Social Studies Information
Here are some wonderful Social Studies websites:
1.) National Geographic: http://nationalgeographic.com/education/
At this wonderful website I noticed there were five tabs of information. The first tab was called Online Adventure: the online adventure at the time was Monteray Bay. The second tab was called Maps and Geography featuring: Xpeditions Atlas. The third tab was Lesson Plans: which had many lesson plans for teachers. The fourth tab was titled, Teacher Community which contained an Educator Newsletter, as well as, a Geographic Teaching Alliance. A few educator favorites on the site include Geo Spy and National Geography Bee. For St. Patrick’s Day, the website had Ireland as the feature country. There were also many blank maps to print out. At the teacher store, I found that GeoKits are very expensive. In the classroom, this website would be a great resource to find facts, maps, homework help, and Geography Bee Game.
2.) Geography: http://www.geography.about.com/
This website contains many links about Geography. Students can even take a geographic quiz at the site. There are many game links at this website, and explore atlas and world maps. There is an abundance of geography articles at the site too, and a “Did you know?” question, which would be really neat for students to learn a new geographic fact. In the classroom this website would be helpful as a resource for geographic articles and it also contains a lot of good questions to engage student learning.
3.) 50 States: http://www.50states.com/
This particular website has a listing of all 50 states. When you click on a state, you will find the capitol city, the location on the globe (latitude and longitude), admission to statehood, ancestry, genealogy, area, area codes, birds, border states, climate, colleges, state constitutions, current events, the state flag, flower, motto, and links to find out even more information. This website would be great in the classroom for students to find facts about states, and learn area and population of states.
4.) The CIA: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
At this website you can find information from countries about the world. The website is actually subtitled, “The World Fact Book.” In the classroom students can use this website to find an abundant amount of information about countries from around the world.
5.) Library of Congress: http://lcweb.loc.gov/
The Library of Congress website contains several links; 1. American Memory: U.S. History and Culture, 2. Global Gateway: World Culture and Resources, 3. America’s Library: log on, play around, learn something, 4. Thomas: legislative information, 5. Exhibitions: online galleries, 6. Wise Guide: it’s fun to know history. The online galleries include: Churchill and the Great Republic; and 1492; An Ongoing Voyage. There is also an Especially for Teachers link which contains an enormous amount of lesson plans, fun activities, complete news and evens. In the classroom, this would be a great website to use so that students could find out about America’s past. Teachers could use this to plan student activities.
6.) National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) : http://www.archives.gov/index.html
At this particular website there is an exhibit hall to visit which contains the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. At this website, Federal regulations, public laws, and presidential document can be found. This website would be beneficial in the classroom as a resource for authentic documents such as the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights.
7.) Smithsonian Institution: http://www.si.edu/
At this website it is possible to explore and learn with many online resources. There are three categories found at this website; Art and Design; History and Culture; and Science and Technology. There is a link to the Smithsonian Magazine, links are also available to see the Smithsonian museums. A link for teachers is also found and this website which contains lesson plans, other informative websites, and professional development opportunities. This website would be a great resource in the classroom for students to explore museum exhibits, for teachers to get lesson plans, and wonderful links for students to explore.
8.) The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/
At this website, a child can find out about something they all usually want to; life in the White House. This website provides an online virtual tour of the oval office, and introduces the people who take part in life in the White House. This website also links to look into the West Wing. There are also biographies, as well as, quizzes on the presidents and first ladies. This website would be great to use in the classroom to discuss the role of the president in the United States. It would also be great for students to search for information about the first ladies as well.
9.) North Central Regional Educational Library: http://www.ncrtec.org/picture.htm
At this website many pictures and other resources can be accessed. All you have to do to find a picture is type in a keyword and you can search many pictures regarding the keyword you typed in. Lesson plan ideas can also be found at this website, with pictures included with many of them. I would use this website as a classroom resource so that students could look at pictures of a particular period of time and possibly grasp the concept being taught much better.
10.) Discovery Channel: http://puzzlemaker.school.discovery.com
At this website, it is possible to create all kinds of puzzles. As a teacher, you could use this website to create crossword puzzles or word searches over words you were studying in class. This website would be a great resource in the classroom to make learning vocabulary fun for the students.
11.) Video Placement Worldwide: http://vpw.com/
At this website, free educational videos, and prints materials are offered to teachers. The Video Placement Worldwide is an international service company that intends to get beneficial educational materials into the classroom nationwide. In the classroom, this website would be beneficial so that students could see information in different formats. These materials would allow students to actually see historical events rather than reading them from a textbook.
