3134 social-studies results | sort by:
Profile Publisher - ReadWriteThink.org
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): literature (214)
In the Classroom
Teach Internet safety by having students create a mock profile to use on social networking sites. Printing out those profiles makes editing in small groups a breeze. Yearbook or newspaper staff may want to use this Profile Publisher to gain more information about people of interest. History comes alive when you profile historical figures or interview veterans and generate profiles of local heroes. Imagine students creating a blog entry by George Washington. Or ask students to profile a type of cell, an endangered animal, or a science concept such as climate change. With this tool and some creative thinking, anything is possible.Be SURE to warn students to PRINT before closing. The site does NOT save work. You may want them to draft their work in a saved document before pasting it into the profiler, just in case work is interrupted by a fire drill or the bell.
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The Biography Maker - Jamie McKenzie and the Bellingham Public Schools.
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): questioning (37), writing (308)
In the Classroom
All material at this site is copyrighted, so it must be viewed online. For students who do best with step-by-step instructions, this site is a gem! You might have one group research authors from a particular country while others do artists, musicians, scientists, etc. A class report from each of these groups would do a good job of encapsulating a country or area of the world within any given time period. Teachers seeking independent projects for students who "test out" of a unit can assign this site's step-by-step instructions as a meaningful alternate activity.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Famous People - BBC
Grades
K to 3tag(s): britain (24), explorers (65), famous people (40), great britain (14), timelines (60)
In the Classroom
Have students use this website for research projects about famous people. Create a learning center featuring this website. Have students choose one person to learn about, view the slideshow, and then take the online quiz. If individual computers aren't available, all of the activities are ideal for an interactive whiteboard or projector. Why not highlight one famous person each week during a unit about explorers? Share the slideshow early in the week, then review it using the quiz and journey activities. Have students help create a bulletin board highlighting famous people by drawing pictures, writing stories, or creating a map related to the "famous person of the week." Once you have "met" some world-famous people, connect to your local world by doing a class "report" on a "famous person" within your school community using PowerPoint: perhaps the head cook in the lunchroom or the principal. Be sure to include digital pictures.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Ring of Fire - Enchanted Learning
Grades
2 to 6In the Classroom
Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to share the information available at this website. Then have your students work in pairs to complete the cloze activity (project the choices on a screen). Further integrate the information into their schema by having them write the entire cloze paragraph (in a journal or on a blank sheet of paper), rather than just filling in the blanks.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Wilderness Classroom - The Wilderness Classroom Organization
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): amazon (11), mississippi (5), peru (6)
In the Classroom
Use the downloadable lesson plans, printable pages, standards, and kid libraries to organize the unit in conjunction with the expedition. Follow upcoming expeditions in real time live in the classroom. Project the expeditions on an interactive whiteboard or screen. Allow students to participate in scheduled live chat sessions with the expedition members or e-mail them personally, using a class email account or student email within school policies.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mysterious Places: Ancient Civilizations Modern Mysteries - Mysterious Places
Grades
4 to 12In the Classroom
This site might be offered to students doing independent research or included as "real" mysteries during a reading or literature unit on mysteries. The information could augment a lesson plan from a standard text with its lovely photos. It could be an option for exploration by accelerated students who have completed a unit on ancient history. Teachers should be aware that there is an on-line forum as a part of this site which requires registration. Its content is completely peripheral to the site, and students should simply be instructed to avoid it.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MLB.com - MLB Advanced Media
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): baseball (28), statistics (127)
In the Classroom
Get your students excited about statistics, using this baseball website. Share the video clips on an interactive whiteboard. Talk about the current events in baseball. Visit the stats page for some mathematical fun!Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Baseball Reference - Sports Reference, LLC
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): baseball (28), sports (87), statistics (127)
In the Classroom
Use the information at this website in math or history class. This is great supplemental material for statistics, U.S. history (since 1880s), African-American history, and others. Have students use this site for individual research projects about topics provided at this website. Use the "Stathead" information as an anticipatory set for a math or statistics lesson.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Baseball Stats 101 - Baseball Almanac
Grades
4 to 10tag(s): baseball (28), statistics (127)
In the Classroom
There are lots of class possibilities here: let students create formulas from the definitions, compare stats for the favorite teams, research the history of the sport or a specific player, or try to write their own original quotes about baseball.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Scratch - Lifelong Kindergarten Group, MIT Media Lab
Grades
1 to 12Material created can only be viewed within the program. Drawings are not saved as a JPG or pic file. However, a "snapshot" of the screen can be created by using these keys in Mac: apple, shift, and 4 and click/drag to surround the portion to save. In PC use: control/print screen. These snapshots can be uploaded or used as a picture in other applications.
