SOCIAL STUDIES: A WORLD OF
POSSIBILITIES

Critical evaluation is a central part of the new literacies and social studies is a wonderful venue in which to develop this with primary source documents.  Having the Internet in our classroom enables students to experience different cultures through the communication experiences they have with students in other parts of the world. This is a special and very powerful potential for social studies education. Finally, there are simply more information resources for social studies education than any other subject area on the Internet.

Teaching with the Internet: Miguel Robledo’s Class

Miguel Robledo developed scavenger hunts to help his students develop navigational skills using resources at Internet Scavenger Hunts and Education World.  Each week, he set up a single Internet Workshop for students to complete based on the many resources available at History/Social Studies for K-12 Teachers. He set a bookmark for the best location for each week’s topic and developed several critical thinking questions for his students.   He had posted a project to compare perceptions of World War II (WWII) by students from several different countries at The Global SchoolNet Projects Registry.

As part of one History project his class found information at the homepage for Memories. They subscribed to the mailing list located there, also called Memories listserv@maelstrom. stjohns.edu. This is a mailing list in which participating classrooms can exchange email messages with survivors of
WW II.

Miguel had set the homepage location on all three computers to open to American Memory.  The site,  called “Votes for Women” 1850–1920, contained a collection of photographs and documents about the women’s suffrage movement in the United States. Then they started reading One Hundred Years toward Suffrage: An Overview, developing a greater appreciation for the struggles women have faced.

They started reading about Jackie Robinson and viewing the extensive set of documents about this famous American found at Jackie Robinson and other Baseball Highlights, 1980’s–1960’s.

Critical Evaluation Information is collection of resources compiled by Kathy Schrock to help students of all ages learn to become better consumers of content they read on all types of websites. One tip offered is to require students to cross-reference claims from several sources before accepting them as accurate.

Lessons from the Classroom

Miguel’s experiences demonstrate how extensive the resources on the Internet are for social studies.  Students will benefit tremendously if you help them sort through these many resources to find those that are most useful. Also provide assistance with using various search engines to locate information.  Developing individual bookmark folders helps students keep track of their own favorite sites.

Directories for Social Studies Resources

The best directories that we have found for general social studies resources include these locations:

• The Library of Congress Students can view items ranging from the original draft of the Declaration of Independence in Thomas Jefferson’s handwriting to the Vietnam War POW/MIA database.  Included in separate sections are: Thomas , the official source of legislative information for the U.S. Congress; Exhibitions, a collection of recent exhibitions at the Library of Congress; Using the Library, providing you with access to the extensive catalogs of the Library of Congress and many others; and The Library Today, containing information about the most recent information and events at our nation’s library.

• History/Social Studies for K-12 Teachers The homepage for this location only hints at the many resources it contains.  You will find an amazingly exhaustive set of resources organized in an easy to understand hierarchical structure.

• History Matters has links to primary source documents by “ordinary” people, syllabuses, and web-based lessons. Don’t miss the sections on making sense of evidence—guides for understanding and using various types of primary sources such as oral histories; past meets present— articles pointing out links between past events and current situations; and secrets of great history teachers—a set of interviews with many helpful suggestions.

• Learning Resources  A directory for Canadian resources that is part of SchoolNet. See, especially, the link to social studies. A wonderful collection of all things Canadian.

• Nebraska Department of Education Social Science Resources Homepage This location developed by the State of Nebraska contains resources for social studies education organized under history, civics, economics, and geography.

• Best of History Web sites  is organized by historical time periods. There are also links to online sites for maps and research.

Directories for Social Studies Teaching

Directories for social studies teaching provide specific tools for instruction including Internet units and lesson plans as well as other resources.

