Boldly go where no science teacher has gone before! Your continuing mission: to discover useful new science sites, to integrate them into your lesson plans and to giggle at this corny Star Trek reference.

Silliness aside, my love for science grew from watching the crew of the starship Enterprise warp around the galaxy as they encountered previously unknown phenomena, worlds and civilizations.

I thought the notion of discovery was really fitting for this post—so, with that said, I hope you come across something that excites your students about science.

Now, set a course for the end of this list—warp factor nine. Engage!

 

General Science (Covers Multiple Areas)

1. Exploratorium
The official website of the Exploratorium, the museum of science, art and human perception in San Francisco. It includes materials and activities for a variety of things from astronomy and space to the human body.

2. How Stuff Works
How Stuff Works explains how things … work. (Imagine that!) Learn about everything from black holes to the Dyson Bladeless Fan.

3. Extreme Science
What is the largest ocean carnivore? How big is the world’s largest tarantula? Just how cold does the Antarctic actually get? Learn all about the extreme animals and places around the world.

4. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
Free science resources from the U.S. Department of Education. Find materials for the Applied Sciences, Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Space Sciences and more.

5. Nova
Watch informational preview videos from the highest rated science series on television categorized by the following topics: Ancient Worlds, Body and Brain, Evolution, Military and Espionage, Nature, Physics and Math, Planet Earth, Space and Flight, Tech and Engineering.

6. BBC Science
View preview videos for some of BBC Science’s top documentaries.

7. MadSciNet
Use the search engine or archives to find answers to over 36,000 science-related questions.

8. Science Learning Network
The Science Learning Network is a website for a consortium of museums that provides teaching materials on structures, oceans, weather, pH, atoms and more.

9. Khan Academy
Watch free science lessons on biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, healthcare and medicine, physics, cosmology and astronomy, computer science and more.

10. Great Thinkers and Visionaries
Find detailed biographies for scientists, inventors and theorists like Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking.

11. Frank Potter’s Science Gems
There are over 14,000 online science resources listed on this website that are separated and categorized by topic and grade level.

12. Learner Interactives
Learner provides really neat interactive lessons and activities that cover amusement park physics, DNA, garbage, the periodic table, the rock cycle and more.

13. Why Files Classroom Activities
Why Files has tons of neat classroom activities that correlate to relevant real-world topics and big issues in the news.

14. Science Dictionary
Science Dictionary is the leading source for definitions of science terms. Each term is separate by field.

15. The Internet Encyclopedia of Science
David Darling’s online encyclopedia of science is a lot like Wikipedia. There are thousands of detailed entries for different science-related words.

16. Scanning Electron Microscope 
The Museum of Science in Boston’s Scanning Electron Microscope website is neat because it provides you with close-up images of diatoms, toilet paper, deer ticks and more, without needing access to an electron microscope.

17. 125 Great Science Videos
A gaggle of great videos for science teachers ranging from astronomy and space travel to biology and chemistry.

18. National Science Teachers Association
The official website for the National Science Teachers Association is full of resources for elementary, middle, high school and college science.

19. Science Clips
Check out dozens of interactive science games and activities for ages 5-11 on the BBC’s Science Clips website.

20. Scientists @ the Smithsonian
Do your students want to be scientists? Visit Scientists @ the Smithsonian to show them interviews with actual scientists who discuss their own personal experiences and what they do.

21. MythBusters: Myth or Fact?
Spark your students’ curiosity at the beginning of each class period by taking a MythBusters: Myth or Fact? quiz. It’s a great warm up activity to get their wheels turning!

22. SciScho YouTube Channel
Hank, an eccentric science teacher, posts educational and explanatory videos to YouTube. They’re not your average YouTube videos, though. They’re very well done and relatively humorous. Some of the topics (and content) may not be suitable for younger children, so make sure you view each video before you show it to your class.

23. Museum of Science
This online vault of digital exhibits, videos and audio presentations covers quite a few different topics ranging from carbon nano-materials, to renewable energy sources, to ancient Egypt.

