Sustainability+and+Place-based+Web+Resource+Guide

=Sustainability Education=

Rainforest Fundraiser http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/crunchtime.html This link provides information and a how-to for engaging your class in a fundraiser to save the rainforest. A fundraiser like this would go very well with a rainforest unit. This fun project also helps involve the community! MK

Rainforest Unit Starter http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/RainforestquarkFinal_Layout%201.pdf This is another great link from Kids For Saving the Earth. The information provided is a great resource and unit focus idea for teachers. A lot can be gained from this link and many ideas/activities can sprout from here. Another money-asker, but may be worth it for the class. MK

Tree Huggers-Go Green http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/07/post_51.php This website provides a brief article about the Go Green Initiative that affects many schools in the country. Not only does this article link to the Go Green Initiative website, it also provides information regarding other ways to “Get Informed”, “Interact” and “Take Action” with www.treehugger.com. A good Starting place for any age group. MK

Agriculture in the Classroom Grade 1 to 8 http://www.agclassroom.org/teacher/tours.htm**

Experience the importance of agriculture and visit a farm using your computer! Movies, slides, and Virtual Tours like “Limits of the Earth” and “The Story of Milk”, provide visitors a look inside the world of agriculture. Students can explore farming from the perspective of producers and consumers. Most activities are geared for the younger grades though some links are more appropriate for secondary students. Teacher resources include lesson plans and science projects. S.Glaspell

Green School Project - Grade K to 12 http://www.greenschoolproject.com/**

The Green School Project is an organization helping to save the planet by recycling used inkjet and laser cartridges, cell phones, and PDA devices. The best part is, it doesn’t cost a thing! In fact, this site offers an environmental lesson and fundraising project in one! The association gives schools the opportunity to earn funds for recycling. Prepaid shipping materials and promotional materials are also sent to support schools efforts. Additionally, this site includes lesson plans, printable worksheets, literature lists, and web resources focusing on the importance of recycling. S.Glaspell

http://www.urbanoptions.org/SustainEdHandbook/ This web-site has sample activities, teaching tools, topics, discussion ideas and notes about the benefits of and reasons for teaching students about sustainability in K-12 classrooms. CA

http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/penpals.asp Great way for students to exchange information about their daily lives, traditions, culture, and language through writing e-mails with a pen-pal! Site allows you to search through criteria to find a pen-pal that meets your needs. CA

http://www.billnye.com/ Most of you have heard of Bill Nye the Science Guy…well this is his web-site! Go to his web-site and click on Eg for Episode Guide, then Planetary Science, then Earth Science, then #13 Garbage or #67 Pollution Solutions. Not only does it break down the episode for you, there are also fun facts and trivia as well as resources, such as books, listed for you. The web-site is fun and every time you scroll over something with your mouse it makes a funny noise! Check it out! CA

http://www.ivillage.com/green/family/0,,bmbzlqpb,00.html This web-site is generated for families, but teachers can use the information, too! This site offers tips to teach your children (students) to live earth-friendly at every age and breaks down the info into specific grades. Includes on-line activities and games, as well as facts and trivia, and activities children can participate in to promote greener living! CA

http://www.wilderness.org.au/articles/ea4cl_winners_2007 Great resource for finding well written books for children with environmental sustainability themes. Includes winners of the 2007 Environment Award for Children’s Literature. CA

http://www.kidsgowild.com/ Kids Go Wild- is part of the Wildlife Conservation Society and this site teaches kids fun facts about wild animals, as well as ways to help protect them. Attached is a game arcade, wild animal news and information about the WCS. A very colorful and kid friendly site for use in all elementary classrooms! E. Moser http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/ “Recycle City”- teaches students about the positive benefits of recycling and that garbage never really goes away. There are also games, activities, facts and graphics related to recycling and the environment on this site. Very reliable sources, yet another kid page designed by the EPA that conveys great information. E. Moser http://www.earthsky.org/kids/ Earth and Sky for Kids- Though this site mainly focuses on earth science topics, it deals with issues of sustainability as well. Articles and podcasts such as “Affordable and green go together in home building” and “Does space trash threaten space missions?” give upper elementary children the facts about such topics. Very nicely laid out, and perfect to use for research this website is great for our older students. E. Moser

