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Norfolk Public Schools ::
Social Studies

 

 

  

Kindergarten Grade1 Grade2 Grade3 Grade4 Grade5 Grade6

 

 

 
Grade 6 Links

US Government
The White House Talk to the President, and tour the Big House...

Historical Documents - Collections of famous historical documents. Examples: Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg Address, Magna Carta, etc.

from the Library of Congress   
from the National Archives  
an extensive list from the National Center for Public Policy   
100 Milestone Documents from OurDocuments.gov   
from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids  

House of Representatives - The official page of the US House of Representatives
United States Senate - The official page of the Senate
Information on Presidents of the United States       
The Electoral College - user can choose a state, program shows the number of votes, user selects the party voted for
 
Grade 5 Links

Explorers
Find out about the Vikings at this website
Kidspast is a fun way to explore history 
Visit the Nova website for more information on the Vikings
A Vikings Cyberhunt from Scholastic
Learn about those Amazing Aztecs   
A Columbus cyberhunt from Scholastic
Also from Scholastic a webquest on Columbus   
A list of links to information about New World Explorers included in the Mass. Frameworks-
Vasco Nuñez de Balboa
Enchanted Learning      
        
    
John Cabot
Sebastian Cabot
Enchanted Learning      
Jacques Cartier

Samuel de Champlain
   
Christopher Columbus
Cristóbal Colón
Thinkquest    
Francisco Vasquez
de Coronado

Hernando Cortez
Hernan Cortés

Vasco da Gama
Hernando de Soto
Sir Frances Drake
Henry Hudson
  
Ferdinand Magellan
Fernando de Magellanes
Fernão de Magalhães

Francisco Pizarro

Juan Ponce de León
Enchanted Learning       
Who Was Ponce de Leon? - From a history book published in the 1800's
Amerigo Vespucci

 

Student archaelogists can have fun exploring ideas and objects from the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve in Alaska in thisPBS Archaeology page.

Fifth Grade Wax Museum Biographies
Meet Amazing Americans at America's Story from American Library
Kidspast is a fun way to explore history 
Search on Biography.com for information about famous people
The Biographical Dictionary covers more than 28,000 men and women who have shaped our world from ancient times to the modern day

Interested in a specific time period?
Here are some biographies of people who lived at the time of the Civil War    
Researching a woman? Check out the list of American Women's biographies       Note:You will have to click on Women's History biographies in the left sidebar and then on U.S. History in the gray bar going down the center of the page.
Women Artists has self-portraits and information on women artists from the medieval period to the 20th century.
Academy of Achievement has biographies on many people in recent history who have made an impact on the world. Click on Achiever Gallery
The Dead People Server will let you search for people by typing their names, by clicking on their last initial, or by year of death. Scroll down the left side of the page
African Americans in the Sciences Learn about African Americans who have made a difference as chemists, biologists, inventors, engineers and mathematicians.
Famous Hispanics in the World and History - short biographical information on Hispanic men and women who have made a difference in history. You'll find musicians, Nobel Prize winners, painters, scientists, sports figures, writers and more!
Looking for Native American Biographies?        Native American Biographies A to Z - or - Notable American Indians   
Famous Leaders for young readers    These stories of presidents, inventors, educators, scientists, business men and women, etc. are presented to inspire the student to follow their examples of courage, determination, honesty and willingness to work. Not all of these are Americans..

Colonial America

 
Below are some links to colonial and Revolutionary War links

Colonial America Links-
Kidspast is a fun way to explore history 
Kid Info has pages with lots of links for the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies and the Southern Colonies
Colonial Web Sites lots of links arranged by categories like general, kids, job, etc.
Compact Histories - Native American tribes brief information on all the First Nations along with geographic locations
School Subjects - Links to all sorts of American History
13 Originals  - each colony has a short description and links to more
Information on the original colonies from Social Studies for Kids - Click on the colony on the map
Information on several of the original colonies: New Hampshire, Connecticut,New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia
History of the USA has many links for both colonization and the Revolution

Revolutionary War
Revolutionary War People-
 
Click on the picture to open a new page with a large picture of the person.

