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Internet Resources for Teaching Social Studies

January 2004 addition from KNE

Cave of Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc
http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/chauvet/en/index.html

The Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave is exceptional for three reasons: 1) it is
the first time that archaeologists had the opportunity to study a
decorated prehistoric cave; 2) representations on the walls show an
uncommon diversity of animals and demonstrate numerous artistic
innovations; and 3) radiocarbon dating indicates these are perhaps the
oldest paintings ever made dating from around 32000 years before
present. This website provides a unique look at the discovery, research,
preservation, and historic importance as well as providing an
opportunity to "visit" the cave. See also the News section for more
images and information. The site is in English, Spanish, and French.

Grade Level:  Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary, Middle School, High
School, College, Adult/Professional
Content Area:  Arts (Visual Arts), History & Social Studies
 

Boston Museum of Fine Arts

for paintings of major figures of the American Revolution (under John Singleton Copley), Paul Revere's silver (under Paul Revere) and art works from ancient civilizations

http://www.mfa.org/artemis/

Lesson Plans and Teaching Strategies

http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/plans.html

Eighty social studies lesson plans plus numerous thematic units in social studies are at this site for your use. Each lesson contains the overview, purpose, a materials list, the length of time a lesson will take, and the end project.

ProTeacher!

http://www.proteacher.com/090028.shtml

Lesson plans about the fifty states for use in the elementary classroom.

Apple Website for Teachers

http://ali.apple.com/edres/ccenter/curriccenter.shtml

Apple computers provides information on internet resources and activities on thematic units.  Some of the units are the 50 States, Celebrate America, and the Presidents.

Academy Curricular Exchange for Elementary Grades

 http://www.ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/soc/elem.html

Numerous lesson plans with their titles and grade levels are listed at this site. The overview, purpose, materials needed, timing, and steps for the project are all included. 

Early America’s Archive

http://www.earlyamerica.com/

While this site does not include lesson plans, I have included it as a resource for primary sources on the life of Americans in the 18^th century.

iKnowthat.com

http://www.iKnowthat.com

Children can create “pushpin” maps online.

American Memory

http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/index.html

This section of the Library of Congress is a gold mine for American history social studies teachers.  In features, you will find thematic units with primary sources; in activities you will find lesson plans and resources for immediate classroom use, and the section marked educators offers you self serve in-service lessons to help you find and use primary sources.

Historical Treasure Chest

http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/treasure/index.html

Bank Street College of Education and the Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education offer an integrated activity for the Language Arts and Social Studies teacher on historical research using primary sources.

Colonial Williamsburg 18th-Century Living History Museum http://www.history.org/history/

From the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the History site is broken

down into sections: Teacher Resources, Electronic Field Trips, History

Explorer, Clothing, Gardens, Archaeology, and more. Within each section

is a rich assortment of lesson plans, pictures, recipes (see "What's

New"), and information about daily life. The Electronic Field Trips look

interesting; but they are not free. You can check out a sample web

adventure from the Field Trips at

http://www.history.org/History/teaching/sample/adventure.cfm

The First Thanksgiving (Scholastic Inc) http://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/

Students explore the voyage on the Mayflower, the relationship between the

Wampanoag and the Pilgrims, and the events that led up to the harvest feast

celebrated by both groups. An intimate perspective is provided by

"interviews" with Pilgrim interpreters playing the roles of actual Pilgrims

and a modern-day Wampanoag descendant. This site includes several different

sections for exploration including: Picture Time Line, Voyage on the

Mayflower, Plimoth: 1621, Thanksgiving CyberChallenge, and a Teacher's

Guide. The Teacher's Guide includes: assessment and rubrics, learning

objectives, description of components, lesson suggestions, project text,

national standards, cross curricular extensions, and more resources.

Grade Level: Elementary

Content Area: Education (Curriculum), History & Social Studies (United

States History) [Dewey #973]

Application type: Other Resources

Encyclopedia of Days

http://www.shagtown.com/days/

The Encyclopedia of Days is a work in progress that includes brief

descriptions of holidays from all over the world. Most of these holidays

are grouped alphabetically by country, religion, or topic. You can browse

through these entries by selecting a letter from the bottom of the home

page, or you can use the search tool. It is a compilation of several

well-known reference sources which are listed in the Bibliography. It

appears to be a "home-grown" website rather than a full-fledge corporate or

professional website; however it fills a void, is pretty comprehensive, and

easy to use.

