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10 Best Social Studies Tools for High School
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Teaching Tolerance
Thought-provoking classroom resources support diversity education
Bottom line: It's an invaluable teacher tool to help reduce prejudice and encourage tolerance in schools, as well as within society as a whole.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
Beyond the Bubble
Top-quality assessments challenge students to think like historians
Bottom line: A ready-to-go, pedagogically sound route for refocusing formative assessment on critical thinking and literacy rather than memorization.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Facing History and Ourselves
A wealth of resources explore racism, prejudice, and anti-Semitism
Bottom line: These valuable materials empower students to understand and address difficult ethical choices -- past and present.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Google Arts & Culture
Excellent curation and an unmatched art collection invite exploration
Bottom line: A one-stop shop for a vast amount of compellingly curated and contextualized art, but it's lacking educator supports.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Roadtrip Nation
Outstanding site motivates kids to follow dreams, work hard
Bottom line: Incredibly inspirational, fun, and helpful guide for kids trying to figure out a sustainable, happy future.
Grades: 6–12
Price: $20-$25 per student $25 per student for the high school "Experience" curriculum, including workbook; $20 per student for the middle school "Exploration"
Sutori
A slick way to share knowledge via interactive timelines and stories
Bottom line: With a super simple design, interactive features, and an imaginative personal approach, it's an easy and flexible tool for all kinds of classrooms.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free, Paid While basic accounts are free, they're limited to 200 student stories. Sutori's Premium accounts, which cost $49/year for educators, allow unlimited story creation, student collaboration (in pairs), and exporting stories to PDF. The $99/year Unlimited account adds the ability to upload custom videos and expands collaboration to larger groups.
Zinn Education Project
Resources, lessons help teach a more inclusive version of U.S. history
Bottom line: Free downloadable resources encourage critical thinking and active learning in search of a more accurate picture of American history.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
American Social History Project
Deep, research-backed resources highlight America's rich diversity
Bottom line: Worth the time investment, because these valuable, socially progressive materials will add depth to the study of American history.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free, Paid The resources are mostly free; however, there are some costs associated with acquiring books and for some teaching and PD materials.
Political Animals
Charming political campaign sim mixes data analysis and civics
Bottom line: It's a highly entertaining and surprisingly deep way to help students see the strategy -- as well as ethical choices -- involved in elections.
Grades: 8–12
Price: $14.99
Data USA
Elegant treasure trove of data could fuel lessons and projects
Bottom line: An efficient research tool that makes it easier to incorporate stats into a host of lessons or projects focusing on the U.S.
Grades: 8–12
Price: Free