PBS Teachers Social Studies

With the reputation of PBS, you can rely on credible, quality content. In addition the website is easy to navigate as it is organized and uncluttered.

There are three main sections of information on the social studies landing page. The first section is content divided by grade-subject pages; Of interest to the secondary education teacher is there is a breakout for grades 6 - 8 and grades 9 - 12. The second main section includes additional resources for AP courses. The third section contains social studies activity packs for currently 19 subject areas such as citizenship, women's rights, and immigration.

Further breakdown of the first section on grade-subject pages includes classroom resources, a discussion forum, and professional development page. Lesson plans are available which also include video segments, photos, and primary source documents. The discussion arena allows teachers to blog with each other on various topics such as conference feedback, tools for black history month, and student teaching experiences. Professional development outlines courses for further career development and permits availability venues by entering in zip code.

The second main section provides additional resources for AP courses with a recap pdf document that lists out the PBS series, Frontline documentaries, lesson plans, timelines and additional activities for content area. An an example, for AP US History there is a section devoted to WWII which contrasts "life at home" and "life at war".

The third section is comprised of activity packets and presently there are 19 different subjects including indigenous cultures, religious diversity and In the News. What is exciting about this section is that for each of these topics, you can "grab it" and embed it right into your own web page, creating easy access for your students.

This website is a great resource for teachers not only because of the reputation of quality content of PBS and the plethora of content, but it is also easy to navigate to find information for your desired grade level and topic.

Bookmark this website! http://www.pbs.org/teachers/socialstudies/

Reviewed by Kelly O'Toole

National Museum of American History from the Smithsonian Institute

http://americanhistory.si.edu/

National Museum of American History from the Smithsonian Institute

This website is a very good resource for teachers in the Social Studies content area. The National Museum of American History from the Smithsonian Institute is just one area of the museum that the Smithsonian develops. There are links on this website about upcoming exhibits and what you can do to plan your visit. Obviously not all classrooms would be able to plan a field trip to the Smithsonian, but planning an online scavenger hunt or exploring the museum online is always a good option for students. The website also shows the extensive collections list for the museum with further information about each topic. There is a timeline feature where students can scroll over major events in the history of the United States to learn more about specific topics.

At the top navigation bar on the website, there are two tabs: one for kids and one for educators. The kids tab has a lot of information about how to access the exhibits online. There are interactive games included in this feature that help students learn more about specific topics while keeping their attention. Although some of the games are designed for younger students, this website would still be appropriate for 6^th – 8^th grade students. They address several diversity issues within the games and exhibits.

The educator’s bar is a great online resource for searching to find historical resources to use in your classroom. They can provide you with primary source documents, ideas for lesson plans, or a simple artifact that you can build a lesson around. They divide the information into grade level so you can find age appropriate information. They also have a professional development tab where teachers can learn more about refreshing their skills and staying current with information.

What this Blog is About

As the description suggests, this blog is a support tool for the CI 473 Course, Social Studies cohort at UIUC. I. Raúl A. Mora, am the instructor of record for this course in the spring semester, 2010.

This blog serves as the tool for one of the course assignments. Following is my description of the assignment on social bookmarking:

One of the new skills required from teachers in this new millennium is the ability to teach information search skills and critical thinking, especially in regards to what is available on the Web. For this assignment, every student in this class must find and review one website related to your content area. The goal is to have a bank of websites everybody can benefit from. You will write a review (of about 200-300 words) for the website you chose.

My rationale for this assignment is simple: There is a plethora of websites for teachers, featuring information on lesson plans, activities, concepts, materials, etc. Novice teachers are using the Internet and search engines more and more as a complementary, sometimes the main, resource for their daily teaching. However, Google cannot tell us what constitutes a trustworthy resource. There is where our expertise of the subject and our knowledge as teachers kicks in. This assignment has a bigger scope than just getting a grade. I have several goals for this activity:

(1) To have an extended network of high-quality websites that they can use with their students as soon as Student Teaching and beyond that.

(2) To improve on their information search skills so that, in turn, they can share that knowledge with students.

(3) To be able to have a tangible reference list that they can share with other teachers in years to come

(4) To learn to participate actively in an online community of practice.

I believe in helping my students develop the necessary tools for their success. I also believe that the development and enhancement of technological skills is a necessity to work with students who keep becoming technology savvy every day. I hope that this blog and the social bookmarking assignment to which this blog is linked will serve that purpose.