Grades 3-5 - Social Studies Resources
People
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1. MultiMedia Biographies - Great source of information for biography projects. It includes timelines, links to other sources, video and recommended books. You can search for people by name or by category.
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History
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1. Jamestown Online Adventure - Role-play being the captain of the new colony and try to do better than the real colonists! There is a copy of the London Company's instructions to guide you as well as advice from fellow colonists and the Native Americans. After all decisions are made you will receive a report on the state of your colony. Good luck!
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2. Investigating the First Thanksgiving - An interactive game where you can discover what really happened at the First Thanksgiving.
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- Our Story in History - Fun online and offline lessons that help students explore the history of our country.
- Primary Source Learning - Discover, Teach, and Learn with Digital Historical Documents -This site, created by practicing educators, "assists teachers and students in using Library of Congress primary source materials" and includes lessons that target the best instructional practices.
- A Slave On Three Continents - Millions of Africans were transported across the Atlantic and sold into slavery in the Americas. Very few had the chance to describe their experience to the world. One who did was an African named Olaudah Equiano. He was of the Ibo people and lived in the kingdom of Benin (present-day Nigeria). He wrote an amazing autobiography that described his life's journey from freedom to slavery and back to freedom again. Students can explore the remarkable life of Olaudah Equiano through his own words.
- The Underground Railroad - The activities presented here, especially the interactive journey, offer students an emotional as well as historical experience regarding slavery. The Classroom Ideas are tailored to various age groups.
- LIBERTY! - The American Revolution | PBS PBS website about the mini series "Liberty! The American Revolution." There are teacher resources, information, video clips and a game for students to use.
- Cultural & Political Chronology (1750-1783) - Timeline of events in the US colonies from 1750-1783
- National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service - Historic destinations you can visit online or in person are virtually endless! Each itinerary is a self-guided tour to historic places listed in the National Register. Spotlighting different geographic regions and themes across the country, National Register Travel Itineraries expose you to a huge variety of places significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, and culture.
- Digital History - A Web site created by professors at the University of Houston designed to support the teaching of American history for K-12 students; the site includes an online textbook, annotated historical documents, and over 70 inquiry-based interactive modules, and much more.
- Object of History -This website features six artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum’s collections, related high school curriculum materials, and opportunities for students to participate in live online forums with Smithsonian curators. Schedule of Featured Objects: October 2007 — Mary Todd Lincoln’s Dress (Slavery and Civil War) November 2007 — Gold Nugget that launched the Gold Rush (Westward Expansion) February 2008 — 1898 Standard Voting Machine (Progressive Reform) Each featured Object Lesson includes the materials for students and additional materials for teachers .
Geography
- United States History Map - Students will learn U.S. geography as they learn how the country was settled. They will learn how the continent was irrevocably changed by European colonization, the events that caused the displacement of the land's original inhabitants, and how the 50 states came to be formed.
- U.S. States - Information and games for all 50 states
- Learn About the 50 States - Links to detailed information about all 50 states
- Maggie's Earth Adventures - Practice geography in a fun, game format.
- Do You Know All of the States? - Drag the states to their proper location. Beat the clock!
- Test Your Geography Knowledge - Geography quizzes for around the World
- Terra Clues - A puzzle game where the objective is to find locations on the world map by solving a set of clues. Each time you solve a clue, the next clue will be unlocked until all clues have been solved.
- Animated Atlas: Growth of a Nation - This 10 minute presentation illustrates the growth of the US from the original 13 states in 1789.
Government
- Ben's Guide to U.S. Government - Grades 3-5- Good information about U.S. Government in a kid-friendly format
- Save the Bill of Rights - An interactive game where students locate 8 missing rights by finding examples of the rights in a community and selecting the correct terminology.
- Three Branches of Government - Truman Library An online unit for students to use to learn about the three branches of the U.S. Government.
- The Democracy Project - The interactive activities and lesson plans on this site help students understand the structure and duties of local, state and federal government; understand how government affects our everyday lives, through laws, institutions and services provided in the community; identify the duties of the U.S. president and think critically about the skills necessary to be a good president; understand the history of voting rights in America, and articulate how voting and other forms of civic involvement are essential to a healthy democracy.
Miscellaneous
- Netstate - Michigan - This site has links to lots of information about Michigan.
- Detroit Free Press - Yak's Corner The Detroit Free Press section for kids. Contains current events of high interest to upper elementary students
- Social Studies for Kids Social Studies for Kids offers articles, links, and fun facts, on history, geography, cultures, holidays, economics, and archaeology.
- Social Studies - Links to lots of websites that are about Social Studies
