History (World)

Epic resources

EPIC is a collection of reliable databases covering lots of different topics. It has been put together especially for New Zealand school students and helps to answer questions like this. To access EPIC, you may need a password from your school.

Britannica School

This is the online version of Encyclopedia Britannica and covers many history topics.

• Choose the Middle or Secondary level.

• Enter a keyword related to your topic in the search bar eg 'Chinese dynasties' or Salt March.

• Select a result eg Qin dynasty or British raj.

• Or search for 'Nazi Germany' to find articles like Nazi Party.

• Use the Navigator tool change the Level to get more or less information.

Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. We can leave out small words like ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘of’ and just choose the main ones, eg civil rights movement. We can always change our keywords or add more if we need to.

World History (Gale in Context)

This resource covers world history from ancient times right up to the current time. The information is displayed in a variety of multimedia formats.

• To view all the subjects, go to Browse Topics.

• You can use the drop down menu to have fewer topics eg choose Events, Periods, and Cultural Trends.

• Look for a topic you want to know more about like Age of Exploration.

• Select Read Overview to read more about this topic. Or look down the page to explore the different media formats.

• You can also explore this site using search words, eg enter 'Silk Road' into the search bar at the top of the page.

Middle School (Gale in Context)

This EPIC resource has information on cultures, geography, government, people, world history and more.

• Use a keyword to search and find reference articles, videos, and more.

• Or go to Browse Topics from the top of the page.

• Use the drop down menu to choose a category like Cultures, People, Social Issues, U.S. History or World History.

• For example, go to World History to find Gandhi, Mahatma.

Tips: To use the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians. Your public library may have some EPIC databases too.

Biography (Gale in Context

Use this EPIC resource to access a range of historical biographies of notable people from the past and the present day.

• Go to the search box and enter Martin Luther King Jr to read about the leader of the American civil rights movement.

• Or, from the home page, look under the section on Browse people to select from famous Actors, Nobel Peace Prize Winners, Inventors, Contemporary World leaders and more.

General websites

Here are some more websites to help you find information about world history.

World History Encyclopedia

This website has easy-to-read information. It is researched and written by historians, archaeologists, educators, and other experts. It has articles, images, videos, primary sources and maps covering history from around the world.

• You can search using a keyword or browse.

• Choose Encyclopedia from the top of the page, then select Index.

• You can now limit searches by Region, Time Period, and Maps.

• For example, select Regional, then Oceania.

• Read How the Pacific War changed global warfare.

• Use the Education tab to find a range of Primary sources.

Tips: Websites with .org or .net in the address can have useful info, but you need to check that it’s reliable. Check the About us link on the website, if you can find one. That can tell you what the organisation’s mission and values are.

Tips: Some sites have ads which tell us to donate, buy something or ‘click here’. It’s best to ignore them and focus on what we’re looking for.

History.com

This is the official website of the History Channel. Although it focuses on US history, it has information on world history, science and culture.

• The tabs at the top of the page will help you search this website.

• The tab World has links to Exploration and the World Wars.

• Eras & Ages will link you to the ancient civilisations, as well as recent history.

• Or, use the search bar to enter 'Easter uprising' to read Easter uprising begins.

Tips: You can't use Stream HISTORY in New Zealand.

Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. This site links to its parent company A+E Global Media which has a page about who we are.

Crash Course

This is an educational show for high school and university level students. Each video includes sources for where the information came from.

• Browse for videos by going to Courses.

• Choose a course like European History, Native American History and World History.

• Find a video to watch eg From the Trail of Tears to Wounded Knee.

• Or search for a keyword like 'gandhi'. This will get videos like Nonviolence and Peace Movements.

Tips: Depending on your topic, some videos may have upsetting images or stories. You can either stop watching the video or watch with a trusted adult.

PBS Learning Media

This website is from a United States broadcaster. It has lots of educational videos and media.

• If you're asked to choose a grade, you can start with 6-8 or 9-12.

• Search using a keyword.

• Or to browse, go to Subjects. Then under Social Studies, choose World History.

• Choose a World History Topic like First Global Age (1450-1770).

• We then chose Asian Societies (1450-1770) and found the video British and Opium | The Story of China.

Tips: Use the grade filter to expand your year level. For example, choose both 6-8 and 9-12.

Tips: Some videos won't work in New Zealand. You can always choose a different video.

Books

Visit your local library and school library to see what books they have on world history. Here are some titles to help you begin your search:

• Great Civilisations by Mary Auld

• History year by year by Peter Chrisp, Joe Fullman, Susan Kennedy, and Philip Parker

• 100 inventions that shaped world history by Bill Yenne and Morton Grosser

• Timelines of World History by Jane Chisholm

• Explorers by Chris Oxlade.

Tips: For security, websites sometimes ask you to prove you're a real person. They show a message like 'I’m not a robot' or 'Verify you are human'. It is safe to tick the box to use the website.

SCIS no: 1960270