12.) Eye Witness to History: http://eyewitnesstohistory.com/
This website provides an authentic view of historical events by people who saw that part of history. I think this website is neat. You can find excerpts from people from the Ancient World until World War II. There is also a new historical picture to learn about each week. In the classroom, this website would be very beneficial so that students could get a more in depth view of how the historical even actually took place from the personal excerpts located at this site.
13.) Project Vote Smart: http://www.vote-smart.org
At this website you will be allotted the opportunity to listen to speeches, read articles, and view information on candidates running for an office. This is a great website in explaining the voting and election processes. This website also provides great ideas for teachers to implement in the classroom. In the classroom, you could use this website as a valuable resource, especially since this is an election year.
14.) Social Studies for Kids: http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com//
This website is a very kid-friendly website, because the information found on the website is easy to read and easy to understand. At this website, there are a lot of fun facts that are very interesting. There is also information at this site about holidays celebrated around the world. This would be a great resource to use in the classroom because all areas of the social studies curriculum are covered.
15.) Elementary Economics: http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/econ/
At this website, I found very useful information for elementary age students regarding economics, and I thought it would be a great resource. This particular website provides information regarding how to handle money, and budgeting on an elementary level. The overview of the website with regards to economics seems that it would be very helpful in the classroom. In the classroom, I would use this website when teaching economics. It will be a great tool to implement in the classroom.
16.) PBS Kid’s Democracy Project: http://www.pbs.org/democracy/kids/
At this website, students can become president for a day with an interactive link allowing them to do so. First, students enter information about themselves, and then they get to see what a day of being the president is like. There are an abundance of facts found at this website. In the classroom, I think this would be especially useful when teaching government in regards to the role of the president.
17.) Country Reports: http://www.countryreports.org/
This particular website provides quick facts about the country which includes; the national anthem, historical information, and current events. Information can be found about several countries, not just the United States. There are also short quizzes provides on the website about several countries. In the classroom, this website would be helpful in keeping on top of events within the country and events happening throughout the world.
18.) United Nation’s Cyber School Bus: http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/
At this website, information can be found about the following; poverty, peace, human rights, and world hunger. Statistical data can also be accessed at this website. In the classroom, this website would be valuable to students so that they could research worldwide events. The website is beneficial to teachers so they can stay well-informed on topics that interest students.
19.) Encyclopedia Britannica: http://www.britannica.com/
At this website, there is a link for student Britannica, and also regular Britannica. Also, there is a section where the New York Times newspaper can be accessed which is a wonderful material to use in the classroom to stay up-to-date with current events. Also this website provides a section called, This Day in History, and has an important event that occurred and an article about the event. Students can also research a number of topics at this website too; they just have to type a keyword in. In the classroom, I would use this website when students are researching topics. I would also use the section on, This Day in History, and make a bulletin board full of historical events that happened on a particular date in history.
20.) Information Please: http://www.infoplease.com/
At this website there are many links to almanacs and atlases. Students can search the information about the world, history, and government. This website is very user-friendly, in that it is organized well, and the information you are looking for is easy to find. In the classroom, I would use this website for research purposes. I would allow students to access this site so that they could find out lots of information about various topics.
21.) Social Studies, Federal Resources for Educational Excellence: http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/
This website provides an enormous amount of information for educators in the social studies field. It provides a place to type in a keyword to research a specific topic, and also has a list provided containing topics such as anthropology, civics, and state history. I found this website to be very informative on a wide range of topics regarding social studies. In the classroom, I would use this website to get ideas and facts for social studies lessons. I thought this website was excellent and fairly easy to use.
22.) An Awesome Library: http://www.awesomelibrary.org/
At this website I found some great information. The website has a link to hot topics regarding social studies such as; The American Flag, and Election 2004. You can also enter a door for teachers, parents, kids, teens, or college students; I thought this was neat because it could be implemented with all age groups. I entered the door for kids to see what I could find and there are about a dozen social studies topics that can be researched through this site. In the classroom, I would use this site for students to research a vast number of topics, I would also tell the parents about it, because it could be a beneficial tool for them to further their child’s learning at home.
Here are some great books to use in the social studies classroom:
Polacco, Patricia. (1994). Pink and say. New York, NY: Scholastic.
This book is based on a true story. In the story a white soldier meets an African-American soldier during the Civil War. This story is a little sad and tells of the many hardships and experiences the soldiers go through during the war. In the social studies classroom this book could be used to teach students about the Civil War and what life was like during that period in time. This book is on the fourth grade level.
Hopkinson, Deborah. (1995). Sweet clara and the freedom quilt. New York,
NY:Scholastic.
Clara, a young slave girl, creates a map in the form of a quilt that leads her and many others to freedom. This quilt maps out the route to freedom. The book is truly an awesome book that is very good telling about this time period. In the social studies classroom, this book could be used to explore the lives of slaves, and what was happening in history during this particular period in time. The book could also be used to show what life was like on a plantation for slaves. This book is also on the fourth grade level.
