US Government
School House Rock video How a Bill becomes a law! Ben's Guide to Government Kid's Guide to Congress Factmonster Government |
Civil War Artwork The Promised Land The Fugitives Are Safe The Auction Sale After the Sale Cotton Pressing The Harper's Ferry Insurrection Lincoln Portrait Abraham and Tad Antislavery Picnic Abraham Lincoln, 16th President Websites: Civil War for Kids Internet for Kids A Nation Divided The Underground Railroad Civil War |
Civil Rights Movement
Educational Videos Scholastic.com article Timeline Helpful Websites Brain Pop: Civil Rights Movement Brain Pop: Brown vs. Board of Education |
American Revolution
Boston Tea Party Museum Revolutionary Characters No More Kings School House Rock Shot Heard Around the World School House Rock Helpful Websites American Revolution Battles Social Studies for Kids American Revolution Financial Literacy
Managing Money: Spending and Saving Supply and Demand Coffee Shop Game Brain Pop The Assembly Line Discovery Education |
Research Questions
The Social Studies research questions are in blue. Students should think about the items underneath each question while researching and writing.
Geography:
1. How did the physical environment impact the early settlers of the New World?
- The physical environment includes climate, landforms, soils, hydrology, vegetation and animal life.
- Explain how the physical environment impacted where settlers settled and daily life in the New World.
Question 1 Blendspace
2. What are positive and negative effects of human activity on the physical environment of the United States, past and present?
- Explain historical examples of positive and negative effects of human activity on the United States.
- For example: Industrialization, oil spills, nuclear meltdown, dams, national parks, recycling, deforestation
- Research 2 topics and explain if it was a negative or positive effect
Question 2 Blendspace
3. How has technology influenced people’s abilities to overcome geographical limitations? (Communication, transportation, and agriculture)
- Examples of technological advances in America
- cotton gin
- John Deere plow
- Erie Canal
- steam engine
- railroad
- telegraph
- telephone
- computer
- Internet
- How did this technology allow people in different cities, states, areas be able to communicate with each other?
- How did this technology allow people in different cities, states, areas be able to transport goods or ideas?
- How did this technology allow people to improve agriculture (farming)?
Question 3 Blendspace
Question 3 Blendspace
4. Why did people migrate within the United States and immigrate to the United States?
- Look for examples of other governments who were unstable and the citizens immigrated to the US.
- Look for ways that economic factors (like the availability of jobs or natural resources) influenced where people settled in the United States.
- Examples of groups:
- Puritans moving to New England
- Trail of Tears
- Highland Scots moving to North Carolina
- Germans and Irish moving to America
- Chinese moving to the American West Coast.
Question 4 Blendspace
Economy:
5. How does international trade strengthen our economy?
- Explain the role of supply and demand in a market economy.
- Explain how and why the United States developed trading partners.
- Research examples of major imports and exports in the United States
- How do these factors improve our economy?
Question 5 Blendspace
6. What is division of labor and specialization, and how do they impact the economic growth of the United States?
- Explain what division of labor is.
- Explain what specialization is.
- How has this shaped our economy and allow American businesses to grow and expand?
- What specific American companies use division of labor to impact our economy?
Question 6 Blendspace
7. Why is it important to develop a basic budget for spending, borrowing, and saving money? (bills, loans, savings account)
- A basic budget is a plan for how future income will be used.
- A basic budget includes plans for both spending and saving
- What are the benefits and consequences of credit and borrowing.
Question 7 Blendspace
Culture:
8. How did European exploration change culture and everyday life of American Indian groups?
- Research key American Indian groups before and after European exploration.
- Explain the aspects of culture and everyday life among American Indian groups prior to European arrival to the Americas.
- Explain how culture and everyday life for American Indian groups was altered after Europeans came to America.
- Examples:
- The Indian Removal Act of 1830
- the Trail of Tears
- the French and Indian War
- the impact of the horse and decimation of the buffalo.
Question 8 Blendspace
9. How do different cultures influence each other in the United State? (traditions and technology)
- Research examples of borrowing and sharing of traditions and culture.
- What are examples of shared traditions and culture that can still be seen in our lives today.
