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 Grade 4-6 Social Studies

DBQ and Teacher Resources

History Place 
Standards 1-5 (depends on link you are using)
This site covers the following topics:
American Revolution
U. S. Civil War
World War II
Vietnam War
Presidents of the United States
Site also includes the Holocaust and Irish Potato Famine
Can be used for reading comprehension, DBQs and Timelines.
 
Kidport 
Standard 1, 2, 3, 4 Great reference site for all social studies. United States history, world history and geography including China and England.  This site includes teacher resources with quizzes with links to reference material.
 
Teacher Resource Sites 
Teacher Resource- This is a site which links you to a variety of relevant sites.  It covers all content areas.  "Our World" is a good place for culture and world studies, including language and religion.
 
Resource Links for Teachers 
Teacher Resource- This resource list includes links to web sites regarding Latin America. 
 
We The People 
TEACHER RESOURCE- Excellent support site from Houghton Mifflin for WE THE PEOPLE  textbook series. Choose a unit to find theme-related extension activities, links to relevant web sites, a theme project organizer for students, and an up-to-date bibliography.

Holocaust Site 
The subject of this site is the holocaust.  The site has numerous links throughout the timeline to photos which have narratives or captions detailing events.  This site can be used for DBQs.

New York State History

The Erie Canal 
This basic information site covers the Erie Canal and has good maps, links, and explains the lock system. 
 
Famous New Yorkers 
This site lists the names of famous New Yorkers and allows you to search the web to find more information about them.

United States History

Time Machine 
This site is a cross-curricular interactive classroom resource where students can travel in a time machine to different eras in American History.
 
Kidport 
Great reference site for all social studies. United States history, world history and geography including China and England. This site includes teacher resources with quizzes with links to reference material.
 
Kidspace 
Be patient, this site takes a few moments to load. Stately Knowledge- Facts About the United States. Basic facts of any state in the Union, including Washington D. C. Includes comparison charts of size and population, dates each entered Union, capitals, largest cities, birds and flowers. Includes links to other resources. This web page is from the Internet Public Library an educational initiative of the University of Michigan School of Information.
 
Liberty! The American Revolution
 Chronicle of the Revolution includes headlines, timelines, resource material and related topics.  Perspectives on Liberty- Picture this:  Daily life in the Colonies, the Global Village, and a Military point-of-view.   Liberty Toady- A photo essay of newly naturalized citizens. Site also includes a Revolutionary Game. (Excellent interactive learning
experience)
 
Early America  
Early America is primary source material from 18th Century America-- all displayed digitally.  A unique array of original newspapers, maps and writings come to life on your screen just as they appeared to our forebears more than 200 years ago. The Famous Moments film series highlights  a true story of historical significance, providing students with a better understanding of the people, places and events of this important era. Many of the images are primary source documents--- engravings, woodcuts and drawings that date back to the early to mid-1800s. Films presently include The Life of George Washington, Declaring Independence, Paul Revere: Messenger of the Revolution,  The Shot Heard Around The World, The Treason of Benedict Arnold, The Real Face of George Washington, and Molly Pitcher: An American Heroine.

America's Story 
Much of what you see on America's Library will be primary sources, non-book items, and many of those historic materials are found only in the collections of the Library of Congress.  Topics include: Meet Amazing Americans, Jump Back in Time, Explore the States, Join America at Play, and See, Hear and Sing. This is a very rich and complete site that includes grade appropriate activities and links.
Jump Back in Time covers:
Colonial America (1492-1763)
Revolutionary Period (1764-1789)
The New Nation (1790-1828)
Western Expansion & Reform (1829-1859)
Civil War (1860-1865)
Reconstruction (1866-1877)
Gilded Age (1878-1889)
Progressive Era (1890-1913)
Great War & Jazz Age (1914-1928)
Depression & WWII (1929-1945)
Modern Era (1946 - present)
 
The History Place 
Standards 1-5 (depends on link you are using)
This site covers the following topics:
American Revolution
U. S. Civil War
World War II
Vietnam War
Presidents of the United States
Site also includes the Holocaust and Irish Potato Famine Can be used for reading comprehension, DBQs and Timelines.

Posters from WWII
 
Powers of Persuasion- 11 more World War II posters used to rally support.  This exhibit is broken into two parts.  Part 1 appeals to patriotism while part 2 confronts the viewer with the frightening stakes of war and human cost.  Teacher should review contents for appropriateness.
 
