FREEBEE FRIDAY: The Whole World On-Screen

Roll up the classroom map because borders change too quickly for it to stay current. The latest version of Stat Planet’s Interactive Data and Visualization Program can not only show the latest array of countries but track 250 economic, demographic and ethnic indicators for each. The best part is that rather than lists of raw information, Stat Planet presents everything in attractive and colorful graphs. Best of all, it’s free and is continually updated with the latest statistics.

Clickable History

History doesn’t have to be a series of readings and discussions because interactive lessons from the American Institute for History Education have developed in-depth content for US History. Called History Beyond the Textbook, the program is divided into 15 easy to digest segments for middle and high school students that explore everything from Greek philosophy all the way to the current era of globalization. Along the way, the program has a slew of lesson plans from primary documents and time lines to interactive maps, videos and songs of the time. History Beyond the Textbook costs $300 per year but there’s a student version for $15 and there’s a free trial available.

 

The Interactive Globe

How can you expect kids to hand in neat, crisp homework when your worksheets are barely readable and look like they’ve been photocopied a dozen times. Try teaching them geography with Purpose Games’ variety of educational interactive games. There are programs for identifying states, capitals, and a variety of country and regional maps. All students do is click on the city, state or country that the program asks for and it lets you know if you’re correct. For the teacher, the game tabulates a percentage of correct answers, and the game keeps track of top scores, which leaves open the possibility of a state capital contest. The best part is that all the games are free.

Tim and Mobie Vote

Tomorrow may be election day, but there’re still millions of kids out there who don’t really understand what electing a President is all about, how it works and what’s at stake. BrainPop’s election special can help teach a good lesson in civics without it seeming like a lesson. On top of a good primer on voting, BrainPop has videos on the primaries and caucuses, presidential power and Democracy.

Make Every (Kid’s) Vote Count

What better lesson in government and civics could there be for a social studies class than to have every elementary school student vote in the upcoming presidential election. That’s the idea behind Woogi World, a virtual social world of students. The site’s Every Kid Votes campaign explains the election process by using an avatar that represents the child, called a Woogi. After selecting one, the child needs to play games to win enough points to earn the right to vote. It’s free and the site can help teach children about Internet safety in a calm and reassuring way.