24. Teachers Pay Teachers
You can find thousands of grade-specific science resources on Teachers Pay Teachers. Just browse the Science category or type in a search term for the lesson you’re teaching. Click here to check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

 

Science News

25. Scientific American

26. National Geographic

27. Nature

28. PopSci 

29. NY Times Science

30. CNN Science and Technology

 

Physics

31. The Atoms Family
This fun website teaches about energy, light, atoms and conservation by using mummies, vampires and other monsters.

32. PhysLink Reference
Check out PhysLink’s Reference section for easy-to-use information on astrophysical constants, coefficients of friction, nuclear and particle data, unit conversion and more.

33. Atomic Orbitals Interactive
This Atomic Orbitals Interactive gives your students a visual representation of the first four energy levels of an atom.

34. States of Matter
This interactive demonstration shows your students the difference in movement between particles in different states of matter.

35. Rube Goldberg
The official website of Rube Goldberg is a great place to get ideas for this year’s Rube Goldberg project. You can even have students participate in the national machine contest by submitting their work!

 

Chemistry

36. Amino Acids Guide
A detailed resource for information about amino acids such as Glycine, Lysine, Tryptophan and more.

37. ChemGame
Rescue the top 12 scientists in chemistry by playing fun interactive games about matter and energy, atomic theory, naming, reactions, thermodynamics and equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry and organic chemistry.

38. Royal Society of Chemistry
Visit the Royal Society of Chemistry website for a virtual periodic table and other resources for teaching chemistry.

39. The Comic Book Periodic Table of Elements
View pages from comic books that mention each element. Some of the elements are mentioned in the context of how they are used, which is great for teaching about the properties of different elements.

40. Chemical Week
Give your students an idea about how chemistry can affect their everyday life with articles from Chemical Week.

41. WebElements
WebElements provides teachers with a really neat online periodic table of elements.

42. Sheffield ChemPuter
Use the advanced online calculators for isotope patterns, element percentages, reaction yields and more.

43. The Periodic Table of Videos
The Periodic Table of Videos provides the symbol, atomic number and a short clip for each element that demonstrates what it’s used for.

44. ChemiCool – Interactive Periodic Table
ChemiCool is a really awesome interactive periodic table!

45. LennTech Periodic Table of Elements
Each element on the LennTech Periodic Table has a link to its chemical properties, health effects, environmental impact and information about the individual(s) who discovered/created it.

46. Chemical Elements
While a little less aesthetically pleasing than the other periodic tables mentioned, the Chemical Elements periodic table is very information-based.

47. Ptable 
Another neat online periodic table that includes information on each element’s properties, orbitals, isotopes and more.

 

Earth Science

48. Exploring Earth
Thirty digital chapters and eight units explore the world of Earth science, including the water cycle, plate tectonics, atmosphere, oceans and more.

49. National Ocean Services
The National Ocean Services website provides lesson plans and classroom ideas that emphasize hands-on activities and problem-based learning.

50. Oceans Alive!
This website provides a detailed look at our world’s oceans and its most abundant resource, water. You can also find additional materials for teaching about the water cycle, the web of life, water currents and more on the “resources” page.

51. Earthquakes for Kids
The U.S. Geological Survey website provides students with information about earthquakes. They can learn about the latest quakes, watch animations, get ideas for science fairs or play earthquake-related puzzles and games.

52. Water Cycle Diagram – Earthguide
The interactive Earthguide Water Cycle Diagram provides a visual representation of the different parts of the water cycle including precipitation, runoff, infiltration, evaporation, evapotranspiration, freezing and more.

53. Plate Tectonics Animations
The University of California Berkeley’s plate tectonics animations demonstrate how the continents have shifted over the course of time.

 

Environmental

54. EPA Teaching Center
Learn about environmental issues like air quality, climate change, pesticides, chemicals, toxins, waste and more. The EPA Teaching Center also includes games and quizzes that are labeled by grade level, lesson plans, teacher guides and other online resources.

