www.hippocampus.org
This site is managed by the University of California Regents and contains complete courses in a variety of subjects. It allows students to view the courses through small video clips to supplement courses. It is an excellent source for AP Government and AP U.S. History courses.
http://www.learner.org/resources/series173.html
This site is part of the Annenberg Media Learner.org which provides teacher resources across various curriculums. This is the link to Democracy in America which has videos that are appropriate for high school government classrooms. It does require that you register with the site but there is no fee.
http://crf-usa.org/
Constitutional Rights Foundation dedicated to educating America's young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society. The website provides free lesson plans for teachers. Check out their Bill of Rights in Action under the lesson plans tab. This free resource provides excellent readings that show how our rights have expanded over time.
www.tyla.org
The Texas Young Lawyers Association has produced two excellent videos for classroom use. Vote America and They Had a Dream Too are both excellent for Government and US History classes and can be streamed for free from this site.
www.declareyourself.com
This site provides information regarding various government topics. The multimedia tab has links to some excellent streams on the Declaration of Independence. Declare Yourself is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to empower and encourage every eligible 18-29 year-old in America to register and vote in local and national elections. Using the power of strategic media and retail partnerships, celebrity spokespeople, and most importantly, mobile and Internet technology, Declare Yourself’s campaign blankets the landscape of popular culture, as well as universities and high schools, with a simple, clear message: REGISTER and VOTE!
http://www.pptpalooza.net/
This site provides free Power Point downloads for various history courses. The creator simply asks that you give credit to the site when using. You can also add and share Power Point’s on this site.
www.shmoop.com
This website has information on literature, civics, and US History. Tabs allow you to navigate through different units and information is presented in a fun and creative way. A majority of the writers are Ph.D.s and Ph.D. candidates from Stanford, Harvard, UC Berkeley, and other top universities. This site includes lesson plans, quotes, primary sources, and brain snacks. The brain snacks are little bits of information for students to latch on to.
http://regentsprep.org/regents.cfm
New York Regents Exam Prep Center - This is a great resource for multiple choice questions in Geography, World History, & U.S. History
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html
Witcombe’s Art History Page – This site is a comprehensive resource for teaching Art History – includes high resolution art images and videos.
www.consource.org
Consource – The Constitutional Sources Project is a free online library of constitutional source documents. Included in their collection are the Federalist Papers, Anti Federalist Papers, and James Madison’s Notes of the Constitutional Convention,
United States Government
www.civiced.org
The Center for Civic Education is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational corporation dedicated to promoting an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles. This site includes information on the We The People and Project Citizen programs for use in the classroom.
http://constitutioncenter.org
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia has a website with online activities and lesson plans under the educator tab. This non-profit, non-partisan museum provides professional development for teachers along with their online activities. This is a great resource for Constitution Day.
www.streetlaw.org
Street Law is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing practical, participatory education about law, democracy, and human rights. This site is an excellent resource for AP Government, Government, or Law and it includes lessons about the history of the Supreme Court, current court, nominating federal judges, moot court lessons with current cases and many links to other Supreme Court websites. Make sure to check out their professional development tab that includes information about the U.S. Supreme Court Institute.
www.livingroomcandidate.org
This site features political campaign ads since 1954. These can be streamed for use in class. Additional statistics about various presidential elections are also available including maps depicting electoral votes.
www.redistrictinggame.org
This Annenberg web game allows students to engage in a redistricting simulation.
www.270towin.com
This site includes an interactive Electoral College map for 2012 and a history of Presidential election in the United States.
www.centeroncongress.org
The central goal of the Center on Congress at Indiana University is to improve public understanding of Congress, particularly about the work and role of Congress, its impact on people’s lives, and the importance of civic participation. This site contains multiple e-modules about the operations of Congress. It contains an extra section “For Kids” that is excellent for use with elementary students.
http://www.democracykids.org/
This site is an excellent resource for elementary students on the legislative branch. This site can also be accessed off of the Center for Congress at Indiana University website. The site includes interactive games that teach the concepts of the legislative branch (including federalism) and has an on-line copy of House Mouse, Senate Mouse by Cheryl Shaw Barnes.
http://www.thomas.gov/
This Library of Congress site provides information about legislation in Congress.
www.loc.gov/families/
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections. On the Kids and Families page, you can find a links to great web pages like Today in History and Fun Science Facts.
www.kids.clerk.house.gov
Learn about Congress, its House Members, House committees, and House Leadership offices. On this site, you can go on a virtual field trip and meet the Clerk. And don’t forget a Day in the Life of a Page and find out how a bill becomes law.
http://www.archives.gov/
The National Archives website provides lesson plans for teaching with documents under the educator heading. It also has information for students to access.