An Interactive Tour of Ellis Island 
Scholastic presents this multimedia site which allows students to see and hear first hand accounts of people who came through Ellis Island while they take a virtual tour of the island.    
 

Civil War

Civil War Timeline  
This timeline begins in 1861 and ends in 1865, it includes selected Civil War photographs from the American Memory collection.

History Place 
This site covers the following topics:
American Revolution
U. S. Civil War
World War II
Vietnam War
Presidents of the United States
Site also includes the Holocaust and Irish Potato Famine
Can be used for reading comprehension, DBQs and Timelines.

America's Story 
  
Much of what you see on America's Library will be primary sources, non-book items, and many of those historic materials are found only in the collections of the Library of Congress. Topics include: Meet Amazing Americans, Jump Back in Time, Explore the States, Join America at Play,and See, Hear and Sing. This is a very rich and complete site that includes grade appropriate activities and links.
Jump Back in Time covers:
Colonial America (1492-1763)
Revolutionary Period (1764-1789)
The New Nation (1790-1828)
Western Expansion & Reform (1829-1859)
Civil War (1860-1865)
Reconstruction (1866-1877)
Gilded Age (1878-1889)
Progressive Era (1890-1913)
Great War & Jazz Age (1914-1928)
Depression & WWII (1929-1945)
Modern Era (1946 - present)

Women and the Civil War
 
This site brings links to diaries, letters, photos, and other primary documents reflecting women's experiences during the Civil War.

ehistory 
Ohio State University hosts this history web site.  The Civil War pages on this site include links to primary source documents including diaries and letters, maps and medical reports.  There are links to articles, timelines, essays, pictures and more. 

Civil War Photos  
This amazing site contains over 1,000 Civil War Images.  Photographs include Army Life, United States and Confederate Government Officers, Union and Confederate Generals and Soldiers, Civilians, Battle Field Photos, Casualties, Infantry Units, Cavalry Units, Artillery Units, Engineering Units, Navy Units and Vessels, Prisoners, Hospitals and Doctors, Factories, Quartermaster, Lincoln Assassination Conspirators and much more.

Famous Americans

Women Journalists, Photographers, and Broadcasters of WWII 
This exhibit, from the Library of Congress, features eight women who made history by capturing World War II with cameras, microphones and notebooks.
 
Famous New Yorkers  
This site lists the names of famous New Yorkers and allows you to search the web to find more information about them. 
 
Amazing Americans 
Meet Amazing Americans- Discover the inventors, politicians, performers, activists, and others who made this country what it is today. Biographies include timelines and links to primary documents.
 
The American Presidency-  A Glorious Burden 
This is the online version of the Smithsonian Institution's Exhibit.  The Campaign Trail, Foundations, Limits of Power, Life and Death in the White House and Communicating the Presidency are all covered.  There are interactive online activities for students to complete. The site also has a section for teachers that includes a Teacher's Manual with lesson plans and  a 'How to Use This Site With Your Class'.
 
Presidential Families  
Like Father, Like Son: Presidential Families
The lessons in this unit provide an opportunity for students to learn about and discuss two U.S. families in which both the father and son became President.
 
Presidential Biographies 
This site covers the following topics:
American Revolution
U. S. Civil War
World War II
Vietnam War
Presidents of the United States
Site also includes the Holocaust and Irish Potato Famine
 
Distinguished Women  
This site has biographies of women who contributed to our culture in many different ways. There are writers, educators, scientists, heads of state, politicians, civil rights crusaders, artists, entertainers, and others. Some were alive hundreds of years ago and some are living today. 
 
First Ladies' Gallery  
The biographies and portraits of past First Ladies, in order by date, are presented on the White House web site.
 
Biographies 
This web page contains biographies of historical people related to American History.

50 States and Government

Government Structure 
This site covers the basic structure of the United States government.

The White House 
 
This is the official web site of the White House.  The site has links to Your Government, History and tour, President's page, Vice-President's page, 1st Ladies and more.
 
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government (for kids) 
This very complete site produced by the U.S. Government Printing Office covers Your Neighborhood and Beyond, Our Nation, Historical Documents, Branches of Government, How Laws Are Made and More.  There are links that explain the Election Process, Citizenship, and Symbols of the U.S. Government.  The site contains a glossary, games and activities, and links to other government web sites for kids.
 
