Opal Whiteley spent much of her childhood in and around the logging camps of rural Oregon in the early years of the 20th century. She kept a wonderful diary of these years documenting her unique relationship with every living thing.

The complete text of Opal's diary is available along with a collection of photographs, a glossary, a timeline, and a map of Opal's world. The Teacher's Center contains a set of lesson plans and activities for learning to read electronic books such as this, and to learn about diaries themselves.

Table of Contents  |  Chapter 1  |   Lesson Plans

The Diary of Juan Bautista de Anza

This journal documents the Spanish expedition to colonize "Alta California" led by Captain Juan Bautista de Anza in 1775-76 and to found the settlement which later became San Francisco. This account of the journey is part of Web de Anza, a web-based study environment which also includes seven other journals written on this journey, in both English and the original Spanish. Web de Anza provides a rich environment, both for studying this particular part of the history of Arizona and California, and for learning the process of historical inquiry.

Anza's Diary is supported by over 1400 definitions and explanations, along with links to the other diaries, a gallery of images, an atlas of maps, and a collection of supplementary articles. There is also a Teachers' Center with lesson plans and other instructional materials.

Web de Anza  |   Anza Teacher's Center  |   First Entry: October 23, 1775

Your Genes, Your Choices: Human Cloning by Catherine Baker

This selection comes from a book on genetics published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (Copyright ©1999, All rights reserved). This chapter covers the techniques and ethical issues involved with the process of human cloning.

This chapter gives readers practice in paraphrasing. After reading each passage students can enter their own paraphrase of what they've read and then check it against examples. In addition, vocabulary supports and a collection of illustrations and animations. The work on this meta-cognitive reading strategy was done by a team at New York University led by Carol Kennedy.

On the Run by Willa Holmes

This short novel tells the story of John Hanson, a 15-year-old living in eastern Oregon. John's father has abandoned his family, and John, struggling to earn money to help out, gets into a fight and is sent to a juvenile detention center. John must earn his way home again while coping with the difficulties of his new circumstances.

Table of Contents  |  Chapter 1: Intake

An American History Sourcebook

This collection of source documents from American History provides the materials everyone has read about, but few have actually read.