August 22, 2014
Dear West Virginia Studies Teacher:
We want to let you know about e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia, an important resource for your classroom.
- e-WV(www.wvencyclopedia.org) is the quickest, most authoritative reference available for concise information on West Virginia’s people and places, history, arts, science and culture – past and present.
- e-WVis a full-featured electronic reference resource with over 2,300 articles, thousands of multimedia assets, and interactive features including mapping, a 12,000-item timeline, and quizzes.
- e-WV includes a Classroomarea which has lesson plans, developed by teachers, appropriate for teaching West Virginia Studies to either eighth grade or elementary students.
- e-WVis free and available to any teacher, student, classroom or school with an internet connection.
On the next pages, you will find a more comprehensive explanation of the tools and resources found on e-WV.
e-WV is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council, which published the print version of the West Virginia Encyclopedia in 2006.
If you are already using e-WV in the classroom, then thank you! Let us know what you think of the site and tell us what we can do to improve it. Send a message to keller@wvhumanities.org.
Sincerely,
Mike Keller, e-WV Media Editor
Using e-WV in the Classroom
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at http://www.wvencyclopedia.org is a full-featured electronic reference resource helpful to the teaching of West Virginia studies at all levels. The online encyclopedia is free and includes 2,300 articles about the Mountain State along with photos and illustrations, statistics, timelines, video and audio clips, maps, quizzes and other interactive features. This guide offers a selection of articles in e-WV recommended for classroom use along with some directions for using the site’s interactive features. Visit e-WV and get to know it.
e-WV is a valuable research tool for students and teachers. Articles are listed alphabetically—from Abolitionism to John Zontini. Topics can also be explored through searches from the homepage or by browsing categories such as Business and Industry; Cities, Towns and Counties; History and Prehistory; or Politics and Government.
Lesson Plans
e-WV offers lesson plans that were designed by West Virginia teachers and correspond to the Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives for social studies and literacy. The plans address such topics as the West Virginia constitution, John Brown’s raid, and the state’s fairs and festivals. These lesson plans can be accessed via the Classroom tab at the top of the homepage. Each lesson plan includes guiding questions, vocabulary, and lesson activities. There are plans for botheighth grade and elementary classes.
Quizzes
A great way to challenge students is to direct them to the Test Your WVIQ section of the homepage. Students will find more than 20 quizzes on a variety of West Virginia topics, from politics to pop culture. Students who are registered on the site can keep track of their scores. (Registering for the site is free.) This feature is especially helpful to students studying for the Golden Horseshoe test.
Interactive maps
The interactive mapping is one of the most powerful features of e-WV. There are more than 120 individual maps in e-WV that can be combined in different ways to illustrate information. The interactive maps can be found under the Features tab on the homepage.
Selected e-WV articles
These and many other articles address the Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives for kindergarten through fifth grade and eighth grade. Find them by searching on the homepage of
e-WV.
| History
Civil War Exploration Formation of West Virginia The Frontier History of West Virginia
Government Congressional Representation Counties The Government of West Virginia Governors of West Virginia Legislature Supreme Court of Appeals
Geography and geology Appalachian Mountains Geography Geology Natural Resources
Economy Coal industry Economy Education Steel Industry Tourism
State symbols, motto, song, animals and plants Montani Semper Liberi State Flag State Plants and Animals State Seal “The West Virginia Hills” |
Prominent West Virginians
Pearl S. Buck Sylvia Mathews Burwell Jennifer Garner Joe Manchin David McKinley Randy Moss Landau Eugene Murphy Brad Paisley Nick Joe Rahall Mary Lou Retton Jay Rockefeller Earl Ray Tomblin Booker T. Washington Chuck Yeager Jerry West
Lives of West Virginians African-American Heritage Ethnic life Folklore Handcrafts Holidays and Celebrations Mother’s Day Toymaking West Virginia Day Women’s lives
Weather Climate Weather
Transportation Highway Development Railroads River Transportation Turnpikes
|
Portfolios
Collecting articles on one topic is simplified with the portfolio tool on e-WV. This tool is available to those who register for the site. (Registering is free.) Once a student or teacher registers, a tab will appear on the homepage that says My e-WV. Clicking on the tab will lead the student or teacher to the portfolio section. Then articles, photos, and other items can be placed into a portfolio.
Need help getting started?
The Classroom page has several helpful tutorials on the left, and links to sample quizzes on the right. There’s also a downloadable Guide to e-WV that lists topics, associated articles and the standards those articles address.
e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council. For more information, contact e-WV Media Editor Mike Keller at304-346-8500 or keller@wvhumanities.org.
Please note change in email address: rjwisema@k12.wv.us
Robert “Joey” Wiseman Jr.
Assistant Director
Office of Secondary Learning
Instructional Materials
Social Studies
Social Studies Resources 
You must be logged in to post a comment.