http://www.nwwater.com/index.cfm/nodeID/283e6c0d-20f0-4c9e-9ab8-1ee0ff85982f/fuseaction/showContent.page North Wales Water Authority: Kids Conservation- This site is all about what kids can do to conserve water. Conservation facts, activities, and games are available as well as information for teachers! E.Moser http://www.ecokids.co.nz/ EcoKids- A very fun and interactive site that teaches basic information about all of the problems facing earth such as; pollution, rainforests, air, water, and population. Students become “agents” and can go on missions to save the earth (learn more about earth’s challenges). I highly recommend this site, it was a lot of fun to play around on and learn new information. E. Moser A to Z Teacher Stuff http://www.atozteacherstuff.com/Themes/Environment/ This site has many lesson plans and thematic ideas for teaching units on environmental issues. The main units that this website focuses on are recycling and earth day, and includes lesson such as ‘Be Accountable for your Environment,’ and ‘The Trash Basher’s Handbook to Recycling.’ Under each lesson plan title there is a short synopsis of the lesson plan, and the grade that is designed for. There are many great lesson ideas about taking care of one’s environment. C. Friswold Global Footprint Network: Advancing the Science of Sustainability http://www.footprintnetwork.org/gfn_sub.php?content=calculator This site has an interactive quiz called a footprint calculator that asks questions and in the end tells you how many planets it would take to support your lifestyle. Each student could take the quiz to find out their ecological footprint and then print out the final sheet that says how many planets they would need. This could lead to discussions about sustainability and extension activities such as graphing students the amount of planet each student takes up. This interactive site is a fun and engaging way to convey to students the importance of sustainability because it realistically shows them how their daily habits affect the earth’s limited resources. C. Friswold The Great Green List http://www.greatgreenlist.com/Environmental-Lesson-Plans-109.html This site has links to hundred of sites that promote sustainability lessons. Beside each lesson plan website page it has a star rating system of the website. This website also provides its own lesson plans, and thematic units for environment related topics such as, global warming, energy, eco-friendly personal life, etc. This site also lists environmental projects that can be done with a class and green resources for kids. One of the best sites I have seen for teaching units on environmental education. C. Friswold

Facing The Future http://www.facingthefuture.org/Curriculum/BuyFacingtheFutureCurriculum/tabid/59/Default.aspx This website promotes giving students a ‘world-class education’ meaning that as educators it is our task to give students the tools and perspectives needed to become responsible global citizens that will work towards a sustainable future. This site has curriculum resources that teachers can order on global issues and sustainable solutions, including student textbooks, teacher lesson plans, and thematic units that contain both lessons and student readings. This website would be a great website for principles and superintendents to look at if they were thinking about adopting new curriculum that approaches teaching sustainability in a new way. C Friswold The Teacher’s Guide: Environment Theme Page http://www.theteachersguide.com/Environment.html This teacher created resource site would be useful when teaching units about air quality, trash and recycling, global warming and ozone depletion. Each unit link has over 30 lesson plans for the unit theme, along with printouts to supplement the lessons and additional resources for each theme. The appropriate grade level for each lesson is listed next to each lesson link. C.F. http://www.ecojusticeeducation.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=47 Eco-justice Education: Using Eco-Justice Principles in an Elementary School World Cultures Curriculum This website is dedicated to Eco-Justice Education, this specific web address takes you to an article written by Scott Bartz of Eastern Michigan University. The article examines a 3rd and 4th grade World Culture Curriculum taught at an elementary school in Michigan. Within the article the author challenges teachers to look at assumptions of Western Culture through the lens of another culture. The author explores how teaching World Cultures using eco-justice principles will address common misconceptions of other cultures. This will enable students to understand other cultures’ values, morals, and traditions in a less tampered way. A long article, yet is provides good information and a framework for examining current social studies curriculum for cultural biases. (KMM)

http://www.kid-at-art.com/ The Imagination Factory This website is dedicated to teaching children creative ways to recycle by making art from recycled products and trash! There are many different mediums used and lesson plans for teaching these art lessons. An extremely solid resource with many different activities that provide an awesome opportunity for students to become excited about recycling! (KMM)

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/subjects/earth/earth.html Discovery Earth News Current and up to date information about Earth, and new discoveries, can be found on this website. The website provides many articles of new scientific discoveries, many pertaining to issues of eco-justice, and environmental stewardship. Many of the articles are extremely interesting and I’m sure students would be very engaged if they were to learn of these news headlines. Some headlines from today include: “Acoustic Smog Threatening Whales- underwater cacophony made by large ships is killing whales according to scientists.” “Topical Species may be even more threatened by global warming than Animals in Polar Regions.” These headlines could help to provoke discussions and projects within the classroom revolving around eco-justice, environmental sustainability, and resource management. (KMM)

= = http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/globalwarming/globalwarming.html Global Warming – What you Need to Know with Tom Brokaw This website is related to Discovery Channel’s Planet Earth, as well as Global Warming program. It provides an interactive world map where you can click and travel the globe to see what is going on with global warming. When you click on the globe a list of signs and causes of global warming appear. You can click on any sign or cause and the globe will spin and give you a visual of where these signs or causes are occurring in the world; and will also provide textual information. The globe also displays a visual of the carbon cycle, providing information about carbon sponges, carbon footprints, as well as “the carbon clan.” A great resource for teachers or older students (4th-12th), to find the latest information on Global Warming and a clear presentation of the different aspects of Global Warming. (KMM) = = = = = = = = = = http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/school-teachers/index.html**How to Go Green: School Teachers This website serves as a guide to help school teachers begin to foster discussions with their students around environmental sustainability. The website states that a teacher’s mission “if you choose to accept it, is to help children develop a connection to the environment, through both learning and experience.” How to Go Green, is neatly organized and easily navigable. It serves as a guide for a community based approach to learning about environmental issues. There are specific steps of how to begin teaching and discussing these issues with students, and links to read more about key topics such as a carbon footprint. A wonderful resource for teachers who would like to open their students up to the different aspects environmental sustainability. (KMM) EcoKids http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/index.cfm This website is a Canadian website that has tons of games and activities for students to use and play about the environment. The website is very user friendly and designed for kids to use. Students can also see what other students their age are doing in another country to help with the environment in their student newsletter. (MW)

