I recently posted a big list of math resources for upper elementary teachers. You can find that post HERE. Since then, several teachers reached out to ask me about the best resources for science and social studies. So here we go!
Similar to the math post, this post is a little different, because it’s going to be a list of suggestions rather than in-depth explanations. Think about your own situation, your own students, and pick and choose the activities that will work best for you. You do NOT have to use all these things!
Another suggestion would be to come back to this post a few times a year (maybe every quarter) and see if some of the suggestions and activities might be options for you to incorporate into your content area instruction at a later time.
Social studies and science content learning has always been important, but it is getting extra attention now as we learn more about the science of reading and the importance of building background knowledge. You can read more about this topic in my posts HERE and HERE.
Go-To Social Studies Blog & TPT Resources
~Jenifer Bazzit of Thrive in Grade Five is the best resource I’ve found for general fifth grade social studies resources. Her post about starting the year in fifth grade social studies is super helpful.
~I also love Becca from The Clever Teacher. Becca’s resources are especially good for teaching history.
~Teaching is the Sweetest Thing has great resources for teaching fourth grade social studies (and science too).
~Ashleigh’s Education Journey is an awesome resource for all third grade subjects.
~The Great Cate History, Teaching in the Fast Lane, and Cheryl Gourley offer great resources on TPT. (Another hint: search your own state’s history on TPT to find sellers who have created products for your particular state’s standards.)
Helpful Social Studies Websites
~Core Knowledge – an OER (open educational resources) social studies curriculum
~*iCivics is a free resource for teaching civics lessons.
~American Ride – this website contains different episodes where the host, Stan Ellsworth, travels to different places and teaches about American history.
~Liberty Kids on YouTube – great videos about the American Revolution. This product on TPT provides video response forms and reflection questions for the videos.
~EdPuzzle has lots of good video content for various topics.
~Wonderopolis – another great site with information about various topics. It also includes great activities to go along with the reading.
~Learning for Justice has awesome resources for teaching social justice.
~Geogussr is great for teaching geography and map skills. The quizzes are really fun.
~Mission U. S. has great simulations for teaching history.
~If you have access to BrainPop or Flocabulary (both paid resources), they have outstanding resources for many topics.
~I’m not sure of the source for this U. S. History pacing guide, as it was shared with me. But it looks awesome! (If you know the author, please let me know so I can give them credit for their work!)
Sites for Social Studies Content Reading
Sites for Primary Sources in Social Studies
~Library of Congress (LOC) resources
~Colonial Williamsburg collection
Current Events for Kids
~DOGO News
If you’re looking for ideas for engaging your students before reading informational text, take a look at these tips from the New York Times.
Helpful Science Websites
~Mystery Science is a paid site, but they often offer free trials. Every teacher that uses it really loves the resources!
~Wonderopolis – I love this site. Besides providing engaging content, they include “wonder words” (vocabulary), a quick test, and suggestions for more activities related to the topic.
~NASA’s Space Place for Kids is a great site for all things space.
~National Geographic Kids is a tried and true resource.
~Sheppard Software has lots of online games, activities, and articles.
~PBS Learning Media Zoom has lots of great activities.
~SciJinks is an awesome site for learning about weather!
~Similar to Mystery Science, Generation Genius is another paid site but they offer a free trial.
~Sock Monkey Science is a great teacher-created site!
~Crash Course Kids has awesome science videos on YouTube.
~Study Jams is a Scholastic site with excellent, engaging content.
~Science Buddies has lots of great resources for teaching science.
~Science Journal Kids includes engaging science content articles.
~EdPuzzle videos
~If you can purchase access, BrainPop and Flocabulary have excellent video content.
~If you need to supplement your science curriculum, Core Knowledge Science is a high-quality OER curriculum.
GREAT STEM ACTIVITIES FOR TEAM-BUILDING
~Water Drops on a Penny activity to teach scientific method – free on TPT
~Gummy Bear Lab to teach scientific method – free on TPT
~Name Tag STEM Challenge – free on TPT
~20 Cup team building activity
~Saving Fred – a classic!
~Spaghetti & Marshmallows. Here’s another version.
~Hurricane House STEM Challenge
I hope this list has given you some inspiration for your social studies and science instruction. Let me know which resources you found to be especially useful! If you have other resources to add, please share them with me!