Meet the Authors

[Lanore Larson]

Interact authors have been invited to join the on-line community to comment of their lessons, share new lessons and answer questions. Please check periodically for new author entries.

[Margit E. McGuire]

Next year there will be a new Storypath on The Civil War topic. Children will create the town of Gettysburg and then respond as community members as they are faced with the events leading to the Civil War and the Gettysburg battle. Stay tuned.

[Daniel Castillo]

nice! are you a History teacher?

Margit E. McGuire said:

Next year there will be a new Storypath on The Civil War topic. Children will create the town of Gettysburg and then respond as community members as they are faced with the events leading to the Civil War and the Gettysburg battle. Stay tuned.

[Margit E. McGuire]

I am a teacher at the university but on sabbatical so I'm spending time in classrooms teaching kids and working on the Storypath curriculum. In fact, in the fall I was in San Francisco doing research on a new Storypath on The Chinese Building the Transcontinental RR. This was piloted this winter at a school in Seattle with great success.

Daniel Castillo said:

nice! are you a History teacher?
Margit E. McGuire said:

Next year there will be a new Storypath on The Civil War topic. Children will create the town of Gettysburg and then respond as community members as they are faced with the events leading to the Civil War and the Gettysburg battle. Stay tuned.

[Jim Sandoval]

Hi, Jim Sandoval here. The other author of EMPIRES and Ancient History Activators.

[Sue Connelly]

I am a 7th grade world history teacher in NH and I use the Crusades section of the Middle Ages interact program. I have used it for 3 years and my students create their crusader helms and wear them as they pass the map quest with a champion and then work together to win the crusades simulation race which I project on to the white board. I haven't used all of the interact packages that I have purchased yet, but want to add more. My students absolutely love this simulation. I have purchased Martin Luther and Galileo but haven't used them yet. I start my year with the Fall of the Roman Empire and use Caesar's Death as a Readers Theater and integrate music and reading plays often to engage drama in the classroom. As I cover the fall of Rome, the curriculum moves into Byzantium, Christianity, and Islam. Then the crusades are covered, followed by the Renaissance and Reformation. Then we wrap up the year with Explorer's. I was just looking at the Explorer's Unit and wondering how I can use it.
I do love the interact programs and used Japan and China when I taught 6th grade. Any other resources that are related to my curriculum would be wonderful to know about. Thanks! Sue

[Keely Sorensen]

Do you have a list of recommended internet sites for the internet cruises?

VaReane Heese said:

Hello! I am the author of Classroom Campground, Internet Cruises, and Net Venture. Each of these have been updated to integrate technology which I feel is a key component to education today. I, too, am looking forward to hearing input from teachers who use our simulations. I have found many ways to use different parts of each simulation in my classroom.

[Sue Connelly]

Hi Jim, I haven't used the Empires and Ancient History Activators. Can you provide me with an overview or some information on what is covered? It would be great to know what ancient history you cover and how I might use it in my classroom. Thanks for writing. Sue

Jim Sandooval said:

Hi, Jim Sandoval here. The other author of EMPIRES and Ancient History Activators.

[Jim Sandoval]

Activators are one to two day simulations that are interactive and allow for and enhance critical thinking. Examples are a simulation to create a flood control system in the classroom to simulate the rise of government leadership to solve problems that individuals could not. Simulations on the development of writing, cultural diffusion etc. are included. Most are the Ancient World but the cultural diffusion one could be adapted to any time period in history.

Empires is a simulation of the Ancient World, covering the first civilizations including tribes like the Hittities, Phoenicians, Persians, etc. It is a unit simulation that could last up to 20 class periods.
Jim Sandoval

Jim Sandoval

[Brad Hulman]

This link helps give a pretty good feel for the Ancient History Activators:

http://www.interact-simulations.com/c/product.html?record@TF42261+s....

Like Jim said, the activators deal with problems that early man would need to solve before taking the giant step to devoting themselves to agruculture and then to the creation of cities and civilizations Each of the six activators is a problem that needed to be solved before humans could lead the kind of settled agricultural lifes that formed the foundation for and and provided the basis for the emergence of civilization,. They activators are very hands-on and the students approach them with great intensity and enthusiasm. If you ckick on the link you will get a pretty good idea about what the first activator is about. The gratifying part is that once the activator is over, based on the experience they just had, your students will be explaining concepts to you., ..