55. Household Carbon Footprint Calculator
Learn how much of an impact your household has on the environment with the Household Carbon Footprint Calculator tool.

56. Free Carbon Footprint Calculator
Calculate your carbon footprint.

 

Animals and Wildlife

57. ARKive
The ultimate resource for breathtaking photos and videos of the world’s endangered species. Each entry also includes a description of the species and information about its range, habitat, biology, threats, conservation and more.

58. Animal Planet
Watch preview videos for some of Animal Planet’s renowned programming on the Earth’s naturals resources, wildlife and more.

59. National Aquarium
Take a 360 degree tour of the National Aquarium, located in Baltimore. The official website has tons of resources on the marine animals that are showcased in their habitats.

60. eNature
Use eNature’s Endangered and Threatened species engine to enter your zip code and learn about highly-threatened animals near you. There are also animal-related games, quizzes and other freebies available.

61. Bagheera
Learn about endangered and already-extinct species from around the world at Bagheera. Classroom activities and resources are also available for additional learning opportunities.

62. Life of Birds
The Life of Birds website is a great resource for learning about Earth’s most adaptable creatures.

63. Animal Diversity Web
The University of Michigan’s Animal Diversity Web is an online database of animal natural history, distribution, classification and conservation.

64. Invasive Species
Use this website to learn all about invasive species and their impact in ecosystems around the world.

 

Human Anatomy and Physiology

65. Inner Body
An interactive guide to 12 different systems in the human body including the digestive system, immune system, muscular system, respiratory system, skeletal system and more.

66. Atlas of the Human Body
Use the American Medical Association’s free Atlas of the Human Body to help your students learn about the various regions of the human body.

67. Neuroscience for Kids
Use Neuroscience for Kids to explore how the brain works. It discusses everything from the higher brain functions, to the spinal cord, to neurological effects and mental disorders.

68. eSkeletons
Use the University of Texas at Austin’s interactive eSkeletons website to learn about human bones and compare them to the bones of non-human primates.

69. Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body – Bartleby
Bartleby’s online edition of Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body features 13,000 entries ranging from the Antrum of Highmore to the Zonule of Zinn.

 

DNA, Genetics and Evolution

70. Human Genome Project 
Find resources for both teachers and students about the Human Genome Project that was completed in 2003.

71. Learn.Genetics
The University of Utah’s Learn.Genetics website is full of great material for teaching DNA, protein synthesis, heredity, variation and more. There’s also a really nifty “Build a DNA Molecule” activity that you should check out!

72. DNA From the Beginning
DNA From the Beginning provides great resources and animations for 75 different experiments that made modern genetics.

73. DNA Zoom
Help your students discover the building blocks of our DNA by zooming in to microscopic levels! This cool interactive activity is available in 2D and 3D formats.

74. Issues in Genetics
Use this site to stimulate class discussion about controversial issues in genetics like gene patenting, gene testing and gene discrimination.

75. Understanding Evolution
A one-stop shop for teaching materials and resources on evolution.

76. Darwin: Who Wants to Live a Million Years? Game
As I’m sure you can guess from the title, this game is about natural selection. Play it as a class and see if your students can create a species that survives for a million years. This game is a hoot!

77. Evolution vs. Creationism Debate with Bill Nye [VIDEO]
Leading creationist and best-selling Christian author Ken Ham debates Emmy Award-winning science educator Bill Nye in this video from Feb. 4^th, 2014.

 

Biology

78. Online Biology Book
Fifty-nine “chapters” on specific biology topics including cell division, protein synthesis, plants and their structure, the digestive system (and other body systems), population ecology and more.

79. Strange Science
Strange Science is one of my personal favorites on this list. It highlights science’s rocky road to modern biology and paleontology. You’ll never believe some of the things that were published as “fact!”

