Good morning, how are you? I thought I would share Homeschool Resources: Social Studies with you. If you have used any of these websites leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of them and why.
CCC! Streaming Media – Geography Online Streaming
Bring high-quality video online streaming into your homeschool with Geography Online Streaming. Get access to a plethora of programs, including Physical Geography of the Continents, Animal Classes, Totally Gross Anatomy, and many more!
DOGOnews.com
Grades K-8, with parental supervision
This website from DOGO Media provides visitors ages 5-13 with continually updated news articles featuring current events and interesting non-fiction content sure to keep them coming back for more time and time again.
When arriving at the link, visitors will find the latest articles. Articles can be sorted by age levels by selecting the “Grades” button in the upper right or articles can be sorted and searched by categories such as:
- Current Events
- Science
- Sports
- Social studies
- Did you know
- Green
- General
- Entertainment
- International
- Amazing
- Fun
- Video
After selecting an article to read, you will also find colored icons above the article which, when selected, provide lesson plan suggestions for Common Core Standards and how the article meets the National Academy of Science Standards and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.
There are also icons with links to other grade-level articles, links to puzzles, ways to share the article, and the option to print it out. In addition to colorful images and sometimes videos accompanying the engaging news story, there are comprehension questions, a critical thinking challenge question, vocabulary, and geography information.
If parents would like to sign up for a free teacher’s account, they can:
- Build lesson plans that use the news articles
- Construct reading lists
- Add favorite websites
- Make an online class calendar
- Encourage social learning
- A free student’s account allows the student to:
- Design an avatar
- Receive badges and points
- “Follow other DOGO users”
- Share thoughts about the articles
- And more.
Be sure to bookmark this site and check back often as new content is added daily. This website not only provides an abundance of resources to use with your history studies of current events but also can be used to supplement your language arts studies.
When you are finished investigating this website, be sure to check out the other DOGO sites using the links in the upper menu.
CuriosityStream is an award-winning online library with thousands of educational shows and documentaries covering topics such as STEM, history, innovation, world cultures, arts, and SEL. CuriosityStream’s on-demand supplemental resource is accessible any time, anywhere, on mobile, tablet, computer, and TV.
Grades 1-8, with parental supervision
While this website is still under construction, there is a lot of great information and activities for kids to learn about Alaska on this website from the University of Alaska. When arriving at the home page, either use the graphic or the sidebar menu to navigate to:
- Cool Critters – Learn all about the animals that make Alaska their home.
- Know Alaska – Discover quick facts about Alaska, its geography, and history.
- Get Active – Check out all the different sports that are played in Alaska then take a Fact or Fiction quiz about fitness.
- Lit Kids – Discover books with an Alaskan setting.
(Love the Arts and We’re Cooking are still under construction and Fun and Games section is no longer working.)
When you are finished exploring this website geared towards kids, click the LiteSite.org link in the lower-left corner, then select “Teaching & Learning” link for teacher, parent, and student activities to add to your studies.
Master Books is part of the New Leaf Publishing Group which includes Master Books, Attic Books, and New Leaf Press. Choose from over 550 titles in a variety of subjects, including literature, science, history, apologetics, parenting, Creation, and more.
All grades, with parental supervision
This mobile friendly website provides access to thousands of primary resources from National Archives to use throughout your history studies.
In addition to this, this site also provides activity lessons, guides to using primary resources, and much more. If you would like to save and share primary resources and create your own activities as well as gain access to hundreds of more educator-created activities, you can register on the site for a free account.
To begin looking for resources, when you arrive at the home page, scroll a little to find the bar with three selection options:
- Explore – Use the keyword search engine to search the primary source database or browse by time period or document type including textual document, photograph, video, audio, artwork and artifacts, or poster.
- Discover – Locate created activities and lessons similarly to searching for a source but visitors can further refine search results to grade level, thinking skill, and activity type.
- Create – In order to create an activity or lesson, you will need to register for a free account. Once this is done, use the tool to make your own lessons, add elements, create instructions for students and teachers, and much more. There is a functionality to share your lessons with your students and others as well as have students email you their responses to questions and view those responses in a log in your account. This is a powerful tool for creating your own activities to use in your classroom.
This website provides many of the tools, instruction, and resources you might need to have to use primary resources in your classroom.
Jim Hodges Audio Books just might help to bring history alive for your homeschool! Choose your favorites for the whole family from over 60 titles including Paidea Classics, Yesterday’s Classics, G.A. Henty Audio Books, Old Time Radio, and more.
File Folder Fun – Social Studies
Grades 1-3, with parental supervision
This site offers free, printable file folder games and activities that help young children learn about topics in Social Studies.
When you get to the site, scroll down to the grade you are interested in and click on the link for the Social Studies related activities. Or to make it easier, we have listed the links below:
- First Grade Social Studies – The Oregon Trail, U.S. symbols, Shadow Statues
- Second Grade Social Studies – National Landmarks, History of the Oregon Trail, continents and oceans
- Third Grade Social Studies – Founding Fathers matching game
Read the explanation and/or instructions, then download the game/activity you are interested in. There are also skill-building links and supplementary resources.
The activities at this site are for younger children, but older children may enjoy preparing them for their siblings. (While there are a variety of free file folder activities at this commercial site, there are much more available for sale.)
When you are through exploring the Social Studies activities, check out the Language Arts, Science, and Math activities for grades PreK-3. There is so much at this site, so bookmark it to return often!
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