Earth 911 http://earth911.org/ This Website teaches people how to think globally, especially with regard to recycling. The website always gives ideas for going green at home, school and work. There is a student section for resources specifically designed for k-8 learners that has great activities and materials for teachers and students. (MW)

EekoWorld http://pbskids.org/eekoworld/ This is a website from PBS Kids. It has tons of information about the environment, recycling, air and water, plants and animal and the future. It is very kids freiendly with easy to read language, game, polls and interactive tools for students. (MW)

EnergyQuest http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/ EnergyQuest is a web quest designed by the Canadian government to teach students about things like green transportation, history of energy conservation, how to preserve power, links for teacher, homework help, activities and games and project ideas designed around the environment. Students will get a treat exploring this website and learn about sustainability. (MW)

Recycle Works http://www.recycleworks.org/kids/index.html This website is designed by the Recycle works of San Mateo County California. The kids section of the website includes games about recycling. They web site includes information about what is and isn’t recyclable, info about global warming and art projects about the environment for students to do. The website is interactive and lets kids explore an environment and gives information about water, trees, soil and other earth components. (MW)

__http://www.healthy-kids-go-green.com/ __This resource provides children and adults with ideas about going green and living a healthy life. The Kids club has activities, art project ideas, links to other kid-friendly sites and encourages kids to be “reporters” on their home and school community’s efforts to go green. HD EEK!- Environmental Education for Kids __http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/index.htm __ This site from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is best for students grades 4-8. The set up of the site makes is easy to maneuver and kids will have a blast reading about recycling, global warming, pollution, UV dangers and much more. HD

Environmental Protection Agency-Student Center __http://www.epa.gov/students/ __This site for teachers and students provides information on just about everything about the environment. There are many links to sustainability themed pages and even links to careers, internships and scholarships in environmental fields. HD

The Green Squad - __http://www.nrdc.org/greensquad/intro/intro_1.asp __ This National Resources Defense website is available in English and Spanish. It shows kids how to identify and solve environmental problems. Guided by four environmentally conscious students known as the "Green Squad," kids can explore a virtual school room by room, and use the mouse to locate potential hazards. The site encourages “kid’s taking action for greener healthier schools.” HD

Scholastic Act Green- __http://www.scholastic.com/actgreen/index.asp __You’ll know it is student-friendly as soon as you see the familiar Scholastic heading, but you would never guess all the in-depth information Scholastic can provide. This site is filled with visually appealing information for kids including the “Greenerator” which tracks kids going green by tallying points and “100 Ways to Act Green” HD

Sustainability Camp - http://www.tbgf.org/sustainable-kids/resources/index.php This camp is offered to children who stay for up to a week and learn about sustainability recourses within our planet Earth as well as the effects on the planet from “human footprints”. You can also access the curriculum online from this organization to find lessons within your classroom. MMS

Green Talk - http://www.green-talk.com/2007/12/14/make-sustainability-part-of-our-childrens-abcs/ What an amazing website! You can choose from a huge selection of topics to discuss with students regarding the “greenness” of the product such as beauty products, cleaners, energy efficient products, etc. I found a lot of useful information about the world’s production and the affect on the planet. MMS

How to Help Children Become Sustainability Thinkers for the Future - http://www.googolpower.com/content/articles/how-to-help-children-become-sustainability-thinkers-for-the-future Great discussion questions with students to begin those initial talks about different affects on the planet such as “Who is growing our food? What is organic food?” etc. This is a great guide to get students to start thinking in these terms of sustainability in small doses. MMS

Sustainable Table, serving up healthy choices - http://www.sustainabletable.org/schools/teachers/ This website rates the lessons plans provided by teachers around the country and awards the most creative and comprehensible lesson. A massive variety of lessons and resources for teachers in the classroom is available through this link. MMS

Sustainable Schools - http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools/ Start the trend of turning your school’s footprint on the planet and changing your resources to green resources. This website gives lots of ideas on how to create a school community that wants to change their ecological affect on the planet around them. MMS

GREENSQUAD (NRDC) [|http://www.nrdc.org/greensquad/intro/intro_1.asp]

The National Resource Defense Council has designed a website for students to use to become more environmentally aware of there surroundings. This interactive site takes a group of 4 students through their school and address key problem areas that are typically environmental problems. This is a great resource for those in fourth and fifth grade and could be used to start a unit on environmental issues. (AD)

[|www.SaveNature.org] A great site that allows for you to adopt and acre of rainforest or an acre of saltwater reef. You are then able to track what is happening with your acre. A great site for all grade levels and all ages. (K.K.)

