The following links have been identified by the Kentucky Council for the Social Studies as resources that may be helpful during NTI learning.
Resources are listed below by grade span, then alphabetical order to provide access to information. The inclusion of a resource is neither an endorsement nor recommendation by KCSS; rather this list represents a compilation of resources for ease of consideration and/or use. School administrators and teachers should review the resources and determine the appropriateness for their students.
Lessons
These links contain ready made lessons to modify for students' needs. Lessons from these links can easily be modified for standards alignment.
Grade Span | Description | Link |
K-12 | Econlink Economic and Personal Financial lessons by Economic Council for Economic Education (ECEE) | |
K-12 | Inquiry Design Models (IDM) Inquires aligned to the C3 Framework and the KAS for Social Studies. | |
K-12 | Library of Congress (LOC) Resources and lessons to address various topics, mostly in U.S. History. | |
K-12 | What is a Vote Worth? Questions, Tasks, and Sources centered around celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. | |
K-12 | Zinn Education Project The website offers free, downloadable lessons and articles organized by theme, time period, and grade level. Based on the approach to history highlighted in Howard Zinn’s best-selling book A People’s History of the United States, teaching materials emphasize the role of working people, women, people of color, and organized social movements in shaping history. | |
3-12 | Document Based Questions: Questions built around primary source sets. Free access to DBQ online available through July 1, 2020. | |
4-12 | Historical Scene Investigations Lessons on historical topics designed like mysteries to be solved by students. | |
4-12 | Native 360* Smithsonian Native Knowledge 360° provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history, cultures, and contemporary lives. | |
4-12 | Stanford History Education Group Downloadable lessons that require students to analyze primary source documents. | |
6-12 | Civic Online Reasoning Civic Online Reasoning (COR) curriculum is based on strategies identified when observing fact checkers from the nation’s most prestigious news organizations. | |
6-12 | Echoes and Reflections These lesson plans allow educators to teach about the Holocaust in an effective and interactive fashion. Lessons are organized by theme and include step-by-step instructions, multimedia clips, and print-ready pages for classroom distribution. | |
6-12 | Facing History and Ourselves Collection of educator resources includes a wide range of flexible, multimedia materials, from primary sources and streaming videos to teaching strategies, lesson plans, and full units. Find resources that will support your students' learning, whether you are teaching a complex moment in history or addressing today's breaking news. | |
6-12 | Institute for Curriculum Services ICS specializes in teaching the history of the Middle East. Access lesson plans on history, religion, and the environment. Download maps and watch videos related to the region.. | |
6-12 | Newvisions New Visions for Public Schools has developed full scope and sequence curricular frameworks designed for the Global History and Geography I and II courses and the U.S. History course. | |
9-12 | Street Law Street Law, Inc. is the go-to resource for Supreme Court classroom content needs. Offers free secondary-level case summaries, lesson plans, learning activities, and teaching strategies on current and historic SCOTUS cases. |
Resources to Build Lessons
Helpful places to begin thinking through building lessons for students. Teachers will need to adapt (excerpt, annotate, modify) based upon students’ needs. There might be lessons within resources, but have not been vetted for standards alignment at this time.
