Social Studies Websites

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Social Studies Websites

• Librarian Collegial Circle
• 2005-2006

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Our Mission

• To find quality websites to support student and
  staff needs and address the Social Studies and
  Literacy standards
• To investigate subscription databases for
  purchase recommendations

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Topics

• Secondary
• Research
• Economics
• African American History and Culture
• PIG
• World History

• Elementary
• Research
• Ancient Civilizations
• NYS and Local History
• World Communities

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Research

• Focus on Encyclopedias
• Cost for subscription encyclopedias
• Ease of use
• Quality of information
• Readability
• Clarity of layout
• Evaluate free online encyclopedias

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Encyclopedia comparisons

• World Book same material for all levels
• Grolier
• Encyclopedia Americana (HS)
• New Book of Knowledge (MS)
• Grolier Online (Elementary)
• Britannica
• Encyclopedia Britannica (HS)
• Comptons Encyclopedia (MS)
• Elementary Encyclopedia (Elementary)

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World Book

• Pros
• Bookmark results
• Printable maps
• Print subsection, full article
• Contributor name, title, location at end of each
  article
• Complete citations
• Results on right, content overview on left
• Tools dictionary, help, highlight search term,
  save article

• Cons
• No relevance listed for hits
• Search term not automatically highlighted (option
  available)

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Britannica

• Pros
• Most information
• Search, then choose level
• Easy to change between levels
• Different information at different levels
• Links to journal articles by level
• Automatically highlights search term, built in
  links
• Different level dictionaries
• Atlas has continents, countries, states and
  provinces, oceans and seas

• Cons
• Not as attractive
• Can be overwhelming
• Limited atlas

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Encarta

• 24.95/year subscription rate
• msn.com click on Encarta link and get 2 free
  hours of searching time

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Infoplease.com

• Free site (some popups!)
• Alphabetical index linking to
• Time Almanac
• Columbia Encyclopedia 6th Edition
• Info Please Atlas
• Dictionary
• Thesaurus
• White pages
• Can email articles

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Bartleby.com

• Fun site
• Free
• Good Site for English Teachers
• High School Level
• Reference, verse, fiction, non fiction
• Columbia Encyclopedia

• Rogets Thesaurus
• Rogets International Thesaurus
• Words and Phrases
• Quotations
• English Usage
• Links to Time Almanac and Atlas

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Lagenberg.com

• Resource for education information high school
  level
• Translations/translator
• English to Spanish
• English to French
• Reverse phone directory
• Education, Schools and Financial Aid

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Wikipedia.com

• Multi-lingual
• Free-content encyclopedia
• Written collaboratively by volunteers
• Articles added and changed by anyone
• Widely considered as the alternative to
  commercial encylopedias
• HS level
• No peer review accuracy?
• Odd-ball stuff

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Atlases

• Worldatlas.com
• Searchable
• Maps did not print
• The Atlas of Canada Government site
• Searchable
• Thematic maps
• Latitude and longitude
• Maps did not print

• Nationalatlas.gov
• Play with interactive maps
• Map maker, map layers, printable maps,dynamic
  maps, articles
• Map types agriculture, biology, boundaries,
  climate, environment, government, history,
  mapping, people, transportation, water, etc.

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More Atlases

• National Geographic Atlas
• Junior and Senior High use
• Map Machine
• Searchable, save, email, print

• Types of maps
• World Satellite map
• GlobeXplorer Aerial Imagery
• World Street Map
• Road, railroads, places and political boundaries

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Almanacs

• http//www.worldalmanac.com/
• http//www.worldalmanacforkids.com/
• Great site for kids with games, etc.
• No searching only browsing
• http//www.infoplease.com/
• Searchable with clear results and links
• Time Almanac
• Atlapedia Online
• Countries A to Z

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Dictionaries part of Encyclopedias

• MerriamWebster.com
• Online and student dictionaries are free
• Collegiate and unabridged 14.95/year
• Word Central fun for kids to encourage
  vocabulary development
• Cambridge Encyclopedia
• Quick/easy great for elementary
• American Heritage Dictionary
• Intermediate and up
• 4th edition (2000) not current

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Dictionaries

• YourDictionary.com
• Busy, cluttered
• American Heritage Dictionary of English (2000)
• Higher level
• www.yahoo.com/reference/dictionaries
• American Heritage, Houghton Mifflin
• Jr. High and up
• Thesaurus.com
• Jr. high and up

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One last reference site

• Libraryweb.org
• Virtual Reference Desk from the Monroe County
  Public Library
• New Webpage
• Especially helpful links
• Ask a Librarian
• Local History and Genealogy
• Kids
• Teens
• Magazines and Databases

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Ancient Civilizations-General

• World Book Surf the Ages
• Destiny - Webpath Express
• http//www.crystalinks.com/ancient.html links to
  info on many ancient civilizations (S)
• http//www.mrdonn.org/ancienthistory.html-
  includes lessons (E, S)

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Ancient Egypt

• http//www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/-
  good resources, photos and games to illustrate
  Egyptian culture (E, S)
• http//isidore-of-seville.com/hieroglyphs/index.ht
  ml- site on hieroglyphs. Features essays,
  translators and links to lessons (E, S) (Kids
  section)
• http//www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/egypt-
  University of Minnesota-Mankato - good overview
  site (E, S)

