Social Studies/Government - Online Activities

American Immigration Overview
http://americanepic.org/demos/Immigration/immigration.html#Scene_1  
This set of modules provides an overview of U.S. immigration using pictures, timelines, and voice-over narration. Special events such as the Irish Potato Famine, Asian Immigration, Immigration in Cities and Town, as well as a discussion of the "melting pot." Personal Histories provide an opportunity at the end to stop and review what has been read and heard in form of short quizzes.

Ben's Guide to US Government
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/index.html     
This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. These resources will teach how our government works, the use of the primary source materials of GPO Access, and how one can use GPO Access to carry out their civic responsibilities. And, just as GPO Access provides locator services to U.S. Government sites, Ben's Guide provides a similar service to U.S. Government Web sites developed for kids.

BEP Youth Education Fun and Games
http://www.moneyfactory.gov/newmoney/main.cfm/learning/fun
The Department of the Treasury Bureau of Engraving and Printing brings students these activities to inform them about their department: Design Your Own Bill, Treasury Trivia Time, Catch a Counterfeit, and more.

Congress for Kids
http://www.congressforkids.net/  
What do students think when they first hear the words "federal government?" Many think, "dull, boring, what's that got to do with me?" But learning about government doesn't have to be boring. Congress for Kids is set up as an interactive tour and helps students learn about the foundation of our federal government and how its actions affect all of us. Although designed for students in grades fourth through high school, other students, teachers, parents, and interested citizens will enjoy it too. Sponsored by The Dirksen Center.

Congress: Teaching It
http://www.congresslink.org/print_index9.htm
As educators it is our job to provide our students with the information that will help them make informed choices rather than follow the herd. To help students better understand Congress, this site offers links to its own lesson plans, to plans available on the Web, to WebQuests, Web sites about Congress, and much more. There are also links to a collection of political cartoons about Everett Dirksen, Senate Minority Leader from 1959 - 1969, to the landmark Civil Rights Act, and to a look at Congress during the tumultuous 1960s.

Cyberbee Election 2000
http://www.cyberbee.com/election/election.html

DC Flyby
http://birdseye.octo.dc.gov/main.html
On this site you can get a bird’s eye tour of Washington, D.C. Use the red arrows to move the screen up and down, or from side to side. There is a mini-map in the bottom corner that shows you where you are zoomed. To explore the sites surrounding D.C., just click on the blue icons on the buildings themselves. This will bring up a pop-up window full of information about the location you’ve clicked on and what goes on there.

EPA Environmental Kids Club
http://www.epa.gov/kids/ 
Explore the environment and learn how to protect it using games, pictures, and stories. Main topics are: Air, Water, Garbage & Recycling, Plants & Animals, and Environment. The Art Room, Game Room, and Science Room link to games and activities. Use the Teaching Center to get ideas on how to use the site and further resources such as community service projects, scholarships, lesson plans, and grants.

Explore Your Knowledge
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/eyk/index.asp?flash=true
How do you compare with students from around the world? Pick a subject, a grade and how many questions you want to see, then click the Show Questions button. Choose from three categories: Civics, Mathematics and Science.

Exploring Constitutional Law
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/home.html
Although the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, its interpretation can cause great controversies. Students can read the actual Constitution as well as view the many issues involving constitutional law. If that proves to be a bit dry, play Constitutional Trivia or Bill of Rights Golf. There are links to Supreme Court cases that include study questions and even a Supreme Court Humor Page.

FBI Kids and Youth Educational Page
http://www.fbi.gov/kids/k5th/kidsk5th.htm
Students can find out about Working Dogs and Crime Prevention, as well as find out the history and mission of the FBI.

FDA Kids Home Page
http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/kids/
This Food and Drug Administration site offers important information on food safety, pet care, and other topics of interest to students. It's an easy-to-navigate site with colorful graphics and a kid-friendly manner.

Fed101
http://www.federalreserveeducation.org/fed101/index.htm  
Tutorial and activities covering the Federal Reserve history, structure, financial services, FAQ, glossary, quizzes, video, games, classroom guides, Virtual Bank activity, a short textbook on banking, and a searchable Teacher Resource tool for locating National Council on Economic Education standards-based curriculum.

Fed Chairman Game
http://www.frbsf.org/education/activities/chairman/index.html  
Think you have what it takes to steer our country's central bank? See how it works by taking charge of a simulated economy. Or learn more about how the Fed influences the US economy by exploring the monetary policy media center. Includes a dictionary, an overview by decade, and a game which helps demonstrate the relationship between inflation, unemployment, the fed rate. A good way to introduce a complex topic.

Fema For Kids
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/kids/flash.shtm

H.I.P. Pocket Change: US Mint's Site for Kids
http://usmint.gov/kids/ 
This site has been updated since last featured. The History In Your Pocket (H.I.P.) Pocket Change site showcases the connection between this country's coins and its people. Through games, stories, and other activities, the site brings to life both the extraordinary individuals who appear on U.S. coinage and the generations of citizens who've used this pocket change. Extensive teacher resources available.

Inside the Courtroom
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/kidspage/
This site from the Department of Justice Kids page explains how prosecutors are appointed and explains how they carry out their duties. It features an Introduction, Steps of a Federal Prosecutor's Job, a True FBI Case, Courtroom Staff descriptions, and a Glossary of terms.

