Santa Barbara, Calif.   —   2010-10-12   —  

We are pleased to announce that the ABC-CLIO Defining Moments Downloadables series is the 2010 EDDIE Award winner in the Teacher Tools/Social Studies category. The annual Education Software Review Awards, sponsored by ComputED Gazette, target original and content-rich programs and websites that enhance the classroom curriculum and improve teacher efficiency. Selection criteria include content, potential for wide classroom use, and technical value.

Defining Moments is a 35-part series of primary source-based lessons for high school educators designed to engage students and integrate with the curriculum. Each ready-made packet is a downloadable and printable PDF lesson plan that uses alternative history — posing questions such as "what if key events had come out differently?" — to highlight a key event or turning point in U.S. history.

The Defining Moments series covers these important historical events in a unique and captivating way. Those events include John Brown's Abolition Raid, the Civil Rights Movement, the Watergate Scandal, and the fall of the Soviet Union. The Defining Moments series is distinguished by features that make it a unique learning resource:

• Each PDF lesson focuses on a single, key event that was a turning point in history
• A Need to Know section provides a more detailed discussion of the events leading up to and including the Defining Moment
• A brief timeline for quick reference to specific events
• A What If? section speculating what might have or could have happened had events within the Defining Moment turned out differently
• Two critical thinking activities, each with detailed lesson objectives, materials needed, and specific instructions
• Glossary terms and references provide helpful study support for students

Each Defining Moments downloadable can be purchased for five dollars. With this series, ABC-CLIO provides support to students, as well as teachers, by giving students the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of well-known events by working with real historical sources and by improving critical thinking skills.