80. BioIntereactive
Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) BioInteractive is a comprehensive website that contains videos, animations, lectures and interactive presentations on topics ranging from DNA, to infectious diseases, to biodiversity.

81. Cells Alive!
Cells Alive! has interactive animations of cells, viruses, bacteria and their interactions with each other. There are also animations of processes like mitosis, meiosis and the cell cycle.

82. Biology in Motion
Biology in Motion brings science to life with fun interactive activities, labs and mini-lectures that can be enlarged and paused.

83. Cow Eye Dissection
Watch the Exploratorium’s Cow Eye Dissection videos to give your students the experience without the mess (or formaldehyde)!

84. Cell Craft
Play this free interactive game and build a cell, fight off viruses, survive in harsh worlds and save the Platypus species! Students learn about cells as they play.

85. Label the Cells
Let your students try their hand at this self-checking interactive activity! They complete the plant and animal cell diagrams by moving the correct labels to the corresponding cell parts.

86. Cell Biology Animation
Virtual animations of cells and cell functions including cell anatomy, cell membranes, meiosis, mitosis, photosynthesis and more.

87. The Biology Corner
The Biology Corner is a great resource site that contains a variety of labs, quizzes, lessons and web quests on ecology, genetics, anatomy, cells, evolution and the scientific method.

88. Action Bioscience
The American Institute of Biological Sciences’ Action Bioscience website is a great place to learn about biodiversity, the environment, genomics, biotechnology, evolution and science policy. It provides great resources for teachers including lesson plans.

89. Tree of Life
The Tree of Life presents information about thousands of organisms and their evolutionary roots. It also includes compelling images and videos for many of the different types of organisms.

90. Virtual Cell Animation Collection
This website is an online collection of images and videos that walk students through complex cellular processes.

 

Astronomy

91. Astronomy Picture of the Day
A new picture of a celestial body and detailed description written by a professional astronomer are featured every day.

92. Space.com
Get the latest space and science-related news, NASA information and watch educational video clips.

93. NASA Television
With almost 55 million views on its 2,700 videos, NASA Television is one of the most watched channels on YouTube.

94. Windows to the Universe
Windows to the Universe includes information about Earth and space sciences including the atmosphere, magnetosphere, poles, space weather, formation of planets and more.

95. Astrobiology
This website features breaking news about discoveries that astronomers have made regarding the possibility of finding life in space.

96. NASA PlanetQuest
NASA PlanetQuest site has multimedia resources including links, videos, photos and more that are related to NASA’s search for new planets.

97. Planet Size Comparison
This super cool website lets you pick two planets in our solar system and visually compare them. It’s great for a unit on space!

 

Web 2.0 Tools

98. Calculator.com
Project one of the free online calculators on your interactive whiteboard. Choose from a scientific calculator, graphing calculator, unit converter and more.

99. Web 2.0 Calc
This fancy calculator can do all sorts of advanced scientific and mathematic equations.

100. Online Conversion
Online Conversion can convert 5,000 different units and perform 50,000 different conversions for area, acceleration, force, temperature and more.

101. SlideShare
SlideShare is one of the most popular ways to upload and share PowerPoint presentations and other documents. It’s a great tool for transferring documents between your home and school computer without having to carry around a flash drive. Perfect for those long presentations on cells!

 

Now that you’ve completed your journey to the end of this list, I hope you discovered something that will help you “energize” your lesson plans!

Before you go, you have one final assignment. Please take a moment to leave me some love and/or share any websites for science teachers that I left out!

After you have completed your assignment, you may return to the holodeck for some well-deserved R&R. Dismissed!

 

Please pin this image to Pinterest:

Sometimes it’s hard to find a good social studies website that is focused on the topic you’re teaching… There’s so much “stuff” out there to sort through, review and fact-check.

So, I spent the better part of a month scouring the deepest depths of the interwebs looking for quality online resources in hopes that I’d save you some time and energy!

If you know of any useful social studies sites that aren’t included on this list, please let me know! I’d love to add them to this list.

