GENERAL RESOURCES
Children's Booklist from Teaching for Change
an amazing curated list of multicultural and social justice children's books
Cooperative Children's Book Center
a database of great children's books from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Critical Resources for Elementary Social Studies Teachers
this Facebook group brings methods instructors and classroom teachers together to share ideas for teaching about equity and justice
National Council of the Social Studies (Social Studies & the Young Learner)
the leading organization for social studies teachers in the United States with magazines, journals, and conferences
Institute for Human Education
IHE's mission is to create a just, humane, sustainable world through education. They offer resources and Pinterest boards filled with articles from journals and teacher magazines
PBS Teachers
(within this great site, be sure to check out American Experience "Way Back" for students to do family histories, America Responds about 9/11, activity packs for topics like Indigenous People and The Presidency, "People Like Us" about social class, segments about human interactions with nature from "Nature", and lesson plans associated with programming like "Postcards from Buster")
Reach and Teach
a peace and social justice learning company with games, books, posters, and other teacher resources available online
Rethinking Schools
searchable archives for resources and lesson plans grounded in social justice from the influential magazine
Social Studies Songs (Rethinking Schools)
A list of songs by topic for use with social studies units
Teaching for Change
an organization dedicated to providing professional development to teachers and parents for supporting anti-bias education
Teaching Tolerance
a free magazine with teaching ideas, online lesson plans, and other resources related to multicultural education (Click here for teacher resources and curriculum guides)
Using Their Words
An amazing collection of social justice resources for elementary educators and examples of curriculum and field trips to inspire multicultural, social justice educators.
ARTS
ArtsEdge a trove of resources aligned with the arts standards with specific lessons for teachers
The Blues a PBS site with lesson plans and resources about teaching history/culture through blues music
Center for the Study of Political Graphics an online collection of posters and other art related to social movements
Incredible Art a vast trove of elementary lesson plans organized by artist, medium, subject, period in art history, and grade level
Songs for Our Times an online database with musical recordings and lesson plans from the Library of Congress
CULTURAL STUDIES
All About Explorers a WebQuest to help teach kids about Internet research
CryptoKids an interactive site about cryptology developed by the National Security Agency CulturalPolitics.net a vast set of resources for the analysis of the role of culture in shaping our political, economic, and social lives
Don't Buy It! a PBS site helping young kids critique commercials and advertising methods
Global Oneness Project free multicultural stories and lesson plans with short videos to share with students
Kids' Guide to Local Culture the best guide for students to learn about culture - and published by the Madison Children's Museum! Also, check out their Teachers' Guide to Local Culture
Energy Kids resources and teacher guides about energy use from the US Energy Information Administration
Energy Star Kids online games for kids to think about energy conservation
NGA Kids a rich multimedia site developed for kids by the National Gallery of Art
Performing Arts Encyclopedia online primary sources about dance, music, the arts, etc. from the Library of Congress
Stop Bullying Now online webisodes and teacher resources for bully prevention programs from the Department of Health and Human Services
TravelJournals.net a collection of global travel stories, pictures, and country information with an interactive Google map
Welcoming Schools resources for teachers wanting to make their classroom a safe space for LGBTQ students and families
CURRENT EVENTS
Here There Everywhere a blog written for young children explaining major news stories
Indy Kids a free newspaper, website and teaching tool that aims to inform children on current news and world events and to inspire a passion for social justice and learning
The Learning Network: Teaching & Learning With the NY Times lesson plans for current and historical NY Times articles
Nusela current events written for several different readings levels with online writing prompts and quizzes
PenPal News a site that connects penpals across the country and world to discuss current events (upper elem/middle school)
Scholastic Kids news articles written from a mainstream news perspective for elementary-age children
Washington Post Kids' Post kid-friendly articles with additional resources for teachers
Website Archives an online collection of archived websites around important current events themes from the Library of Congress
The Week in Rap a weekly video rap performance covering current events
ECONOMICS
A Kids' Guide to Money
American Currency Exhibit digitized versions of historical currencies and information about their backgrounds
Bureau of Engraving and Printing a kid-friendly version of their website with curriculum and games
Council for Economic Education a corporate-sponsored searchable clearinghouse for K-12 lesson financial literacy lesson plans
Economic Education Web definitions of economic concepts for each grade level with corresponding lesson plans
Econ Explorers an online teacher guide for teaching economics published by the New York Fed
Econ Kids an online repository of resources, standards, and teaching ideas from Rutgers University
Elementary Lessons from JMU Center for Economic Education a series of lesson plans related to all K-6 VA Economics standards
Economics Education & Children's Literature a 100+page .pdf curriculum packet from Indiana University