Some of the best we have found include:

• Blue Web’n Applications: Social Studies
• CED
• Digital History
• EDSITEment History and Social Studies
• Lesson Plans and Resources for Social Studies Teachers
• National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places
• PBS Social Studies Teaching
• S.C.O.R.E. History/Social Science
• The Learning Page: American Memory
• The Peace Corps World Wide Schools
• Thinkquest Winners

Keeping It Simple: Using Internet Workshop

Locate a site on the Internet with content related to the learning objectives in your classroom and develop an activity that encourages students to explore that site, then have them bring what they’ve learned to the workshop session for sharing and discussion.

For secondary students set a bookmark for The Civil War Letters of Galutia York and invite students to read the letters of this Union soldier.  For the same workshop session, you might also set a bookmark for The Timeline of the Civil War  in the Selected Civil War Photograph Collection.

For younger students studying Abraham Lincoln, set a bookmark for the wonderful resource developed by Tammy Payton, a first grade teacher in Loogootee, Indiana: Abraham Lincoln Classroom Activities. Have students complete as many of the activities as they can and then share their work during an Internet Workshop session.

E-MAIL FOR YOU From: Gary Cressman (cressman@inspire.ospi.wednet.edu) Subject: America the Beautiful Lesson You can get the entire America the Beautiful lesson on my website —click on the folder called Tour of America.  In this lesson, student teams fill out an expense account spreadsheet on the computer for a trip across America.  They have to stay within the budget given. They have to figure mileage between each place they visit, and show its latitude, longitude and elevation.  Students have to buy a car, so I send them to Kelly’s Blue Book to check out new car pricing. They really begin to understand gas mileage, and there are lively discussions as students pick their vehicle carefully. They have to get rooms at Motel.com, and plan their meals. Gary Cressman Chair, History Department and Computer Resource Teacher Enumclaw Junior High Enumclaw, Washington

Using Internet Project

We have also identified locations such as the following where you may search for Internet projects that other teachers have developed or post your own:

• The Global SchoolNet Projects Registry
• Intercultural Email Classroom Connections 
• KIDPROJ
• Oz Projects
• SchoolNet’s Grassroots Collaborative Learning Projects Gallery
•Telecollaborate!
•Windows on the World

E-MAIL FOR YOU From: Linda Shearin <lshearin@bellsouth.net> Subject: Canada Comes Alive! When I was working at Lead Mine Elementary School, I located Canadiana, a treasure trove of information on Canada. Simple but effective communication made our neighbors to the north more real to us, and us to them. Linda Shearin Academically Gifted Resource Teacher Baileywick Elementary School Raleigh, North Carolina

Here are a few examples of previous and ongoing projects:

• Books on Tape  helps students understand the importance of community service and caring about others. The goal of this project is to send at least two packages with books on tape to two hospitals in each state. Each package contains a children’s book, an audio tape of a student reading it aloud, illustrations, and letters from the students. The class has attracted several sponsors to support their important work.

• Geo Game is actually a contest. Each participating class completes a questionnaire about their own location including information about latitude, typical weather, land formations, nearest river, time zone, points of interest, direction from the capital, population, and other items. These are then mailed to the project coordinator who removes the name of the location and then returns the questionnaire items to participants. Participants try to locate the city for each set of items using maps, atlases, and reference materials on the Internet.

E-MAIL FOR YOU From: Peter Lelong (lelongp@fahan.tas.edu.au) Subject: Internet Project Challenges Unlike our first experience back in 1986 when locating any school to communicate via electronic mail was difficult, today’s classrooms have access to a wealth of educational sites such as the Global School House and the Aussie School House. A variety of projects, such as the highly successful Travel Buddies [click on Projects], all aim to stimulate ideas that will encourage students to dip their toes into the world of electronic communication.   Not only does it provide teachers with a chance to become acquainted and plan a series of lessons together but it also ensures that the students because of this prior contact between the teachers will not become disappointed through lack of interest or poor planning by either party to a project. Peter Lelong Fahan School Fisher Avenue Sandy Bay Tasmania 7005 http://www.fahan.tas.edu.au http://www.fahan.tas.edu.au/indonesia/indo.html

Using Internet Inquiry

Web Inquiry Projects, is a site hosted by the Educational Technology Department at San Diego State University.  An example of a relatively open-ended project is Woman’s Suffrage in Twentieth Century America.  You may wish to point them to ThinkQuest. This site contains over 5,000 collaborative projects done by teams of students who have created and entered them into a worldwide competition.

