Curated OER
Alcatraz: Reading and Listening Comprehension
In this listening comprehension interactive worksheet, students listen to a clip about Alcatraz and complete the cloze activity. There are twelve fill-in's to complete.
Curated OER
Geography: Islands and Alcatraz
Students, in groups, create maps of islands including map keys and compass roses. They compare and contrast their island communities with that of the island prison, Alcatraz. Students select from a series of projects, including writing...
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to Al Capone Does My Shirts
It's hard to imagine that life on Alcatraz could be dull. A series of intriguing lessons take readers through the novel Al Capone Does my Shirts. Pre-reading questions introduce the text and a range of suggestions, from comic strips to...
Smithsonian Institution
POWs
Why did Vietnam POWs and their families receive more media attention than POWs in previous wars? To answer this question, class members view artifacts, read articles, and engage in class discussion. Individuals then assume the...
Other
Federal Bureau of Prisons: Historical Information: The Rock
Information about Alcatraz Island before, during, and after the federal prison was in operation on the island. Includes a timeline and information about each escape attempt from Alcatraz Prison.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Alcatraz Island
Follow links to learn about Alcatraz Island as a lighthouse, a federal prison, a part of American Indian history, and a natural habitat.
OceanView Publishing
Alcatraz History: Welcome to Alcatraz History
The entire history of the famous Alcatraz prison known as "The Rock," beginning with 1847, when "The U.S. Army took notice of "The Rock" and its strategic value as a military fortress."
OceanView Publishing
Alcatraz History: George "Machine Gun" Kelly
Biographical information about the infamous gangster, George "Machine Gun" Kelly. Includes photographs and images of an original fingerprint card and prison transfer paper.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Alcatraz
This article provides facts about the Alcatraz Prison history, its famous prisoners, life in the prison, and the attempted escapes from Alcatraz.
A&E Television
History.com: Alcatraz Escapes: 14 Breakout Attempts From the Island Prison
To ditch Alcatraz, the infamous federal penitentiary, inmates tried everything from papier-mache masks to a military impersonation to a bloody revolt. Over those three decades, the infamous prison known as "The Rock" housed more than...
A&E Television
History.com: Was the Escape From Alcatraz Successful?
A 2013 letter to the FBI, if real, suggests the Anglin brothers and Frank Morris survived one of the most daring and dangerous prison breaks of all time. It was one of the most ingenious prison breaks of all time -- if it worked. In...
A&E Television
History.com: How Al Capone Spent His Time in Alcatraz
Public Enemy #1 was transferred to the now-infamous island prison a few weeks after it opened. To Americans of the 1920s and '30s, he was the notorious gangster Scarface Al, Public Enemy No. 1. But when he arrived at Alcatraz in late...
Other
Virtuar.com: Alcatraz Island Virtual Tour
Click through several pictures to take a virtual tour of present-day Alcatraz Island and the federal prison that once operated there.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: First Prisoners Arrived at Alcatraz
Why is Alcatraz Penitentiary called "The Rock?" Who is sent there? This Library of Congress site has more information and photographs.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Alcatraz Island
Part of the Golden Gate National Recreational Area, Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay. Originally a lighthouse and military fort, the island is best known for being a federal prison. The island is packed full of...
Curated OER
Wikipedia: National Historic Landmarks in California: Alcatraz Island
Former maximum security Federal prison; Frank Morris escaped, but few others did; part of Golden Gate National Recreation Area; visited by tourist ferries.