Federal Reserve Resource Guide links to all of the curricula created by the Federal Reserve
Fedville an interactive web game that allows kids to move through Fedville earning, saving, and spending money
Museum of American Finance curriculum guides available online
National Economic Standards voluntary standards set forth by the National Council of Economic Education
Planet Money an NPR blog that makes complex economic issues easy to understand for the layperson - definitely check out their joint broadcast with This American Life ("The Giant Pool of Money" that breaks down the current economic crisis)
Rethinking Globalization a book from Rethinking Schools with some of its activities available online
The Story of Stuff a 20-minute animated video that explains and critiques the cycle of production/distribution/consumption
US Mint a kid-friendly version of their website with games, tours, and historical information
We the Economy engaging (even funny) videos made by famous actors and comedians to make economic concepts come alive
You Are Here the Federal Trade Commission's interactive simulation game walking students through a consumer experience at a simulated mall
GEOGRAPHY
Cool Tools for Schools tons of digital map tools
EduPlace blank outline maps
Globe To Go a great resource developed by an Iowa teacher
Kid World Citizen activities to encourage global, cultural awareness with young kids
GeoEducation free online, interactive mapping technology like GoogleEarth and Google MyMaps
Maps: Tools for Adventure! a series of online interactive map games and resources from National Geographic
Sporcle geography games
WorldAtlas.com free downloadable state, national and world maps (blank and political)
World Geography Games interactive map game that tracks your accuracy for continents, countries, cities, and more
HISTORY
American Memory an abundance of primary sources about American history from the Library of Congress
Beyond the Bubble assessments and rubrics for testing students' historical thinking (best for grades 6 and up)
Bringing History Home curriculum developed by Iowa teachers through a Teaching American History grant
Center for History and New Media a clearinghouse of websites dedicated to teaching history with digital primary source documents
(world history sources here)
Children & Youth in History a collection of primary sources and lesson plans about children in history organized based on regions of the world
Chronicling America The Library of Congress' online collection of historical newspapers
The Digital Vaults the digitized resources from the Library of Congress
Dipity.com an interactive web timeline-maker
Facing History resources for teaching history from a social justice/human rights perspective
The National Archives an abundance of digitized primary sources from American history
PBS: Eyes on the Prize (Civil Rights Movement)
PBS: Slavey and the Making of America (slavery)People and Moments in Time a K-5 searchable database of lesson plans sponsored by a Teaching American History grant connected to VA standards of learning
Prints & Photographs over 1 million prints and photographs available online through the Library of Congress
Smithsonian Education the famed museum's online resource guide for kids
Smithsonian History Explorer a database of primary sources and lessons from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History collection
SoJust a collection of primary source documents related to social justice history
Teachinghistory.org an incredible array of resources, lesson plans, digital primary sources, and articles
Veterans History Project access to digitized accounts of American veterans from the Library of Congress
Zinn Education Project resource page with lessons and articles for teaching Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States"
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Africa Access Over 1000 reviews of children's books related to Africa and other African studies curricular resources
Global Gateway international primary sources from the Library of Congress
iEarn International Education and Resource Network allows teachers to link their classroom projects with others around the world
Future State the State Department's website with resources for teachers and kid-friendly activities
Kid World Citizen this site has dozens of printables and book recommendations related to global citizenship (e.g., Human Rights poster)
One Day In the Life a collection of video clips of a day in the life of kids around the world
Peace Corps Challenge an interactive online simulation where students "become" Peace Corps members stationed in a fictional village
TeachGlobalEd.net a set of scholarly articles, primary sources, and web-based connections to global issues
UN Cyber Schoolbus an amazing set of resources about countries around the world including a curriculum guide, news stories, and country bios
UNESCO World Heritage an interactive list of World Heritage sites with resources and activities for teachers
World Factbook an online searchable nation database from the Central Intelligence Agency
PLACE-BASED EDUCATION
Department of Fish & Game lesson ideas and teacher resources
Dr. J. William Hug's Website lesson plans and professional development opportunities
Promise of Placecurriculum guides and lesson ideas
Virginia Studies a series of links to support teaching Virginia history
POLITICAL SCIENCE / CIVICS
Census for Kids kid-friendly explanation of the census with access to state data
Center for Civic Education resources for democratic education and teaching civics
Kids.gov the official kids' portal for the US government with tons of links, resources, activities, and more
Teachers for Justice a network of Chicago-based teachers organizing curriculum and political action to build anti-racist, multicultural, multilingual schools (also check out NYCoRE in New York)
THOMAS a searchable database of bills, speeches, and other legislative records from the Library of Congress
WhiteHouse.gov the official kids' site of the US White House