Grade Span | Description | Link |
K-12 | Be a Citizen Be a Citizen is a program to connect meaningful civic education to schools and communities. Through an interdisciplinary approach, resources help students connect learning experiences to their lives and, likewise, become active contributors to their community’s civic culture. | |
K-12 | Chronicling America Search America’s historic newspapers pages from 1789-1963 by date, location, or keyword in this online database from the Library of Congress. | |
K-12 | Frazier History Museum--Coronavirus Capsule The Frazier History Museum is collaborating with JCPS during this unprecedented time to document what students are seeing, feeling and how they are coping with the ongoing pandemic. We’re asking students to record their thoughts and experiences by writing them down, taking pictures of what is happening in their world, recording videos, creating art or music, anything they choose to express themselves. We would like to use their reflections as part of a virtual exhibit, and eventually a physical exhibit at the Frazier. Please send submissions to education@fraziermuseum.org with the subject line Coronavirus Capsule. | |
K-12 | iCivics Teach the election with these print-and-go lesson plans that include simulations, vocabulary development, graphic organizers, and active participation opportunities. | |
K-12 | LIFE Photo Archives Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1860s to today. Most were never published and are now available for the first time through the joint work of LIFE and Google. | |
K-12 | National Constitution Center Take an interactive journey through the United States Constitution, connect virtually with classrooms around the country, join a livestream event, access historical documents and lesson plans, and more. | |
K-12 | NCSS Teaching Resources The National Council for the Social Studies offers a general list of resources that are available from across the country. | |
K-12 | National Geographic In “Classroom Resources,” you will find a resource library with readings for both Science and Social Studies. There is also a feature on this website for professional learning, such as “Mapping as Visual and Communication Tool,” a class that starts in two weeks, to direct teachers in developing lessons around important Geographic reasoning/tools. | |
K-12 | PBS Learning Media KET’s PBS LearningMedia has a large repository including classroom-ready resources. Search by grade level, subject area, keyword, or award winning collection. Google Classroom integration makes it easy to share resources with your entire class. Content contributors include KET, PBS, PBS Kids, NASA, the National Archives, the Library of Congress and many more. | |
K-12 | Smithsonian The Smithsonian Institution includes 19 museums, 21 libraries, 9 research centers, the National Zoo, and numerous historical buildings and landmarks. Approximately 154 million items are held in their care. Use this hub to access their online collection of virtual tours, online exhibits and collections, podcasts, classroom and family activities and more that relate to social studies, art, science, and technology. Use the toolbar at top to navigate to particular areas. | |
K-12 | Smithsonian Learning Lab The Smithsonian Learning Lab is a major rethinking of how the digital resources from across the Smithsonian’s 19 museums, 9 major research centers, the National Zoo, and more, can be used together, for learning. You can discover their offerings, create collections for students to use, and connect with the learning community. | |
K-12 | Teaching United States History Teachinghistory.org is designed to help K–12 history teachers access resources and materials to improve U.S. history education in the classroom. | |
K-3 | National Geographic Kids Interactive games, activities, etc. for students. While there are materials that you access in a paid subscription, there are materials free for classroom use. | |
K-5 | Kid Citizen A Library of Congress project with Congress to inform and prepare our children to be active citizens. Free resource for teachers.This website specifically addresses the civic learning needs for the K-5 classroom! | |
4-8 | Colonial Williamsburg Digital Resource Library A collection of FREE resources, lessons, games and videos about the colonial period through the Civil War. Includes cross-curricular connections. | |
3-12 | NewseumED Offers free resources to cultivate the First Amendment and media literacy skills essential to civic life. Learn how to authenticate, analyze and evaluate information from a variety of sources and put current events in historical context through standards-aligned lesson plans, videos, primary sources, virtual classes and programs. | |
4-12 | Bill of Rights Institute Free and digital versions of the founding documents and accompanying explanatory resources. | |
4-12 | Spartacus Educational Provides encyclopedia type articles and primary sources on topics in American and British history. | |
4-12 | Teaching American History - Documents Collection A collection of primary documents for teaching about American history. Search the collection by eras, collections, themes, or authors. | |
4-12 | TED-Ed Social Studies Build a lesson around any TED-Ed Animation, TED Talk or YouTube video. | |
4-12 | U.S. History.org Free online textbooks for high school students, including texts for U.S. History and Government | |
6-12 | Fordham University Internet History Sourcebooks Provides primary source documents on topics in history from world and U.S. history. | |
6-12 | OER Big History Project Shares the best classroom insights, trends and industry research to inform great teaching and learning around Big History | |
8-12 | C-Span Classroom This section of the website is designed to enhance social studies curriculums by providing teachers with structured lesson plans that examine a variety of topics and are supplemented with video clips of related C-SPAN programming. | |
8-12 | Voices of Democracy Voices of Democracy features a growing collection of curriculum units focusing on significant speeches in U.S. history. Those units, which are designed for college-level teachers and students, include a link to lesson plans for teaching the speech at the high school or middle school level. |
Digital Learning Tools
These are options for developing digital learning for students. These platforms can be used for group work, discussion, creation, or assessment.
