Kentucky Council for the Social Studies
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Subject Resources

Civics

​General Civics


Annenberg Classroom: http://www.annenbergclassroom.org
  • Teaching the Constitution
Bill of Rights Institute: http://billofrightsinstitute.org/
  • Wealth of resources beyond the Bill of Rights for educators and students including civics, history, economics - primary sources
Center for American Progress: https://www.americanprogress.org/
  • Teaching American government
Center for Civic Education: http://www.civiced.org/
  • Teaching civics
Project Citizen: http://www.civiced.org/programs/project-citizen
  • Teaching citizenship
Civitas International Programs: http://www.civiced.org/programs/civitas
  • Teaching democracy to children
Civics Renewal Network: https://www.civicsrenewalnetwork.org/
  • Civics resources
Constitutional Rights Foundation: http://www.crf-usa.org/
  • Non-partisan civics resources
Corporate Watch: https://corporatewatch.org/
  • Government news and research
C-Span Classroom: https://www.c-span.org/classroom/
  • Primary documents, lesson plans, bellringers, and more
Deliberating in a Democracy: http://www.deliberating.org
  • Examining democracy on an international level
Executive Branch Resources: sites.google.com/view/c-spanclassroom-featured/government-and-civics/executive-branch
  • Resources for inauguration and daily workings of the executive branch
​Five Thirty-Eight: http://fivethirtyeight.com/
  • Opinion polls, statistical analysis from ABC network
iCivics: https://www.icivics.org
  • Free resources for civics classrooms
Inauguration Activity: docs.google.com/presentation/d/1TaJ_VUww3gRw9MLFnltaEMRd-v4salz8apykOVSqzbY/edit#slide=id.p
  • Resource for Inauguration Day
Inauguration Day Activities: ket.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/presidential-inauguration-video/social-studies-shorts/
  • Videos, lessons, and more for Inauguration Day
Inauguration Day Resources: www.tolerance.org/magazine/teaching-the-inauguration
  • Classroom resources for Inauguration Day
​Indiana University Center on Representative Government: http://corg.indiana.edu/
  • Teaching a representative democracy
McConnell Center for Civic Education: https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs/civiced
  • Teacher resources, student opportunities
Open Secrets: http://www.opensecrets.org/
  • Tracks money in politics
Pro/Con: https://www.procon.org/
  • Pros and cons of controversial issues
RetroReport: retroreport.org
  • Videos, articles, and more that promote high school classroom dialogue on civics matters
Social Studies Resources for All Areas/Inquiry: 
https://learn.newamericanhistory.org/resources
  • Documents, lesson plans, videos, and more - Inquiry based
​Town Hall Project: https://townhallproject.com/
  • Teaching the importance of communication and dialogue in government
Untold History:  ​untoldhistory.org/
  • 2:00 videos on democracy
 

Global Citizenship / Diplomacy

Amnesty International: Training and Education: https://www.amnestyusa.org/tools-and-reports/training-education/ 
  • Human Rights information
Brookings Institute: https://www.brookings.edu/
  • International research on the US government & economy
Center for Strategic and International Studies: https://www.csis.org/
  • International info on social studies issues
The Chatham House: https://www.chathamhouse.org/
  • The Royal Institute of International Affairs (England) which examines US issues from their viewpoint
Civitas International Programs: http://www.civiced.org/programs/civitas
  • International policies and strategies 
Columbia International Affairs Online (CIAO): https://cup.columbia.edu/reference/ciao
  • Instructional resources from Columbia House Publishing
Council on Foreign Relations: https://www.cfr.org/
  • Conflicts world-wide
Friedrich-Ebert Stiftung Dialogue on Globalization : http://www.fes-globalization.org/
  • LGTBQ resources
Global Game Changers: http://globalgamechangers.org/
  • K-5 resources for service learning and teaching leadership
Human Sciences Research Council: http://www.hsrc.ac.za/en
  • South African social sciences 
Open Democracy: openDemocracy.net
  • Independent global media organization
Reporters Without Borders: https://rsf.org/en/
  • Dangers of reporting the news from the perspective of journalists
Social Science Research Council: https://www.ssrc.org/
  • Social Studies research
Tällberg Foundation: http://www.tallbergfoundation.org/
  • Finding solutions to world-wide problems
United States Institute of Peace: https://www.usip.org/
  • Global security and peace
Wilson Center: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/
  • Independent research organization
World Policy Institute: http://www.worldpolicy.org/
  • Collection of world policy documents
Yale Global: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/
  • Articles, books, and documents stored within Yale University