Learning About Our Government  
Theme Culture & Empathy> Activity Reading Standard 5  Theme  Nation state civic values, Government Activity Make a chart...How does government affect me? allows students to select different buildings in 'town' to learn about different aspects of the government.  President for a day! is an interactive activity that helps students learn about presidential responsibilities and activities. Inside the Voting Booth explains the voting process.
 
History Place  
This site covers the following topics:
American Revolution
U. S. Civil War
World War II
Vietnam War
Presidents of the United States
Site also includes the Holocaust and Irish Potato Famine.
 
First Ladies Gallery  
First Ladies' Gallery- biographies and portraits of past First Ladies, in order by date, that are linked
to past Presidents.
 
About our Capitol 
The Architect of the Capitol is responsible for the United States Capitol Complex, which includes the Capitol, the congressional office buildings, the Library of Congress buildings, the Supreme Court building, the U.S. Botanic Garden, the Capitol Power Plant, and other facilities.  Good pictures of buildings and good links to topics connected with the Capitol.

Maps and Globes

Map Reading Activities
This page contains map reading activity printouts from Enchanted Learning that are used to test a student's knowledge of map reading. 

Atlas
 
 
Xpeditions Atlas includes printable black and white maps. Maps of the World, Continents, Canada, US, Mexico and the Middle East.

 

World History and Culture

Culture Quest World Tour
This site has students join Ophelia Owl and Parsifal Penguin on a worldwide tour that introduces the customs, beliefs, arts and institutions of different groups of people.
 
Kidport 
Great reference site for all social studies. United States history, world history and geography including China and England.  This site includes teacher resources with quizzes with links to reference material. 
 
History Place
This site covers the following topics:
American Revolution
U. S. Civil War
World War II
Vietnam War
Presidents of the United States
Site also includes the Holocaust and Irish Potato Famine
Can be used for reading comprehension, DBQs and Timelines.


Powers of Persuasion 
 
This online exhibit from the National Archives features 33 posters used in rallying public support for World War II.  
 
Holocaust 
The subject of this site is the holocaust.  The site has numerous links throughout the timeline to photos which have narratives or captions detailing events.  This site can be used for DBQs.
 
Famine 
This site contains extensive information on the Irish Potato Famine (narrative form.)  The introduction covers the history of potatoes in Ireland.  The chapters cover periods before, during and after the blight.  The economic impact of the famine is explored in depth.  
 
World Culture and Geography   
This site is sponsored by Houghton Mifflin it contains  interactive maps links, The Write Site, biographies, and the Weekly Reader current events link.    

Ancient Civilizations

World History  
This site presents 3000 years of world history with a combination of graphics, lifelines, timelines and maps. Not the greatest looking site but it's packed with information. This site covers people, history, events, and maps. 

Ancient Egypt   
This site, created by The British Museum, covers Ancient Egypt. There are pages on Egyptian Life, Geography, Gods & Goddesses, Mummification, Pharaoh, Pyramids, Temples, Time, Trades, and Writing. The Staff Room provides an overview of each section as well as resources to use with each section. Resources include lesson plans, worksheets and some cases follow-up activities.

Eyewitness History  
History through the eyes of those who lived it. This history site begins with the Ancient World and continues with sections on the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries. Photos, audios and more.

Ancient Civilizations  
This site covers, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece. It also has links to information about the U.S. Constitution and presidents.

Current Events

CNN Student News 
Written for students this page is a good resource for current events.  CNN Presents Classroom  Edition can be recorded every Monday morning between 4am and 5 am and includes an Educators Guide to be used with the selected news stories.
 
Factmonster
The social studies resources at this site cover the World, News and the U.S. This site includes an almanac, dictionary, encyclopedia, atlas, and a biography search. (This is a complete reference site)

 

Black History

History & Timelines
Learn about famous firsts by black Americans, read the history of black history, and find information about milestones in black history.

Contemporary Issues & Facts
Find out about recent developments in civil rights cases, milestones in affirmative action, population statistics regarding African Americans, and more.

Biographies & Special Features
Brush up on the Harlem Renaissance and Negro League Baseball, read biographies of famous African Americans, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Muhammad Ali, and more.

Holidays
Learn about the history, traditions, and significance of Kwanzaa, Juneteenth, and Martin Luther King Jr Day.

Quizzes & Crosswords