HS Social Studies

a set of interdisciplinary social studies lesson plans that utilize a set of historic photos of American children taken between 1900 and 1920.

This interactive online exhibit is a complement to an exhibit at the National Archives. It allows visitors to explore extraordinary photographs and primary documents from the collections of the National Archives as they learn from firsthand accounts of historical events

HistoryWired offers a virtual tour of a large collection of objects from the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.

Sites for Virtual Field Trips

Free online guide maps digital-age skills to social studies projects and tasks

New technology on the Internet-from geographic-information systems (or GIS) to create-your-own-map programs-is allowing teachers to tap into students' own interests and show them that geography is much more than filling in country names on a photocopied map. "It brings them into the world community," Cunha says. "It makes the flat map come alive."

Take the Let's Get Political Quiz to learn about the various components that make up our political personalities and to measure your own style of civic engagement.

Incorporating Web sites and other online resources into the classroom allows teachers to provide students with up-to-the-minute data and resources, as many geography educators have discovered. C-SPAN's Classroom Web site attempts to fill that void for government and civics classes by giving users access to searchable video clips, some of which are available for download. The site from the cable-TV industry's nonprofit public-affairs service also provides standards-based resources-such as discussion questions, activities, and quizzes-for educators to use alongside the Web materials. Videos are grouped into six categories: principles of government, the U.S. Constitution, the legislative branch, the executive branch, the judicial branch, and political participation. Each category includes a featured video clip of a current event, along with a backlog of previous video clips from that category. Watching and downloading all videos requires registration, which is free for educators.

Spark Students' Political Imagination SimCity, part C-Span, President Forever 2008 + Primaries puts the fate of the nation in your students' hands. Are they ready to become the most powerful political leader in the world? Encourage them to prove they can succeed in this political game. Their campaign will be successful through writing speeches, running ads (including attack ads on their opponent) and holding a rally. The 2008 election or past elections can be simulated, with multiple players or a single player running against the computer.

Discover the Stories of New Americans The New Americans Web site offers an educational adventure for students in grades 7-12. The site supplements the PBS documentary series, which explores the immigrant experience through personal stories. Interactive sections of the site allow students to explore the immigration experience through a timeline, maps and activities in tracking family history and examining the effect of immigration on the nation. Eleven lesson plans involve students in activities such as analyzing factual data or conducting oral histories of first- or second-generation immigrants. For workplaces, schools and community organizations that would like to use shorter stories from The New Americans to increase understanding of recent immigrants, Active Voice and Kartemquin Films offer three brief, themed Video/DVD Modules and Discussion Guides for a nominal fee.