WWW RESOURCES AND ACTIVITIES

Social StudiesGrades 5-8

ByAndrea Goldsberry

Natasha Parker

Rationale and Goals

It is important for students to understand all the differentstrands of Social Studies in order for them to become wellinformed citizens.

Our goal is for students to be able to participate in activitiesthat help them gain an appreciation for technology as well as Social Studies.

American Heritage

http://members.tripod.com/~PHILKON/index.html

This site contains a lot of information about tribal names and their is an area where students can look up what happened each day in history.

The students will look up what history events took placeon their birthday.

American Heritage

http://www.digigo.com/CherTabl.htm

This site contains a listing of the Cherokee alphabet and pronunciation guide.

The students will write a simple letter to a 12 year oldCherokee child using the Cherokee alphabet.

American Heritage

http://www.visitwilliamsburg.com

This site contains information about Williamsburg anddifferent places to visit.

The students in groups of 3-4 will compile a travel brochure to Williamsburg visiting different museums and restaurants while planning out how much money it would cost.

American Heritage

http:/indy4.fdl.cc.mn.us/~isk/mainmenu.html

This site contains many activities and different conceptsincluding maps, stories, art, astronomy, books, schools,and games

The students will pick a story from this site and present it to the class.

American Heritage

http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/archives/documents/frame_ih198172.htm

This site contains information about Thomas Jeffersonand various documents that he participated in.

The students will pick a document from the site and write a brief description of their document.

People in Society

http://www.odci.gov/cia/ciakids/geography/index.html

This site contains questions about different continents.

The students will find the answers to the questions on this site using theIinternet as their resource.

People in Society

http://www.50states.com/

This site contains tons of information about all 50 states.

The students will compile a report about Ohio.

People in Society

http://lanic.utexas.edu/las.html

This sits contains information about Latin America.

http://library.thinkquest.org/26469/index2.html

This site contain information about China

http://www.geographia.com

This site contains information about different cultures and countries around the world.

The students will use these three sites to do a presentation on a different country.

World Interactions

http.//members.aol.com/spursfan50/davidallen/realmap.htm

This site is called The Museum of the Franco-American Alliance - each room of the museum contains pictures and facts about different events in the American Revolution.

The students will select one fact about the Franco-American Alliance and present its importance and their opinion about it to the class.

World Interactions

http://russiatoday.com

This site allows you to research and observe Russia and what is going on there now.

http://www.linet/~ndonohue/ssme.htmlThis site provides many links to news, government, economies, etc. in all different parts of the world.

The students will pick one country/part of the world and create a newspaper telling about what’s going on there now.The students will pick two countries to compare and contrast what is happening in both places.

World Interactions

http://www.atomicarchive.coim/main.shtmlThis site contains biographies, documents, photographs, nuclear data, etc. surrounding the invention of the atomic bomb.http://mothra.rerf.or.jp/ENG/A-bomb/History/Damages.htmlThis site outlines the immediate effects of the atomic bomb explosion.

The students will watch a video presenting the history of nuclear weapons development and testing.The students will participate in a mock-trial and place President Truman on trial for his actions using an atomic bomb.

Decision Making & Resources

http://www.ll.net/colleges.htm

This site lists every American University.

The students will pick any 2 universities to compare and contrast.

The students will pick 1 university and write about why they chose it.

Decision Making & Resources

http://timesunion.com/homes/

This site contains many different areas to research when buying a home in New York.

The students will decide where to buy a house and which house to buy in New York and tell the class why.

Decision Making & Resources

http://www.career_planning.com/

This site provides career counseling for students, and includes test and a list of future top jobs.

http://www.careertrainer.com

This site contains career development consulting, books, and videos.

The students will pick a career and show how it aligns with their personalities.

Decision Making & Resources

http://www.ncedr.org

This site contains information about environmental decision makers and researchers developing processes that help solve environmental problems.

The students will read a case study and tell why they think the decision that was made was a good one or a bad one.

Democratic Processes

http://www.law.emory.edu/FEDERAL/usconst.html

The site contains the Constitution of the United States.

In groups, the students will sum up an Article of the Constitution and present it to the class.

Democratic Processes

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

This site provides information about the democratic happenings in the White House.

The students will choose a topic and write about the happenings in the White House.

The students will change their paper (see above) to be more speech-like and give a speech to the class.

Democratic Processes

http://www.americanpresidents.com/

This site contains information about American political happenings - including the 2000 Presidential Campaign.

Using the facts provided, the students will write a new political campaign news story to present on the 6:00 news.

Democratic Processes

http://www.nara.gov/fedreg/ec-hmpge.html

This site contains general information and facts about the Electoral College.

http://www.wikman.com/eric/electoralcollege.html

This site contains a report on the Electoral College System and how it fails to represent the American voters.

The students will discuss the pros and cons of the Electoral College System.

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

http://www.kidsvotingusa.org/students/html

This site allows the students to do various activities with voting and allows them to make a wish on the wishing tree.

The students will research the questions under the activity link and make a wish on the wishing tree.

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/laic/index.html

This site has community activities that the students can participate do in their community.

The students will as a class choose one of the activities for their community and do it.

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

http://bensguide.gpo.gov This site has discusses rights and responsibilities of citizens.

The students will write a report on the web site.

Citizenship Rights and Responsibilities

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/kids/civilrights/

This site contains information about various civil rights and what different people did for their rights.

http://civiced.org/wtp_elem21_sb.html

This site contains information about different rights and freedoms students have with questions for them to discuss.

In groups, the students will discuss the questions and use the first web site as sources.

Conclusion

As the students have gone through all the activities, they will have gain an appreciation for technology as well as Social Studies.