[|www.WeCanSolveIt.org] This site takes a bit more of a political spin. It allows for you to see the actions that are being taken to prevent global warming and environmental destruction as far as policies and laws. A great site for students to be able to understand how hard it may be to get a bill passed on something that thousands may be passionate about. Better for older grades such as 5-8th. (K.K.)

[|www.globalwarmingkids.net] A wonderful site for educators. Chalked full of resources from sort videos to pages of wonderful literature. While this is mainly a site orientated towards educators I believe that older students such as 6-8th grade would find this site highly useful for their own knowledge or to use for their own research. (K.K)

[|www.kidsforsavingearth.org] This site caught my attention right away! The design is full of student drawings. There are links for kids and educators. The activities for kids are divided into age groups which is always a plus. I enjoyed learning and playing on this site! (K.K.)

Watershed Stewardship - http://www.issaquahfish.org/ This website is based out of the Issaquah, WA Salmon Hatchery and protection facility. Here the F.I.S.H. docent program is dedicated to teach locals and children about salmon and promotes watershed stewardship and provides knowledge to answer questions about Pacific Northwest salmon. (KDL)

Environmental Stewardship - http://www.realmama.org/archives-minds/ This is webpage that has an index of links to different activities kids can take part in to promote environmental stewardship. These are activities that can be done with classrooms and at home with parents. The index determines which season the activity is for and then an explanation of what the task is and what materials you would need. Great for home and the classroom (home to classroom connection resource for teachers)! (KDL)

http://www.sustainabilityed.org/ The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education—The mission of this institute is “to prepare young people for the shift toward a sustainable future.” The site includes resources for teachers and ways to get involved. -CB

http://www.urbanoptions.org/SustainEdHandbook/index.htm Sustainability Education Handbook: A Resource Guide for K-12 Teachers—A webpage to help teachers understand sustainability and incorporate such concepts into their classrooms. The site includes sample activities on topics such as agriculture, energy, and natural resources. See the “Introduction” link to get an idea of the purpose of this site. –CB

http://www.epa.gov/teachers/waste.htm Teaching Resources: Waste and Recycling—This is part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s site containing lots of resources for teaching about waste and recycling. –CB

http://www.eeweek.org/resources/curricula_library.htm Environmental Education Curricula Library—This site contains lesson plans and ideas on various environmental issues including air quality, climate change, and recycling. –CB

http://www.childrenoftheearth.org/ Children of the Earth—This site includes activities for kids, ideas for teachers, and information presented in a kid-friendly format. The site also has book recommendations to help kids learn about environmental issues. –CB

[|www.nrdc.org] This site is especially for kids. It talks about setting up a green squad at your own school to promote your peers to begin to be conscious about what matters to them, and what should matter. A site the puts fun into being green. (K.K) Just For Kids! Recycle http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/justforkids/cwp/view.asp?a=3&q=464803 This is a website just for kids sponsored by the Department of Environmental Protection. There is information geared towards kids about recycling, land, energy, air, and more! It's a simple website that provides easy-to-follow explanations. L. Schadt

Environmental Kids Club http://www.epa.gov/kids/water.htm This is a WAY COOL website that has links to awesome resources for kids. For example, if you click on Water Cycle, up pops a small interactive video about the water cycle. This website is developed by the EPA. L. Schadt

Seattle Aquarium (for teachers) http://www.seattleaquarium.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=226 With a motto like "inspiring conservation of our marine environment" who wouldn't want to check this local resource out? This website has an educator's guide, curriculum links, (inexpensive) science kits for sale, and more! A wonderful aspect of these resources is that they are linked with the WA science EALR's! L. Schadt

Beach Naturalist http://www.re-sources.org/beachnaturalist.htm This is website that offers wonderful information about youth programs involving beach life education, stewardship, and recycling for students in the Bellingham area. A beach naturalist could even come to your school! There are also links to brochures and handouts about local marine life and conservation issues. I volunteered with this program this summer and it's really a great organization. They are associated with the RE Store, a local shop that sells recycled building materials. L. Schadt

Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association http://www.n-sea.org/ This is an organization that my classroom is partnered with to learn about salmon and habitat restoration. This is a wonderful resource in our area that I highly recommend. Click on the Community and Education programs to learn more! L. Schadt

Education for a Sustainable Future : [|http://csf.concord.org] Information for creating a more local, sustainable world. Great information if you begin a community based project. Topics include: Designing Sustainable Communities, Global Issues, Is Hunger a Global Problem?, Stewardship of Resources, Habitats, Water Conservation, Saving Energy, Energy Sources for a Sustainable Word, Stewardship and Mathematics, Sustainable Economics, Thinking About and Affecting the Future, Sustainable Architecture, Forestry. SS

Planet-Tech:  www.planet-tech.com/preferred_future/index.htm An online course in futures thinking, teaching students how to create preferred futures for themselves and for society. SS

