BE A HISTORIAN!

What happened and why? Whether investigating the ruins of the Acropolis or the civil rights demonstrations of the ‘60s, historians ask many questions as they try to piece together a picture of the past, an interpretation of events that can change as new information is disclosed. Learn how historians research the past through some interactive activities and adventures through the direct links on The Times Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/

Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.

Level 1

You Be the Historian: Can you figure out what life was like 200 years ago for the Springer family in New Castle, Del.? And what would historians discover about your life if they visited your home in the year 2050? See what you can discover about the past by examining objects and documents, and compare your findings with those done by historians.

https://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/springer

BC Archives Amazing Time Machine: Travel back in time and meet people from the past, from Gold Rush prospectors to First Nations’ artists. Learn about the history of the people living in British Columbia through stories and archival photographs.

https://www.bcarchives.gov.bc.ca/exhibits/timemach/main.htm

WayBack U.S. History for Kids: From early music videos to battery-powered automobiles that went 24 mph, discover what life was like in the United States 100 years ago.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/kids/

Level 2

Learning Page of the Library of Congress: A good historical detective looks for clues and asks who, what, when, where, why and how in forming a hypothesis about what happened. Exercise investigative skills as you explore what it was like to be an immigrant coming to this country.

https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/activity.html

Newcasts From the Past: What if there were newscasters covering such events as the development of the Mayan calendar or the signing of the Magna Carta? View video clips that dramatize the events that occurred around the world on June 15, 1215.

https://www.humanities-interactive.org/video/

Lewis and Clark Expedition: Be a part of the exciting Lewis and Clark expedition through this interactive historical adventure. Read journal entries by Meriwether Lewis as you proceed across Western North America mapping rivers and looking for a Northwest Passage.

https://www.Nationalgeographic.com/west/index.html

Level 3

EyeWitness: Find out why Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the Declaration of Independence, or find out what it was like on the 1912 expedition to the South Pole, by hearing from the people who were there. Learn about important moments in history beginning with the burning of Rome in 64 up to World War II through letters, journal entries, photos and audio clips.

https://www.ibiscom.com/

New Deal Network: Be a historian and research the Great Depression and the New Deal by investigating such online resources as speeches, letters and images. Read interviews by former slaves that were collected as part of the New Deal’s WPA American Slave Narratives.

https://newdeal.feri.org/

Tale of Three Cities: In the course of 2,000 years, human communications have shifted from the use of papyrus scrolls to books and computers. Compare how daily life has changed over eons by visiting the cities of Alexandria, Egypt, in the year 1; Cordoba, Spain, in 1000; and New York City in 2000.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/3cities/

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Mary Christensen, Genevieve Gilkey, Gail Hirsch, Teri Lombardo and Anna Manring.

EXPLORER’S QUEST

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

What do the pastimes of the inhabitants of Alexandria (in the year 1) and Cordoba (year 1000) have in common?

CLUE: See Tale of Three Cities

Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now covers more than 100 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.

Answer to last week’s Quest: According to the tale, Paul Bunyan’s pipe supposedly causes smog on the West Coast of the United States.