotated data bases about international affairs. You can search one data base with world news resources and links to i nternational news outlets like Voice of America, Le Monde Diplomatique, or Radio Free Europe. These might be great for those of us teaching current events. Another data base takes you to Global Cultural Issues with links to resources like the Globalist , a comprehensive daily online magazine about the global economy, politics and culture A menu category called  Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs takes you to a wide variety of resources. You can read about human rights in China or you can check out Human Rights Watch  and find out how those rights are violated around the world. The library is frequently maintained, receives worldwide use daily, and designed for teachers, scholars, and students. It’s also free!

Here is a very cool clip about the jeweled gun of Sultan Mahmud I, dated 1732-1733 It comes from the Asian Art Museum. Sultan Mahmud I was a sultan of the Ottoman Empire between 1730 and 1754. The gun is amazing because of the various compartments behind some of the jewels. For example, you' see pen knife come out one compartment abnd a ceremonial dagger from another compartment. Thanks to Joshua Fahler for the link.

Here is a short web-quest about the Industrial Revolution. It includes five parts: Inventions Child labor Images of child labor Women in theIndustrial Revoltuon Effects And here is a link to the response sheet.