www.oyez.org
The Oyez Project, maintained by Northwestern University, is a Supreme Court multimedia archive. The site is organized to provide information on the justices, cases, an online tour of the Court, a series of discussion forums, articles about cases on the docket this term, as well as the oral arguments for every case since the mid-1950s.
www.landmarkcases.org
This site includes information and teaching materials on the U.S. Supreme Court cases most often mentioned in state standards, frameworks and testing programs.
www.Supreme.lp.findlaw.com
The Supreme Court Center allows you to choose from a variety of researching sources. Users can search cases from the current docket by month or subject, read about the justices and landmark cases, and find cases briefs and opinions. The Supreme Court Center also has the Court’s calendar and rules. The site also includes articles and reviews commenting on Supreme Court decisions.
www.scotusblog.com
The weblog provides timely information on current cases before the Supreme Court including links to relevant editorial pieces and news on those cases. There are also links to other Supreme Court sites and several news sites.
www.supremecourthistory.org
This site by the Supreme Court Historical Society contains extensive information on the history of the Supreme Court and how it became the Court it is today.
www.archives.gov
The National Archives Site contains a number of links- from the exhibits of important documents, to Congressional records, and even links to Presidential libraries. The “Our Documents” link contains 100 milestone documents in American history, including documents, treaties, and court cases. Each milestone document contains a brief synopsis, links to the document and other sources, and some contain suggested lesson ideas.
www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/index.html
This section of the PBS website includes videos, timelines, and lesson plans. It even has bonus interviews with John Roberts and Sandra Day O’Connor.
www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/
From the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Extra for Students is the place to visit for outstanding news features that takes a deeper look at current events (including biological weapons and terrorism.) To learn how other kids are reacting to the news, visit the Student Buzz section where your comments are welcomed and posted
UNITED STATES HISTORY
www.history.org
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation - This website provides electronic field trips, tools for teaching with primary sources and lessons with hands-on history kits. There are videos for purchase and some videos for free. Great for colonial history.
www.Animatedatlas.com/index.html
This website includes animated timeline maps that come to life for the students. There is a map that shows the growth of the nation. Some maps are for purchase, but some are for free.
www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/
This site includes timelines, videos, and interactive maps. It is a great resource for research in U.S. History courses. It also includes an on-line textbook.
www.Articleii.org
Bill of Rights Institute
This website is wonderful for U.S. History and covering the Presidents. It includes lessons, cartoons and videos. The videos are amazing and short, and include topics like expansion of power and the President as the Chief Diplomat.
www.adventuretales.com/
Dr. Jody Potts - Great for U.S. History. There are books for sale, but the website also includes free electronic flip books. The materials are based on left and right brain strategies.
www.americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/exhibition/flash.html
This Website is great for U.S. History. It has a great timeline and links to information about all U.S. wars.
www.nativeamericanrhymes.com/
Native American Rhymes is a fun and informative way for children to learn about Native American history. The books in the Native American Rhymes series describe the social, cultural, and geographical elements that are essential for students to understand and appreciate the history of our very first Americans. The nine geographical areas covered are as follows: the Far North, Pacific Northwest Coast, Desert Southwest, Plains, Sub Arctic, California, Great Plateau and Great Basin, and the Northeast and Southeast Woodlands. Great for AP U.S. History
www.millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident
This website is a comprehensive collection of material about the Presidents of the United States and the history of the presidency. This web site features essays about the President's life before, during, and after each presidential term. It additionally provides information about the First Lady and cabinet officials of each administration.
World Geography
www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
The World Factbook provides information on nine categories, including the history, people, government and geography of 266 world entities. You can find tons of maps and flags of the world. You can also view photos of different landmarks from each country.
www.future.state.gov/
This US Department of State for Youth site provides activities for the world’s future diplomats. This site has links for current events and activities for educators and students.
http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/world.htm
This site includes links to World Atlases.
http://www.phschool.com/curriculum_support/map_bank/
This site is an excellent site for blank outline maps of various regions of the world.
http://www.prb.org/
Population Reference Bureau – This site has excellent resources and lesson plans for teachers. Note: The homepage discusses a membership fee but resources under the educator tab are free.
TEXAS HISTORY
http://www.tshaonline.org/index.html
Texas State Historical Association – This is a great encyclopedia of everything Texas and lesson plans in the education section.
www.lsjunction.com
Lone Star Junction is a non-profit organization chartered by the state of Texas. This on-line resource about Texas and its early history includes photographs, popular songs, and a searchable database.
www.txfgm.org
Texas Governor’s Mansion website has both educator and student resources. This is an excellent resource on the Governors and First Ladies in the State of Texas.
TEKS Resources
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/ssc/
This site (the Social Studies Center) was designed to assist teachers with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. This site provides information and definitions for individuals, events, and significant social studies terms.