Global Learning:  www.GlobalLearningNJ.org/ Global Learning, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization that translates the world's growing interdependence into educational activities for teachers, students, librarians, and educational systems, from elementary school through college and in community settings. They have activities for: Environmental Education in US History (9-12 contents and sample lesson), A Sustainable Development Curriculum, Framework for World History & Cultures (9-12 contents and sample lesson plans), Making Global Connections in the Middle School: Lessons on the Environment, Development & Equity (content and sample lesson plans). SS

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association: http://www.nesea.org/education/ he Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) is the nation's leading regional membership organization focused on promoting the understanding, development, and adoption of energy conservation and non-polluting, renewable energy technologies. SS

Kid for Saving Earth: http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/index_low.html Use the environmental education curriculum provided on this website to educate yourself on how to love and protect the Earth's endangered species, rainforests, forests, rivers, lakes, oceans, and more through activism and conservation. And this site has some GREAT kids songs about our planet earth. SS

Climate Change Education. org http://www.climatechangeeducation.org/ This website is an extremely valuable resource for learning about climate change. There are links for kids, educators, families and the general public. There are also links to numerous resources such as research, articles, and videos having to do with climate change. KR

http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/73/27/ This website is specially designed for kids—and therefore extremely kid friendly and usable. There are bright colors and graphic to make the page appealing. There are also links to information regarding topics such acid rain, recycling, and global warming. There are also links to projects and organizations that deal with environmental issues. This website is easy to navigate, and provides thorough information that kids can understand. KR

Protect Environment: Kids in Action http://library.thinkquest.org/6076/ This website is developed by kids, for kids through the thinkquest program. It has activities such as a word search, and a recycle game. It also has stories about how kids around the US are working to take care of the environment. It also has information on air pollution, the greenhouse effect, and the consequences of not taking care of the earth. KR

Environmental Education for Kids (EEK) http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/eek/ This is a great resources for teachers and kids! There is information about different species (including endangered species), recycling, and keeping the air and water clean. This website is created and maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, so some of the information is centered specifically around issues in Wisconsin. However, the information is still valuable, and much of it is just general information about the environment and environmental conservation. KR

United Nations Environmental Program: TUZA http://www.unep.org/Tunza/children/ The word Tuza means “treat with care.” This website is designed to be used by children. It has links to children’s literature, competitions, and information on issues such as climate change, biodiversity, and urbanization. This website can also be viewed in French or Chinese. There is also a page that has pictures and information about children from around the world and how they are acting on their concern about environmental issues. KR

GLOBAL ISSUES [|http://www.globalissues.org/] GlobalIssues.com offers an extensive amount of information on variety of different topics that affect our world community. From population growth to sustainability to global warming, this site has articles that provide recent and relevant information. The website, while containing a lot of adult language, would be a great resource for seventh and eighth graders. (/*)AD

CLIMATE CHANGE FOR KIDS [|http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html] The environmental protection agency has developed a website to address the issues that surround climate change. With a lot of color introduced to the site, it is a very fun site to navigate and contains great information about reducing our impact on the environment. This is a good site for fourth and fifth graders. (*/*)AD

OLLIE’S WORLD [|http://www.olliesworld.com/] Ollie’s World is a beautifully designed site that has a plethora of information accessible to kids and also has some content for teachers. Though filed with some advertisements and product promotion, the site is legitimately filled with good information about sustainability and has features for those in the US as well as other countries. The site may be a little overwhelming for some younger grades because of the bulk of information, but otherwise a very well constructed site that will appeal to a wide variety of ages. (/*)AD

KIDS FOR FUTURE [|http://www.kidsforfuture.net/] A hit from the moment I saw the site, Kids for Future is a great place for students to find information about sustainability for their reports or simply to be more informed citizens. Though lots of kid friendly language is used throughout the site, the information still remains uncompromised. This site would serve those in fourth and fifth grade best who can use the site to comment on articles that they have read and provide feedback to the publisher. (*/*)AD

ALLIANT ENERGY KIDS [|http://www.alliantenergykids.com/stellent2/groups/public/documents/pub/phk_ee_re_index.hcsp] This site has some decent information that could be used by middle schoolers to better understand what renewable energy is available to them and where technology is leading us. While not an eye popping site, this is one that provides links to a variety of other sites and pages that expand one's understanding of renewable energy. (*/*) AD

Ollie’s World- http://www.olliesworld.com/__ - Contains an adult section and a youth section. With activities ranging from educational concepts to information about sustainability. The concepts applied are waste, water, energy, air, and biodiversity. (SHH)

PBS Greens Kids - http://meetthegreens.pbskids.org/__ -This is a child friendly site that advocates caring for the planet. It includes episodes, a blog and downloads that promote taking care of the planet and sustaining the environment. (SHH)

Environmental Kids Club- http://www.epa.gov/kids/__ - This is a government created page made for kids who want information about the environment, conservation, and also includes materials for teachers. It is kid friendly and includes lots of activities over a wide range of environmental factors. (SHH)

