Today’s news will be history when the clock strikes midnight indicating another day has ended. Frequently updated social studies websites are a resourceful tool in keeping current and expressing to children that textbooks are sometimes outdated and unreliable. Another crucial social studies concept is perspective. History is reported using primary and secondary sources that sometimes present conflicting accounts. Using social studies websites exposes children to varied viewpoints providing them with a well-rounded picture of the past and its events.
The National Council for the Social Studies categorizes the curriculum standards into ten themes as follows: culture, time/continuity/change, people/places/environment, individual development/identity, individuals/groups/institutions, power/authority/governance, production/distribution/consumption, science/technology/society, global connections, and civic ideals/practices. These concepts are addressed in one or more of the recommended websites.
Time for Kids provides the latest news for children in kid friendly language along with appropriate photographs. Children can even search for past stories by selecting that tab on the left side of the homepage. If the magazine bar is chosen, news stories will be displayed according to grade level. Around the World lets children explore other countries and continents with the press of button. If working on a class assignment, children can enter Rapid Research and choose a topic for additional information.
National Geographic for Kids reports about People and Places and History in the Stories section. The most recent articles appear first, but children can select Top Rated to view the most popular articles. If children need assistance with an assignment, Homework Help categories, such as history/culture, maps/geography, and places will aid in locating answers.
BBC History for Kids gives an ‘inside’ scoop to historical periods, people, and regions. Topics covered include Ancient History, British History, World Wars, and Recent History. Each heading is further broken down into multiple subheadings. Selecting material is easy because activities list appropriate ages.
Children’s Literature with Social Studies Themes recommends books according to topic and reading level – primary, intermediate, or advanced. Children can go to this website if interested in locating reading material. For example, if a third grade child wants to read a book about economics, he/she will choose that topic to see suggestions. Book titles, author names, themes addressed, and reviews are given.
Native American Facts for Kids lists Native American tribes in alphabetical order. When a tribe is selected, children learn how to pronounce the name of the tribe, how the tribe was organized, what their culture was like, and what traditions they followed – to name a few. There are many other questions answered. This is an extremely comprehensive website on Native Americans.
Archiving Early America neatly organizes information into the following groups – Freedom Documents, World of Early America, Milestone Events, Portraits, and Pages from the Past. Freedom Documents include the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and The United States Constitution. Besides displaying text, each document’s background is concisely stated. World of Early America provides biographical information on famous women of the period, first published editions of material like the Almanac, speeches, and details on how to read documents written over 200 years ago. Milestone Events presents important issues for Early Americans, such as the Articles of Confederation and the Louisiana Purchase Treaty. Portraits shows pictures of famous men along with a brief description about their stature in society. Pages from the Past makes available samples of periodicals including The Pennsylvania Gazette, The Boston Gazette, and The Massachusetts Sentinel. After digesting material by reading, children can watch two movies about Benjamin Franklin that can be viewed with or without captions.
Africans in America presented by PBS lists links to historical documents, far too many to list. Children should definitely go to this site if looking for accurate information on slavery. Runaway notices, famous abolitionists, diary entries, and publications represent only a fraction of what is compiled on this website.
The National Museum of American History has activities for kids. The tab is located at the bottom right hand corner of the homepage. There are activities for the home and for the museum if you are planning a visit. All children related material is marked with a friendly smiley face making it easy to navigate for appropriate information. Children are some of the most curious people and will certainly not run of out things to check out on this website. Invention at Play will even captivate adults.
American Presidents Life Portraits offers tours, video clips, reading materials, and lesson plans. To learn about a particular President, children select a name from the drop down menu – Pick a President. For example, if George Washington is chosen, a portrait of him appears along with facts about his life and several ‘Did You Know’ trivia. Children can also learn about presidential places and gravesites. The information on this website was part of a television series, American Presidents: Life Portraits March-December 1999.
Country Reports provides children with information on countries throughout the world including cultural traditions, historical events, and other meaningful facts. To begin, select a country or region by clicking on that area of the map. If the African continent is selected, the new map displayed will only show African countries. Then, children can further narrow their focus by choosing a specific republic like Egypt. Information about Egyptian people, their history, and statistical data appears. Other tab options require subscribing to the site. Twelve-month access costs $18.00 and may or may not be necessary depending upon the nature of the child’s assignment.
The Department of Education publishes a brochure in PDF for parents called Helping Your Child Learn History. Ideas are presented based on grade level and websites are recommended on page 57. To print a copy, visit the Department of Education link. Below are a couple of sites appropriate for elementary school children along with a description.
Kids Space at The Internet Public Library has nine categories one of which is Our World containing material on history, religion, geography, languages, and world cultures. Subheadings break the reading selections into regions. As each subheading is chosen, children are directed to relevant kid approved links.
National Constitution Center provides a kids link within the Explore the Constitution tab. Children can play Save the Bill of Rights or do word searches found in Constitutional Puzzles with vocabulary pertinent to Brown v. Board, U.S. Constitution, Voting Rights, Founding Fathers, and Ratifying States.
All these website have little or no distractions and are easy for children to navigate. Even though some sites contain material directed towards a range of children (K-12), there did not appear to be any grossly inappropriate information presented. However, websites can change so please check prior to giving access to children.