Grade Level:  Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary, Middle School, High

School, College, Adult/Professional

Content Area: Community Interest (Reference Desk) [Dewey #027] Application type: References & Tools

---------------------------

Facts for Features (US Census Bureau)

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/factsheets.html

A handy cheat sheet for locating statistical information on a narrow range

of topics. Each Facts for Features consists of a collection of statistics

pertinent to a particular holiday or special observance; they serve as

background for reporters who write or broadcast feature stories. The data

are gleaned from demographic and economic subject areas across the Census

Bureau. In some instances, there are also links to related quotes and sound

bytes. It is not comprehensive and cannot be searched. A good place to look

when you need a quick item or two about a holiday, women, an ethnic group,

or special populations (like grandparents!)

Grade Level:  Elementary, Middle School, High School, College,

Adult/Professional

Content Area: Community Interest (Reference Desk) [Dewey #027] Application type: Hotlist

Sagwa: Game -- "Pictures as Words"

PBSOL>

Elementary School

Early Chinese writing used pictograms -- symbols that stand for a word or idea -- instead of words. Try your hand at matching pictograms with their corresponding meaning with this fun game.

     http://pbskids.org/sagwa/games/picturesaswords/

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum

http://www.alincoln-library.com/Apps/default.asp

The official Web site of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and

Museum. Use this Web site to learn more about the most admired president

in American history and the city he called home; as well as to follow

the progress of the construction of the Presidential Library and Museum

(opening 2004). Sections include Architecture, Kids Page, material about

Lincoln's family, selections from President Lincoln's legendary wit, and

links to the Illinois History Teacher Magazine.

Grade Level: Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary, Middle School, High

School, College, Adult/Professional

Content Area: Community Interest (Government/Politics), History & Social

Studies (United States History) [Dewey #973]

Application type: Other Resources

Monticello--The Home of Thomas Jefferson

http://www.monticello.org/

Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the

United States. You can explore the house, gardens, and plantation.

Includes: biographic info, "A Day in the Life" with images, Jefferson's

West (Thomas Jefferson and the Lewis and Clark Expedition), an

interactive floorplan, biographies of people who lived and worked at

Monticello, an exhibit on Oral Histories, a narrative on slavery,

pictures and descriptions of plants and gardens,recipes, and more.

Grade Level:  Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary, Middle School, High

School, College, Adult/Professional

Content Area:  Community Interest (Regional Information), History &

Social Studies (United States History) [Dewey #973]

Application type:  Reference

ClassroomClassics

http://www.bcsd.com/compton/library/classics/index.htm

ClassroomClassics is a one-stop source for classic books to supplement

teaching History/Social Science California State Standards in your

classroom! ClassroomClassics is organized by grade level from

Kindergarten through 8th grade. Simply click a grade level, then select

the state standard for which you wish to prepare your lesson. The books

have been carefully chosen by Darla A. Brown, LMT, M.Ed, an experienced

certificated Library Media Teacher.

Grade Level: Adult/Professional

Content Area: Education (Curriculum) [Dewey #375]

Application type: Hotlists

Ancient Egypt

Cleopatra: A Multimedia Guide to the Ancient World http://www.artic.edu/cleo/index.html

Cleopatra: is an interactive guide to the Ancient Art Collection of The

Art Institute of Chicago. Cleopatra, queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 B.C.,

embodied the three great cultures of the ancient Mediterranean region:

she was Greek by birth, ruled Egypt as its queen, and lost her kingdom

to Rome. To see the "Close-up" views of the Ancient Art objects, their

"Stories" and listen to the Glossary pronunciations you will need

QuickTime. Includes printable lesson plans for grades 4 thru 12

(http://www.artic.edu/cleo/Teachfolder/LPMainSearch.html).

Grade Level: Early Childhood (K-2), Elementary, Middle School, High

School

Content Area: History & Social Studies (Anthropology / Archaeology),

History & Social Studies (World History) [Dewey #301]

Application type: Unit & Lesson Plans, Other Resources, Web Based

CampSilos

http://www.campsilos.org/

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