Children's Booklist from Teaching for Change
an amazing curated list of multicultural and social justice children's books
Cooperative Children's Book Center
a database of great children's books from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Critical Resources for Elementary Social Studies Teachers
this Facebook group brings methods instructors and classroom teachers together to share ideas for teaching about equity and justice
National Council of the Social Studies (Social Studies & the Young Learner)
the leading organization for social studies teachers in the United States with magazines, journals, and conferences
Institute for Human Education
IHE's mission is to create a just, humane, sustainable world through education. They offer resources and Pinterest boards filled with articles from journals and teacher magazines
PBS Teachers
(within this great site, be sure to check out American Experience "Way Back" for students to do family histories, America Responds about 9/11, activity packs for topics like Indigenous People and The Presidency, "People Like Us" about social class, segments about human interactions with nature from "Nature", and lesson plans associated with programming like "Postcards from Buster")
Reach and Teach
a peace and social justice learning company with games, books, posters, and other teacher resources available online
Rethinking Schools
searchable archives for resources and lesson plans grounded in social justice from the influential magazine
Social Studies Songs (Rethinking Schools)
A list of songs by topic for use with social studies units
Teaching for Change
an organization dedicated to providing professional development to teachers and parents for supporting anti-bias education
Teaching Tolerance
a free magazine with teaching ideas, online lesson plans, and other resources related to multicultural education (Click here for teacher resources and curriculum guides)
Using Their Words
An amazing collection of social justice resources for elementary educators and examples of curriculum and field trips to inspire multicultural, social justice educators.
ARTS
ArtsEdge a trove of resources aligned with the arts standards with specific lessons for teachers
The Blues a PBS site with lesson plans and resources about teaching history/culture through blues music
Center for the Study of Political Graphics an online collection of posters and other art related to social movements
Incredible Art a vast trove of elementary lesson plans organized by artist, medium, subject, period in art history, and grade level
Songs for Our Times an online database with musical recordings and lesson plans from the Library of Congress
CULTURAL STUDIES
All About Explorers a WebQuest to help teach kids about Internet research
CryptoKids an interactive site about cryptology developed by the National Security Agency CulturalPolitics.net a vast set of resources for the analysis of the role of culture in shaping our political, economic, and social lives
Don't Buy It! a PBS site helping young kids critique commercials and advertising methods
Global Oneness Project free multicultural stories and lesson plans with short videos to share with students
Kids' Guide to Local Culture the best guide for students to learn about culture - and published by the Madison Children's Museum! Also, check out their Teachers' Guide to Local Culture
Energy Kids resources and teacher guides about energy use from the US Energy Information Administration
Energy Star Kids online games for kids to think about energy conservation
NGA Kids a rich multimedia site developed for kids by the National Gallery of Art
Performing Arts Encyclopedia online primary sources about dance, music, the arts, etc. from the Library of Congress
Stop Bullying Now online webisodes and teacher resources for bully prevention programs from the Department of Health and Human Services
TravelJournals.net a collection of global travel stories, pictures, and country information with an interactive Google map
Welcoming Schools resources for teachers wanting to make their classroom a safe space for LGBTQ students and families
CURRENT EVENTS
Here There Everywhere a blog written for young children explaining major news stories
Indy Kids a free newspaper, website and teaching tool that aims to inform children on current news and world events and to inspire a passion for social justice and learning
The Learning Network: Teaching & Learning With the NY Times lesson plans for current and historical NY Times articles
Nusela current events written for several different readings levels with online writing prompts and quizzes
PenPal News a site that connects penpals across the country and world to discuss current events (upper elem/middle school)
Scholastic Kids news articles written from a mainstream news perspective for elementary-age children
Washington Post Kids' Post kid-friendly articles with additional resources for teachers
Website Archives an online collection of archived websites around important current events themes from the Library of Congress
The Week in Rap a weekly video rap performance covering current events
ECONOMICS
A Kids' Guide to Money
American Currency Exhibit digitized versions of historical currencies and information about their backgrounds
Bureau of Engraving and Printing a kid-friendly version of their website with curriculum and games
Council for Economic Education a corporate-sponsored searchable clearinghouse for K-12 lesson financial literacy lesson plans
Economic Education Web definitions of economic concepts for each grade level with corresponding lesson plans
Econ Explorers an online teacher guide for teaching economics published by the New York Fed
Econ Kids an online repository of resources, standards, and teaching ideas from Rutgers University
Elementary Lessons from JMU Center for Economic Education a series of lesson plans related to all K-6 VA Economics standards
Economics Education & Children's Literature a 100+page .pdf curriculum packet from Indiana University
