LibGuides: Teaching Social Studies: Online Resources

Social Studies

Social Studies Resource Collections
From the Smithsonian Institute. Search or browse the individual digital artifacts or explore collections on hundreds of topics.
Teaching Resources from the National Council for the Social Studies
Search the resources, then use the side limiters to filter to age range and/or historical period, subject area, etc.
National Geographic Classroom Resources
You can limit to geography, social studies, anthropology, etc., and by age level.

Civics

iCivics
Founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, iCivics has "the goal of transforming civic education for every student in America with innovative, truly engaging games and resources. Of all her accomplishments, Justice O’Connor considers iCivics to be her most important work and greatest legacy."
Civics Interactives
Civics resources for teachers from the Library of Congress
Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government
Ben's Guide "is designed to inform students, parents, and educators about the Federal Government." There are activities for ages 4 through 14+.
Federal Reserve Education
Allows you to filter resources by grade level.

Geography

Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
Online maps of the United States and around the world
Geography Teacher Resources
Printables, lesson plans, quizzes, and more for grades K-12.
State Facts for Students
From the U.S. Census Bureau. Gives state stats of interest to kids, including how many 8-year-olds (8-14 years listed) live in the state and how many dentist offices, amusement parks, or toy stores are located there.
National Geographic Maps

History

Educator Resources from the National Archives
Documents, lesson plans, and activities for teaching students to work with primary sources.
History materials for the classroom
From the American Historical Association; browse by topic or resource type.
Historical Thinking Matters
"A website focused on key topics in U.S. history, that is designed to teach students how to critically read primary sources and how to critique and construct historical narratives."
National Jukebox
Historical recordings from the Library of Congress. NOTE: "They are historical documents which reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times. The Library of Congress does not endorse the views expressed in these recordings, which may contain content offensive to users."

POWER Library

POWER Library is available through Pennsylvania's public and school libraries. It's a good idea to get familiar with the many resources that you and your students can access through your school library or with a public library card!

Good social studies databases in POWER Library include:

AP Images
BookFlix (elementary)
CyberSmarts (elementary)
Kids InfoBits (elementary)
TrueFlix (elementary & middle school)
Academic OneFile (middle & high school)
InfoTrac Student Edition (middle & high school)
Research in Context (middle & high school)

POWER Library
The e-resources from POWER Library are made freely available through the Pennsylvania Public Library system.
Get an eCard for POWER Library
Sign up for an eCard here! (Note: this only allows you to access POWER Library materials)