Social+Studies

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**__Online Simulations/Experiments/Presentations/Videos/Handouts__**

 * Field Trip to City Hall - great explanation of different functions of city hall in "kid-friendly" format. Can be used with or without "[|Who Pays for City Hall?]" lesson plan (also listed below)
 * [|Communities Flipchart] - resource for those with an Interactive Whiteboard to view/discuss workings of a community. Must download Flipchart Viewer Software.
 * Comparing Communities Flipchart - resource for those with an Interactive Whiteboard to compare urban, rural, and suburban communities. Must download Flipchart Viewer Software.
 * Communities Change Flipchart - resource for those with an Interactive Whiteboard to see basic ways communites change over time. Must download Flipchart Viewer Software.
 * Mapmaking Guide from National Geographic - This is a printable resource that is a reference guide for helping students create maps. This would be helpful if you were creating a map of your community in class.
 * Printable Pledge of Allegiance Worksheet - This is a worksheet that allows students to view the pledge of allegiance with pictures that relate to the words of the pledge.
 * US Symbols Animated Video from BrainPop Jr. - An online animated video that uses two characters, Annie and Moby, to talk about the US symbols and why they are important. The concept of symbols is heavily stressed. There is also a matching game and two quizzes available with the movie to practice the concepts.
 * Consumers Interactive - This resource allows students to refresh their knowledge of what a consumer is, and how goods and services are provided to the community.
 * Interactive US Flag with Facts - This is an amazing resource that allows students to learn all about the American flag. This flag has hot spots that the students can click on that show them facts about the stars and stripes.
 * [|Goods and Services Interactive Practice] - The students have to match the good or service with the location in the community that provides it. Very nice interactive that is easy for students to use.

**__Online Technology Integrated Lesson Plans for Teachers__**

 * Who Pays for City Hall? - comprehensive lesson plan on city government, includes links to interactive site and quiz, also combines economics.
 * Exploring Physical and Human Characteristics of Earth's Spaces - lesson plan for visual scavenger hunt using National Geographic site to find physical and cultural characteristics of places
 * Your Changing Town - A lesson that allows students to compare two towns and how they change over time.
 * Traditional Towns and Modern Suburbs - lesson plan about the difference between a traditional town and a modern suburb, includes links to on-line resources
 * [|City, County, Community] - lesson involving internet research to compare randomly chosen city to own by examining a city's government, services, and location
 * Citizenship City - short unit to encourage civic responsibility and participation
 * [|Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities] - technology integrated plan specifically for Michigan

**__Online Social Studies Games and Activities__**

 * Recycle City - game to see how a community changes from Dumptown to Recycle City.
 * Create a Timeline - create a horizontal or vertical timeline with this timeline generator. Scroll to bottom of page.
 * [|Mr. Roger's Build a Neighborhood] - Students get to create a virtual neighborhood in this activity from PBS kids.
 * Earth Day Activity - Students get to learn about Earth Day and the 3 R's in this activity from Starfall.com.
 * Compass Rose Activity - Students get to navigate a map using the cardinal directions and a compass rose.
 * [|EekoWorld] - This activity places the students in a virtual house where they have to help make "green" choices.
 * Michael, Michael, Go Recycle - This is a game that has students playing the part of Michael and picking up recyclable garbage. The students have to sort the garbage and stop people from polluting as well. Very highly kid approved!
 * Recycle! - This is an activity where the students have to beat a timer sorting out the different types of recyclable materials.
 * Place the State - In this activity, students solve a virtual jigsaw puzzle of the United States. The activity is broken into different levels, and allows students to progress as they master each one.

__General Social Studies Resources for Teachers and Students__

 * Teacher's Corner - links to dozens of social studies lesson plans
 * Ben's Guide to U.S. Government - kid friendly site that explains various topics related to government specific to various grade levels
 * Michigan Online Resources for Educators - account sign-up is free for Michigan educators, tons of links related to specific GLCE's by grade level

__Michigan Social Studies GLCE's for Second Grade__

 * PDF of Michigan's Second Grade Social Studies GLCE's - This is a link to a PDF (Acrobat) copy of the GLCE's that can be downloaded and printed. (Adobe Reader is required to see this file click on this link to download the FREE player.)

__Professional Associations__

 * Michigan Council for the Social Studies - A professional organization focused on promoting the best practices in social studies education.
 * National Council for the Social Studies - National professional group dedicated to promoting the best practices in social studies education.

Sources on this page compiled by John and Shawn