Federal Reserve Resource Guide links to all of the curricula created by the Federal Reserve
Fedville an interactive web game that allows kids to move through Fedville earning, saving, and spending money
Museum of American Finance curriculum guides available online
National Economic Standards voluntary standards set forth by the National Council of Economic Education
Planet Money an NPR blog that makes complex economic issues easy to understand for the layperson - definitely check out their joint broadcast with This American Life ("The Giant Pool of Money" that breaks down the current economic crisis)
Rethinking Globalization a book from Rethinking Schools with some of its activities available online
The Story of Stuff a 20-minute animated video that explains and critiques the cycle of production/distribution/consumption
US Mint a kid-friendly version of their website with games, tours, and historical information
We the Economy engaging (even funny) videos made by famous actors and comedians to make economic concepts come alive
You Are Here the Federal Trade Commission's interactive simulation game walking students through a consumer experience at a simulated mall
GEOGRAPHY
Cool Tools for Schools tons of digital map tools
EduPlace blank outline maps
Globe To Go a great resource developed by an Iowa teacher
Kid World Citizen activities to encourage global, cultural awareness with young kids
GeoEducation free online, interactive mapping technology like GoogleEarth and Google MyMaps
Maps: Tools for Adventure! a series of online interactive map games and resources from National Geographic
Sporcle geography games
WorldAtlas.com free downloadable state, national and world maps (blank and political)
World Geography Games interactive map game that tracks your accuracy for continents, countries, cities, and more
HISTORY
American Memory an abundance of primary sources about American history from the Library of Congress
Beyond the Bubble assessments and rubrics for testing students' historical thinking (best for grades 6 and up)
Bringing History Home curriculum developed by Iowa teachers through a Teaching American History grant
Center for History and New Media a clearinghouse of websites dedicated to teaching history with digital primary source documents
(world history sources here)
Children & Youth in History a collection of primary sources and lesson plans about children in history organized based on regions of the world
Chronicling America The Library of Congress' online collection of historical newspapers
The Digital Vaults the digitized resources from the Library of Congress
Dipity.com an interactive web timeline-maker
Facing History resources for teaching history from a social justice/human rights perspective
The National Archives an abundance of digitized primary sources from American history
PBS: Eyes on the Prize (Civil Rights Movement)
PBS: Slavey and the Making of America (slavery)People and Moments in Time a K-5 searchable database of lesson plans sponsored by a Teaching American History grant connected to VA standards of learning
Prints & Photographs over 1 million prints and photographs available online through the Library of Congress
Smithsonian Education the famed museum's online resource guide for kids
Smithsonian History Explorer a database of primary sources and lessons from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History collection
SoJust a collection of primary source documents related to social justice history
Teachinghistory.org an incredible array of resources, lesson plans, digital primary sources, and articles
Veterans History Project access to digitized accounts of American veterans from the Library of Congress
Zinn Education Project resource page with lessons and articles for teaching Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States"
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Africa Access Over 1000 reviews of children's books related to Africa and other African studies curricular resources
Global Gateway international primary sources from the Library of Congress
iEarn International Education and Resource Network allows teachers to link their classroom projects with others around the world
Future State the State Department's website with resources for teachers and kid-friendly activities
Kid World Citizen this site has dozens of printables and book recommendations related to global citizenship (e.g., Human Rights poster)
One Day In the Life a collection of video clips of a day in the life of kids around the world
Peace Corps Challenge an interactive online simulation where students "become" Peace Corps members stationed in a fictional village
TeachGlobalEd.net a set of scholarly articles, primary sources, and web-based connections to global issues
UN Cyber Schoolbus an amazing set of resources about countries around the world including a curriculum guide, news stories, and country bios
UNESCO World Heritage an interactive list of World Heritage sites with resources and activities for teachers
World Factbook an online searchable nation database from the Central Intelligence Agency
PLACE-BASED EDUCATION
Department of Fish & Game lesson ideas and teacher resources
Dr. J. William Hug's Website lesson plans and professional development opportunities
Promise of Placecurriculum guides and lesson ideas
Virginia Studies a series of links to support teaching Virginia history
POLITICAL SCIENCE / CIVICS
Census for Kids kid-friendly explanation of the census with access to state data
Center for Civic Education resources for democratic education and teaching civics
Kids.gov the official kids' portal for the US government with tons of links, resources, activities, and more
Teachers for Justice a network of Chicago-based teachers organizing curriculum and political action to build anti-racist, multicultural, multilingual schools (also check out NYCoRE in New York)
THOMAS a searchable database of bills, speeches, and other legislative records from the Library of Congress
WhiteHouse.gov the official kids' site of the US White House