Resources, Resources, and Even More Resources!

 

Every teacher can understand the struggle of compiling resources for their lessons while combing through endless google search pages or teacher subreddits and trying to make it all fit into their lesson plans in time for the next class. As the school year approaches and in the spirit of teacher to teacher cooperation here is a list of five resources that could be used to great effect in social studies classrooms. 

1. Fall of Civilizations (YouTube Channel)

This YouTube channel produces high quality documentaries that are about an hour or two long and which focus on charting the journey of a civilization over time and then how it eventually began to collapse. There are options for just audio or a more traditional documentary style that include images and videos. 

What this channel does well is telling history like a story with an interesting beginning, rising tensions that culminate in an explosive way, and then dwindling suspense that ends the story in a poignant way. It makes history feel alive and engaging which can sometimes be difficult with history documentaries. The videos also make sure to detail the everyday lives of people in those societies and how they would have reacted to the decline and collapse of their civilization around them. 

2. Political Compass Test (Website) 

https://www.politicalcompass.org/

The political compass test is a survey of about sixty questions on various economic and social issues that seeks to determine where your views might land on a political spectrum. Instead of using just a left and right spectrum the political compass uses an economic and a social scale to further differentiate between differing ideologies on either side of the political spectrum. 

I have actually used this as a student in my Civics class in high school and I can say that from a student's perspective it was very informative and easy to use. The website also provides political compasses with notable political figures situated roughly where they fit ideologically and it was nice to see a reference to figures that students might already be familiar with and have context about. It is a useful tool for talking about ideological differences in politics and helping students to understand where they think they might fit on an ideological spectrum. 

3. Race to Ratify (Online Game/Website) 

https://www.icivics.org/games/race-to-ratify 

Games are a great way to get students involved and to increase their engagement in lessons and this particular game Race to Ratify would be be a fun way for students to learn about the creation of the US Constitution. Students play a pamphleteer who goes around interviewing notable figures and finding Federalist or Anti-Federalist views which the student can then publish depending on which side they had chosen. If the teacher wanted to they could even divide the class into the two sides themselves and see which side could have more students win the game to add a bit of competition.  

This would be perfect for a civics or American history class where students can discuss and explore the various arguments around the creation of the Constitution in an interactive visual way. The rest of the website also offers other interesting American civics games that could be used by a teacher as well. 

4. Mission US (Website) 

https://www.mission-us.org/ 

Mission US is a website that features lesson plans, materials, videos, games, and other tools for teachers to use in different sections based on eras in US history. Teachers will be able to find essential questions that can guide their lessons or even a description of how the materials align with national teaching standards. 

The interesting aspect of Mission US is how it gives a personal take on history as it creates fictional characters that represent people who might've lived in that time and students follow their journeys through lessons or games. Students often complain that they struggle to find history relatable and through presenting these large ideas and problems through the lens of everyday people Mission US helps students connect with the past. 

5. PBS (Website) 

https://opb.pbslearningmedia.org/subjects/social-studies/ 

PBS is one of those timeless classics that just keeps on giving and in this particular case they are giving you a wealth of material to work with in your social studies classroom. Whether it is videos, interactive lessons, or primary source documents they have it all and sorted in an easily navigable webpage that allows you to click through and find exactly what you need. What is particularly helpful about this resource is the options for resources and lesson plans that focus on women's rights and African American history which are still even today subjects that are less discussed in classrooms. I  highly recommend this resource and plan to use it in my classrooms and to help with my lesson planning.