Jim Sandoval said:

Activators are one to two day simulations that are interactive and allow for and enhance critical thinking. Examples are a simulation to create a flood control system in the classroom to simulate the rise of government leadership to solve problems that individuals could not. Simulations on the development of writing, cultural diffusion etc. are included. Most are the Ancient World but the cultural diffusion one could be adapted to any time period in history.

Empires is a simulation of the Ancient World, covering the first civilizations including tribes like the Hittities, Phoenicians, Persians, etc. It is a unit simulation that could last up to 20 class periods.
Jim Sandoval

Jim Sandoval

[Sue Connelly]

These sound great! Have you thought of doing ones more specific to European History - Rome, Byzantium or Constantinople, Development of Christianity and Islam, Feudalism through Renaissance and Reformation to Ages of Explorers? If I had brief activators of the major climatic events of these time periods, I would certainly use them! I am limited on time and as you can see have a great time period to cover in the year. If you come up with a series of Activators for any of these - I will be your guinea pig if you need one. = ) Thanks for sharing! Sue

Brad Hulman said:

This link helps give a pretty good feel for the Ancient History Activators:

http://www.interact-simulations.com/c/product.html?record@TF42261+s....

Like Jim said, the activators deal with problems that early man would need to solve before taking the giant step to devoting themselves to agruculture and then to the creation of cities and civilizations Each of the six activators is a problem that needed to be solved before humans could lead the kind of settled agricultural lifes that formed the foundation for and and provided the basis for the emergence of civilization,. They activators are very hands-on and the students approach them with great intensity and enthusiasm. If you ckick on the link you will get a pretty good idea about what the first activator is about. The gratifying part is that once the activator is over, based on the experience they just had, your students will be explaining concepts to you., ..



Jim Sandoval said:

Activators are one to two day simulations that are interactive and allow for and enhance critical thinking. Examples are a simulation to create a flood control system in the classroom to simulate the rise of government leadership to solve problems that individuals could not. Simulations on the development of writing, cultural diffusion etc. are included. Most are the Ancient World but the cultural diffusion one could be adapted to any time period in history.

Empires is a simulation of the Ancient World, covering the first civilizations including tribes like the Hittities, Phoenicians, Persians, etc. It is a unit simulation that could last up to 20 class periods.
Jim Sandoval

Jim Sandoval

[Brad Hulman]

Sue,

If you email me ([e-mail]) I would be happy to send you some stuff that Jim and I have done over the years. We also have written a manuscript that has 18 cooperative learning templetes and six active-learning games that might interest you.

Brad

Sue Connelly said:

These sound great! Have you thought of doing ones more specific to European History - Rome, Byzantium or Constantinople, Development of Christianity and Islam, Feudalism through Renaissance and Reformation to Ages of Explorers? If I had brief activators of the major climatic events of these time periods, I would certainly use them! I am limited on time and as you can see have a great time period to cover in the year. If you come up with a series of Activators for any of these - I will be your guinea pig if you need one. = ) Thanks for sharing! Sue

Brad Hulman said:

This link helps give a pretty good feel for the Ancient History Activators:

http://www.interact-simulations.com/c/product.html?record@TF42261+s....

Like Jim said, the activators deal with problems that early man would need to solve before taking the giant step to devoting themselves to agruculture and then to the creation of cities and civilizations Each of the six activators is a problem that needed to be solved before humans could lead the kind of settled agricultural lifes that formed the foundation for and and provided the basis for the emergence of civilization,. They activators are very hands-on and the students approach them with great intensity and enthusiasm. If you ckick on the link you will get a pretty good idea about what the first activator is about. The gratifying part is that once the activator is over, based on the experience they just had, your students will be explaining concepts to you., ..



Jim Sandoval said:

Activators are one to two day simulations that are interactive and allow for and enhance critical thinking. Examples are a simulation to create a flood control system in the classroom to simulate the rise of government leadership to solve problems that individuals could not. Simulations on the development of writing, cultural diffusion etc. are included. Most are the Ancient World but the cultural diffusion one could be adapted to any time period in history.

Empires is a simulation of the Ancient World, covering the first civilizations including tribes like the Hittities, Phoenicians, Persians, etc. It is a unit simulation that could last up to 20 class periods.
Jim Sandoval

Jim Sandoval