John Adams
From Fact Monster     
Also from Fact Monster   
from History Central   
from The White House   
Samuel Adams
from Colonial Hall    
from Biography.com    
from Fact Monster    
from History Central   
from the Patriot Resource    
Ethan Allen
from History Central   

 
Benedict Arnold
from Fact Monster   
from Valley Forge   
 
Crispus Attucks
from Fact Monster   
from Africans in America on PBS   
from History Central   
General John Burgoyne
from Fact Monster   
from Liberty! on PBS 
George Rogers Clark
from Fact Monster   
from History Central   
Margaret Corbin
from Fact Monster   
Lord Cornwallis
from Fact Monster   
from the Patriot Resource   
Lydia Darragh
from US History.org   
from History.org   
William Dawes
from Fact Monster   
from Mass Moments   
from Be A Fifer  (only a small amount of information)
James Forten
from the Gale Group (a well known information source)
Benjamin Franklin
From Fact Monster    
from Colonial Hall   
from the Franklin Institute   
from History Central   
Nathanael Greene
from the Patriot Resource   
from History Central   
Nathan Hale

Alexander Hamilton
from US History.org   
from Liberty! on PBS   
John Hancock
from Fact Monster   
also from Fact Monster   
from History Central   
Molly Ludwig Hays
from Fact Monster  
from US History.org    
Patrick Henry
from Fact Monster  
from US History.org   
from Colonial Hall   
from History Central   
from Liberty! at PBS   
text of Give me liberty speech    
Thomas Hutchinson
from Fact Monster   
from the Mass. State House  
Thomas Jefferson
from Fact Monster   
also from Fact Monster   
from Colonial Hall   
John Paul Jones
from Fact Monster   
from History Central   
King George III
from Fact Monster  
from History Central   
Marquis de Lafayette

Richard Henry Lee
from Fact Monster   
also from Fact Monster  
from Colonial Hall   
from History Central   
Sybil Ludington
from Fact Monster   
James Madison
from Fact Monster  
also from Fact Monster   
from History Central   
from the White House  
from American President.org (based on PBS series)   
Francis Marion
from Fact Monster  
from the Patriot Resource   
from History Central   
from u-s-history.com   
James Otis
from Fact Monster  
from History Central   
from u-s-history.com   
Thomas Paine
from Fact Monster   
from US History.org   
from History Central   
Samuel Prescott
from Fact Monster   
from u-s-history.com   
Paul Revere
from Fact Monster    
from the Paul Revere House   
from History Central   
Peter Salem
from History Central   
from The Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections  (includes an explanation of the picture)
Deborah Sampson
from Fact Monster  
Roger Sherman
from Fact Monster  
also from Fact Monster   
Baron Friedrich von Steuben
from Fact Monster  
from US History.org   
from History Central   
George Washington

for full length picture click here
from Fact Monster  
also from Fact Monster   
from Colonial Hall   
from the Patriot Resource   
from US History.org (lengthy)
from History Central   
Phillis Wheatley
From Fact Monster      
from Thomson Gale (a well known information source)
from History Central   
Archiving Early America has information, movies, songs, and lots of other information
Kidspast is a fun way to explore history 
Liberty's Kids has information and activities to do
Flags of the American Revolution:  Founding Fathers.Info or  Flags over America  or Flags of the American Revolution  
A Journey Towards Freedom Infopedia links to collections of information
LIBERTY! The American Revolution the PBS series with background information

Virtual tour of the American Revolution   This ongoing project will show 360-degree panoramic photographs of American Revolution event and battle locations; some are done now.
History of the USA has many links for both colonization and the Revolution
Some general sites for information on the American Revolution: The History Place   The American Revolution.org   
 
Try your hand at this Jamestown Online Adventure   
An Interview with Thomas Jefferson - questions answered in his own words, some with sound available, some refer user to pictures

Miscellaneous

Mrs. Fontes' President's Day webquest 
Kidspast is a fun way to explore history
Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids Branches of Government
 
       

Grade 4 Links


Immigration
Ellis Island photos from the New York Public Library digital collection
Ellis Island - The History Channel's web page on Ellis Island.
The Immigrant Experience at Ellis Island

National Parks
A List of all the parks in the National Park Service
Information on the National Parks from the American Park Network
Postcards from the Southwest - 8 different places are highlighted

Pictures from 15 of the National Parks    
Photographs from the Canyonlands National Park   
Photos from Everglades National Park   
Photographs from the Rocky Mountains   

Lowell Mills
Mill Girls & Immigrants Exhibit Video from Lowell National Historical Park
Boott Cotton Mills Museum Weave Room video from Lowell National Historical Park
APhoto Gallery from the Lowell National Historical Park

Other Links
   

Grade 3 Links


The Wampanoags
Compare and contrast the life of the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims   
Wampanoag   
Information on the Wampanoags           
The Pilgrims and the Puritans
Daily life in 1621 What was life like for the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims?       
Information on the First Thanksgiving   
You Are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving - Discover the facts, refute the myths, and learn about the Wampanoag people and the English colonists and their ways of life. All along the investigation, students can visit the expert for additional clarification or look up unfamiliar words in the glossary.
Colonial America - click on the links for Pilgrims and Puritans

Massachusetts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The 50 States ... Information on Massachusetts as well as the other 49!
Massachusetts basic facts
Basic Massachusetts facts and symbols
Information on the Massachusetts symbols    
Another place to find Fun Facts about Massachusetts    
Road To Revolution game from PBS
Old Sturbridge Village ...The official Sturbridge Village web site.
If these don't answer your questions, try here     

Mass Moments provides a daily almanac of Massachusetts history. You can read or listen to an event for each day of the year and then learn more about the "moment" from images, illustrations, and primary documents.
Washington D.C.