National Geographic- [|http://www.nationalgeographic.com]- This is a site whose goal is to inspire people to care about the planet. It includes a green guide that highlights green living tips, environmental health and tips/tools. Detailed information about the environment, daily news, history, photography and can keep students engaged and excited about the environment. (SHH)

For Kids Only: Earth Science Enterprise - http://kids.earth.nasa.gov/__ - This is a NASA created site for kids to find information on how people affect the earth. It also includes information for kids about research on land, water, air and natural hazards. Each study goes into detail through activities and games. The activities are informative and would be good for upper elementary. (SHH)

Project Wild (General Environmental Education) http://www.projectwild.org/ Project Wild is a nationally know program that provides environmental and conservation education for students K-12. It is focused on wildlife and nature. The website is extensive and offers teacher training, education resources, curriculum, activity guides, service learning projects, and links to NCLB standards. MM

Earth Sky (Environmental Stewardship) http://www.earthsky.org/teachers/topic/sustainability. This website offers a large variety of lesson plans for students’ pre-K through 12 on sustainability issues related to the earth’s natural resources and the environment. It stresses man’s responsibility to be thoughtful stewards of the environment. The site also offers fact sheets, curriculum, and links to sponsor organizations. MM

Global Forest Science (Resource Management) http://www.globalforestscience.org/education.html. Global Forest Science is an international research institute actively involved in sustainable forest management. It promotes forest biology research and sound environmental management. Their outreach program for children promotes environmental conservation and scientifically based management to ensure the forest’s value in the future. MM

International Society for Ecological Economics (Eco-Economics) [|http://www.ecoeco.org]. This website is the main site for The International Society for Ecological Economics. This non-profit organizations goal is to promote a healthy relationship between people and nature (i.e. environmental sustainability and social equity) through understanding the connections between economic, ecological, and social systems. The website offers information and education, as well as opportunity for involvement through membership and conferences. MM

World Concern (Eco-Justice) [|http://www.worldconcern.org] World Concern is a world wide humanitarian organization focused on providing assistance to the poor through a variety of means. In relationship to eco-justice, they provide education and assistance on sustainable agriculture, digging wells for clean water, planting trees, preventative heath care, as well as fighting poverty and hunger. The website offers opportunity for involvement and information on their services. MM

Maps and Graphics Library - Grade 4 to 8 http://maps.grida.no/**

These world maps can be used to investigate complex topics in a way that students can “see.” Global themes like “Freshwater”, “Diversity and Conservation”, “Climate Change”, “Pollution”, and “Urban Issues” provide interactive maps allowing students to gain a global perspective of problems and better grasp the meaning of data. Comparison between different areas of the world using visual images could be used as a starting point for environmental or social problems discussions. S.Glaspell

ESL Environmental Education - Grade 2 to 6 http://www.mcedservices.com/recyclex/recyclex.htm**

This extremely useful site adapts environmental education curriculum to support ESL, ELL, and special ed students providing information on six environmental education topics. Each topic is available in English, Hmong, Arabic, and Somali. Topics include “recycling”, “reuse”, “personal involvement in conservation”, and “hazardous waste disposal”. Individuals or small groups of students can listen to lessons and/or follow along with the printable text version while also viewing a related picture. S.Glaspell //* Headphones may allow students to listen without disturbing others.//

http://www.lakewhatcom.wsu.edu/display.asp?ID=63 Respect your drinking water With an emphasis on water preservation and the watershed, this website provides students with quizzes, games, puzzles, facts and tours focused around Lake Whatcom’s watershed. With Lake Whatcom so close to Bellingham, most of the students will have either seen or heard of this lake and may or may not realize that for many people living around the lake, this lake is their only source of clean water. SA http://www.tolerance.org/pt/index.html Teaching Tolerance There are games, stories and interactive activities for students to explore with regards to diverse people groups and learning to become tolerant and respectful of those around you. It also has a parent and teacher guide that accompany this website. It offers students a hands on way to become educated, as well as feel validated if they are among a minority people group in their school. SA http://www.kidsrecycle.org/index.php Kids Recycle An interactive website with links for students and teachers on creating resourceful schools, waste reduction projects among classrooms, the three r’s (reduce,reuse,recycle), and composting. It allows students to see that recycling is a nation-wide project that they are part of when they choose to participate. SA http://www.globalkidsconnect.org/ Global Kids Connect is an organizations which partners with classrooms around the world to connect children with children. The objective is to learn how to participate as a global citizen. Currently, they are working to connect students from the United States with students in Afghanistan as Pen Pals as well as many other projects students may take pride and ownership in. There are many links and resources related to diversity and sharing opinions with each other. Excellent site! N. Ingroum

http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr216.shtml Education World is a useful resource for teachers. On this particular page, it provides information as well as links to “help kids give water a hand” educational resources for lessons. This program is working to get students and teachers involved in finding pristine water conditions and to learn about conservation. N. Ingroum

