True or false: Johnny Appleseed was a real person. Well, the answer is both. It is true there was a man who was called Johnny Appleseed, but his real name was John Chapman. It is false because the story of Johnny Appleseed has grown into a legend, and in some important ways that legend is…
Author: Gail Masinda
Yep, that's me. Faith, family, music, history and gardening pretty much sums me up.
The Spinning Wheel and the Daughters of Liberty
It was the 1770s, and the Daughters of Liberty were determined to make their political viewpoints clearly understood. With this online course, you’ll discover what they did and how they did it. There’s a lot in here! Full color storyboards with voice-over narration give students the opportunity to read along with the compelling story. Videos…
Finding the Fun in History Class
Nuggets of history teaching gold await you in this on-demand video course for educators (homeschool or classroom). This isn’t a simplified list of how to make history fun. It is a course about exploring and discovering resources and ideas that are already a part of history so that your classes will be fun and engaging…
Copyrights, Public Domain, and Fair Use
It is important that students, educators, adults, and creators of all ages understand the basics of the United States Copyright laws. Not a legal discourse, but this basic overview clearly explains a difficult topic using flowcharts and resource pages for middle school and up. A very special video interview (42 minutes!) further explains copyright rules…
My Family In History
Your family. Your story. Join us as we begin to discover your personal story. The story of America is more than a timeline in a history book. It is the story of millions of families over hundreds of years and thousands of miles. It is the story of YOU. Join author and history storyteller Gail…
The Pony Express Virtual Ride
You’ve probably heard of the Pony Express but how much do you know about the 1,900 mile trail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California? Take a virtual ride alongside the Pony Express riders. History comes alive with an hour of exclusive video stories of the people, places, and events along the trail. The Pony…
A Quick Look at the Spinning Wheel
In this short video, master spinner Hollie Grauel demonstrates the spinning wheel. The video is part of the Maestro Heights online course The Spinning Wheel and the Daughters of Liberty. You will find the course here.
February 15, 1798: A Brawl In the (Congressional) Hall
The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. If you didn’t catch this story in history class, the image a powdered wigs and fisticuffs might surprise you. Here’s the video. [A link to a printable History Quick unit study about the event is HERE. Video Highlights Politics. It’s always been a…
October 7, 1780: A Letter from Horatio Gates to William Blount
Historic artifacts and documents intrigue me. The more I know about something, the more I want to find out. I wrote a short biography of William Blount as a History Quick unit study. Blount was what we could call a “complicated” man. Deeply devoted to his family, he was a patriot in the Revolutionary War,…
February 16, 1903: A Guest of Honor
In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt made a politically bold decision when he invited African-American leader Booker T. Washington to have dinner with the Roosevelt’s at the White House. People of color worked in the White House but never before had an African-American man been an invited guest to dinner. Roosevelt received support and rebuke for…
Books About Horses
In a recent email, I told my readers a bit about my childhood obsession with horses and asked them to share titles of some of their favorite books about horses. Some of their titles were on my list, too. Others prompted a forehead smacking how-did-I-forget-that-one response. Here are the 5 most frequently mentioned books, plus…
April 27, 1791: Birthday of Samuel Morse
Today is the birthday of Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1872). Known as Finley to his family, he was born in Charlestown Massachusetts, the oldest child of Rev. Jedediah and Elizabeth (Finley) Morse. Of course he is remembered as the inventor of the American electro-magnetic telegraph and his famous Morse Code. His achievements and contributions to…
Gail Masinda (History Heights & Maestro Heights) 