 
 

Economics

General Economics

BBC Bitesize: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education
  • This is organized according to England's standardized exams, but if you explore it, you can find some good resources on a variety of topics
Brookings Institute: https://www.brookings.edu/
  • International research on the US government & economy
Council for Economic Education: http://www.councilforeconed.org/resources/type/classroom-resources/
  • Economics resources for sale
EconEd: http://www.econedlink.org/
  • Free economic resources, lessons, etc.
Economic Education Web (out of Nebraska, but generally helpful): http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/home.cfm
  • Free teacher econ resources for grades K-12
Economic History Association, Databases: http://eh.net/databases/
  • Database of economic statistics throughout history
The Economist: http://www.economist.com/
  • Free articles and podcasts pertaining to the US economy
Federal Reserve Education: https://www.federalreserveeducation.org/
  • Free econ resources for K-12 teachers
Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/
  • Free econ articles
Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/
  • Free articles & podcasts on business/econ
NPR Marketplace: http://www.marketplace.org/
  • Daily business articles and podcasts
Pew Research Center: http://www.pewresearch.org/
  • Numbers, facts, & trends that shape the world
US Mint Lesson Plans/Resources: https://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/lessonplans/index.html
  • Free K-12 econ lesson plans, articles, and more
Yale Global: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/
  • Publication for International and Area Studies at Yale
 

Economic Simulations

National Budget Simulation : http://www.econedlink.org/lesson/306/
  • Students identify and explain major categories of federal outlays and revenues
The Stock Market Game: https://www.stockmarketgame.org/
  • Connect students to the global economy with virtual investing
 

Geography

General Geography

BBC Bitesize: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education
  • This is organized according to their standardized exams, but if you explore it, you can find some good resources on a variety of topics
Brookings Institute: https://www.brookings.edu/
  • International research on the US government & economy
Country Reports: http://www.countryreports.org/index.htm
  • Unique content on Culture, Countries and Travel from around the world
National Council for Geographic Education: http://ncge.org/resources
  • Resources for AP courses, geography courses, and world maps
New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/
  • Newsletters, podcasts, and articles
Population Education: http://populationeducation.org/content/curriculum-and-resources
  • K-5 world citizen resources, population resources for K-12
Population Reference Bureau: http://www.prb.org/
  • Demography resources
Smithsonian Geography Resources: http://smithsonianeducation.org/mywonderfulworld/
  • Resources for world geography
TED Ed: https://ed.ted.com/
  • Free lessons, resources to spark student curiosity
University of Kentucky's Digital Mapping Graduate Certificate Program: https://newmapsplus.as.uky.edu/explore-new-maps
  • A variety of local and globally-based maps
Yale Global: http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/
  • Publication for International and Area Studies at Yale
 

Global Issues / Development

Amnesty International: Training and Education: https://www.amnestyusa.org/tools-and-reports/training-education/ ​
  • Human rights and activism articles, research, and more
Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/
  • Environmental resources
Food and Agriculture Organization: http://www.fao.org/home/en/
  • Data & other resources regarding ag/food supply
Human Development Index (HDI) Reports: http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi
  • summary measuring average achievement in key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable and have a decent standard of living
iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/
  • Contribute to the scientific record in terms of biodiversity
International Labour Organization: http://www.ilo.org/global/lang--en/index.htm
  • UN site that promotes decent work for decent pay
International Monetary Fund: http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm
  • Resources for students about the IMF alliance and their goal to end poverty
Nature Conservancy: http://www.nature.org/
  • Global resources on land and water conservation
Oxfam America: https://www.oxfamamerica.org/
  • Articles on world poverty and actions to end it
UNICEF Teacher Resources: https://unicefkidpower.zendesk.com/hc/en-us
  • Engaging students in changing the world through action
United Nations: http://www.un.org/en/index.html
  • Resources for students and teachers on issues impacting us all
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization: https://en.unesco.org/
  • Data/stats on peace issues
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development: http://www.unrisd.org/
  • site on social change
The Water Project: https://thewaterproject.org/
  • Donation site to bring clean water to all
World Bank: http://data.worldbank.org/
  • Global development data
World Resources Institute: http://www.wri.org//
  • Global research organization
World Trade Organization: https://www.wto.org/
  • Documents, data, & resources on trade
Yale Environment 360: http://e360.yale.edu/
  • Online magazine on global environmental issues
 

