Mission US Game for Kids

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Games, Gamification, Social Studies Resources | Posted on March 25, 2019

Enter the free Mission US, a suite of games aimed at grades 5-9 that interactively address the critical events in United States history. These are taught in a choose-your-own-adventure approach that encourages students to dig deeply into history, evaluating cause and effect, and making choices that they can support with evidence. Creators of these games wanted to help students relate to the events and people by being part of the action.

Game topics include:

  • Crown or Colony
  • Flight to Freedom
  • A Cheyenne Odyssey
  • City of Immigrants
  • Up from the Devastation of the Dust Bowl
  • Japanese incarceration (coming)
  • Civil Rights Movement (coming)

Mission US gameplay is web-based, on PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks, and even some iPads. It works best on Chrome, not so well on IE (but does work on Edge). Each mission includes an Educator Guide with lesson plans, questions, and suggestions to support struggling students as well as ideas for how to easily integrate the games into the curriculum and class time. Some of the most popular integrations are how to research, critical thinking, consequences of choice, perspective-taking, literacy, cause and effect, and writing skills (for those who use the writing prompts, reflections, and review questions).

Games take a couple of class sessions but this depends upon how many of the available resources are included with the gameplay. In my experience, everyone loved these lessons.

5 Good Google Tools for Social Studies Teachers – And How to Use Them

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Geography, Google, Social Studies Resources | Posted on August 14, 2015

social studies

5 Good Google Tools for Social Studies Teachers – And How to Use Them is a blog post on the Free Technology for Teachers web site.  I especially liked the Google Scholars and Google Newspaper Archives.

Global Oneness Project

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Current Events/News, Geography, Global Learning, Social Studies Resources, Writing | Posted on August 11, 2015

global oneness

 

 

 

 

 

 

Founded in 2006, the Global Oneness Project offers free multicultural stories and accompanying lesson plans for high school and college classrooms. Our award-winning collection of films, photo essays, and articles explore cultural, social, and environmental issues with a humanistic lens. Aligned to National and Common Core Standards, our curriculum content contains an interdisciplinary approach to learning and facilitates the development of active, critical thinking. Each month, we release a new story and accompanying lesson plan. All of our content and resources are available for free with no ads or subscriptions.

Seterra Geography Games

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Geography, Social Studies Resources | Posted on August 11, 2015

seterra

 

 

 

 

 

Seterra is a challenging educational geography game with more than 100 different exercises. Learn about countries, capitals, oceans, flags and cities in Africa, Europe, South America, North America, Asia and Australia, using outline map exercises! Seterra has been around since 1998, is translated into 26 different languages and has been loved by people all around the world.

Zoom In Social Studies/ELA Lessons

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Social Studies Resources, Writing | Posted on August 11, 2015

zoom in

Zoom In is a free, Web-based platform that helps students build literacy and historical thinking skills through “deep dives” into primary and secondary sources.

Zoom In’s online learning environment features 18 content-rich U.S. history units that supplement your regular instruction and help you use technology to support students’ mastery of both content and skills required by the new, higher standards

Go Wild

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Science Resources, Social Studies Resources | Posted on August 19, 2014

 

go wild

Go Wild is a site where students can explore various animal habitats, participate in interactive learning, and join a Go Wild club.  

GeoStories

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Common Core, Current Events/News, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources | Posted on January 8, 2014

geostoriesGeoStories

GeoStories combine interactive maps, media, and narrative. This collection contains all GeoStories from National Geographic Education.

News ELA

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Common Core, Current Events/News, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources | Posted on October 11, 2013

newselaNewsELA

Newsela builds close reading and critical thinking skills.    Give your students a new way to climb the staircase of nonfiction reading comprehension, from fourth grade to college-ready.  Articles are accompanied by Common Core-aligned quizzes to  provide quick and powerful feedback.  You’ll always know whether your students are on track and where they’re falling short.  We know teachers’ time is precious. Newsela makes it easy to assign articles, review student quizzes and track Common Core mastery.

Constitute Project

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Common Core, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources, Writing | Posted on September 24, 2013

constituteConstitute Project is a searchable data base of the constitutions of most of the countries in the world.  What a great place for non-fiction text complex pieces to enhance Common Core instruction in Social Studies and Language Arts classes.

Animated 3D Tours of Paris and Giza

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Social Studies Resources, Virtual Field Trips | Posted on May 13, 2013

Want to take your students on a 3D Virtual field trip back in time to the early days of Paris or ancient Egypt?  If so, then you need to check out this two web sites.

 

Paris 3D Virtual Exploration

Giza 3D Virtual Exploration

My Histro

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources, Technology, Web 2.0, Writing | Posted on May 2, 2013

 

My Histro

Using myHistro, you can combine maps and timelines seamlessly into one great presentation, convert any public timeline into a personal pdf file, or export it into Google Earth format for offline storage. All completed timelines can be embedded into your blog and websites for maximum exposure.