Kids' House
http://www.kids.house.state.tx.us/
"Where Texas Kids Meet Texas State Government." This new Texas House of Representatives "Kids' House" website premiered Wednesday before a Midland elementary school audience that included House Speaker Tom Craddick and his wife, Nadine. It was designed for Texas students in first through eighth grades. Kids' House features information about state government, elected state officials and state laws, including how laws are written. It also includes a video tour of the State Capitol and has links for teachers and students to related websites.

Kids Next Door
http://www.hud.gov/kids/
This kids' site from the U.S. Deparment of Housing and Urban Development has great activities to help young students learn more about being good citizens.

Landmark Supreme Court Cases
http://www.landmarkcases.org/
This site was developed to provide teachers with a full range of resources and activities to support the teaching of landmark Supreme Court cases, helping students explore the key issues of each case. The "Resources" section features basic building blocks such as background summaries and excerpts of opinions that can be used in multiple ways. The "Activities" section contains a range of short activities and in-depth lessons that can be completed with students. While these activities are online, many of them can be adapted for use in a one-computer classroom or a classroom with no computer.

Money Central Station (US Bureau of Engraving and Printing)
http://www.moneyfactory.gov/kids/start.html
Bright, colorful, noisy games from the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Divided into two sections, 5-8 year olds and 9-13 year olds, each section contains 4 games that test players knowledge about money. The 9-13 section also has information on each denomition of paper money. Not informative enough to provide a full lesson; but useful as a culminating activity or special treat.

Open Congress
http://www.opencongress.org/
With continual bad-mouthing from everyone from our President on down, Congress could certainly use some friends—or at least people who understand its workings. This site provides just that, allowing users to track specific bills, view the most popular bills, view "This Week in Congress," track specific issues, and even use social-networking tools like blogs, etc. The site also allows users to track their representatives via RSS feeds and other tools, which would make a great project for a social studies class.

Oyez Baseball
http://baseball.oyez.org/ 
This activity will stretch the critical thinking skills of high school students. Players try to answer questions about similarities between Supreme Court Justices from the United States and baseball players. Perfect for team play; some students might possess a basic knowledge of well-known baseball players while others might know more about the historical and sometimes colorful figures of the Supreme Court. (This site requires Macromedia Flash which is ok to install.)

PBS Kids Democracy Project
http://pbskids.org/democracy/
In this previously featured site, have your students discover the purpose of Election Day this November 5th. This interactive site allows children to learn from the past and prepare for their future as American voters through several activities. They can become President for a Day or visit the Voting Booth. There are also lesson plans for teachers.

Peace Corps: Kids World
http://www.peacecorps.gov/kids/
Learn about Peace Corps activites around the world, about countries where volunteers have made a difference, about what its like to live in a different country, and about storytelling from about the world.

Social Security Online Kids Place
http://www.ssa.gov/kids/kids.htm
Young students can get an idea of what Social Security is by reading short stories with a moral. They can also play some concentration games.

Texas Senate Kids
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/kids/
The Senate Kids Webpage is a challenging, interactive adventure into the state Senate of Texas! Here, children of all ages can learn about the history, government processes, and legislative figures of Texas through fun and challenging games, colorful pictures, animated characters, and much more. The user can even take an interactive tour of the State Capitol.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
http://www.reebok.com/Static/global/initiatives/rights/video/udhr_300k.html
Your students will enjoy these animated videos that review the key articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This site could be a useful resource not only for learning about the UDHR but also for making comparisons with similar declarations, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.

U.S. Census Bureau Kid's Corner
http://factfinder.census.gov/home/en/kids/kids.html
Learn about the U.S. Census, get facts about your state, and have fun with quiz questions.

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Kids' Pages
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ahrpa/opa/kids/special/kidhello.html
Whether you are an inventor or just want to know more about inventors and intellectual property, patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets, you'll find lots of interesting information and activities at this site.

WebRangers
http://www.nps.gov/webrangers/
Students can become park rangers online and participate in the puzzles, games, and learning experiences provided. Through guidelines provided on the site, students can learn to "take care of" our National Monuments and Historic Sites through insight gleaned from the National Park Service.

Welcome to Kids Capital
http://kids.dc.gov/kids_main_content.html
Students can play games to learn about Washington, D.C. Games included are Word Find, Memory, Letter Juggler, Tic Tac Toe, Photo Puzzles, and Coloring Books. Click on the people at the bottom to learn more about the history and the sports of D.C.

What is Global Citizenship
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/gc/
This Oxfam "Cool Planet for Teachers" site is dedicated to the multi-tiered concept of students becoming "global citizens," as defined on the home page. Click on "Curriculum" to access the link for a free download of a curriculum booklet. Also be sure to click the "Cool Planet for Kids" link to view a portal of fascinating global citizen-related sites.

White House for Kids
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/
This site is an educational opportunity for young Americans to learn about the White House and the President through fun and exciting features. A guide gives teachers ideas on how to use the site in the classroom and parent's ideas on topics to discuss with their child as they navigate through the site. The themes of reading, making good choices (such as going to school) and dreaming about the future are woven into the site's content through the personification of the President's pets and animals.