Student-To-Student Activities

Here are some examples of student-to-student activities:

• After her class completed a unit on the Civil War, a student discovered a multimedia experience on the Underground Railroad developed by the National Geographic Society. This student set a bookmark for Underground Railroad and asked her classmates to take this journey. After their journey, students wrote a message describing their feelings in a journal that would then be read by other students as they began their journeys. The entire journal was then displayed at Back to School Night for parents to read.

• Another student, after completing a unit on sustainable agriculture, invited his classmates to visit Eartheasy. He asked them to read the ideas suggested there, and then list three choices for the easiest ways they could help sustain the environment in their community. The students’ choices were added to a continuously updated graph using a spreadsheet program on the computer so that everyone could see which suggestions were most popular.

• Another student, completing a unit on ancient civilizations, invited classmates to explore The Ancient Olympic Games Virtual Museum, a wonderful site, and then write an imaginary letter home to their parents in Athens describing what they saw.

Using WebQuests

Providing ready-to-use plans for a lesson or a unit on a variety of topics at any grade level, webquests offer the possibility of an immediate solution to the problem of how to integrate the Internet into your classroom. However, as with any curricular material, you should carefully evaluate a webquest to determine its suitability for your particular students.   You can also visit The WebQuest Page  for an overview and FAQs (frequently asked questions) about WebQuests.  The WebQuest Portal contains links to sites that have been evaluated and found to be good examples of the original WebQuest model.

Here are some of our favorite social studies webquests:

• Battle of the Battlefields Which of many revolutionary battlefields should receive money for a museum to commemorate its historical significance? Your team must decide which of several battles was most important.

• Searching for China What actions should the United States take in its policy toward China? Your team develops a group report that contains a threepoint action plan. Team members assume roles as various experts and contribute information from their special perspectives focusing on business, culture, religion, human rights, the environment and politics.

•To Hunt or Not to Hunt?  Using a balance of Internet and offline resources, your group will gather background information, then choose a role—Inuit hunter, animal protection activist, or environmental protection agent, and make a presentation explaining the issue from that point of view. After the presentations, your class will discuss the question and try to reach consensus. The follow-up is a choice of real-world activities such as writing to your Congressional representative.

• The Little Rock Nine Using historical resources, information about previous solutions, and an exploration of the situation in their own community, students work in a group in order to answer the question, “What, if anything, should be done to racially desegregate U.S. schools?

Visiting the Classroom: David Cognetti’s Class in New York

Mr. Cognetti’s Homepage was designed for eighth grade social studies students at Waterville Middle School in Waterville, New York.

New Literacies in Social Studies

In the past, we relied on traditional information sources: newspapers, magazines, and books that were scrutinized by editors and publishers, and required sizable sums of money for mass production and distribution. In contrast, the open world of the Internet and new technologies such as weblog software make it possible for almost anyone to publish almost anything for a wide audience with little or no support from reviewers or bankers. This widespread increase of unreviewed information makes it more important than ever that we teach our students how to evaluate information critically.

If you are interested in preparing your own lessons on this topic, especially for use with secondary students, these additional sites may be helpful:

• Evaluating Webpages: Links to Examples of Various Concepts This site offers a conceptual approach to website evaluation with links to many examples.

• Evaluating Webpages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask This site focuses on various techniques, in addition to following a checklist, for evaluating webpages and the information they contain.

• Evaluating Websites: Criteria for the Classroom includes links to seemingly authentic sites that are actually hoaxes.

• The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly or Why It’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources This site has a good bibliography as well as links to example sites illustrating various points on the checklist.