A Virtual Tour of the National Mall from DC Pages

The District has informaton on several of the Washington sites

Great pictures of the monuments at http://www.kestan.com/travel/dc/monument/

The White House - a tour for kids , find a page from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids, National Park Service Page, a nice picture and a little information

The Capital (House and Senate) - a virtual tour, find a page from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids, a nice picture and a little information

The Pentagon - general information and history as well as a virtual tour, information from Great Buildings Online, basic facts and figures on the building

The National Zoo - history of the zoo, and links to more information

The National Museum of Natural History main page

The Air and Space Museum - the home page has many drop down menus to help find out about the purpose, the history and the exhibits including past, present, and on the web

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial - a brief description of the memorial and a picture as well as the memorial home page from the National Park Service and more information from TourofDC

Kennedy Center - about the Center, history of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Iwo Jima and Vietnam Wall Memorial - information about the National Iwo Jima Monument, detail pictures about the Iwo Jima statue, general information about the Vietnam Wall Memorial, pictures of the Wall, more information on the Wall, history of the Vietnam Wall Memorial, find a page from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids, National Park Service Page on the Vietnam Wall

Jefferson Memorial - general information,find a page from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids

Lincoln Memorial - find a page from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids, National Park Service Page, nice picture and a little information

Washington Monument - find a page from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids, National Park Service Page, nice picture and a little information

Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon Tour

National Cathedral - history of the building, take a virtual tour, pictures

The Supreme Court - find a page from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids, nice picture and a little information

Library of Congress - a brief history, nice picture and a little information

The National Archives - Welcome to NARA and what is NARA

F.B.I. Building - FBI Kids Page, about the FBI Seal, nice picture and a little information

The Bureau of Printing and Engraving - Bureau homepage

Arlington National Cemetery - find a page from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids

The Kennedy Grave Sites - a lot of information here about Bobby Kennedy including some about the graves

The Naval Museum - Naval Historical Center Home Page

The Women's Memorial - basic information on the Women in Military Service Memorial

The Korean War Veterans Memorial -  National Park Service Page

The National World War II Memorial - -National WWII Memorial page, the National Park Service page

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - a brief description of the museum, and the Home page has links to some of the exhibits

 

Other Links
Information on Wilma Rudolph    
   

Grade 2 Links
  

Plymouth Plantation
Daily life in 1621 What was life like for the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims?       
Fun facts about Pilgrim children. Click on a topic in the blue sidebar.
You are the Historian - Investigating the First Thanksgiving
Information on the First Thanksgiving    

February
A second grade class wrote a website about Harriet Tubman and another about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.   
Here's a place to find information about Abraham Lincoln   
More places for information on Harriet Tubman

Land Forms
Learn continents by playing Geospy   
Other Links
Tour the White House with Scotty, the President's Springer Spaniel
Take an historical tour of the White House

How well do you know the states? Here's a map and a game to play
   
   

Grade 1 Links

United States, Leaders, Symbols, Events, and Holidays.


Find Your State from Enchanted Learning Contains a US map which children can label
White House Kids - Copy and paste a picture of the current President from here and have children write 3 facts in a word processing document which describe what a President does.
Symbols of the USA from Enchanted Learning - Source of facts and printouts of the American Flag, bald eagle, White House and the Statue of Liberty. All can be colored and researched.

Individuals, Families, and Communities -Now and Long Ago
A video on Paul Revere from Early America
Information on Johhny Appleseed   
   


Kindergarten and PreK Links:
Community Helpers

Community Club from Scholastic - This page contains links to 8 community helper books which children can click on and have read to them. The helpers include a veternarian, librarian, pizza maker, utility worker, mayor, police officer, firefighter and pediatrician
Teachers' Guide for Scholastic's Community Club is a delightful page which not only has instructions for using the page listed above but also has additional activities to do online such as create badges for kids as well as extension activities for each of the community helpers.
Community Helpers at Enchanted Learning offers a variety of activities from printouts to age appropriate research reading.
Your Neighborhood from Ben's Guide to US Government for Kids - Click on a building on the map
Other Links
See how your name is written in Japanese
Teddy Bear's Picnic: "Walk in the Woods" - Understanding and visualizing directional language
   

Geography

Outline Maps
GraphicMaps.com has free outline maps, globes and flags. You can Print them or save them.
Xpeditions at National Geographic also has quality maps for printing or downloading

Not outline maps, but Maptech Mapserver will produce a map of any place you input. Enter either the city and state or the zipcode.

