Social Studies Links

History Sites

Kidipede - found at www.historyforkids.org - offers a wealth of information on ancient civilizations, from Ancient China and Ancient Islam to Ancient Africa and Egypt, geared toward middle school students. Each of the 9 ancient/medieval subsections gives a list of choices for further specialized information. The site appears to be well maintained; all of the links that I looked at worked and had relevant content. Included in the links for each civilization are pages for teachers and parents, project ideas, and a multitude of informational pages about food, dress, science, and more. There is also a science section to this site, set up in a similar way, which looks excellent. Kidipede is definitely recommended.

The Multnomah County Library – in the homework center section of their website, at http://www.multcolib.org/homework/anchsthc.html - maintains an outstanding, remarkably extensive and diverse collection of history-related links. In the "Ancient & Classical Cultures" section, the following topics all have multiple links to interesting websites: Megasites, Africa, Asia Minor/Anatolia, Aztecs, Caribbean, Celts, China, Early Man & Stone Age, Egyptians, Greeks, Hebrews/Holy Land, Incas, India, Islam/Muslims, Maoris, Mayans & Mesoamerica, Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, Mongolia, North American Prehistory, Persia, Romans, The Silk Road, South America, Vikings, Wonders of the World. The Multnomah County Library's website is well worth exploring, for history links and information as well as for online resources related to many other subjects.

Hyperhistory – at www.hyperhistory.com - will be a valuable resource for teachers of history in middle and high school. An extensive collection of maps, many of which are interactive, stretch from movements of early civilizations through thousands of years of world history to maps of major military maneuvers of World War II. The "People" button accesses links to timelines of hundreds of notable historical figures, which may be viewed chronologically or by specialized categories; there is also a timeline of famous women. Each name brings up a sidebar with information about the person's life. The "History" option takes the user to a remarkable series of historical timelines. One may view a timeline of prehistory, information about cosmology and astronomy, or select from periods ranging from "before 1000 BC" to "1500-2007." In each period, events occurring in multiple regions are shown together, with interactions between societies indicated (at least, in some instances), and with links to maps and other pieces of relevant information.

Discovery Education's Lesson Plan Library – at http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/k-5.html# - offers quite a wide selection of lesson plans in a variety of areas, including World and United States History and Economics. The lessons are inconsistent in quality, and most or all would need some adjusting. Some of the lessons include websites for additional information, and information about standards met in each lesson is also provided.

The American Historical Association – at http://www.historians.org/teaching/links.cfm - has a well-chosen list of "Resources for Teachers at All Levels," as well as historical information for different interest groups. There are sections for students and teachers at different levels, and there is information about professional development for teachers of history.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History – at http://www.gilderlehrman.org/institute/index.html - is a rich source of historical information, particularly primary sources, for teachers and students. Probably most useful for middle level and secondary teachers, this site includes historical letters and other documents, links to websites of museums and historical sites, opportunities for young people interested in history, and reading lists for particular topics in American History. Recommended for teachers to brush up their own knowledge and to gather resources for the classroom.

Civics Sites

U.S. Constitution Online (found at http://www.usconstitution.net/choose.html) is an outstanding site devoted to the United States Constitution. The text of the Constitution is accessible in multiple formats, and words and phrases are highlighted throughout the text (at least, in the version I looked at), leading to a glossary and links to pages of special topics. Passages that have been superseded are italicized, and links to amendments are embedded, in parentheses, where appropriate. Special topics discussed on connected pages include historical precedents for separation of powers, the electoral college, student rights, military justice, and due process. An extensive, highly useful site.

Approaches to Civic Education: Lessons Learned http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/democracy_and_governance/publications/pdfs/pnacp331.pdf

This is the address of a 46-page research report highlighting successes and difficulties with youth and adult civic education in countries around the world, including changes "of Democratic Values and Behaviors of Civic Education Treatment Groups" in Dominican Republic, Poland, and South Africa. Peru, Mozambique, Palestine, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Might be interesting as part of a disequilibrating event, comparing civic expectations, responsibilities, etc. in these nations and the U.S. The report is a little creepy, though...lots of talk about Democratic Values...

Exploring Constitutional Law ~ at http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/Ftrials/conlaw/home.html ~ is a little arcane, especially at first glance, but it contains some really good stuff. A succinct introduction to the constitutional convention, how the Supreme Court works, the Bill of Rights, and many Constitutional Issues and items of interest to a person studying the workings of government and how it is set up by the founding documents of the U.S. Probably better as a resource for a teacher than for K-8 students to use directly.