Without any further ado, here are the best websites that I found:

 

U.S. History & Government

1. Harpweek
These historical and political cartoons make great discussion starters or classroom warm-ups for U.S. history lessons.

2. Digital Vaults
View digital versions of the nation’s most important historical documents.

3. USHistory.org Historical Documents
Use the easy-to-read text versions of the United States’ most important documents to familiarize your students with the words that shaped the government and culture of their country.

4. Finishing the Dream
Over one hundred Civil Rights Era clips from the NBC News archive including segments like Separate is Not Equal, Buses and Boycotts, Freedom Fighters and We Shall Overcome.

5. Zinn Education Project
The Zinn Education Project website is full of free downloadable U.S. History resources that are organized by theme, time period and reading level.

6. DocsTeach
Thousands of historical documents from the National Archives. Plus, ready-to-use activities to pair with the documents. Search by historical era or make your own activity.

7. 100 Milestone Documents
These 100 documents chronicle United States History from 1776 to 1965. You can view a digital copy of each document and also read an excerpt that gives background information about the document.

8. StreetLaw Landmark Cases
A full range of activities and resources to support the teaching of landmark cases such as Marbury v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Education, Dred Scott v. Sanford and more.

9. The Library of Congress
An enormous collection of historical memories, prints, photographs, newspapers, sound recordings, films, maps, manuscripts and more.

10. Charters of Freedom
Charters of Freedom is another website that allows you to view digital versions of the nation’s most important historic documents.

11. Picture History
This collection of images from American History includes the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th centuries. The majority of photographs are of presidents, the White House, iconic people and events from our nation’s past.

12. Oyez Project
A database on major constitutional cases heard by the United States Supreme Court, with multimedia resources including digital audio of oral arguments.

13. Chronicling America
Search through pages of America’s historic newspapers from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published from 1690 to the present.

14. American Rhetoric
American Rhetoric is an index of over 5,000 textual, audio and video versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews and more.

15. WYZANT HPOL archive database
History and Politics Out Loud is a searchable multimedia database that contains important audio clips from American history and politics.

16. Constitution Facts
Did you know that the U.S. Constitution has only 4,400 words? It is the oldest and shortest written Constitution of any major government in the world. Find out more interesting facts at Constitution Facts!

17. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Online Exhibitions
An online version of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s exhibitions on Rescue and Resistance, Anti-Semitism, Propaganda, Persecution, Camps, the Aftermath and more.

18. Chronicle of Revolution
Chronicle of Revolution provides students with a detailed look at the events that contributed to the start of the American Revolution by reading newspaper articles from key cities.

19. Mission U.S.
Mission U.S. is home to three free, interactive U.S. history games. One focuses on the American Revolution, the second focuses on a slave’s quest for freedom and the third focuses on how the railroads affected the natives.

20. American History Demographic Chart Book
A demographic history of the United States dating back to the first census in 1790. It includes maps, information on population growth and distribution, ethnicity, age, home ownership, education, occupation and more.

21. FedFlix
FedFlix features the best videos produced by the United States government, from training films to historical documentaries.

22. Civil War 150
An interactive map/timeline/infographic hybrid that is packed with cool facts about the Civil War. It’s got over 2,000 likes on Facebook!

23. Law-Focused Education
Entertaining games and animations covering topics including checks & balances, federalism, popular sovereignty, separation of powers, Bill of Rights, Preamble of the Constitution, American symbols and more.

24. Crash Course U.S. History YouTube Channel
Crash Course’s YouTube Channel currently has 40+ quality videos that cover topics in U.S. history such as the American Revolution, Constitution, Slavery, Civil War, Civil Rights, and more. If you’re unfamiliar with this YouTube channel, you should definitely check it out! FYI – some of the narrator’s humor may be unsuitable for younger students.

World History

25. Hypercities
Collaborate using social technologies to delve into the past, present or future of city spaces. View architectural maps of some of the world’s most famous cities from different time periods and overlay important structures.