• Thinking Critically About Discipline-Based World Wide Web Resources This site includes questions on website structure and appropriateness for specific disciplines. (Also visit its companion site Thinking Critically About World Wide Web Resources.) 
 
An excellent source of additional information and ready-made lesson plans is the Media Awareness Network.  It has a wealth of information for teachers and parents on developing critical awareness towards all kinds of media and advertising. Click on Teachers to search their free downloadable plans, and be sure to check out the Web Awareness for Teachers section. “Teaching Zack to Think”  is an especially effective lesson that points out telling words and offers tips for double checking a site that appears genuine.

Additional Social Studies Resources on the Internet

Academy of Achievement An outstanding online “museum” with exhibits on achievers from all walks of society.  It includes profiles, biographies, and online interviews available as text or with audio/video.  Visit "Steps to Success" to see and hear quotes from well-known people on topics such as vision, integrity, and courage.

Adbusters: Culturejammers Headquarters A location to help your middle school and high school students develop critical media literacy insights about the commercial world around them.

American Cultural History A series of web guides to the decades of the 20th century.  Basic facts and photos as well as guides on areas such as art, fashion, education, music, and events.

American Experience An excellent site related to the PBS series. Contains teacher sections, including guides for using the programs in class, as well as archives for information and materials on past programs.

American Presidents Life Portraits is a companion site to C-Span’s TV series.  It contains presidential biographies, important events of each presidency, presidential places, and references. Teacher guides, lesson plans, and video clips make this is very useful site.

Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for Kids Organized by grade level this site includes links to many U.S. government sites. Also includes information on getting and using documents from the Government Printing Office.

Contacting the Congress Use this location to quickly send any of the members of the U.S. Congress an email message about your concerns.  It may also be used to request information for units you are planning.

Conversations with History  Read or view (with streaming video) this series of unedited interviews with distinguished men and women from around the world, produced by the Institute of International Studies at the University of California at Berkeley. You can search for interviews by name, topic, or year. This site also has information on CWS – Connecting Students to the World, a program designed to increase collaboration between UCB and other educational institutions.

Cybrary of the Holocaust This cyber library of resources includes audio interviews from survivors, written recollections by survivors, works of literature, images, and a wide array of resources depict this dark period in our history to ensure that we do not forget.

The Early American Review An online journal highlighting the people, issues, and events of eighteenth-century America. A wonderful scholarly resource for high school students in an American history course.

Exploring Ancient World Cultures  consists of “an introductory, on-line, college-level ‘textbook’ of ancient world cultures, constructed around a series of cultural pages consisting of: The Ancient Near East, Ancient India, Ancient Egypt, Ancient China, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Early Islam, and Medieval Europe.   The site contains an anthology, chronology, essays, maps, and an interactive quiz for each of the cultures.

First Gov for Kids An excellent directory from the government’s Federal Citizen Information Center Organized by topics, including Global Village, Careers, History, Money, Arts, and many more. Includes a scavenger hunt. Many sites are suitable for younger students.

Free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence  ED.gov’s link to free resources, sorted by topic and with a featured site of the week.  

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Designed by students in Mrs. Taverna’s second grade class, this site includes a timeline, a quiz, character sketches, and crossword puzzles about Harriet Tubman. Also included are activity ideas for incorporating the content into the classroom as part of an interactive lesson plan.

The History Makers is an oral history archive dedicated to preserving African American history. Included are photos and text and features in areas such as business, civics, education, entertainment, and style.

Historical Voices As they say, “a rich set of both online exhibits and educational curricula, utilizing audio files as a key component of these resources.” Includes various galleries of speeches, interviews, and audio versions of events. An excellent section on teaching with audio clips.

Infonation This site allows you to view and compare statistical data for all United Nations member states.

Journey Back in Time to Ancient Rome A WebQuest intended for upper elementary and middle school students using a jigsaw approach. Students use teamwork and the Internet to explore Ancient Rome and learn about daily life, myths, and government. Each person learns one piece of the puzzle and then comes back together to better understand the topic.