tag(s): animation (62), coding (109), computational thinking (45), critical thinking (182), design (76), drawing (57), problem solving (274), STEM (372)
In the Classroom
Be sure to "play" with this program before you present it to students; or, you could have computer savy students in your class pair up with not so savy students to investigate together. There are many tabs, folders; and icons to investigate. You (or students) could click Create and in the center pane, click on the tutorial. To begin your creation follow the steps in the tutorial. Once you have the idea, choose your own features from the menu on the left, and on the bottom right are two more menus; Look for the cat icon and the backdrops. Different colors, pens, and materials can be used to create the background or an image can be brought in from your computer. Objects in Scratch are called a Sprite and can be added in by choosing the folders below the screen. By clicking the script tab, blocks can be moved in to create motion, add sounds (even record your own message), and change the look of the Sprite. Blocks are linked on to each other to create a series of events. A control block dragged to the top of the blocks control which key starts the event. Advanced options include adding variables and other controls.Be sure to check with your Technology Department, as many districts require authorization to download or install new applications. Projects can be shared online; however an account is required.
Work is saved to the computer itself and only shared online via an account. To avoid problems concerning content made by outsiders or issues with sharing, save the work locally and either create your own gallery on a supervised class website/wiki or set up a single account where you share the "best" projects online via your own log-in. Remind students of the school's Acceptable Use Policy and consequences of violations, if you do allow them to join/share. Images used should adhere to all copyright rules. Use pictures taken in class or those with Creative Commons licensing (and provide attribution!).
Practical tips: Students quickly catch on to this program when allowed to play and easily see what they can make from it. Provide a simple assignment with defined rules/tasks to learn the tools. Younger students may familiarize themselves more easily working with a partner. Have students use a storyboard to write down what they will do/draw/say in their creation in order to keep tabs on what students and their creations.
Possible uses: For the lower grades, Scratch provides unlimited possibilities. Use as a new way to show vocabulary usage. Use the paint program to add information to a picture from your class field trip or science experiment. Use Scratch to help in storytelling a concept in a new and unique way, such as how rocks are formed. In the upper grades, use Scratch to show complex material in a new way. For example, students can draw DNA and show replication, etc. through their drawings and storytelling. Draw the different movements of landforms in plate tectonics. Draw or illustrate solutions to Math problems.
Edge Features:
Includes an education-only area for teachers and students
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Products can be embedded
Products can be shared by URL
Requires download/installation of software
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Exploratorium - Science of Baseball - Exploratorium
Grades
4 to 10In the Classroom
Treat your students to this content-rich website using your interactive whiteboard or projection screen. Take your class outside to try their hands at some of the experiments. Or have cooperative learning groups explore different sections of this multi-faceted website. What a fantastic way to excite your students about learning science.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Art of Ancient Egypt - Metropolitan Museum of Art
Grades
4 to 7tag(s): egypt (60)
In the Classroom
After exploring the various activities, students can create their own Egyptian-inspired artifacts for a classroom museum. Invite other classes for a student-docent tour of the museum. Discuss the stylized Egyptian figures that communicate ideas and stories and ask students to strike poses which others try to decipher. Students can add contemporary items to a time capsule and bury it somewhere on the school grounds to be discovered by future archeologists. Discuss why items in the time capsule might mystify people in the future.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Africa Focus: Sights and Sounds of a Continent - University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): africa (162), architecture (83), black history (131)
In the Classroom
Teachers will find this site rich in resources for units on science, social studies, geography, architecture, music, art, and culture. Make Africa a "real" place by sharing on a projector as you share stories or learn about homes ("Structures") and habitats or landforms ("Landscape") with younger students. Use the sound recordings for lessons on oral history, myths, languages, and music. Assign student groups a topic area, which they can research and present to the class as a PowerPoint or another multi-media format using an interactive whiteboard or projector.Images, text, or other content downloaded from the collection may be freely used for non-profit educational and research purposes under Fair Use. That means that you may NOT put them on the web in a public site, blog, or wiki, since you would not be limiting access to class members. If you want students to create blog or wiki pages, create passworded access for class members only to areas displaying these images and resources. Check the website for instructions on how students can cite this source in their bibliographies.
