NOTE: The links below were consulted in the creation of your Gibbs Smith Education program. Please be aware that they are not actively maintained or monitored for accuracy. If you find a broken link, please contact us at textbooks@gibbs-smith.com and let us know where you found the broken link, so that we can update our resource lists.
Chapter 1: The Land We Call Home
A Rain Shadow
This link contains a tutorial about rain shadows and their effects on the climate and environment of the Earth's surface.
bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/content/chp56/5602001.html
Google Map
The Google Maps website provides interactive maps of the world, United States, and Utah.
maps.google.com
National Geographic Kids
This site contains interactive geography games that kids will love to play. They can practice their map skills.
kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids
Weather Underground
This site includes data about weather collected over time. You can find information on weather in the past. www.wunderground.com
WorldAtlas.com
This website contains maps of the world, including maps of Utah.
www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/usstates/lgcolor/utcolor.htm
Chapter 2: Geography Affects Us
Earthquakes for Kids:
This site contains clips from actual earthquakes and a map to show the location of each one.
earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids
Utah Department of Natural Resources
This site comprises a collection of links to various Utah industry sites, including mining and drilling regulations; wildlife resources; the Division of Forestry, Fire, and States Land; and information about fishing and hunting in Utah.
naturalresources.utah.gov
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
This site contains information about Utah’s wildlife resources, including Utah’s fishing.
wildlife.utah.gov/dwr
Utah History Encyclopedia
This site is an invaluable Utah research resource, organized and alphabetized by topics.
www.media.utah.edu/UHE
Utah History for Kids
This site, designed for students, offers facts about Utah’s history, including a comprehensive site map with links to numerous social studies topics, a Utah timeline, fun and games, and a homework help page.
historyforkids.utah.gov/homework_help/geography/index.html#
Utah History to Go
Dedicated to preserving Utah’s past, this site provides a collection of historic facts divided into eight major themes from prehistory to Utah today.
historytogo.utah.gov
Utah.com
This site is dedicated to travel and tourism in Utah with information provided for numerous historical sites, national parks, and other Utah destinations.
www.utah.com
Chapter 3: We Affect Geography
Foundation for Water and Energy Education
This website provides information regarding water as a renewable resource and includes video clips of the production of hydroelectricity and its impact on the fish population.
www.fwee.org
Deseret News
This site contains articles, such as "Groups Float Water Right Idea for Great Salt Lake," which help students understand the issues of water rights of the Great Salt Lake.
www.deseretnews.com/article/700028958/Groups-float-water-right-idea-for-Great-Salt-Lake.html
Infoplease
The site provides U.S. and world history information, including a year-by-year chronology.
www.infoplease.com
Scholastic Teacher Share
This website provides a wealth of information for teachers on a variety of topics, including instructions for leading elementary school mock debates and guidance in creating colorful tissue paper art using the Eric Carle method.
teachershare.scholastic.com
Utah State University Cooperative Extensiond
The Utah State University Cooperative Extension's water quality website offers a Kids' Page with a humorous "Water Sayings" section and a "What Can I Do" link promoting water conservation and pollution prevention education.
www.utah4-h.org
YouTube
This site contains songs and videos, including that of 100 Years to Live by Five For Fighting.
www.youtube.com
Zero Footprint for Kids
The Zero Footprint Kids website has a calculator game which allows kids to explore five topics (Transportation, What You Eat, Home and School, What You Use, and What You Throw Away) in a quest to discover how environmentally friendly they are! Results are immediately tabulated from a brief survey, and students can compare how they rank with other people in the United States as well as those from other countries.
www.zerofootprintkids.com/kids_home.aspx
Chapter 4: American Indians—The First Utahns
Deseret News
This site contains the article, "Kids Dug into Archaeological Field School," to help students learn about archaeology.
www.deseretnews.com/article/660224592/Kids-dig-into-archaeological-field-school.html
Kids Gardening
This site has an activity section information on growing an outdoor or an indoor classroom Three Sisters Garden.
www.kidsgardening.com
Kinder Art
The Kinder Art website has a multicultural link with instructions for a Native American Sand Painting activity.
www.kinderart.com
Native Languages of the Americas
This site offers facts for kids on American Indian tribes. It shows pictures of the various types of native housing.