26. HistoryPin
View some of the most interesting and thought-provoking photographs through time to stimulate discussion in your classroom.

27. European Virtual Museum
The European Virtual Museum is an online collaboration between twenty-seven prestigious European museums and showcases historical artifacts from all over the world.

28. TimeMaps
TimeMaps is an all-inclusive look at world history that combines maps, timelines and chronological narratives.

29. Spartacus Educational
This online encyclopedia focuses on historical topics and figures from England, the United States, Russia, Germany and France. All of the articles are easy-to-digest and are written for students.

30. Online Hieroglyphics Translator
Type in a phrase and see what it looks like when it’s translated to Egyptian Hieroglyphics. This is a cool activity to do if you’re covering Ancient Egypt.

31. Women in World History
Over 200 primary source materials about women in world history including photographs, propaganda, commentary and more. These materials are great discussion and essay starters.

32. HyperHistory
While HyperHistory’s design is reminiscent of websites from the 1990’s, it covers 3000 years of world history including culture, religion, politics and historical figures.

33. HistoryWorld
300 informational narratives and 10,000 events in a searchable database. HistoryWorld is great for conducting preliminary research for papers and projects.

34. EyeWitness to History
EyeWitness to History is home to first-hand accounts of historical events, vintage photographs, original radio broadcasts and more.

35. Wikibooks – Ancient Civilizations
Easy to understand descriptions of some of the world’s most influential civilizations including the Babylonians, Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks, Vikings, Persians, Romans and more.

36. Simple English Wikipedia – World History
The history of the world—according to Wikipedia—told in plain English.

37. History.com Videos
Watch video clips from the History Channel on a variety of topics including the American Revolution, American Civil War, World War II, the Titanic, Black History Month, Ancient Civilizations and more.

38. Go Social Studies Go
A modern-looking website dedicated to world religions, history and world geography. Each topic includes a separate page with information, images and links to relevant websites. Some pages even have videos.

39. The Avalon Project
A collection of historical documents in law and diplomacy from 4,000bce to the present. It includes documents such as the Athenian Constitution, Magna Carta, Articles of Confederation, Civil Rights Act of 1964 and more.

40. Playing History
Playing History aggregates all of the free history games on the web into a simple, searchable database.

41. Snag Films
Free documentaries produced by well-known educational publishers, including PBS and National Geographic. The available titles cover topics like the Battle for Midway, Alexander the Great, Pearl Harbor and more.

42. World History for Us All
World History for Us All offers teaching units, lesson plans and resources for middle school and high school world history teachers. It is a collaboration between K-12 educators, collegiate instructors and educational technology specialists.

43. Bridging World History
26 thematic world history units include videos, an audio glossary and a database of over 1,500 images and maps. Use Bridging World History to teach your students about the ties that bind historical events together.

44. Crash Course World History YouTube Channel
Crash Course’s YouTube Channel currently has 40+ quality videos that cover topics in world history such as the fall of Rome, Alexander the Great, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia and the Agricultural Revolution. If you’re unfamiliar with this YouTube channel, you should definitely check it out! FYI – some of the narrator’s humor may be unsuitable for younger students.

Civics & Citizenship

45. Project Vote Smart’s VoteEasy™
See how your views match up with those of major political candidates. Learn their stance on topics like abortion, economy, guns, health care, immigration and more.

46. CIRCLE
The official website of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning is home to information on the civic and political engagement of young Americans. There are a lot of cool graphs and charts that will get your students excited about fulfilling their civic duties.

47. iCivics
Free lesson plans and interactive games for learning civics. Some of the topics covered by materials at iCivics include citizenship and participation, separation of powers, branches of government and budgeting.

48. White House
The official website of the White House. Watch the weekly address to stay informed on the most important events in our government.

49. Vote: The Machinery of Democracy
This website teaches your students how ballots and voting systems have changed over the years in response to political, social and technological change.