Grade Span | Description | Link |
K-12 | Flipgrid Collaborative platform for discussion & formative assessment. You can assign a question and have students answer it, or have a discussion board. It has also opened up the option for video recording. For a “how to,” please click here. | |
K-12 | Google Meet/Hangouts If you are a Googe Ed district, use this to reach out to your students. For a “how to,” please click here. It also includes closed captioning, should you need it. You have the capabilities to share your screen. CAUTION: Your students can still talk to each other if you leave the meeting first. | |
K-12 | Loom Video recording & instant sharing software. You use your camera and computer and this can be uploaded to multiple platforms. For a “how to,” please click here. | |
K-12 | Screencastify A video recording program through a Chrome extension (to be added through the Chrome Web Store). You record what you are doing on your computer. As of pre-C-19, you were only allowed 5-10 minutes of recordings, but this might have been lifted. Videos can be shared on multiple platforms. For a “how to,” please click here. | |
K-12 | Seesaw Collaborative platform for discussion, lesson presentation, and formative assessment. You can assign an activity, question, or readings with your lesson. Students can respond using a recorded message, graphic organizers, writing, etc. Very kid-friendly, especially for our K-2 students, as every activity has a tutorial. There is also an extensive assignment/strategy library. | |
K-12 | YouTube If you hadn’t thought about it before, try making a YouTube channel. You can use one of the previous platforms to record yourself and upload it to YouTube. From there you can choose how to share it. Since it is a Google product, it plays nicely with Google Classroom. For a “how to” on creating a channel, please click here. | |
K-12 | Zoom Video conferencing. It is free to sign up, You can have 2-100 people in the meeting for 40 minutes, however, this might have been lifted due to C-19. You also have recording capabilities to share with students later. There is an embedded chat and the capability to share your screen. For a “how to,” please click here. CAUTION: Your students must have an email to participate - that’s how the invite is sent. |
Digital Learning Information
Articles and information to help teachers with digital learning classrooms, structures, and considerations.
Description | Link |
4 Tips for Teachers Shifting to Teaching Online | |
Active Learning: Engaging Students To Maximize Learning In An Online Course | |
Coronavirus Resources: Teaching, Learning & Thinking Critically | |
Distance [Digital] Learning | |
How to Support Home Learning in the Elementary Grades | |
Six Strategic Steps to Digital Learning Success | |
Supporting students with disabilities in k-12 online and blended learning. |
Virtual Tours & Historic Sites
Links to state, national, and international museums and historic sites that feature virtual tours and teaching tools. These could be added as part of a lesson or activity and provide primary and secondary source documents for classroom use.
Grade Span | Description | Link |
Kentucky History | ||
K-12 | Frazier History Museum Virtual It is not business as usual for any of us, and like you, we are trying to navigate the new normal and make sure we connect with you where you are, so welcome to the Frazier Virtual Museum. This is free content for you and your family. We hope you can learn from it, be entertained by it, but most importantly know that we are in this together. | |
K-12 | Kentucky Historical Society Virtual Visitor Here is one-stop-shopping for all of KHS’s virtual offerings, from online collections databases and KAS for Social Studies tools to Facebook Live tours of their 3 museums! Also includes a list of virtual museum offerings across Kentucky. Access educator resources such as standards alignment tools, online exhibits and worksheets, and online collections here. | |
K-12 | Kentucky Virtual Art Museum Explore Kentucky art from almost 20 museums around the state. | |
U.S. History | ||
K-12 | Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland’s Money Museum Tour the learning center and Money Museum’s interactive exhibits and play educational games related to U.S. finances. More educational tools such as lesson plans and videos can be found here. | |
K-12 | George Washington’s Mount Vernon Resources about this founder are extensive on this website and include virtual tours, Facebook Livestreams, digital collections, traditional K-12 resources, podcasts, blogs, and more. | |
K-12 | Monticello A variety of guided and self-guided tours await at Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia home! Also available is a digital classroom featuring over 175 lesson plans, over 50 articles, and nearly 700 pieces of media content featuring artifacts, primary sources, and audio content connected to the life of the third U.S. president. | |
K-12 | Museum of the American Revolution Take a virtual walk through the galleries of this Philadelphia museum guided by these 4 essential questions: How did people become Revolutionaries? How did the Revolution survive its darkest hour? How Revolutionary was the war? And finally, what kind of nation did the Revolution create? More MAR virtual resources can be found here. Digital collections can be found here. | |
K-12 | National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Here you can access virtual tours, online exhibits and lesson plans related to slavery, past and present. | |