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The Case Files - The Franklin Institute
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): aviation (51), energy (140), inventors and inventions (89), scientists (72), transportation (31)
In the Classroom
Why not use this website as a resource for "case file" research projects. Assign each student (or groups of students) a different person to investigate. Weaker readers may need a partner with strong reading skills. Then have the students present a multimedia presentation about their "case file." Some tool suggestions are (click on the tool name to access the review): Adobe Creative Cloud Express for Education, Vevox, Animatron, Renderforest, and Microsoft PowerPoint Online. Or have a day when students actually portray their scientist and interact with others "in character."Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Statue of Liberty: The Meaning and Use of a National Symbol - EDSITEment
Grades
3 to 7In the Classroom
If you are learning about the Statue of Liberty or national symbols in general, visit this useful online unit. Even if you don't have time to complete the entire unit, you can "cherry pick" the good stuff. The activities are ready to go and very simple to use. Why not use your interactive whiteboard to share some of the unique pictures and activities available at this website.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Exploring Online: The Sweet Lure of Chocolate - Exploratorium Magazine
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): aztecs (10), chocolate (3), mayans (32), nutrition (137)
In the Classroom
There are numerous ways that this website could be incorporated into the classroom. Why not have a class debates about whether chocolate is healthy or hurtful to the human body? This website also presents concise and diverse research that could be used for independent projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Kidlink - Kidlink
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): careers (184), communication (123), cultures (290)
In the Classroom
Students need not have their own email to use this site. Kidlink explains that they are permitted to use the teacher's email address (which allows you to monitor their activities, as well). You might want to use your "extra" email account. Set up accounts for your students to communicate in your world language class or as part of your study of other continents. With younger students, you may want to communicate as a whole-class activity, composing on a projector or interactive whiteboard.If your school policies limit your ability to use such a site, see the FAQ information and ready-to-go presentation explaining Kidlink. Share it with your principal and parents. ALWAYS get written parent permission when sharing student work/ideas online.
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Biographical Dictionary - s9.com
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (182)
In the Classroom
This site could be a terrific way to publish student research projects to the real world. When you assign research projects on a famous scientist, author, famous American, musician, etc., have students create their written projects in a format that will fit into this online dictionary, including providing links and references for their information. Younger students could write an entry together as a class (perhaps on an author whose book you have just read). Challenge middle and high school students to find articles in your research area that contain possible inaccuracies or bias (and the research to prove it) and present both the original and their proposed changes to the class before putting them online. What a critical thinking challenge!Be sure to follow your district's acceptable use policy if you are allowing students to contribute to this site. Make sure you have written parent permission to post student work online.
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Travel For Kids - Globetracks
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): countries (70)
In the Classroom
Have students research various countries throughout the world -- maybe one from their famiy heritage. Use your interactive whiteboard (or projector) to have them share the various countries. Have your students read books from the various countries. Then challenge your students to create travel posters or broshures about the country. World language teachers can use the country information for students to learn "plan a trip" to a country where residents speak the language you are studying and create a tour advertisement in the language.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CRAM - Flashcard DB (Database) - Cram.com
Grades
K to 12tag(s): word study (58)
In the Classroom
Facts, spelling words, vocabulary, definitions, you name it --- all can easily be typed into this flashcard format for any subject. Plan to tag sets for related material so they can be grouped. For example: tag all geography terms "geography" and all words from the same science chapter using the chapter number or topic. You can use multiple tags, too! In the computer lab, using a projector or interactive whiteboard, walk your students through making their own sets of flashcards. Students or parents can then access their electronic cards at home or anywhere. No email address is needed to sign-up for this free service. Include the link to your sets on your web page for students to study before tests.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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