Culture & Geography

50. Traveler IQ Challenge
The web’s most popular free geography game. Over 51,000 people have “liked” it on Facebook.

51. GeoBeats
An award-winning website that hosts hundreds of short, guided video tours of the most famous cities throughout the world.

52. iknowthat
Neat interactive maps to review Geography – requires flash and shockwave player.

53. Google Earth
Google Earth is a nifty tool that is being used by educators around the world. It puts the planet’s geographic information at your fingertips and can be utilized in a variety of educational activities. There’s even a helpful Google Earth for Educators Community where you can go for new ideas or to share some of your own.

54. Culture Crossing
A guide to culture, customs, social, business and study abroad etiquette for every country in the world. The information posted in each country guide is submitted by people who are either natives or residents (or former residents) of the featured countries.

Printable Maps and Mapping Tools

55. Printable World Maps
Free printable maps of the world’s countries. Each map is a blank outline.

56. Nat Geo Education: Mapping
Free, printable 1-page maps, printable large-format maps and an online interactive student map.

57. Mapping History
Animated socio and political maps of 18th and 19th century United States, Europe, Latin America and Africa.

58. Animaps
Animaps letting you create maps with markers that move, images and text that pop up on cue, and lines and shapes that change over time. Your finalized Animap appears like a video that can be played, paused, slowed down and sped up.

59. ScribbleMaps
Easily draw on Google Maps and then share with your students or post to your teacher blog.

60. QuickMaps
QuickMap’s slogan is “Doodle on Google!” It’s another free and easy way to draw on Google Maps.

61. Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
High-quality historic, thematic and topographic maps of the world including Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia/Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Polar regions, Oceans and United States.

62. How Big Really
This website takes important places and events, and overlays them onto a map. Just type in a zip code. Use it to show your students how large something like the Great Wall of China or the battle of Stalingrad really is/was!

Interactive Timelines

63. Timerime
Search for pre-made, media-rich timelines or make your own using MP3 audio clips, YouTube videos and more.

64. Time Toast
All you need is a valid email address to create interactive timelines that can be shared anywhere on the web.

65. Tiki Toki
Easily create stunning web-based, sharable timelines with images and video. Tiki Toki also has a group editing feature for collaboration.

66. Dipity
With Dipity, you can find, create and embed interactive, customizable timelines.

67. Capzles
Create your own sharable timeline with images, video, audio, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and PDF files.

Current Events

68. Google News Archive

69. Time Magazine

70. New York Times

71. Newseum
View today’s front page from more than 800 newspapers worldwide. Use this website to demonstrate how different cultures can perceive the same event.

72. Cagle
A daily compilation of editorial cartoons from around the world that cover current issues and important figures.

73. Clay Bennett Cartoons Archive
Modern cartoons on a range of topics including individual liberties, global warming, lobby reform, congress and more.

Economics

74. Practical Money Skills
Practical Money Skills is an online resource for educators, parents and students focused on financial literacy and education.

75. Econ Ed Link
Sort economics and personal finance lessons by grade level, lesson type, concept, or standard covered. Econ Ed Link includes accounting, banking, budgeting, debt, inflation, interest, investing, risk and more.

76. Numbeo
Numbeo is a website that allows you to compare information about the cost of living from different areas of the world.

77. Living Wage Calculator
Use the Living Wage Calculator, developed by Penn State University, to calculate the approximate living wage of your area. The calculator lists typical expenses, the living wage and typical wages for the selected location.

Informational Resources

78. ZIPskinny
Enter in a U.S. Zip Code to get its latest U.S. Census data including detailed demographics.

79. CIA Factbook
The CIA World Factbook contains information on the communications, economy, geography, government, history, military, people, transnational issues and transportation for 267 world entities.

80. World Flag Index
A listing of all of the flags from each of the world’s countries, territories and sub-national regions. Some of the listings also include basic information about the area.

81. 50 States
Find information about each of the 50 states, including the state bird, border states, climate, constitution, flag, population, state tree and more.

82. Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a simple search engine that specializes in scholarly literature. It allows you to search across many sources including articles, books, court opinions, online repositories, university libraries and more.

83. Wolfram Alpha
Wolfram Alpha is searchable database of information about government, historical events, political figures, important documents and more.

 

Web 2.0 Tools

84. Poll Everywhere
An inexpensive and quick alternative for clicker response systems. Create your first poll in 30 seconds without having to sign up. Your students simply text their answer to a predetermined number and, voila! Poll Anywhere is free if your class size is less than 40 students.

85. 360 Cities
Show your class first-person views of different historic and cultural locations around the world. These amazing 360 degree panoramas are easily projectable on your interactive whiteboard, or perfect for your classroom iPads.

86. Animoto
Use Animoto to easily create presentations and videos with your own images and music, or choose from a library of stock files. Teachers can apply for a free Animoto Plus account.

87. Wikispaces
With a free option for K-12 teachers, Wikispaces is a great tool for making custom webpages that your students can edit together. You can manage privacy settings, create student accounts without email addresses, embed media and even customize the design of your Wiki pages.
BONUS: Check out the resourcesforhistoryteachers Wikispaces page.

88. Voicethread
Voicethread’s group conversations are stored and shared in one place, from anywhere in the world. It allows you to create multimedia slideshows with images, videos and documents. Others can view the slides and then leave text, audio or video comments.

89. Prezi
Prezi is a really neat cloud-based presentation program that allows you to zoom in and out. If you don’t mind your slides being public, you can sign up for a free account with 100MB of storage.

90. IMDb
Use IMDb, the internet movie database, to see if there are any movies that are relevant to the topic you’re teaching. If you find one, you can also check the rating to make sure it’s appropriate for your classroom.

91. Quizlet
As one of the largest and most popular flashcard creation websites around, Quizlet allows students and teachers to customize their own “sets” of flashcards. You can manage access to the flashcards you create and share them with your students.

92. SlideShare
SlideShare is one of the most popular ways to upload and share PowerPoint presentations and other documents. Again, this is a great tool for transferring documents between your home and school computer without having to carry around a flash drive.

93. ClassMarker
ClassMarker is an online quiz and test creation website. As an educator, you get 100 free tests taken (and graded!) per month.

94. Blabberize
Blabberize is a fun web 2.0 tool that allows you to upload a picture (of a person—think historical figures!), select its mouth, and make it talk by adding an audio file. Like Gizmoz, your students are sure to get a kick out of it!

95. Online-stopwatch
Online-stopwatch is a web-based stopwatch that is easy to display on an interactive whiteboard and can count up or down. Use it for timed exams, essays, and standardized tests.

96. CuePrompter
A lot of students have a hard time giving class presentations, but CuePrompter helps to relieve some of the nerves. Copy and paste your script into the box and it displays just like a real teleprompter. Plus, it’s free to use.

97. Socrative
This web 2.0 tool uses cell phones and/or laptops to gather feedback from students. You can post as many questions as you’d like, which is nice if you have several classes.

98. Zotero
Zotero is a neat tool that helps you collect, organize, cite and share research that you have done. You can add PDFs, images, audio and video files, snapshots of web pages and more. It indexes the full-text content of your library, allowing you to quickly find what you’re looking for.

Other Social Studies Materials

99. EdSITEMENT
High quality lesson plans, activities and student resources for history and social studies, sortable by grade level.

100. C-SPAN Classroom
Primary source materials for Social Studies teachers.

101. Teachers Pay Teachers
You can find thousands of grade-specific social studies resources on Teachers Pay Teachers. Just browse the Social Studies category or type in a search term for the lesson you’re teaching. Click here to check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Thanks for reading! I hope you came across some useful websites that you can use in your class. If you liked this post, don’t forget to share it with your friends using the social sharing bar on the left-hand side of your screen!!!

What are your favorite websites for Social Studies teachers? Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments.

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