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More Ancient Egypt

• http//www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/egypt-
  Carnegie Museum site - good overview of culture
  (S) virtual museum
• http//archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/VideoTestbed/
  Projects/Mummy/mummyhome.html- site about mummies
  and testing on them (S)

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Ancient Greece

• http//www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ancientgreece/main_me
  nu.shtml- BBC site with good information,
  activities, and some 3-D movements (E)
• http//www.ancientgreece.com/- Excellent articles
  on Ancient Greece, operated by World News Network
  (S)
• http//www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/aegean/-
  Mankato good resources and history (S)

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Ancient Rome

• http//www.bbc.co.uk/schools/romans/- BBC site
  with good information and activities for teachers
  (E)
• http//www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/ -
  good resources, photos and games to illustrate
  Roman culture (E, S)

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Ancient China

• http//www.ancientchina.co.uk/menu.html- British
  Museum site (S)
• http//www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/prehistory/china-
  Mankato site - good information, good layout (S)

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African American History and Culture

• http//www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture-
  deals with black history and culture in Harlem
  during the first half of the 20th century.
  Includes resources for teachers, exhibits and
  resources. A great site because it seems to be
  so unique.
• http//nmaahc.si.edu/resources/default.htm
• Smithsonian site about the National Museum of
  African American history and culture. As usual,
  Smithsonian is a fantastic site, and has on-line
  exhibits, teaching resources, spoken recordings,
  primary resources, and many other great features.

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AA History and Culture (cont.)

• http//www.toptags.com/aama/index.htm
• AFRO-American Almanac. This site could be used
  effectively by teachers and upper-level secondary
  students. It is full of historical documents and
  pertinent biographical information, very
  comprehensive and even has a great site-searching
  capability. This site is a real find for older
  high school students.
• http//www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/rail
  road/j1.htmlThis National Geographic site takes
  students on a tour through American slavery and
  the Underground Railroad. A well-known and
  popular site that is worth noting again.

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AA History and Culture (cont.)

• http//www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Schomburg/
• Also by the Schomburg Center - comprehensive and
  covers the first 500 years of the African
  American history, from 1492-1992. This site has
  resources similar to the Harlem site, and you can
  get lost for hours cruising through all of the
  different links.
• http//www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/
•   PBS site about African American history and
  culture. Offers a reference room, classroom,
  timeline, resources, and many more fantastic
  features. This site is rich with good materials
  for educators and students.

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AA History and Culture (cont.)

• http//www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/features/moore/moo
  reIndex.shtmlThis is an interesting site by
  KODAK. It offers some very powerful pictures in
  a comprehensive overview of modern African
  American history. This site is included because
  it could be very useful for visual learners and
  students who struggle with reading. It is worth
  checking out.
• http//seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/
• The Seattle Times offers a comprehensive site
  about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights
  Movement. This site is set up as an educational
  resource and has scores of appropriate links to
  good articles, educational materials, and primary
  resources.

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AA History and Culture (cont.)

• http//www.withoutsanctuary.org/ This is a
  disturbing site that leaves a lasting impact on
  visitors. It uses photographs to outline
  American lynching of African Americans. It keeps
  these memories alive in a way that will teach and
  remind future generations of these horrors. The
  site can be viewed in still photographs or as a
  flash movie. It also offers visitors the option
  of participating in a forum about the material.
  Many of these graphic photographs were actually
  made into postcards during this time of racial
  violence.

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AA History and Culture (cont.)

• http//americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features
  /sayitplain/index.html Public Radio offers a
  really neat site featuring some of the greatest
  African American speeches of all time.
  Background information, transcripts, and actual
  audio recordings are available from the most
  famous speeches of the 20th Century. From Booker
  T. Washington right up to Barack Obamas 2004
  speech at the Democratic National Convention.
  This site offers another unique way for students
  to learn about African American history and
  heritage.

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AA History and Culture (cont.)

• http//www.jimcrowhistory.org/This site is a real
  jewel for teachers and educators. It allows
  visitors to explore the complex African-American
  experience of segregation from the 1870s through
  the 1950s. The site connects Jim Crow with
  history, geography and American literature and
  offers a wealth of supplemental materials for
  teachers. All teachers of American history
  should visit this site.
• http//members.aol.com/klove01/blackhis.htmThis
  black history web page is a great resource for
  comprehensive coverage of African American
  history. It includes links to biography,
  speeches, historical events, and a whole host of
  other interesting topics.

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AA History and Culture (cont.)

• http//www.blackbaseball.com/Kind of a short and
  simple sight about the Negro baseball leagues.
  Includes historical information and biographies.
  This site would be easily understandable to all
  kids and give them some good background
  information about this important topic.
• http//teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/
  This is a Scholastic site titled, Culture and
  Change Black History in America. This is a
  really good site for students and teachers. The
  information is very readable and easy to
  understand for lower-level readers, and gives all
  sorts of pertinent information about African
  American history. In addition, the site offers
  plenty of teacher resources.

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NYS and Local History

• Rochester and Local History sites
• New York State History sites
• The Erie Canal
• Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
  Frederick Douglass
• Underground Railroad Pathfinder
• Website Table

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Encyclopedia Britannica

• http//www.eb.com/eb.html
• User name schooljuly
• Password finland205