www.native-languages.org
Poem, "And My Heart Soars," by Chief Dan George
This link has an easy-to-read copy of the poem, "And My Heart Soars," by Chief Dan George.
www.cqsb.qc.ca/svs/434/fnsoars.htm
YouTube
The YouTube website offers a fascinating insight into actual Utah powwows in Salt Lake City.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKPNt5qMsOI
YouTube
The YouTube website offers a fascinating insight into actual Utah powwows in Salt Lake City.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPv-7QZ63J0
YouTube
The YouTube website offers a fascinating insight into actual Utah powwows in Salt Lake City.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4PyeQQAoG0
Chapter 5: Explorers and Fur Traders
Donner Memorial State Park
Use the Donner Memorial State Park and Emigrant Trail Museum, part of the California Government website with links to state parks, to find information about the Donner-Reed pioneer party.
www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=503
Dictionary.com
This site offers access to a free online dictionary.
dictionary.reference.com
Education World
This site offers information for teachers on a variety of topics, including using debate in the lower grades.
www.educationworld.com
Enchanted Learning
This site offers an explorers link for students. Explorers' names are organized alphabetically, by areas of the world, and by historical time periods.
www.enchantedlearning.com/Home.html
The Fur Trapper
This site provides historical photographs, maps, and links to a variety of topics from the chapter. Pictures and facts about the trapping days can be studied at this site.
/www.thefurtrapper.com
The Mariner's Museum
This site has an excellent online exhibit called "Exploration through the Ages," where students learn more about early explorers and their tools.
www.marinersmuseum.org
Utah History Encyclopedia
This site is a valuable Utah research resource organized and alphabetized by topics.
www.media.utah.edu/UHE
Utah History to Go
This site provides a collection of historic facts divided into eight major themes, from prehistory to Utah today. Following the link to "Trappers, Traders, and Explorers" will provide insight into many of the chapter's topics.
http://historytogo.utah.gov
Weather Base
The Weather Base website offers records, averages, climatology, and historical weather for numerous cities worldwide, searchable by city, state, country, or ZIP code.
www.weatherbase.com
Chapter 6: Many People Move West
Artists Helping Children
This organization has a "Grasshopper and Cricket" crafts link showing multiple types of art to use with making Mormon crickets. Search "Puppets" for links and ideas to use in the puppet-making activity.
www.artistshelpingchildren.org
Native Languages
This organization's website provides current information about Utah’s Native American tribes including addresses and links for additional information.
www.native-languages.org
The Pioneer Story
The LDS Church offers an interactive, comprehensive, and easy to read Mormon Pioneer Trail map with details about each place along the trail and stories of its pioneers.
www.lds.org/gospellibrary/pioneer/pioneerstory.htm
ThinkQuest
The ThinkQuest website has a library of information for students about dangers on the trail, pioneer supply lists with poundage, and information about pioneer wagons.
www.thinkquest.org/pls/html/think.library
U.S. National Park Service
Search for "Jack's Math," a trove of math activities for students who want to learn to measure the natural world. (Teachers and parents of younger students should be cautioned about the references to measuring water flow.) Also, search for the "Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail" for detailed information about the 1846-1847 trek.
www.nps.gov/index.htm
Utah Crossroads
This site has a picture gallery offering color photographs of reenactments of life on the Mormon Trail.
www.xmission.com/~octa/G_Reenac.htm
Utah State Office of Indian Affairs
This website includes a history, tribal land maps, and contact information for Utah’s Native American tribes.
indian.utah.gov
Chapter 7: From Territory to State
Buffalo Bill Historical Center
At this site, students can research the history of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show using the link to Western Essays.
www.bbhc.org/home
National Park Service
At this site, information can be found for Utah's Golden Spike National Park. A "Kids" link includes a script for Grades 4–6 to use in re-enacting the golden spike ceremony of the transcontinental railroad.
www.nps.gov/gosp/index.htm
PBS
The PBS website's "Scouting the Route" link offers a chance for students to view the eastern- and western-bound routes of the transcontinental railroad.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/tcrr/sfeature/sf_album.html
Teaching Tolerance
This site offers a wealth of classroom material about diversity. There is an anti-racism activity using Dr. Seuss's book, The Sneetches, to teach about discrimination to elementary students.
www.tolerance.org/activity/anti-racism-activity-sneetches
Utah History for Kids
This site offers facts about Utah's history, including a Utah timeline, fun and games, and a homework help page.
