Middle School Social Studies: Resources for Students, Teachers and Parents
History, geography and culture resources of all kinds can be found online. Whether you are a student looking for a way to help you remember the countries of the world, a teacher interested in engaging new lessons that can inspire your class, or a parent wanting to help your child understand important historical eras, you’ll find everything you need in the Middle School Social Studies Web guide.
Expand All Guide SectionsStudent Resources for Middle School Social Studies
On the Internet you can explore faraway countries, discover the history of the world, learn about the U.S. government and even find ways to become more familiar with your own city or state. Use the sites below to find student resources for middle school studies.
Insights for Middle School Social Studies Student Resources
- Some sites may look boring on the surface but don’t be fooled: Just because a site isn’t flashy doesn’t mean it can’t be helpful or offer a fun challenge.
- Some sites you have to pay to use, so be sure to check with your parents first. One example is BrainPOP, which has simple and entertaining short movies explaining many social studies concepts. Some of the videos are free, so check out the free stuff before you ask your parents to pay for the others.
Top Sites for Middle School Social Studies Student Resources
For help with social studies homework …
Fact Monster's
Homework Center is a great reference for all your subjects. Look for maps, important documents, timelines and information about cities, population, government structure and funny laws.
KidsClick!
has an extensive list of online history and geography resources, including links to biographies of famous people. Browse the online index by topic. Under each link, KidsClick! helps you decide if the link is right for you by telling you the reading level of the material and whether there are pictures.
For online social studies activities and games …
Smithsonian Education
is your portal to the Smithsonian Institution. Browse the rotating selection of online exhibits, such as displays of American presidents and facts about space exploration. Or visit the History & Culture section for challenging games and quizzes.
TravelPod
has a fun, fast-paced geography game that quizzes students on world capitals. Browse the list of other challenges for quizzes on U.S. capitals and popular cities, “Flags of the World” and more.
Kaboose Funschool
offers several challenging games that test your understanding of social studies topics. Most of the games focus on geography, so hopefully you’ve been keeping up in school.
Teaching Resources for Middle School Social Studies
There are so many fantastic social studies resources online that your biggest problem may be choosing which to use in your classroom. Whether your class is studying ancient cultures or following the election process, you’ll find great teaching resources for middle school social studies using the sites below.
Insights for Middle School Social Studies Teaching Resources
- Don’t get fooled into paying for resources. Museums, government entities, universities and well-known broadcast media all offer excellent resources at no charge. A great example is the Library of Congress “Teachers” Web site, which links to lessons, documents and even a game or two.
- Many popular news publications and networks, such as Time For Kids and CNN.com, offer online content designed for students. Their Web sites provide lesson plans, activities and worksheets for teachers based on current articles.
- For a bit of history each day, try findingDuclinea's On This Day section. Other areas to visit include the Politics and Religion and Spirituality Web guides.
Top Sites for Middle School Social Studies Teaching Resources
For social studies lesson plans and curricula …
PBS
devotes a section of its top-notch Web site to social studies teachers. Choose a grade level to find several thoughtful lesson plans, some of which allow you to contact the lesson’s author. Many lessons are accompanied by printable copy masters.
The Educator’s Reference Desk
provides access to the most widely used education databases: ERIC and GEM. Browse lesson plans by category or search by grade level and keyword. Use the “Write a Lesson Plan Guide” for tips and guidelines on creating your own lesson plans.
EDSITEment
is hosted by the National Endowment for the Humanities and offers interesting lessons that can supplement your content. Search by grade level and subject. Use the “Websites” tab to find sites rather than lesson plans.
HotChalk’s LessonPlansPage
has a large number of social studies lesson plans. Choose a lesson plan and print it directly from the site. If you have a lesson plan of your own that you’d like to share, add it to the database.
SCORE
provides a searchable database of lesson plans organized by grade, title, keyword and California History/Social Science Standards. Also find a wealth of student-generated material that could be used to provide examples for your students. This site is best suited for California teachers but it can be quite useful for teachers in other states, too.
For social studies reference and other resources …
ReadingQuest
provides engaging reading strategies and activities that can help your students get more from what they’re reading. The pre-, during-, and post-reading strategies help you get your students active in the reading process and on the road to better comprehension.
Virtual Middle School Library
offers links to specific topical Web sites. Whether you’re looking for a lesson plan or supplemental material, this site catalogs some great resources.
For online social studies games and activities …
The Library of Congress
presents ”America’s Story from America’s Library,” a site focused on American history using primary sources. Most of the activities involve sound so be sure that your students have headphones if they’re browsing this page in class. Don’t miss the feature that helps students find historical events that happened on their birthdays.
Kathi Mitchell
has been teaching elementary school for more than 30 years. Visit this section of her Web site to find a great list of social studies “WebQuests” (Web-based, inquiry-focused activities) that are engaging and informative.
Parent Resources for Middle School Social Studies
In the middle grades, important social studies concepts include what it means to be a good citizen, what it means to be a member of your nation and culture, and how personal beliefs relate to the beliefs of others. The parent resources for middle school social studies, below, can help parents play an active role in the social studies education of their children.
Insights for Middle School Social Studies Parent Resources
- There are many ways that parents can integrate social studies into their children’s lives outside school. Taking trips to museums (real or virtual), discussing current events, encouraging curiosity about the world, exploring your city and state—these can all benefit your child’s development.
- In general, be wary of sites that offer games. Many games have nothing to do with either critical thinking skills or social studies content and many sites use games as a portal to slick advertisements that will have your child begging you to buy something. The sites selected below offer games with a purpose, rather than just pure entertainment.
- Sit with your children while they surf the Web. Although it may seem like this isn’t a time for conversation, there are often many topics that come up while using the Internet that provide “teachable moments.”
- One of the best ways to help your child is to ask your child’s teacher what the class is studying and supplement those subjects at home. The previous sections of this guide will be of interest to many parents and can provide inspiration for ways to get your child interested in social studies. And the librarian at your local library can be a good source of recommendations for reading material.
- For more ideas about ways to bring social studies into your home, take a look at some of the sites in our findingDulcinea Homeschooling Web Guide.
Top Sites for Middle School Social Studies Parent Resources
SCORE
provides an overview of the key concepts your middle schooler should be learning. This is a great place to start organizing your thoughts about how you want to supplement and enhance your child’s social studies education.
Kathi Mitchell
has been teaching elementary school for more than 30 years. Find a list of social studies “WebQuests” (Web-based, inquiry-focused activities) that are engaging and informative. These WebQuests are a great way to let your child explore a wide range of topics that will supplement classroom learning.
Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature Site
offers lists of adolescent books that can be searched by subject. Literature, whether fiction or nonfiction, is a great way to supplement your child’s social studies education. Use this site to get suggestions on books that your child can read outside of class.
FunBrain's
“Standards Finder” tells you what students in a particular subject and grade level should be learning. Although this might not line up exactly with what your child is learning in school, it can give you a good idea of what at-home material might be helpful to your child.
Ben’s Guide to U.S. Government for Kids
has a section specifically for parents and teachers with curriculum links and additional online resources that can be used to help students integrate social studies into their activities at home.
© 2012 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
