{Ask a Teacher} Help! I Need Materials for My Classroom!

Question #3 What's a good way to find materials for my classroom? I teach high school social studies but the problem is that there are not enough books in the school for every student so I have to supplement. I mainly teach Government/American Civics. Can you find me some good sites to get activities, tests, lesson plans for the students?

Not having enough textbooks and supplementary materials seems to be an issue for many educators today. Thankfully, the World Wide Web can be our friend when trying to supplement under-funded programs. I’m sure you've done a quick Google search for government lessons and have probably become overwhelmed with the results.

Be sure to keep in constant contact with members of your department in your building and throughout your district for new and/or relevant websites. Also remember that not all lessons you find online will be perfect and ready to go. What I often do is combine several different ideas from lessons I find online to create the “perfect” lesson. Here are a few I have either used when trying to implement a Civics-type lesson in my English curriculum or some that looked promising on my own search to help you out. Good luck, and remember to share anything you find helpful with others who may be in your situation on The Educator’s Room and elsewhere.

1.www.tolerance.org Sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center, this site offers a variety of lessons citizenship and tolerance topics.
2.http://www.elcivics.com/ This site proves to have lessons that are helpful for English Language Learners, which can also be adapted by you for your struggling readers.
3.http://www.jefferson.k12.ky.us/departments/gheens/Curriculum%20Maps/2012_2013/CM_High_SS.html At this link, you will find curriculum maps that can help you see a progression of what can be taught and when. Perusing even deeper on the Gheens Foundation website will lead you to some specific lessons created by teachers within the Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky.
4.http://www.pps.k12.or.us/departments/curriculum/1832.htm On this page, there are several “favorite” websites listed from teachers of the Portland Public Schools District. I was personally intrigued by “Dr. Seuss Goes to War.”