    
Latitude and Longitude

Latitude and Longitude activity from National Geographic - Click on “scrap of paper” to get the list of coordinates
Name that Place– latitude and longitude activity
Where on Earth? A latitude and longitude quiz - Finding out the latitude and longitude of selected points on a globe
This activity with latitude and longitude uses a series of maps with different distances between the lines
Use an atlas to answer these questions (pdf file)
Here’s an activity from Enchanted Learning using a map of the U.S.
And another activity from Enchanted Learning
Print out this map to do this activity
This online geography quiz includes latitude and longitude

Country Facts
U.S. State Department ...State Department facts on countries
CIA World Factbook.. Statistical information on nearly every country in the world, plus an incredible amount of maps, graphics, country flags, and more.
Geographic.org has information on climate, flags, maps, and country information for the current as well as previous years
Atlapedia Online contains full color physical maps, political maps as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the world.
Countries of the World from Factmonster provides information on: Geography, Maps, Flag, History, Current ruler, Area, Population, Capital, Largest cities, Languages, Ethnicity/race, Religion, Literacy rate, Economy, Government
Countries of the World has information, maps, anthems, history and flags for over 260 countries
World Atlas.com - a world atlas of facts flags and maps including every continent, country, dependency, exotic destination, island, major city, ocean, province, state & territory on the planet!
Country at a Glance has brief information on all the nations which belong to the United Nations
World and News from Factmonster has statistics, maps, flags, geography, history, and religion
Flags.com is a retail site where you can find illustrations of flags of many countries. Clicking on the link under the individual flag will open a new window with basic infomation about the coundtry as well as a description and explanation of the colors and symbols on the flag.
Geography at about.com is a treasure trove of links to maps (US, world, historical) as well as flags, photos, and facts about anywhere and everywhere in the world

All 50 States
Enchanted Learning has many printouts of the regions of the U.S. 
The 50 States ..Information on all 50 states
State Facts for Students from the US Census Bureau
The US50 - A guide to the fifty states
Explore the States at America's Story from American Library
The Fifty States at Factmonster
Netstate.com has state symbols, flags, seals, geography and people of the United States
World Atlas.com has lots of the information you might need for your study of the states
Postcards from America Gallery has virtual picture postcards from all 50 states
US States from Enchanted Learning
The 50 States Quarters Program from the United State Mint
TeacherVision has some specialized lists of things like state mottoes, nicknames, population, and length of coastline
Test Your Geography Knowledge contains a map game that helps students to learn the location of the 50 states. This site also has a menu bar with games to help the children learn the locations of other countries.
Interactive United States History Map - Become a geography whiz as you learn how the United States was settled. 
Photos of US land forms from National Geographic Website.
US Map with landforms displayed on it.
Map to click on for specific places with landforms in US.
US Map with landforms labeled on it.
Gives examples of specific famous US landforms.
US Map to click on with specific landforms in US with explanations.

Geography Games
States Web Games - Learn the locations, capitals, abbreviations and over 500 important facts about our 50 states.
Try this Place the State game at the Intermediate level. For other options try the link above this one
This game from School Express shows the state and tells the capital - can you name the state?
If you are shown the state, can you name the capital at this School Express website?
Ben's Guide has three maps for you to complete.
Here's another chance to name the states with this interactive map
Play this US State Detective game   
Get ready! This states map quiz is timed!
Do you know all the continents and oceans?
Geospy from National Geographic
Where is That? has five levels beginning with simple identification and moving through spelling and identifying capitals
There are several geography related games at Funschool
Learn the capitals of the U. S. states
Captain Coordinate: Understanding Scale Practice with the 4 cardinal directions.
Mapmaker, Mapmaker Make Me a Map Someone gives you a description of the place he visited. He hands you the written description of the place and asks you to make a map of the place. Draw the map, then look at the publisher's map as well as some drawn by other students.
   

Presidents of the United States
The Presidents of the United States - Information on the Presidents from the White House
American Presidents: Life Portraits - Information on the Presidents from C-Span - Pick a President at the top of the page.
Forty four presidents . . .A seamless transition from one picture to another...backed by Ravel's Bolero... Turn up the volume
First Ladies of the United States - from the White House - biographical information on the First Ladies from Martha Washington to Michele Obama and everyone in between.