Social Studies Websites

Children Discovering Justice Program used by Lowell, being rolled out in K-4 classrooms across the city. CDJ is a Boston-based civic and justice education nonprofit organization. Their mission is to prepare young people to value the justice system, realize the power of their own voices, and embrace civic responsibility by connecting classrooms and courtrooms. www.discoveringjustice.org Brainpop Jr. Excellent site for K-4. Includes videos, games and teacher resources. Topics include American history, biographies, communities, government, citizenship, holidays, Native Americans, economics, and geography. http://www.brainpopjr.com/socialstudies/ PBS The Democracy Project http://pbskids.org/democracy/ iCivics.org Founded and led by Justice Sandra Day OConnor, iCivics provides students with the tools they need for active participation and democratic action, and teachers with the materials and support to achieve this. Free resources include print-andgo lesson plans, award-winning games, and digital interactives. http://www.icivics.org/ (Appropriate for grade 3 and up) Bens Guide Well known social studies education site with lots of information in student friendly language. http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/index.html (grades 3-5) Sheppard Software Addresses geography, government, and US history, landmarks. The US geography games offer tutorial, beginner, intermediate, and advanced settings. www.sheppardsoftware.com ABCya Leader in free educational computer games & activities for elementary students, organized by grade level & subject. www.abcya.com

Teaching Kids News Every day (except on holidays) we offer a new article, based on whats actually happening in the world. Every story is in kid-friendly language and appropriate for kids in grades 2 to 8. Beyond just making the vocabulary accessible, we provide context for everything in each news story, so kids can understand whats going on, and why. http://teachingkidsnews.com/

Kids in the House of Representatives The Kids in the House website is a public service provided by the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Our mission is to provide educational and entertaining information about the legislative branch of the United States Government to students of all ages. Topics covered include the role of the U.S. House of Representatives, the legislative process, and House history. http://kids.clerk.house.gov/
http://kids.clerk.house.gov/teaching-resources.html ** GREAT RESOURCE, BY GRADE LEVEL**

Libertys Kids The goal of the Liberty's Kids is to provide 7-12 year olds with a fresh and exciting experience of the extraordinary period of 1773 to 1789 in American history. It encourages higher order thinking as the two main characters are children with opposing views on the unfolding revolution. This is the supporting website with games and information in student friendly language for tv series. http://www.libertyskids.com Colonial & Revolutionary Period This elementary school resource includes content on a range of topics from Jamestown through the 1800s. https://sites.google.com/a/solteacher.com/olteacher-com/home/4th-grade/socialstudies-4th-grade

Edsitement! EDSITEment offers a treasure trove for high-quality material on the Internet in the subject areas of literature and language arts, foreign languages, art and culture, and history and social studies. All websites linked to EDSITEment have been reviewed for content, design, and educational impact in the classroom, and it was selected as one of the top 25 websites by the America Association of School Librarians. http://edsitement.neh.gov/subject/history-social-studies

PBS LearningMedia - Social Studies Nearly 2000 Social Studies lesson plans, videos and images. Very easy to use search function options including grade level, topic and Common Core standard! (note: you will be prompted to create a free account, other subjects available, too) http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/

Learning to Give Database of over 1,600 K-12 service-learning lesson plans aligned to the Common Core State and state standards/ http://learningtogive.org/ Lowell (3rd and 4th grade) Lowell National Park http://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm Tsongas History Center Partnership between UMASS Lowell Graduate School of Education and the National Park Service. They offer curriculum materials and on site and in school programs. http://www.uml.edu/tsongas/ Lowell Politics and History http://www.richardhowe.com/ American Centuries Explore American History with interactive activities, exhibits, lessons, historic documents and artifacts. www.americancenturies.mass.edu American Memory at the Library of Congress American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning. www.memory.loc.gov

Bill of Rights Institute Educating Young People about the Constitution This site includes constitutional current events that help bring the US Constitution to life for students. www.billofrightsinstitute.org Center for Civic Education This site contains a variety of links to biographies, historical documents, images, and first-hand accounts of the events that influenced our nation's history. Also included are links to sites that will enhance your understanding of the role of the citizen in contemporary America and your own responsibilities as an informed member of society. www.civiced.org Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History A nonprofit organization devoted to the improvement of K-12 history education. Free for teachers and students! www.gilderlehrman.org National Geographic www.nationalgeographic.com National History Day www.nationalhistoryday.org

Library of Congress www.loc.gov White House Historical Association www.whitehousehistory.org We the People from the National Endowment for the Humanities www.wethepeople.gov Massachusetts Historical Society http://www.masshist.org/ National Council for History Education www.history.org/nche National Council for the Social Studies www.ncss.org