Pulp-O-Mizer

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Art, Digital Storytelling, Images/Photos, Odds and Ends, Reading/Language Arts, Science Resources, Social Studies Resources, Technology | Posted on April 26, 2013

Pulp-O-Mizer  The Pulp-O-Mizer allows its lucky operator to select from menus of backgrounds, foregrounds, and magazine titles and to add new and exciting text to them for use as web graphic memes, blog illustrations, Facebook posts, forum messages, or for any other non-commercial purpose.

Digital Public Library

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Common Core, Primary Sources, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources | Posted on April 19, 2013

Digital Public Library

The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science. The DPLA aims to expand this crucial realm of openly available materials, and make those riches more easily discovered and more widely usable and used, through its three main elements:

1. A portal that delivers students, teachers, scholars, and the public to incredible resources, wherever they may be in America. Far more than a search engine, the portal provides innovative ways to search and scan through the united collection of millions of items, including by timeline, map, format, and topic.

2. A platform that enables new and transformative uses of our digitized cultural heritage. With an application programming interface (API) and maximally open data, the DPLA can be used by software developers, researchers, and others to create novel environments for learning, tools for discovery, and engaging apps.

3. An advocate for a strong public option in the twenty-first century. For most of American history, the ability to access materials for free through public libraries has been a central part of our culture, producing generations of avid readers and a knowledgeable, engaged citizenry. The DPLA will work, along with like-minded organizations and individuals, to ensure that this critical, open intellectual landscape remains vibrant and broad in the face of increasingly restrictive digital options. The DPLA will seek to multiply openly accessible materials to strengthen the public option that libraries represent in their communities.

Docs Teach

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Common Core, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources | Posted on March 26, 2013

Docs Teach is a site with the National Archives that has a searchable database of historical documents.

PBS News Hour Extra Lesson Plans

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Common Core, Current Events/News, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources, Writing | Posted on March 26, 2013

PBS News Hour Extra Lesson Plans is a great site to use for Common Core.  Start with a current events video, read background text, and analyze the meaning and implications of the story.  Lesson plans and ideas are included on the site.

Math Trail

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Games, Google, Math Resources, Social Studies Resources | Posted on March 18, 2013

Math Trail  Powered by Google Maps, these exciting trails take you to locations connected by a theme.  Students must use an email address and then they can choose the level of difficulty.  This game combines map skills, knowledge of geography, and of course, math skills.

You Tube Time Machine

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Social Studies Resources, Videos, You Tube | Posted on March 1, 2013

 

You Tube Time Machine allows you to select a year on a timeline and find many videos that relate to that period in history.

37 Writing Prompts for Social Studies/History

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Common Core, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources, Writing | Posted on March 1, 2013

37 Writing Prompts for Social Studies/History uses visual cues as prompts for student writing.  Great integration of Language Arts and Social Studies – compatible with Common Core.

Smithsonian History Explorer

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Social Studies Resources | Posted on March 1, 2013

 

Smithsonian History Explorer

History Explorer’s resources focus on learning history by “reading” objects for the stories they hold about the nation and its many peoples. Learning activities feature artifacts selected from over 3 million items in the Museum’s collections, and draw on the expertise of the Museum’s renowned curatorial staff.

To get started using History Explorer, visit our How to Use This Site page.

National Geographic Maps Adventure

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Games, Social Studies Resources | Posted on March 1, 2013

National Geographic Math Adventures is a game where student use map skills to save animals.  

BBC Earth Videos

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Reading/Language Arts, Science Resources, Social Studies Resources, Videos, You Tube | Posted on February 27, 2013

  BBC Earth has a You Tube channel with some incredible videos that can be used in the classroom.  You’ll find 50 years worth of astounding, entertaining, thought-provoking and educational natural history content on here.

If It Were My Home

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources | Posted on February 12, 2013

If It Were My Home

The lottery of birth is responsible for much of who we are. If you were not born in the country you were, what would your life be like? Would you be the same person?

IfItWereMyHome.com is your gateway to understanding life outside your home. Use our country comparison tool to compare living conditions in your own country to those of another. Start by selecting a region to compare on the map to the right, and begin your exploration.

Printing Press

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Desktop Publishing, Digital Storytelling, Odds and Ends, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources | Posted on February 12, 2013

 

Printing Press  The interactive Printing Press is designed to assist students in creating newspapers, brochures, and flyers. Teachers and students can choose from several templates to publish class newspapers, informational brochures, and flyers announcing class events.

Meograph

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Digital Storytelling, Flipped Classroom, Online Projects, Reading/Language Arts, Science Resources, Social Studies Resources, Videos | Posted on December 6, 2012

Meograph helps easily create, watch, and share interactive stories. It combines maps, timeline, links, and multimedia to tell stories in context of where and when.  It is truly 4-dimensional story telling.

Fakebook Gallery

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Posted by jenmalonetn | Posted in Online Projects, Reading/Language Arts, Social Studies Resources, Web 2.0 | Posted on December 6, 2012

Fakebook Gallery has profiles of historical figures and simulations as to what their “Facebook” or Fakebook pages would look like.  Great place to give students ideas to do a similar project.

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