Author Explores a ‘Gateway to Freedom’

UNITED STATES Historian Eric Foner’s new book, Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad, explores “[t]he struggle of people to make this a better country.” (NPR) Explore the Underground Railroad as a runaway slave in our Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom interactive. Teachers, use the interactive’s Educator Guide to help students engage with the activity. Discussion Ideas Explore our Underground Railroad interactive. … Continue reading Author Explores a ‘Gateway to Freedom’

Enabling Globalization: The Container

By Seth Dixon, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Geography, Rhode Island College When you think of technology and globalization, does your tablet or smartphone come to mind?   While smartphones and tablets play a part in reshaping global economics and culture, the backbone of the modern global economy is actually something that goes unseen by most people, despite its size. In fact, this thing is so ordinary that we fail understand … Continue reading Enabling Globalization: The Container

Meet Prince William, Wildlife Advocate

POLITICS The Duke of Cambridge is a vocal advocate for imperiled wildlife such as elephants and rhinos, and is making the issue of wildlife trafficking the subject of his U.S. visit. (Nat Geo News) Use our resources to better understand wildlife trafficking, and the market for ivory in particular. Teachers, scroll down for a short list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas … Continue reading Meet Prince William, Wildlife Advocate

Berry Interesting Road Trip

BUSINESS Some 80% of U.S. fruits and vegetables are grown on large farms and trucked hundreds of miles to their final destination. To track a crop’s travels, two Nat Geo reporters followed a truck filled with strawberries from a central California field to a store near the magazine’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. (National Geographic News) Use our MapMaker Interactive to follow the berries from farm … Continue reading Berry Interesting Road Trip

Getting on Board with Amtrak

UNITED STATES Trains are different than planes. Yet at some high-traffic stations, the boarding process is strangely, mysteriously, similar. (Vox) Use our resources to engineer better access to public transportation. Discussion Ideas Read through the fun Vox article. (Keep in mind that a “queue” is a line of people waiting their turn, and “queuing” simply means “lining up.”) Why is the boarding process for a … Continue reading Getting on Board with Amtrak