Classroom Resources
Kelsi Horner
Websites That I Can Use
Mental Floss
Mental Floss ia magazine that has a website that contains facts and videos that can be very helpful in a social studies classroom.
For example: here is a link to an article titled "Who Was 'Miranda' of the Miranda Warning?" This is a great resource to share, especially right now with the Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was not read his Miranda Rights due to public safety concerns.
National Geographic-Education
National Geographic-Education is a branch of National Geographic that has teacher friendly resources. There are lesson plans, activities, units, and even professional development for teachers of all grades.
Learning from Lyrics
Learning from Lyrics is a website that has a catalog of songs that you can use in your lessons. There are thousands of song and each contains an idea of how to use it in the classroom.
Interactive Sites for Education
Interactive Sites for Education has many links to various websites that help students learn. The Social Studies page includes topics on: Ancient Egypt, Continents, Countries, Landforms, Maps & Direction, Native Americans, States & Capitals, and US Presidents & Government.
Google Earth
Google Earth allows you to virtual see any location. You can explore buildings, see images of roads, places, and businesses. Google Earth allows students to see places across the country.
PBS Teachers
PBS Teachers has a section on social studies. They have numerous resources including activity packs on over nineteen different social studies related topics. They also have information divided by grade levels and have class specific resources.
Using Netflix to Teach History
This is a great article from the blog Yarns of Heart, which is titled "Using Netflix to Teach History." This article lists Netflix movies that you can use to showcase different time periods in history. This would be very helpful if you had a substitute in class or needed to introduce a unit.
History Channel
The History Channel has a website that can serve as a great resource. They have a wide variety of topics and videos and fun facts about random historical topics.
Kids.usa.gov
Kids.usa.gov is a great website run by the United States government that has sections for Kids (grades K-5), Teens (6-8), as well as Grown-Ups (teachers and adults). It has various modules, lesson plans, and worksheets that would be very useful in a middle school classroom.
CIA World Factbook
The CIA World Factbook is a great tool for many social studies classrooms. You can find regional and world maps, flags of the world, country comparisons, and an overall summary of individual countries The summaries are very helpful and they cover the basics, geography, people and society, government, economy, energy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
Videos That I Can Use in the Classroom
Crash Course!
Crash Course! is a YouTube Channel that has various videos that give quick rundowns of various events or topics. They have channels for US History, Chemistry, World History, Biology, Literature, and Ecology.
"You Matter" -Angela Maiers
"You Matter" by Angela Maiers is a TED Video. The Talk was organized in Des Moines and is considered an independently organized TED event. I think this video would be great to show to students. It is a good motivator and I think that this is important to communicate to students.
YouTube for Schools
YouTube for Schools is a website that allows video to stream into your classroom for free. Videos are high quality educational videos. Teachers don't have to worry about inappropriate things showing up.
"How the Electoral College Works" -CGP Grey
"How the Electoral College Works" is exactly what it sounds like. It gives a brief overview of the often confusing electoral college. CGP Grey also has a video that tells what happens if the electoral college is tied. Very helpful if you are teaching a government class!
"Tour the States" -Marbles the Brain Store
"Tour the States" is a video that showcases the 50 states in musical form.
Podcasts That I Can Use in My Classroom
"History Hour"
"History Hour" is presented by the BBC World Service. History Hour includes information from World War II to the Arab Spring and it is told by people who were there. The podcast is presented by Max Pearson.
"The British History Podcast"
"The British History Podcast" by Jamie Jeffers would be very useful in a world history classroom. The British History Podcast discusses the human drama that changed a small island into a towering empire. The podcast is organized chronologically from Britain's early beginnings to present day.
"CNN Student News"
"CNN Students News" is provided by CNN. CNN Student News utilizes CNN's worldwide resources to bring each day's top news stories to middle and high school classrooms. The 10-minute, commercial-free program encourages student participation and provides classes with context for understanding current events.
"Mad Money with Jim Cramer"
"Mad Money with Jim Cramer" by CNBC would be a great tool for any economics classroom. "Mad Money w/Jim Cramer," takes viewers inside the mind of one of Wall Street's most respected and successful money managers.
"Sikh History"
"Sikh History" by Sikh History provides a fascinating look into the sparkling lives of the Sikhs from the 15th century to the present times, transporting us back to the times of our ancestors.