People & Society Classroom Resources

This collection of lessons and web resources is aimed at classroom teachers, their students, and students' families. Most of these resources come from the National Science Digital Library (NSDL). NSDL is the National Science Foundation's online library of resources for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. See www.nsdl.org

Teachers' Domain: Global Connections
Resource: Educator
http://www.teachersdomain.org/
From the main page of Teachers Domain Web site, the user can choose Social Studies or Other Collections to access Quick Time video clips and lesson plans relating to people and society around the world.

Christopher Columbus Awards
Resource: Educator, Students and Parents
http://www.christophercolumbusawards.com
The Christopher Columbus Awards competition is an annual contest for middle school students that combines science and technology with community problem-solving in a real-world setting. Unlocking student potential and team collaboration is the mission of the program.

PBS TeacherSource
Resource: Educator, Students (grades K-12) and Parents
http://www.pbs.org/teachersource/soc_stud.html
By teachers, for teachers, the PBS TeacherSource invites you to explore a vast array of resources including PBS television programs, tools for teaching, and resources by curricular subject, topic and grade level. This site is a valuable resource for classroom discussions (grades 9-12), introduction of new ideas (grades 4-8) and games for the very young (grades K-3).

Ball State University Electronic Field Trip
Resource: Educator (grades K-12)
http://www.bsu.edu/eft/home/00front.htm
Ball State University's Electronic Field Trips are a dynamic combination of live, interactive broadcasts and online curriculum meeting national teaching standards developed by teachers and content experts for grades K-12. Since most students are unable to take advantage of the immeasurable content in faraway museums, this program uses technology to make those resources available to a large, national audience with related resource information for teachers. The learning experiences expand the disciplines: science, mathematics, history and social sciences.

National Geographic
Resource: Educator (grades K-12) and Students (grades K-12)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com
The National Geographic Web site features a variety of games, lesson plans and resources for students and teachers focusing on grades K-12 in a variety of topics. The site engages students with a rich source of images and activities to spark young minds. Search for "School Space: An Analysis of Map Perceptions", "Regions: A Hands-on Approach" or "Environmental Explorer" for a glimpse of what is available.

Space Age Tech Comes to Earth
Resource: Educator (high school)
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=195
This lesson plan was created by the Utah Education Network for high school students in which students identify numerous applications of technology in agriculture, thereby becoming more familiar with agricultural practices as a result of these activities. This is just one of a great many lesson plans on the Utah Education Network Web site (http://www.uen.org).

The History of Manufacturing
Resource: Students (middle and high school)
http://legacy.ncsu.edu/classes/ted430/ils/Unit1/Lesson/historymfg.htm
As part of the North Carolina State University's An online courses, this is an overview of historical events pertaining to the manufacturing industry. The course is basically text and designed as a resource for middle school students and beyond.

History of Science Society
Resource: Students (high school and college) and General Audience
http://www.hssonline.org/index.html
The History of Science Society promotes efforts to foster the interests of science in a historical context and its social and cultural implications on society. Users can find information on jobs, fellowships, grants and prizes, and scientific historians can learn about upcoming conferences.

The New York Times on the Web Learning Network
Resource: Educator (middle and high school), Students (middle and high school) and Parents
http://www.nytimes.com
This is a Web site devoted to providing news and the discussions of it for students in middle and high school, teacher lesson plans, and suggestions for parents to get children involved in the current news.

People & Society Research Overview
Resource: All Audiences
http://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/people/index.jsp
Scientific studies of people and society help answer age-old questions and curiosity about who we are and how we behave. This page on the National Science Foundation's Web site presents the latest research leading to the answers of many of the questions.