Watershed/Environmental Stewardship and PNW Place-Based Education: http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/index.cfm The Northwest Fisheries Science Center is a great resources not only for teachers and students but also for Pacific Northwesterners in general. There are links to specific research, publications, resources and then most specifically for teaching interests, http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/education/index.cfm, where there are links for children with fun activities and ideas and then a link for educators to be able to bring in ocean science education with the importance of sustainability and stewardship. Also local for placed-based education!!! (KDL)

=Placed-Based Education=

=Whatcom / Skagit County:=

Sign Up for Make a Difference Day! http://www.1-800-volunteer.org/1800Vol/FindOpportunityAdvancedSearch.do?keyword=make+a+difference+2008&cityState=98225&distance=city&method.x=30&method.y=10&usingCookieFromSearchBox=true This link goes directly to a list of projects organized by the Whatcom Volunteer Center. Who knew there was a 1-800-Volunteer website!?!? This is definitely a site to keep in mind for future classroom activities to help the environment and community anywhere in the U.S. The list focuses specifically on Whatcom County and each item listed goes to a sign up page with a description of the activity. MK

Help Preserve Whatcom County http://www.whatcomlandtrust.org/volunteer This link goes to information and volunteer sign-ups regarding the preservation of Whatcom County and its natural heritage through the Whatcom Land Trust. This is a unique and not very well known way of joining in with the community to preserve our surroundings. This may also be a good place to go to for general information about what your class could do to help. MK

Whatcom County (Place Based Education) http://whatcom-mrc.wsu.edu/Fact_Sheets/index.htm I really like this site because it provides pictures and basic information about our local marine environments. It gives information about the tide zones, fish, and other marine animals. I believe it would be a great starting point for students to learn about their local marine environments, than take a field trip to go examine them firsthand. (MUST SEE- Contains good info) (Kyle Niekamp)

Scorecard - Grade 4 to 8 [|http://www.scorecard.org**] Whose fault is the environmental pollution in our community? Enter a zip code into this site’s search and read all about the pollutants in a specific area, who is responsible for them, and what health risks they produce. Students exploring this site find out how to “take action” in their own communities and neighborhoods through letter-writing or personal action plans to reduce pollutant production. S.Glaspell

http://lyndenpioneermuseum.com/information/index.php (2 stars) Place Based-Whatcom County This website provides information on the Lynder Pioneer Museum which highlights the heritage of Whatcom County communities. Under the 'Resources' link you will find further links for teachers and students. You can also look at upcoming events. (Sara Apperson)

Whatcom County-History/Place Based Education [|**http://www.whatcommuseum.org/**] (* * *) Must See I really liked the site because it offers tons of information about the museum and also Whatcom County information. It's nice because it provides a calendar with all the upcoming events and information about these events. It would be awesome to go to the site with students and learn about whatcom and then also look together and find an upcoming exhibit to visit! (Jayme Ramos)

Whatcom County: Place-based Education (MUST SEE) www.whatcomwatch.org Whatcom Watch is a local periodical entailing local news pertinent to Whatcom County. The periodical focuses on politics, environmental news, and community events. (Alicia Leerskov)

Whatcom County – Place-Based Education ( MUST SEE) http://www.sustainablebellingham.org/index.php?page=Home This site talks about its efforts to keep Bellingham a sustainable community where regional businesses are supported. They also take on projects to preserve Bellingham’s environment. They are an active group who hold regular community-building events. (R.J. Rongcal)

Place-Based Education- Whatcom County (Good) //Parks and Recreation Department// [|**http://www.cob.org/parks/parks.htm**] This site will be helpful if you are looking for some outdoor education opportunities in your area! This site will connect with you the trail heads in all of the Bellingham neighborhoods so you can find the trail closest to you and learn more about it. Whether just to take a nature walk, or to get involved in conservation in your area, outdoor education is an important part of place based education for youth. I would recommend this site as a starting place for teachers and also for anyone who wants to explore more of Bellingham. There are maps, guides and tips to the many trails listed in this site. It has guides to local trails and parks and also contains guidlines for good behavior and guidelines in parks and trails so that they can be maintained to serve the community for a long time. (Sara Connell)

Whatcom County- Place Based Education Washington State Universty/ Whatcom County Beach Watchers (* * *) Must See. This website contains good information. http://www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/whatcom/**** This is the website for a WSU Extension program in this county, focused around Lake Whatcom. It is a group of volunteers dedicated to preserving water quality and water resources through education, research, and stewardship. Volunteers educate their fellow citizens through workshops, events, and other outreach efforts. This could be a great resource for place based education in the area, either using the resources provided or actually having the volunteers teach students about the ideas of marine biology, ecology, and geology. (Janessa Maertens)

Place-Based Education - Whatcom County ( * * * * ) J.J. Walker - Dyno-MITE! http://wwwcoz.bham.wednet.edu/student/soc.htm Site provides a wealth of information about local issues, local history, Native-American tribes, and much more about state, country, and world topics and issues. It has links to interactive and educational sites for students, and can be used as a resource for teachers on scheduling field-trips, guest speakers, unit, and lesson plans. (Jessica Flanick)

