Social Studies Resources


Yo, Sacramento!  (And all those other State Capitals you don’t know), Will Cleveland & Mark Alvarez This brilliant use of memory techniques claims to teach anyone the names of the states and capitals, organized by regions, in 20 minutes. (Allow a little more, but still awesome.) Great to put in a learning center for primary students, or use on a learning contract, Students can then use the memory strategies to write and illustrate other books. Primary/Elementary/Middle
Yo, Millard Fillmore!  (And all those other Presidents you don’t know), Will Cleveland & Mark Alvarez Like Yo Sacramento!,  this book is clever, and works!! While teaching the U.S. Presidents in order, and a little information about each, it also teaches memory techniques that can be applied to any discipline. Again, to use in learning centers, or as alternate activities when students compact. Primary/Elementary/Middle
Book of Great American Speeches for Young People, Edited by Suzanne McIntire A fabulous resource for seminars and discussions, these primary source documents include speeches by individuals from Faulkner and Ralph Waldo Emerson to Dr. Seuss and Cal Ripken, Jr. They range in dates from 1609 – 2000.  Each speech averages 2-3 pages. Upper Elementary/Middle/High
Jury Trials in the Classroom, Betty M. See This is a well-developed resource for staging mock trials in the classroom, with lots of teacher aids (timelines, guidelines, background on judicial system, etc.), as well as student pages that include affidavits, jury ballots and background on trials both fictional and historical ranging from Hansel and Gretel to John Wilkes Booth. Upper Elementary/Middle
Historical Whodunits, Mike Ed Ashley Historical detective stories from ancient to modern times. Really captures the curiosity of gifted learners and engages them in historical studies. Upper Elementary/Middle/High