The National Archives website, at www.archives.gov, provides access to a multitude of primary sources, as well as ideas about using sources in teaching, supports and tips for researchers, and sections of the site devoted to educators and students. Presidential libraries, historical documents, and lesson plans and many other resources for teachers of civics, history, and other social studies can be found here. Lesson plans include extensive resources for teaching about "The War in Vietnam – A Story in Photographs," the U.S. Constitution, Sputnik, and many, many more. As with lesson plans found elsewhere, these will need adapting to a teacher's particular needs, but the resources here may be valuable.

The Center for Civic Education, which may be found at www.civiced.org, posts the following mission statement: The Center for Civic Education is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational corporation dedicated to promoting an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy in the United States and other countries. The Center offers free professional development (though I didn't investigate the details) for elementary, middle, and high school teachers. The civiced.org site is very open about what organizations support their work, and it is well maintained and updated.

Economics Sites

The Council for Economic Education, found at http://www.councilforeconed.org/, is a non-profit organization working in the area of economic and financial education. Their site's homepage presents numerous links, many of which connect to sub-sites or related sites, maintained by the Council. These sites include collections of lesson plans focused on economics, and its connection with civics and history.

One of these collections~ http://www.econedlink.org/ ~ appears particularly well done. A visitor to the site may view a list of all available lesson titles, with suggested grade levels (the list includes a variety of lessons for K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) and other information. Each lesson that I viewed was quite thorough, with learning objectives, resources attached to the plan, an explanation of lesson procedures, and an assessment activity. Compared with other lesson plans I have viewed online, these are of high quality, and would be readily usable and adaptable for many classrooms.

Money Instructor, at http://www.moneyinstructor.com/economics.asp, presents a wide range of economics-related lesson plans in separate elementary and secondary sections. The lessons are certainly not ready to be used as presented, but a fair amount of the material may be adaptable or useful as part of a teacher-designed lesson. Especially for teachers whose content knowledge of economics is limited, straightforward informational lessons in a sensible order may be very helpful as a starting point for teaching this complex subject.

The Mint, with a website at www.themint.org, will be fun for students as well as teachers and parents to investigate. There are several interactive learning tools, with which children (or adults) can plan hypothetical budgets, with pages to help the user estimate a starting salary, and sections focused on earning, saving, spending, investing, giving, and owing, within the "fun for kids" tab. There are also tabs for parents and teachers, and a tab with information "about themint," which was developed, in part, by the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE).

Dollars and Cents: Real World Economics, at http://www.dollarsandsense.org/teachingeconomics.html, calls itself a progressive resource for teaching introductory economics. Its content is geared primarily for secondary and college students; however, it may prove to be a valuable learning resource for K-8 teachers, many of whom may have little background in economics. This would be a good place for a teacher to begin investigating alternative perspectives and information often not found in economics textbooks.

The Foundation for Teaching Economics, at http://www.fte.org/, offers a variety of resources for teachers and students, including units of social studies lessons complete with supplementary resources. One of the units, titled "Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?," includes an introductory lesson that teaches (among other things) strategies for critiquing websites and explores concepts of income, wealth, absolute poverty, and relative poverty. The units presented are well worth looking at, being aligned with learning standards, and providing resources to accompany the lesson.

Geography Sites

About.com: Geography~ http://geography.about.com/ ~ presents an extensive collection of maps, information about geography (including branches of geography, civilian-friendly definitions, and technology connections), and internal links to investigate geography-related jobs, interactive maps, and physical and cultural geography.

Unsurprisingly, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ is an outstanding website that offers numerous internal and external links connected to the publication of the same name, enriched with videos, photographs, and interactive pages. This fun-to-explore sites integrates geography, science, and a wide spectrum of content and activities.

Enchanted Learning has material related to many subject areas; the geography section may be found at http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/. Many of the resources at Enchanted Learning are available free, without membership, and other activities and handouts are available (and the site appears without advertisements) for members~ a membership costs $20/year for an individual or $75 for a school-wide subscription. The materials are of varying quality, with some well worth using, and others not so much.

A 20-year World Fact Book at http://www.theodora.com/wfb/ compiles information from CIA World Factbooks, the United Nations Statistical Office, and the Library of Congress Country Studies, among other sources. The data can be accessed by country (in alphabetical order) or by year, from 1989 through 2008. On the whole, the site is similar to an interactive almanac, and will be useful for students as well as teachers.

Geographic.org, at http://www.geographic.org/, begins with a welcome page highlighting climate, flags, maps, countries, and people as major subsections of the site. Maps illustrating climate trends around the world are included, as is statistical information about population (which may be somewhat out of date), and pages showing each country's flag and links to additional pages of interest about the country.