Map Resources  (explanation in each title)

Arch Daily, "": http://www.archdaily.com/797814/71-thousand-high-res-historical-maps-available-for-free-download
​
Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States: http://dsl.richmond.edu/historicalatlas/
Floating Sheep: http://www.floatingsheep.org/
​
Geographic Resources through the Smithsonian: http://smithsonianeducation.org/mywonderfulworld/
Historical Boundaries of the United States, 1783–1912: http://lincolnmullen.com/projects/us-boundaries/
​Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms: http://publications.newberry.org/k12maps/
Historical and Contemporary Maps through The University of Alabama: http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/
Historical Thinking Matters: http://historicalthinkingmatters.org/
Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America:  https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining/#loc=13/38.0410/-84.4970&opacity=0.8&city=lexington-ky
Mapping the Nation: http://asiasociety.org/mapping-nation
Mapping the Republic of Letters: http://republicofletters.stanford.edu/
Maps Etc: http://etc.usf.edu/maps/
National Atlas: http://nationalmap.gov/small_scale/
Norman B. Leventhal Map Center At the Boston Public Library: http://www.leventhalmap.org/
The Spread of U.S. Slavery, 1790–1860: http://lincolnmullen.com/projects/slavery/
University of Texas Map Collection: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.html
Website from Dr. Lincoln Mullen: http://lincolnmullen.com/
Historical Boundaries of the United States, 1783–1912: http://lincolnmullen.com/projects/us-boundaries/
 

Cartography / Mapping

Map Chart: https://mapchart.net/
  • Make your own custom Map of the World, Europe, the Americas, United States, UK and more with colors and descriptions of your choice​.
NatGeo MapMaker Interactive: http://mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org/
  • Make your own map
Show Interactive Maps: http://show.mappingworlds.nl/
  • Maps that change proportion based on chosen data set
University of Cincinnati's Space Informatics Lab: http://sil.uc.edu/cms/​
  • Population and racial diversity map: http://sil.uc.edu/webapps/socscape_usa/
  • Spatio-temporal changes in climate: http://sil.uc.edu/webapps/climateex/
 

History

General History

​American Historical Association Perspectives: https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history
American Museum of Natural History: http://www.amnh.org/explore/curriculum-collections
  • Not just dinosaurs! Great resources related to archaeology, culture studies
American Yawp: https://www.americanyawp.com/
  • Stanford University Press, Open Access Textbook
AncestryK12: https://www.ancestryk12.com/
  • Free resources for schools
BBC Bitesize: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education
  • This is organized according to their standardized exams, but if you explore it, you can find some good resources on a variety of topics
Crash Course: http://thecrashcourse.com/courses
  • Video lessons on topics, including World and US History
EDSITEment: https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plans
  • K-12 government lesson plans
Facing History and Ourselves: https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources#top
  • Resources that examine racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry.
Fordham University Internet History Sourcebooks Project: http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/Halsall/index.asp
  • A collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts covering ancient to modern topics
The Future of the African American Past Video Resources: https://www.historians.org/teaching-and-learning/future-of-the-african-american-past-video-resources?utm_source=Member_Forum&utm_medium=forum_post&utm_campaign=FutureAAPast%20Videos&utm_content=library
  • Teacher resources for African-American history
History Today: http://www.historytoday.com/
  • Magazine on current issues that will make history
Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/teachers/
  • Primary sources, lesson plans
National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/education/
  • scroll to bottom where it says primary sources
New York Public Library: Digital Collections: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/
  • Digital resources from the NY Public Library
New York Times Article Archives: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/nytarchive.html?mcubz=0
  • Complete archive, 1851-present
PBS Learning Media: http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/
  • Videos, resources for teachers
Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
  • 54,000+ free books in a variety of formats
Southern Poverty Law Center Resources: https://www.splcenter.org/resources
  • Fighting hate, teaching tolerance
Teaching Tolerance: https://www.tolerance.org/
  • Resources that emphasize social justice and anti-bias
TED Ed: https://ed.ted.com/
  • Videos, classroom resources
United Kingdom National Archives: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/
  • UK national archives
Zinn Education Project: https://zinnedproject.org/teaching-materials/
  • K-12 resources, lesson plans
 