Just for Teachers  ED.gov’s site for educational resources including links to government documents, 30,000 lesson ideas, and reports and readings for teachers.

Letters Home from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War These letters home bring to life the struggles of a country and the experiences of an individual. Nice primary source documents for the study of U.S. History. Lesson ideas are included.

My Hero The site for elementary and middle school students allows you to read about heroes, many of whom come from history, and submit their own stories.  Heroes can be famous individuals or parents.

National Council for History Education  A non-profit organization for promoting history in schools and society. Click their history file and resources links to visit related sites. Also contains archives for their newsletter, “History Matters.”

National Council for Social Studies  Many excellent sources and resources for teachers, organized by the ten themes of the Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Visit the standards page, too. 

National Geographic Society Homepage The homepage of the National Geographic Society provides a wealth of information for students related to the programming and books of this organization. Within the site is a great location for lesson ideas on geography.  Also located at this site are maps that may be printed out by students for reports.

Nova Online/Pyramids: The Inside Story Take a guided tour inside the great pyramids of Giza, read about the history of these magnificent wonders, share the recent discoveries of archeologists, and come away with a new appreciation for the accomplishments of this ancient civilization. A great site for any class studying ancient Egypt.

Odeon’s The Fascinating World of Maps and Mapping Search for online maps, find resources for buying paper maps, or browse Oden’s Bookmarks for maps and other resources by country.

Our Documents This government source has links to primary source documents, special features, tools for teachers, and a news and events link. Be sure to visit their Related Resources for links to other excellent sites.

Oyez – U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia  Listen to over 2000 hours of audio recordings from the Supreme Court. This includes all audio since 1995 with some selections from previous years.  Check out the tour of the Supreme Court Building.

Patchwork of African American Life This exceptional site contains six separate resources for the study of African-American issues: a hotlist of links to important resources on the Internet, an interactive treasure hunt, a subject sampler, a WebQuest on the Little Rock 9, a WebQuest on the Tuskegee Tragedy, and a video conference.

The Smithsonian Homepage The Smithsonian Institution calls itself “The nation’s treasure house for learning.” This site certainly does it justice. Many outstanding links to the wonderful resources of this fine institution.

Stately Knowledge  Includes facts, information, and a map of every state. Includes a quiz on state capitals.

Treasures The British Library’s site of digitized “treasures.” It contains a limited number of documents at this time, but fascinating primary material such as the Gutenberg Bible and Leonardo’s Notebook make this site worth a visit.  

The White House for Kids Click on Kids to take a tour.  Find out about holidays, and “meet” the presidents and first ladies.

World Gen Web is a good place for students to begin exploring genealogy and family roots.

Online Communities for Social Studies

GEOGED Geography Education
      List Subscription: listserv@ukcc.uky.edu

H-HIGH-S A mailing list for high school teachers of social studies. Their homepage contains a nice list of resources and links to members’ webpages.
      Subscription: LISTSERV@H-NET.MSU.EDU
      Homepage: http://www.h-net.org/~highs/
      Discussion Logs:  http://h-net.msu.edu/ cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?
trx=lm & list=H-High-S

H-Net Discussion Networks This webpage contains links to the homepages for many mailing lists in social studies.
      Homepage: http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists/

MEMORIES This listserv allows students to talk with survivors of World
War II.
      Subscription: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu
     Archives: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/memories.html

NCSS Discussion Board The Instructional Technology Committee of the National Council for the Social Studies has established this listserv for interested Internet users to share information and ideas about social studies education in grades K–12 and in teacher education.
     Homepage: http://databank.ncss.org/index.php?topic=discussion

TAMHA Teaching American History (TAMHA) is a list for American History teachers to ask questions, share tips, and discuss issues.
     Subscription:  LISTSERV@LISTS.WAYNE.EDU
     Archives: http://lists.wayne.edu/archives/tamha.html