historyforkids.utah.gov
Utah History Encyclopedia
This site is an invaluable Utah research resource organized and alphabetized by topics.
www.media.utah.edu/UHE
YouTube
The YouTube website offers an assortment of Western footage depicting the Pony Express, the stagecoach, the telegraph, and the transcontinental railroad which will help to bring replicas of Utah’s history alive for students.
www.youtube.com
Chapter 8: Into a New Century
A Date Which Will Live in Infamy
This site offers a video of President Franklin D. Roosevelt giving his famous Pearl Harbor speech to the American people.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VqQAf74fsE
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt
This site contains letters that children wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt during the Great Depression. The responses from Mrs. Roosevelt's secretary are also found on this website.
newdeal.feri.org/eleanor/index.htm
Eccles Federal Building
This site offers a virtual tour of the Eccles Federal Building in Washington, D.C. This building is named after the famous Utahn Marriner S. Eccles.
www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/virtualtour/tour.cfm
Letters from a Japanese Internment Camp
This website contains a selection letters to a Californian librarian from a Japanese internment camp. There are also audio and video clips about life in these camps.
www.janm.org/exhibits/breed/title.htm
Navajo Code Talkers Dictionary
This website has a dictionary of the Navajo words that were used as secret code during World War II.
www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-4.htm
Topaz Museum
This website contains information about the Topaz internment camp for the Japanese during World War II. There are links to other resources such as literature, organizations, and websites that contain additional information about internment.
topazmuseum.org
Utah Jobs in 1900
In this site you can read an article about different jobs found in Utah at the beginning of the 20th century.
historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/statehood_and_the_progressive_era/jobsin1900.html
YouTube: Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?
Watch a video on YouTube about the Great Depression. The background music for this video is taken from a popular song during the Great Depression.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eih67rlGNhU
Chapter 9: Modern Utah
Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today
This site provides stories from immigrants from the past and present. Take an online interactive tour of Ellis Island and explore immigration by reading graphs, charts, and tables.
teacher.scholastic.com/activities/immigration
National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum website offers an online tour through the museum. The museum was once the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
www.civilrightsmuseum.org/home.htm
U.S. Census
The U.S. Census Bureau’s website has statistical information collected from the census for every state, including Utah.
quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html
Voices of Civil Rights
The Voices of Civil Rights website provides thousands of personal stories about the Civil Rights Movement.
www.voiceofcivilrights.org
YouTube: Martin's Big Words
Watch a YouTube video of Doreen Rappaport's book about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the big words that helped the Civil Rights Movement.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF_qgqTFPCwt
Chapter 10: Utah's Economy
Bureau of Labor Statistics
This website is designed to help students find jobs that interest them by asking them what they like to do. This site is also filled with interesting information about specific occupations and industries, types of training and education, and salary potential.
www.bls.gov
Hands on Banking
Students will learn about budgeting and saving through a fun, interactive financial literacy program. There is also a corresponding instructional resource manual you can download to get the most learning from this site!
www.handsonbanking.org/en/
Mad Money
This game will get students thinking about earning money, saving up for larger purchases, and making wise spending choices.
/pbskids.org/itsmylife/games/mad_money_flash.html
The Mint
Students will read about different ways they can earn money and smart ways to spend and save that money.
www.themint.org/try-it/index.html
Chapter 11: Government for All of Us
Citizen's Rights
The link to this site on UEN.org will help students learn more about the rights we have as U.S. citizens.
www.uen.org/general_learner/civics/citizenship/rights.shtml
Three-Ring Government
Watch this online video from Schoolhouse Rock. This is a great way to show students the three rings, or branches, of government that manage our country.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLQg7G3hkGY
Tic Tac Taxes
Learn more about why we have taxes and how they help our country. This site is intended to be a lesson plan tool for teachers.
www.econedlink.org/lessons/index.php?lesson=370&page=student
Utah.gov
This is the official website for the state of Utah. This site has an abundance of resources, including links to educational sites, local government information, Utah laws, ways you can help your neighbor, and a list of Utah's state symbols.
www.utah.gov/index.html
Utah's State Capitol Building
Visit for an online look inside Utah's beautiful State capitol building. Follow the link dedicated to kids with online games and fun facts. You can even tour the capitol!
www.utahstatecapitol.utah.gov