US History

America in Class: http://americainclass.org/primary-sources/
  • Primary resources on America
American Experience on PBS: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/
  • Films, shows on American History
Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States: http://dsl.richmond.edu/historicalatlas/
  • ​US history through maps
Center for Civic Education: http://www.civiced.org/index.php
  • Lesson plans and podcasts
​Center for Civic Education: http://www.civiced.org/
  • This is the companion website for one of their textbooks, but it has links to many helpful historical sources: http://www.civiced.org/wtpcompanion/hs/index2009.php?menu=Contents
Digital History: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
  • Using tech to support historical learning (resources, lesson plans)
Digital Public Library of America: https://dp.la/
  • Millions of texts, videos, and sounds from America
The Dirkson Congressional Center: http://www.dirksencenter.org/index.htm
  • Document collection from several Illinois congressional representatives: http://www.dirksencenter.org/aboutus.htm#/#section10
  • Teaching about Congress Resources: http://www.dirksencenter.org/print_programs_overview.htm#section5
Dr. Lincoln Mullen: http://lincolnmullen.com/
  • The Spread of U.S. Slavery, 1790–1860: http://lincolnmullen.com/projects/slavery/
  • Historical Boundaries of the United States, 1783–1912: http://lincolnmullen.com/projects/us-boundaries/
Economic History Association, Databases: http://eh.net/databases/
  • Historical economic data
George Washington's Mount Vernon Teacher Resources: http://www.mountvernon.org/education/
  • Resources for teaching Washington
Georgia Humanities Council: https://www.georgiahumanities.org/stories/
  • Oral Histories
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/collections
  • More than 70,000 primary sources
Historic Maps in K-12 Classrooms: http://publications.newberry.org/k12maps/
  • Historical American maps
Historical Scene Investigation: http://www.hsionline.org/index.html
  • "CSI" style cases where students examine cases from history
History Matters: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/
  • Web resources and other useful materials for teaching U.S. history
Living Room Candidate: www.livingroomcandidate.org
  • Political ads, 1952-2016
Lynching in America: https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/
  • Resources on the history of lynching in the US
National Archives: Holocaust - https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/for-educators/National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/
  • Resources for teaching the Holocaust through national documents
National Museum of African American History and Culture: 
Facing History and Ourselves: https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources#top
  • Resources on inequality and injustice
New York Times Article Archives: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/membercenter/nytarchive.html?mcubz=0
  • Complete archive, 1851-present
Our Documents: http://www.ourdocuments.gov/index.php?flash=true&
  • 100 milestone documents of US history
PBS Learning Media:
  • Civil Rights: Then and Now: https://ket.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/civilrightsthenandnow/#.WaAKqtMrI1g
    • America After Charleston: https://ket.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/aac15-soc-blm/america-after-charleston-black-lives-matter/#.WaAK1dMrI1g
    • Klansville USA: https://ket.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/amex27-soc-klanrevival/wgbh-american-experience-klansville-usa-first-blockbuster-film-revives-ku-klux-klan/#.WaALAdMrI1g
    • Freedom Riders: https://ket.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/frriders/#.WaALIdMrI1g
Smithsonian Museum of American History: http://objectofhistory.org/
  • Resources & lessons on American history
Teaching American History: http://teachingamericanhistory.org/teacher-resources/
  • Many resources for K-12 teachers on American history
Teaching America's Role in the Holocaust: https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/for-educators/
  • Educator resources
Untold History:  https://untoldhistory.org/
  • 2:00 videos on US history
Zinn Education Project: https://zinnedproject.org/teaching-materials/
  • K-12 resources and lesson plans
 

World History

The British Library Collections: https://www.bl.uk/
  • Resources, documents from England
Facing History and Ourselves: https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources#top
  • Resources that examine racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry. 
The Holocaust: ​https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/pages/for-educators/
  • Classroom resources
IKEducation: ​www.eisenhowerfoundation.net/ikeducation/lesson-plans
  • Primary sources, lesson plans, and more for all grade levels
Library of Congress (world): http://www.loc.gov/wdl/
  • World history resources, documents
National History Day's 100 Leaders in World History: http://100leaders.org/
  • Info on world leaders throughout history
United Kingdom National Archives: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/
  • England's version of national archives
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://www.ushmm.org/educators
  • Resources on teaching the Holocaust
World History Matters: http://worldhistorymatters.org/
  • Exemplary world history teaching resources
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  • Educate
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