K-12 | National Parks System Take a virtual tour of 113 NPS sites from around the country including the Civil War sites such as Andersonville Prison and Ford’s Theater; the homes of Frederic Douglass and Thomas Edison; the Spanish missions and natural wonders of California and the southwest; Ellis and Alcatraz islands and more. | |
K-12 | Smithsonian The Smithsonian Institution includes 19 museums, 21 libraries, 9 research centers, the National Zoo, and numerous historical buildings and landmarks. Approximately 154 million items are held in their care. Use this hub to access their online collection of virtual tours, online exhibits and collections, podcasts, classroom and family activities and more that relate to social studies, art, science, and technology. | Distance Learning Info |
K-12 | United States Civil Rights Trail Follow this photo tour of the civil rights sites throughout the U.S. to see and read about the places where African Americans and their supporters took a stand for equality. | |
K-12 | USS Constellation Docked in Baltimore, the USS Constellation was built in 1854 and between then and 1955 she engaged in sea battles; chased and captured slave ships, freeing their human cargo; transported immigrants; was used as a training ship; and served as a goodwill ambassador, traveling to expositions and other celebrations around the world. Take a virtual tour of her 4 decks. | |
K-12 | White House Historical Association Take a virtual tour of the White House, download classroom packets on topics as far ranging as first pets, presidential portraits, slavery in the president’s neighborhood, and women in the White House. Resources also include videos and podcasts. Grade level specific resources are divided by K-5 and 6-12. | |
World History | ||
K-12 | Byzantine and Christian Virtual Museum Take a virtual tour through the galleries of this Athens museum, explore thematic online exhibits and timelines, play games or simply browse the 30,000+ artifacts online dating from the third century AD to today. | |
K-12 | British Museum’s Museum of the World Explore this interactive timeline and discover art and artifacts from 2,000,000 BC to the present. Visitors can explore by continent, time period or theme - art and design; living and dying; power and identity; religion and belief; or trade and conflict. | |
K-12 | China’s Forbidden City Take a virtual tour of the Beijing palace that housed Chinese Emperors during the Ming (1348-1644) and Qing (1636-1911) dynasties, a span of 500 years. | |
K-12 | Google Arts and Culture - Online Museums The list of virtual museums and online exhibits on Google Arts and Culture is literally unending! Many are art museums but the list also includes historic sites as varied as the Acropolis, the Anne Frank Haus, Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Stonehenge, Musee Curie, 10 Downing Street, and more. Start exploring! | |
K-12 | National Museums of Kenya Take a video tour of Kenya’s treasures to learn about its past and present cultural and natural heritage from this multi-disciplinary institution. | |
K-12 | National Museum of Korea See 360 views of the museum galleries telling the cultural and historical story of Korea. | |
Presidential Libraries
Presidential Libraries are a great place to find primary sources for U.S. and World histories.
Grade Span | Description | Link |
K-12 | The Presidential Libraries The libraries are linked to the National Archives, so if it’s primary sources you need, then these are the places to go! All of them have great education features, especially pertaining to significant events occurring during their presidencies. https://www.fdrlibrary.org/ https://www.bush41.org/ https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/ https://www.clintonlibrary.gov/ https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/ https://www.obamalibrary.gov/ https://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/ https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/ | The Presidential Libraries |
Brain Breaks - For BOTH Teachers & Students
Everyone deserves a break! These links provide humor, beauty, and curiosity for those times when you need a break. Take some time to explore one of these great opportunities.
Description | Link |
Around The World Choice of virtual field trips from around the world. | |
Boston Explore Boston and its museums from the comfort of your home. | |
Cirque de Soleil View past performances of this amazing artistic group. | |
Daily Doodling Get your art on with Mo Willems every day at lunch! | |
Discovery Education Let Discovery Education take you away on one of many virtual field trips! | |
Educational Movies Looking for something binge-worthy, but still educational? Check out this list of educational movies. | |
Farm Tours Take your students on a virtual farm tour! There are also many individual horse farms doing virtual tours - check on google. | |
Gallery Tours Check out these 500+ virtual gallery tours! | |
Historic Homes Ever want to tour Buckingham Palace? It’s here, along with lots of other historic homes. | |
Legos Check out 30 days of Legos activities. | |
Metropolitan Opera The Met is offering free streaming of past performances. | |
Museums 12 virtual field trips to museums | |
New York Public Library FREE access to the virtual ebook library. Requires a free app download. | |
Paris Museums The Paris museums have put 100,000 images online for free viewing. | |
Philharmonic Orchestra Free streaming of past performances | |
Shipwreck Explore a 17th century shipwreck! | |
Virtual Field Trips Even MORE virtual field trip options. |
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