Erie Canal: New York's Gift to the Nation :: Consider The Source Online
4th Grade Social Studies
Grizzly Bear 399 Is Killed by Driver in Wyoming
How Many Continents?
This 4 minute video explains how there are several different ways to count continents. In the old days it was easy to just convince students that there only seven and test them on that information. Today, that's not so easy. By using this video, teachers can show students that classification and categorizations systems, like the geographic concept of "continents" are created and used for a purpose. Not everyone has the same purpose and same perspective so the thinkers must take care when they encounter them. If someone finds this difficult to accept, ask them if Pluto is a planet.
21st Century Skills Map
4th and 8th grade Geography skills benchmarks from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills
Geography Lesson Idea | Teaching Resource Center
From the Teaching Channel - a multi-sensory approach to teaching Geography. Video description of lesson including video of the lesson being taught.
Migrations Map:
Where are migrants coming from? Where have migrants left? Just click on a country on this world map and get arrows to where migrants are coming from and going to. Pop-ups provide details explanations. Combine this with income/health/quality of life statistics and see if the information correlates. Great analysis/synthesis lesson plan
Atlas Obscura | Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations
This site has users upload and describe locations that are intriguing and little known. Teachers could click through these and find something that might be worthwhile to use as content to build a lesson or students could find material as well.
Half Of The United States Lives In These Counties - Business Insider
Showing this map to students may do much to change their understanding of the population in the United States. At the very least, it will help them understand population density.
Chatham Borough and Chatham Township enjoy a historically storied rivalry-www.njmonthly.com
Reading Expeditions - Teacher Store @ nationalgeographic.com
The Nature and Mission of Social Studies
Those elementary teachers interested in reading more about the role of Social Studies in education may want to read this chapter from a Social Studies Education textbook
Historic Election Results - Electoral College Map
Not only does this National Archives site provide presidential election results on an Electoral College Map, for 2012, each state is linked to the Elector's Certificate as well. That certificate shows the names and signatures of the people who voted Barack Obama into office.
Astounding colorized photos reveal the faces and fashions of Ellis Island immigrants
These photographs show a tiny handful of the more than 12 million immigrants who entered the United States through the immigration station at New York's Ellis Island between 1892 and 1954. The men and women portrayed are wearing their finest clothes, often their national dress, brought with them from their homeland to America.
PAcast
Population Bracketology
Easy game to play with 4th graders (or 7th graders) guessing which state has the higher population moving through the entire United States, and territories
50 People Pick The Most Popular Sport In Their Home State | Culturally Speaking - YouTube
Alternative to the accents video
Teachinghistory.org - Inventory of the Springer House
Teachers using the Springer house "You be the historian" activity from the National Museum of American History can add this quick video onto the activity. It features curator Barbara Smith talking about the inventory of the Springers done in 1804
The Mill Creek Hundred History Blog: The Springers of Northern Mill Creek Hundred -- Part 1
More information on the Springer family for the National Museum of American History lesson
State of US COVID-19 Pandemic & Health | 2022 State of the Union Facts
Treasure trove of statistical data for use in lessons
Watch 24 Hours of Traffic, Visualized as a Living Circulatory System - Metrocosm
"The analogy also works visually, as demonstrated by the map below. What’s shown is the U.S. Interstate Highway System. The width of each section represents the average traffic for each hour of the day."
Top Immigrant Populations by U.S. State | migrationpolicy.org
Click on state and get the percentage of population that is classified as immigrant. A chart showing the top 15 countries where those immigrants were born. Hoover over any to get exact numbers.
U.S. Immigrant Population by State and County | migrationpolicy.org
This map displays the geographic distribution of immigrants in the United States by country of origin. Hover over a state to get the total foreign-born population and double click on a state to get top county estimates. Use the dropdown menu under the map to select a particular country or region of origin.
History of Time Zones | Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Quick article to get a sense of how time zones are determined and how they change over time. Time zones are determined by local governments
<p>Time zone boundaries are also established by law and can only be changed by the Secretary of Transportation if the adjustment is deemed to benefit commerce.<sup>8</sup> Over the past two decades, <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/regulations/recent-time-zone-proceedings">15 communities</a> (counties, cities, and parts of counties) have changed their time zone boundary, the most recent being Mercer County, North Dakota.<sup>9</sup> It switched from Mountain to Central Time in 2010.<sup>9</sup> The new map in the 2019 Fall NTAD release includes these changes and showcases the most up-to-date information on standard time zones in the nation. </p>
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Recent Time Zone Proceedings | US Department of Transportation
Times zones are regulated by the Federal Department of Transportation. This list of cites and counties that have changed their time zone designation by applying to the Department of Transportation has links to the proceedings themselves which outline and detail the reasons they are applying for a change of their time zone
Federal Register :: Relocation of Standard Time Zone Boundary in the State of North Dakota: Mercer County
This record of the federal register explains in detail the reasoning behind a change of time zone and the role of public opinion and commentary on the choice (which is no role at all). Time zones are established and changed for the "convenience of commerce"
River Runner
Find any place in the United States and this map will show you the path of water from that site to the sea.
U.S. Board on Geographic Names | U.S. Geological Survey
Homepage | Annual Disability Statistics Compendium
Data, charts and infographics for 4th grade or Geography lesson. Employment, poverty, etc of people with disabilities down to the county data. What are the employment differences? What about poverty? How much harder is the life of a disabled person in Morris County NJ compared with Leflore county mississippi
Watch 50 People Tell Us How To Recognize Someone from Their State | Culturally Speaking | Condé Nast Traveler
Any number of these videos would be perfect for a 4th grade Geography lesson
National Risk Index | FEMA.gov