History, Civics, and Social Studies Resources

If you're studying United States history, check out A History of US (10 volumes) by Joy Hakim or the corresponding PBS series, Freedom: A History of US. Historical fiction by Jean Fritz is also a big hit in our family.

World History (including Ancient Civilizations)  is on a separate page because there were too many links to include them all here. 

Miscellaneous Websites Created Especially for Kids

• Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids ("Ben" refers to Ben Franklin)
• Fact Finder's Kid's Corner---The United States Bureau of the Census Web site introduces the census to elementary students. Look up your state and find out more than you ever thought you would know about local statistics.
• FBI Kids and Youth Page---The FBI Kids and Youth Page offers two main sections: "Crime Detection", which provides an inside look at how three important procedures (DNA testing, polygraph testing, and fingerprinting) help FBI agents solve crimes; and "Crime Prevention", which looks at child abduction, gangs, and safety tips to follow when using the Internet.
• History Timelines (OK, so this one is really for all ages)
• Roadmap to the U.S. Constitution This U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights site was created by students for students. 
• Time for Kids Time Magazine offers an on-line version of "News for Kids". You'll find grade-level appropriate stories, games and other activities.
• Washington Post: Kid's Post This news site offers a look at what's going on in the world. Articles are appropriate for upper elementary and middle school students.

Civics and United States Government

• Constitutional Rights Foundation: Web Lessons  "The Constitutional Rights Foundations seeks to educate young people on the subject of citizenship." This site includes a thought-provoking section called "The Bill of Rights in Action," which covers many topics, including: military authority, religious tolerance, and civil disobedience. For each topic, a selection of articles is followed by discussion questions, suggested reading, and an activity.
• Documentary History of the First Federal Congress George Washington University created this online exhibit dedicated to the First Federal Congress. Each issue begins with a citation from the Constitution. You will find numerous letters, newspaper articles, cartoons, and portraits in each section, as well as an online teacher's guide.
• GovSpot.com is a non-partisan government information portal designed to simplify the search for the best and most relevant government information online.

General Social Studies Resources

• Asia Source Developed by the Asia Society to meet the need for timely, reliable, unbiased information regarding the cultural, economic, social, historical, and political dimensions of Asia.
• Best of History Websites - Annotated links to over 1000 history sites. This is an excellent portal to useful sites. Search here first.
• Education: National Geographic Teachers will find wonderful resources including lesson plans and maps from National Geographic on this Web site.
• History Channel.com Developed as a guide to the History Channel productions, this site offers access to history resources, which augment the television programs.
• History Firsthand: Primary Source Research in Elementary School  The Library of Congress History Firsthand Web site has been designed to provide elementary children with experiences that enable them to begin understanding primary sources.
• Mr. Donn's History and Social Studies  This site is easy to search and full of information.
• Odyssey Online, a journey to explore the ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and 19th - 20th century sub-Saharan Africa.  Puzzles, games, and worksheets.
• SCORE: Resources and Lessons by Grade Level  This site, out of California, offers a large variety of Social Studies units, which are separated by grade. Many of the units also offer a listing of additional resources and activities.
• Social Studies Links  Hundreds of links on any Social Studies subject imaginable. This is a great starting point for students needing help with research projects and teachers looking for specific resources links.
• Teaching with Documents Created by Peter Pappas, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction in East Irondequoit Central School District, this site is designed to help teachers and students make sense of the vast amount of source material available over the Internet, and effectively bring these resources to their work as historians.

United States History and Geography

• 50 States Symbols, flags, maps, constitutions, representatives, songs, birds, flowers, and trees for each state in the US.
• High School: American Memory Primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States.

Current Events

• EduStock  This interdisciplinary project, designed for middle school students and teachers, is interactive and revolves around a stock market competition between classmates using real-time stock market data from the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.
• USA TODAY: Education Online Lesson plans for teaching current events.
• Investigative Reporters and Editors IRE is a grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting within the field of journalism. The "Centers" and "Libraries" links offered on the left margin can help students locate background information on almost any topic in the news.
• Poynter.org  The Poynter Institute is a school for journalists, future journalists, and teachers of journalism. For students, this site offers rich background and research information for reports.

Wondering where to buy your books and other curriculum materials? Click here for a list of vendors and other sources. 

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