Question 9 Blendspace
10. Choose a cultural narrative and explain how it reflects the lifestyles, beliefs, and struggles of an ethnic group. (songs, ballads, folk tales, legends
- Read a legend, folk tale, song, or ballad
- How does it reveal the values, lifestyles, beliefs and struggles of the group of people who wrote it?
- Research the historical background of the cultural narrative in order to understand why it was written
Question 10 Blendspace
Students will be assigned 1 research question and will be given 2 weeks to complete the assignment. The students will keep the questions and the rubric in their homework folder for the remainder of the year. Students need to complete the following to receive full credit:
Sources can include: Internet websites, the Social Studies textbook, and library books |
Example:
Question: How have the contributions of the "Founding Fathers" contributed to the development of our country? The Founding Fathers of our country influenced the events that led to the American Revolution and the creation of the United States of America. For example, the founding fathers collaborated together to write the Declaration of Independence. According to Social Studies Alive, a committee led by Thomas Jefferson and John Adams was given the task of writing the Declaration of Independence. This document declared to King George that the colonists wanted to be free of British Rule. Another example of how these men developed our country is by their leadership during the American Revolution. According to www.socialstudiesforkids.com, George Washington was the Commander of the Continental Army and led his troops in the Battle of Yorktown. After this battle, General Cornwallis surrendered to the Patriots. This event then led to our freedom from England. |
Click on the link below for some more tips on how to answer the Social Studies research question!
research_questions_-_example.docx | |
File Size: | 14 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Curriculum Links
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION & TECHNOLOGY:
http://www.history.com/topics/inventions
Communication:
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_history_of_communication.htm
http://www.ehow.com/about_6455160_effect-modern-technology-communication-processes.html
http://www.history.com/topics/telephone/photos#inventions-communication
http://techcenter.davidson.k12.nc.us/group7/home.htm
Transportation:
http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/onthemove/exhibition/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/telephone/timeline/timeline_text.html
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bl_history_of_transportation.htm
http://www.manythings.org/voa/history/249.html
http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution/photos#inventions-transportation
Measurement:
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ac07#3483
http://americanhistory.si.edu/teachingmath/
http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/History-Of-The-Thermometer.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/C008179/historical/basichistory.html
Academic:
http://edudemic.com/2011/04/classroom-technology/
http://youtu.be/UFwWWsz_X9s
http://timerime.com/en/timeline/407211/Classroom+Technology+Over+the+years/
Economy & Production:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/368270/mass-production
http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/industrial-revolution-timeline--6
Science/Health:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/thenandnow/
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/scientists/index.html
CIVIL WAR:
Interactive Map:
http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/neh/interactives/civilwar/lesson1/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/map.htm
Meet the Army Commanders:
http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/neh/interactives/cmdrs/
North/South Comparison Chart:
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/civil-war-and-reconstruction-1861-1877/american-civil-war/timeline-terms
Underground Railroad:
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/plantation.htm
Overview:
http://www.kidinfo.com/american_history/civil_war.html
Civil War Treasure Hunt:
http://www.radford.edu/~sbisset/civilwar.htm
U.S. GOVERNMENT:
Informational Writing Links:
http://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_threebranches.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110221/
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/usconstitution/a/branches.htm
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/government/branches.html
Helpful Pictures
http://www.visitingdc.com/capitol/capitol-building-picture.htm
http://www.visitingdc.com/white-house/white-house-picture.htm
http://www.visitingdc.com/capitol/supreme-court-picture.htm
Helpful Videos
http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=FF0AF612-C4D0-475D-84BB-80514A4752D0
NATIVE AMERICANS:
http://www.snowwowl.com/mapcontents.html
http://www.ahsd25.k12.il.us/Curriculum%20Info/NativeAmericans/index.html
http://www.ic.arizona.edu/ic/kmartin/School/amer1.htm
GEOGRAPHY:
LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
Practice Game
http://www.kidsgeo.com/geography-games/latitude-longitude-map-game.php
Interactive Map
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g3_u6/index.html
Overview & Practice
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/latitudelongitude.htm
LEARN ABOUT LANDFORMS
http://www.mrnussbaum.com/wlandforms.htm