3 Great Social Studies Web Sites for Teachers

If you are a social studies teacher you know that there can be some great sites just for you. The only hard part is actually taking time out to discover what the Internet actually has to offer. Well I have taken the liberty of evaluating 3 fantastic social studies sites. These will be sure to enrich your classroom teaching experience.

Houghton Mifflin Education Place:

Evaluation of site: I really like this Web site. The resources are great and very helpful. There are 10 specific social studies links that you can connect to. They include: My World, School and Family, Neighborhoods, Communities, States and Regions, United States History, United States History Early Years, United States History: Civil War to Today, World Cultures & Geography, and Western Hemisphere & Europe. Each section has its' own unique set of educational tools that provides students and teachers with interactive resources, such as, an online glossary, interactive maps, and eWord games. Teachers can print off worksheets or send their students to this Web site to on a particular unit. There are also three sections below the 10 sections that I have already mentioned called, Houghton Mifflin Social Studies For Kids, Houghton Mifflin Social Studies For Families, and School Direct Online Catalog and Store. I really like the For Kids section. The students can go to this site and access maps, games, and more. The store offers great resources for each grade level, including maps, books, and videos.

The Smithsonian Museum:

Evaluation of site: The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum complex and research organization. This Web site lists the 19 museums, 9 research centers, and the National Zoo. You can explore each by clicking on the links to the left on the homepage. This is a wonderful site for learning social studies. This website is so jammed packed full of resources it seems like it never ends. You can explore the Encyclopedia Smithsonian links: Art & Design, History & Culture, and Science & Technology. In these sections you can learn about American history, animals, astronomy, geology, politics, film, architecture, artists and more. Other sections include: Events, Exhibitions, Research, Membership, and Smithsonian networks. One of the best links is located underneath the exhibitions link and it is called "Jim Henson's Fantastic World." This exhibit explores the artists, puppeteer, film director and producer Jim Henson. You are able to download and listen to a broadcast of 22 chapters of information about Jim Henson's life of making children happy through puppets. The Web site also offers the viewer the choice to view articles and information in 10 different languages.

National Geographic Xpeditions:

Evaluation of site: This is a great site, especially because I love National Geographic. This site has great lesson plans, activities and atlas maps for educators and students. I also love how they include the standards along with their games, lessons, and activities. Xpedition Hall is a great interactive virtual museum. Here students can take a virtual tour of a museum and learn information about it. They can travel through six different sections, each having an abundance of educational tools and information. There are even standards listed with the museum so you can see which ones your students are hitting. You can also access the National Geographic Home site and the National Geographic Kids site from the Xpedition site. Educators can print maps for their students. This is site is excellent for educators and students.

I hope that these three social studies sites will be of some benefit to you God willing.