Priceman, M. (1994). How to make an apple pie and see the world. Alfred A.
Knopf, Inc.: New York.
From the jungles of Sri Lanka to the orchards of Vermont, the energetic little baker in this story searches far and wide to find the finest ingredients for her apple pie. This book also comes with a recipe for apple pie, which would be a great activity to do after reading it. In the social studies classroom, this book could be used to teach geography of the world and the characteristics of places, as well as, continents. This book is on the third grade level.
Williams, V.B. (1982). A chair for my mother. Greenwillow Books: New York.
In this book, a little girl tells the story about how she, her mother, and grandmother work and save coins to buy a big, comfy chair. The family had lost everything in a fire and although they had a new place to live they did not have any living room furniture. They were finally able to afford a big chair for their living room. This story is truly a great one to use in the classroom. In the social studies classroom, this book could be used to teach economics. This book is on the second grade level.
Northup, Solomon. (2000). Twelve years a slave. San Francisco: Dover.
This book is an autobiography of a twelve-year slave. The book provides an exceptionally detailed and
accurate description of plantation society. This book is wonderful in portraying the life of a slave to
students because they can relate to the characters age. This book would be helpful in teaching about the
Civil War and slavery. In the social studies classroom, this book could be used to teach history. This book is
on the third grade level.
Social Studies Software:
Oregon Trail (5th edition). This software is for fourth grade and higher. The computer requirements for this particular software is, Macintosh system 8.6-9.1 and OS X; 180 MHz Power PC Processor; 32 MB Ram; 100 MB free disk space; 8x speed CD-rom drive; sound card and speakers and mouse. This program is great because it builds real life skills, and shows students the importance of trade, and identifies points and landmarks. The program takes students on a journey from Independence, Missouri through the western part of the United States in a covered wagon.
Teachers could use this program in the classroom to teach about deserts, mountains, rivers and valleys. The program could also be used to teach students economics and would also be a great to use with journals.
Social Studies Kit:
All Around Me- The World Around Us. This kit is appropriate for grades K-2. The kit contains a large book, which could be used in a large group activity. The large book contains real life pictures of the world in which we live. The kit also contains maps that would be great to hang around the classroom, as well as, individual maps for the students. The step-by-step teacher’s edition book contains great stories, songs, and poems. There is a cassette tape that goes along with the book. The teacher’s book discusses several topics dealing with the world around us such as: Family and Friends, Neighbors and Communities, Needs and Wants, Our Home the Earth, Our Country Long Ago, and Celebrating America. This kit would be a great resource to use in the classroom. I especially liked the topic; Neighbors and Community; you could collaborate with your school’s music teacher with use of songs, or acting out people in the community. There are a variety of different ways to teach social studies with this particular kit.
A great social studies game:
State BioBingo is a bingo game for individual states; the players or students must know people in the following categories in order to be do well in this game: famous sports figures of each state, authors and poets, educators, governors, civil and human rights leaders, soldiers and warriors, explorers, members of congress, journalist, inventors and scientists, business people, lawyers and judges, doctors, chiefs, and religious leaders. The call-out cards leave a blank to be filled in by the students, so the students must have previous knowledge of the categories previously listed. This game could be used as a review during extra time, or for independent learning, it could also be used for a fun educational game.
These are a few wonderful videos to show in the classroom:
· Physical Geography of Canada from National Geographic
This video describes the landforms in great detail, as well as, features of the natural history and geology. I really like this video because it takes students on a journey through the geography of Canada. The video running time is 25 minutes.
· The Maya Way of Death from National Geographic
This video is another great one from National Geographic. In this video, an abundance of information is given about an eight year archeological excavation in Mayan tombs. This is a great video for a history lesson. The video running time is 15 minutes.
These are some great historical sites to visit with your class:
· Abraham Lincoln’s Birthplace:
Located in Hodgenville, Kentucky this is truly a great place to go on a field trip. Students can learn about our 16th president, by visiting the farm he grew up on in Kentucky. The park offers an abundance of information about our 16th president, and students really seem to enjoy this trip.
· Mammoth Cave:
Mammoth Cave is a great historical site to visit with your class. There is so much information available about the cave. Also, they are finding that there are more and more pathways in the cave. Students can take a tour of the cave with a tour guide, which is the most informative way to go through the cave. The tour guide informs students of the history of the cave and the cave’s features.
· Lost River Cave
Lost River Cave is located in Warren County, Kentucky. Archeologists have confirmed that this site was inhabited as early as 7,500 BC. The ground water is only exposed at the Lost River Cave Valley site; there are no above ground streams in the area. This is a great place to take students so they can learn about historical sites close to home.