Best Picks!
Teaching Resources
Arranged by Dewey Decimal System
Best Bets: Call numbers in the 300s & 900s
Kits
Arranged by Library of Congress System
Best Bets: Call numbers starting with D, E, F, G, H
Look at photos and virtually browse Kits
Juvenile Non-Fiction
Arranged by Dewey Decimal System
Best Bets: Call numbers in the 300s & 900s
Look for award winning stickers
Juvenile Fiction
Arranged by Author's Last Name
Look for award winning stickers
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Library of Congress Subject Headings are the official subject terms prescribed by the Library of Congress for the cataloging of books and are in use in essentially all academic libraries. You can search through all Library of Congress Subject Headings in pdf files or search the LC Authorities site.
When searching in the library catalogs, use the item’s subject headings (found on the item record page) to locate similar resources.
To find works pertaining to this topic, it may be useful to use some of the subject terms listed below when searching the online catalogs, like Primo.
Murray Library provides access to the following recommended journals. Use the links or search Primo for particular articles. It is recommended to browse articles for ideas.
A peer-reviewed journal with a balance of theoretical content and practical teaching ideas. The award-winning resources include techniques for using materials in the classroom, information on the latest instructional technology, reviews of educational media, research on significant social studies-related topics, and lesson plans that can be applied to various disciplines. Published by: National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).
Journal of Social Studies Research
A peer-reviewed journal designed to foster the dissemination of ideas and research findings related to the social studies. Published by: The International Society for the Social Studies (ISSS).
A peer-reviewed journal with articles of interest to educators at all levels. Suitable topics include those concerned with the social studies, the social sciences, history, and interdisciplinary studies.
A peer-reviewed journal with inspirational scholarship on traditional and unconventional techniques in history education.
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2015-Present
Honoring exceptional books for use in social studies classrooms
Sponsored by National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
Carter G. Woodson Book Award, 1974-Present
Honoring sensitive and accurate depictions of ethnicity and race relations in the United States
Sponsored by National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
Septima Clark Book Award, 2019-Present
Honoring the most distinguished books appropriate for young readers that depict women's issues globally
Sponsored by National Council for the Social Studies
YALSA Nonfiction Award, 2010-Present
Honoring the best nonfiction book published for young adults
Sponsored by Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2001-Present
Recognizing the best informational books for children under 15
Sponsored by Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
Norman A. Sugarman Children’s Biography Award, 1998-Present
Honoring excellence in biographies written for children
Sponsored by Cleveland Public Library
Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for Nonfiction, 1993-Present
Honoring a distinguished work of nonfiction that serves as an inspiration to young people
Sponsored by Bank Street College of Education Center for Children's Literature
Skipping Stones Honor Awards, 1994-Present
Recognizing outstanding books that promote an understanding of cultures, cultivate cooperation and/or encourage a deeper awareness of nature, ecology, and diversity
Sponsored by Skipping Stones
National Council for the Social Studies
The largest professional association in the country devoted solely to social studies education. NCSS engages and supports educators in strengthening and advocating social studies.
Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies
Promotes quality Social Studies education from kindergarten to higher learning
Pennsylvania Geographical Society
Exists to promote effective geographic teaching, research, and literacy
National Council for History Education
Professional and intellectual leadership to foster an engaged community committed to the teaching, learning, and appreciation of diverse histories.
The International Society for the Social Studies
The International Society for the Social Studies (ISSS) is a non-profit, professional society devoted to the social studies. ISSS is an international interdisciplinary society for individuals striving to promote and enhance the importance of social studies education across the world.
The Center's mission is to promote an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. Sponsor of We The People competitions.
A nonprofit education organization improving the teaching and learning of history.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
Association of American Geographers
Association of Teachers of Social Studies
Geographic Education National Implementation Project
Geographical Association Network
National Council for Geographic Education
Pennsylvania Social Studies Standards
The Pennsylvania Academic Standards are part of the Standards Aligned System (SAS). SAS is the Pennsylvania Department of Education's digital curriculum and instruction resource site.
National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
The Themes of Social Studies
Council for Economic Education
K-12 resources
National Standards for Civics and Government
From the Center for Civic Education
National Council for Geographic Education
K-12 Teacher Resources
National Standards for the Preparation of Social Studies Teachers
National standards for social studies teacher education created by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).
Library of Congress teacher resources
Classroom materials and lesson plans to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching.
Gilder Lehrman Teaching Resources
Primary Source based lessons and activities focused on American History.
Thousands of primary sources from around the world. Hosted by the Library of Congress.
CNN 10 is a daily news show for students over 13 and other viewers who want to learn about current events and global issues in 10 minutes or less. Our mission is to break down complicated news stories with easy-to-understand explanations from CNN reporters all over the world. We represent all sides of a story equally: no opinion; no slant; just the facts. And we have a little fun while doing it!
A resource produced by the Stanford History Education Group for the purpose of helping teachers teach with primary source documents. Beyond the Bubble provides teachers with lessons that they can use to help their students analyze primary source documents. Each of the lessons is accompanied by an interactive rubric that includes sample answers aligned to each indicator on the rubric.
60-Second Civics is a daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation’s government, the Constitution, and our history. The podcast explores themes related to civics and government, the constitutional issues behind the headlines, and the people and ideas that formed our nation’s history and government.
Witness history as told by the people who were there. Five days a week we will be talking to people who lived through moments of history to bring you a personal perspective on world events.
Who Am I? A History Mystery is a fun and challenging activity from the Smithsonian's The Price of Freedom online exhibit. Who Am I? presents players with six historical characters that they have to identify using the text and image clues provided. To solve the mystery players have to match the visual artifacts to each character.
Explore resources for teachers, students, and business leaders to use for civics learning and engagement.
National Geographic Education Resources
The education section in National Geographic features a growing collection of tools and resources created specifically for use with students in class. These include a resource library featuring tons of materials (e.g., lessons, activities, infographics, images, videos, etc)
PBS Learning offers a huge library of free standards-aligned resources for your social studies classes. These include videos, interactives, lesson plan, and many more.
The Educator section in the National Archives offers a wide variety of educational materials to use in your teaching. The site also offers DocsTeach, which is an online tool to help teachers integrate primary documents in their instructions.
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Librarians can help you:
- plan your research strategy
- brainstorm, focus, broaden, or clarify your research topic
- guide you to the right sources, in Murray or online
- evaluate credible, scholarly information
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- make recommendations of where else to look for information
Just ask!