Name:Walk Through Time
Brief Description of the Site:
Created by the famed British Broadcasting System, it bills itself as “A History Web Site for 7 to 9 Year Olds.†And a delightful one it is, indeed. This is definitely NOT a product of stuffy old Victorian England but rather of a hip and youthful U.K. The home page offers a choice of six modules (including a “Teachers and Parents†module) and each offers a range of fascinating history-related activities. For example, The Timestrip presents time as a Moebius strip featuring 11 numbered buttons. Clicking on any brings up a capsule biography of two personages from that particular era: a poor Saxon peasant, Queen Eleanor of Aquitane, Samuel Pepys, etc. The intergenerational In Living Memory encourages students to interview people of their parents’ or grandparents’ generation (who have a lot of memories) and record their memories. To a purist this might seem “History Lite†but recall that it is meant for 7- to 9-year olds and is intended to create an appreciation for and interest in things historic. Fortunately the people who created this site understand younger children and avoid treating them as merely height-challenged adults.
How to use the site:
Start with the Teachers and Parents module and read the well-written Introduction (and note that our British cousins are as standards-driven as we are). Then delve into the site and let it inspire you. If you teach Grades 2, 3, 4, or 5 it’s almost guaranteed that you will be impressed by the activities this site offers. Yes, it is a bit U.K.-centric, but history didn’t start at Plymouth Rock you know!
