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return to subject listingHistory/Social Science Resources - Los Angeles Unified School District
Grades
K to 12In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this site for use throughout the school year. Be sure to take advantage of the lesson plans and curriculum guides. Share with other teachers as you collaborate and plan together.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Reddit - Reddit.com
Grades
9 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use Reddit to show the uniqueness and value of topics by the upvotes and downvotes. Also discuss the thinking behind the upvotes and downvotes. Comments to the posts offer more detailed information to portions of the topic that can lead to different points of view, deeper analysis, and discussion of related topics. Since the average person and professionals use Reddit, students can ask a question to get crowdsourced answers such as "How to write a better term paper?" View the various topics that have high or poor ratings and determine whether the ratings are based upon facts or opinion. Students can find various topics for term papers or research by viewing the Reddit topics. Reddit is also popular for finding peer review journals and tutorials.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Pantheon People Rankings - MIT Media Lab
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Bookmark this site for use throughout the year when looking for ideas for research projects, biographies, and more. Have students create a list of whom they think is most influential and compare their lists to the actual results. Use information to find the most influential people around the globe or throughout time. Have students modify their learning and create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Global Flow of Refugees Interactive - University of Zurich
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Share this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard to research and understand the flow of refugees throughout the world. Use this as an introduction to understanding complicated events in the Middle East and other volatile regions in the world. After viewing the interactive, have students study the regions for large migrations of refugees from one region to another. Have them share their findings with a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools reviewed here. Have students use Little Memory, reviewed here, to create a diary entry as a refugee traveling to a new country.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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GeaCron - The GeaCron Project
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Use GeaCron's maps and timelines for an excellent visualization of changing borders of countries throughout time. Have students compare and contrast world borders during any different period. If your class discusses current events, this would be an excellent tool to use to track the history of certain issues. Allow students to explore on their own and create an infographic to share their findings using Snappa, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Five Myths - The Washington Post
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Share Five Myths on an interactive whiteboard or projector as an excellent starting point for lessons on the subjects included. Be sure to review comments on each section before sharing since they are unmoderated. After viewing the articles on this site, start a discussion about what students know about urban legends and Snopes. Have students research and find five myths for any topic, then create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Snappa, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Every Last Drop - Nice and Serious
Grades
3 to 9In the Classroom
Use this site as a perfect addition to Earth Day activities. View together and brainstorm ideas about how you can save water at school and home. Have students brainstorm ideas on a collaborative bulletin board like Scrumblr, reviewed here, (quick start- no membership required!). Challenge cooperative learning groups to create videos demonstrating ways to conserve water and share them on a site such as TeacherTube, reviewed here. Toward the end of this presentation, it is stated that over 1 billion earthlings have no access to clean water. Research countries and communities who do not have access to clean water to see why and also what is being done to help them. Student's findings could be turned into a very clever digital storytelling project using Visme, reviewed here. Visme allows for narration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Global Trend Map - Paul Bourke
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
This site is excellent for enrichment during current events lessons. World language classes can keep up with hot topics in the countries where the language they are learning is spoken. Include this link on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Challenge students to compare and contrast trends across different countries using an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here. Have students create a presentation on any of the trending topics using Swipe, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Scaling Everest - Washington Post-Richard Johnson, Bonnie Berkowitz, Lazaro Gamio
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site as an activator, introducing the topic of Mt. Everest, Nepal, or the Himalayas. This website would benefit a Geography class, exploring the significance of the Himalayas while simultaneously studying the geographic forces that made the mountain chain. Modify learning and have students create timelines of a Mount Everest adventure (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Enhance learning and have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about climbing Mount Everest from the perspective of the climber or a Sherpa guide. This is perfect informational reading (with images and charts) to meet Common Core Standards.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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State of the Union Bingo - National Constitution Center
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Take advantage of this free lesson plan as a supplement to your current events lessons. The Bingo sheet was created in 2012, you may need to modify some terms to adapt to current events. Divide students into groups and compare State of the Union addresses from throughout any one president's terms. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Venngage, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Wonderment - Kidnected World
Grades
3 to 9In the Classroom
The Wonderment is a problem based learning adventure for each student around the world to communicate and collaborate with other students. This venue allows great lesson ideas for digital citizenship and digital footprints. Begin by choosing a path for the entire class and feature on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Have students work in small groups to choose their best response. Discussions can focus on creativity, problem solving, and collaboration between the group and others from around the world. In a gifted class, use as a way to challenge kids to break through the "right answer" and find the "best answer." Use this as a model for finding authentic needs in your community. Be sure to share a link to this tool on your class blog, website, or learning management system (LMS). Use this tool as the answer for the parents who always want more challenge and enrichment for their students at home. Be sure to share at a staff meeting to spread the wonder for other students and adults.Edge Features:
Parent permission advised before posting student work created using this tool
Includes Interaction w general public/ public galleries with unmoderated content
Includes social features, such as "friends," comments, ratings by others
Requires registration/log-in (WITH email)
Multiple users can collaborate on the same project
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Changing Planet - NBC Universal Media, LLC
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Place the URL to Changing Planet on your classroom website or blog for students to explore the videos on their own. Flip your instruction and assign the videos to your scientists to watch before class. Flipping will maximize classroom time. Encourage budding scientists to investigate climate change. Use this site as a springboard for individual or group projects that connect to our world today. Have students create presentations to share what they learned using a tool such as Powtoon, reviewed here. Build student's background knowledge by watching the videos, and reviewing nonfiction reading strategies with students before reading the transcripts. Use the videos on Changing Planet to help struggling readers with the content on the cue cards. Encourage your scientists to tackle the topic of climate for a science fair experiment or graduation project.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Global Post - Philip S. Balboni
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Broaden student perspectives about world issues by sharing articles from Global Post on an interactive whiteboard or projector as part of current events lessons. Create a link to this site on classroom computers and have students read and share articles with the class. Be sure to add a link to this site on your class webpage for students to access at home. After exploring articles and information in-depth, have students use a tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to give a recap of the article and state their opinion about the topic. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (on a map) where the story takes place.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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40 Maps that Explain the Middle East - Max Fisher
Grades
7 to 12In the Classroom
Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Be sure to include this site on your class webpage for students to access both in and outside of class for further practice. Create a link to these maps on classroom computers for students to explore on their own. Use an online tool such as an Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare different countries, religions, or time periods included in the maps.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Thinkuknow - Crown
Grades
1 to 12In the Classroom
Before you begin work with any tool on the Internet, educate students with the most important lessons, keeping safe! Choose the age group and follow the lessons together as a group on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Continue discussions on your class blog. Add parents to your blog so they can reinforce lessons on Internet safety. Then it is time to introduce the Appropriate Use for Technology permission form, and this will now make sense to kids. Bookmark this site on classroom computers so students can refer to the information. Be sure to offer as a tool for parents to review and reinforce at home. At your technology night, have this up on your projector screen while parents are entering, so all get a needed reminder. Be sure student technology clubs examine and understand the concepts. Have the student technology club make their own videos introducing safety concepts.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Patch - Tim Armstrong
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Patch is ideal for use when learning about your community. Create a link on classroom computers for students to read and explore. Become a contributor to Patch by sharing stories of events and information from your school and classroom. Have students contribute top stories locally with those from around the nation (or world). Put in the name of any city in the US for students to read about local information. If you have penpals or collaborate with another classroom via Twitter, learn more about their community through Patch.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The Best and Worst Places to Grow Up: How Your Area Compares - New York Times
Grades
10 to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Share this interactive on students' devices for them to discuss in small groups. Share on a projector/interactive whiteboard for whole class discussion of the factors that might lead to these results. Why do poor children have greater income mobility than richer children in some areas? What about gender? What might be misleading about these statistics? Take a broad look at the country to talk about what cultural factors may be different in different areas. For a good exercise in digital citizenship and critical thinking, ask students to find out where the data came from and to write three questions that might dig into the "why" behind these stats. Ask them what else they would like to know after seeing this map -- and how it might influence their own decisions and future plans (if at all). In a government/civics class, the discussion naturally will move to how this information might influence elections and candidates' strategies in one county vs another. This same interactive is also important for teachers as professionals. Know your community and what happens to the children you teach. You may want to share it with administrators for some staff conversations about the impact of your school.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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80 Years of Canadian Geographic Maps - The Royal Canadian Geographical Society
Grades
6 to 12In the Classroom
Even if you do not teach in Canada be sure to explore this site for lesson plans and map making information applicable to any country. Adjust lesson plans to your particular area of study. Challenge advanced students to create a presentation using Swipe, reviewed here, demonstrating similar themes. Use an online tool such a Canva, reviewed here, to create diagrams, mindmaps, and other visual graphic organizers comparing and contrasting information found on different maps.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Grasswire - Grasswire
Grades
8 to 12In the Classroom
Share Grasswire on your interactive whiteboard or projector as part of any current events discussion. Since the readers submit the articles on Grasswire, have students browse articles to find information that may be untrue, misleading, or opinion instead of facts. Use articles as examples, and then have students write their own current events submissions. ELA teachers may want to have students correct articles with grammatical errors as a lesson in proof-reading. Have students make a multimedia presentation for the topic of the article they will submit using Zeemaps, reviewed here, where they can include text, audio and images on an interactive map.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Wimp - wimp.com
Grades
K to 12This site includes advertising.
In the Classroom
Bookmark Wimp as a resource for finding videos for lessons and activities. Share the direct link to individual videos on your class website or blog. To remove the distracting advertisements on video sharing sites and more, use a tool such as Clipchamp, reviewed here, or Watchkin, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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