Whatcom County Place Based Education [|**http://www.bellingham.net/index.php?&MMN_position=1:1**] Good. City of Bellingham.List of all sorts of upcoming events in Bellingham..Lots of links to different areas of interest.History of the community..Article on how Bellingham is one of the “greenest cities. (Kathleen Converse)

Whatcom County: Place-Based Education [|**http://www.whatcomlandtrust.org/**] Rating: (* * ) Good depending on if you are studying preserving and protecting wildlife habitat. Whatcom Land Trust: This website contains maps of the land that Whatcom Land Trust owns, pictures and a book about what they have down, information about how you can help, and information about having them come and speak at businesses and clubs. At events, students could help remove invasive species or pick up garbage. (Holly Howard)

Whatcom County: Place-Based Education http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/parks/tennantlake/index.jsp**** (* * *) Must See. Whatcom County Parks and Recreation: Tennant Lake This site contains information on different field trips, things to study, and family/community events that take place at Tennant Lake. The field trip section contains up to 8 different 45 minute lessons teachers can choose from, and offers different choices depending on your focus. These lessons even come with a list of the EALRs they satisfy. (Katti Swanson)

Whatcom County: Place-Based Education http://www.native-languages.org/nooksack.htm**** (* * ) Good This site contains information on the Nooksack Indian Tribe. It would be a good website for researching about the native language. It also provides links to other sites about Nooksack culture and history. (Amy Christiansen)

Whatcom County: Place-Based Education http://www.portofbellingham.com/content/ArchivesItem_147_1163_v ( * * * or * * * * ) Between a "must see" and "dynamite": There could be several different focuses on this website. I linked to part of the site about Bellingham Bay Waterfront redevelopment. This area or the website is extremely informative. It gives a broad overview of the redevelopment plan, and then provides links to more in-depth PDFs and the plans for nearby areas (such as Blaine and Fairhaven). There is also a link to "community information" which then leads to several other possible focuses. It does not give unlimited place-based education resources (which is why I didn't want to give it solely 4 stars), but is does give more than 1 focus (therefore, more than 3 stars). (Lindsay Yule)

Whatcom County - Place-based Education [|**http://dnr.wa.gov/htdocs/adm/comm/2002_news_releases/nr02-93.htm**] The Washington State Department of Natural Resources is a great site to locate outdoor places to take students in Whatcom County. There are also links to programs, recreation, education, and news information. ( * * * ) - MUST SEE. This site is great if you are looking for places to discuss or travel to around your local area. (Monica Savory)

Whatcom County - Place Based Education [|**Conservation NW - Blanchard Mountain**] This site provides a ton of information about conservation efforts in the Northwest. It provides a lot of information and more links to information about Blanchard Mountain, Bellingham Bay, and the Lake Whatcom Watershed. There are also several other links to other Northwest conservation efforts (that are not taking place in Whatcom County) and how individuals can get involved. ( * * ) Good - This website contains some valuable information, depending on focus. (Amanda Cramer)

Whatcom County - Place Based Education [|**Whatcom Salmon Recovery**] This site details the Whatcom County Salmon Recovery Project. It shares the background of the program, information about the threatened salmon, and how to get involved in the effort. ( * * ) Good - The website contains some good information. It has excellent information about salmon recovery, habitat protection, etc. (Jessica Koehn)

Whatcom County – PBE (Geography) www.Alpinesafety.org – This site gives you information on local mountains, particularly regarding information for safety when skiing and snowboarding. It provides information to bring WWU student volunteers to come in and teach a 1-hour course on avalanche safety, policies, risk assessment, and safety gear. (* *) – For older grades where there is lots of student interest in outdoor sports this could be an authentic experience for them. (Jeff Ballew)

Whatcom County – Place Based Education http://www.ltia.lynden.com/ltia/history/Lynden_Legend2.html**** This website is a tribute to the town of Lynden and its special historical significance to the Alaska Highway. The Alaska Highway is a 1500-mile road and the first overland link built between Alaska and the mainland United States. The Lynden Transfer was one of the first freight hauling businesses to appear on the highway, and became the first company to make regular trips to Alaska. Bellingham’s own Fairhaven is the southernmost stop on the Alaska Highway, so this road has special significance to this area and makes it an ideal topic to study for place-based-education. The website has pictures of the old trucks used by the Lynden Transfer company and is very easy to navigate. Rating: GOOD – it is a great resource for locals, and has lots of names from families in Lynden, but is not as useful for teachers or students outside of Whatcom county. Age recommendation: 6th- 8th grade, or for teacher’s own resources. Bethany Stead

Whatcom County- Place Based Education Whatcom County Incident Archives: [|**http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/archives/whatcomcreek/index.jsp**] This website has a lot of information regarding the pipeline explosion that occurred June 10, 1999 in Whatcom Creek. There is information about the actual explosion, maps of where it occurred, pictures of the damage, and more. This is a great site for teachers to go to and get pictures and other information to share with their students. Then students could take a field trip to Whatcom Falls Park and see where the explosion occurred and see what has changed since the explosion. This is a great event for students to learn about because it took place in Whatcom County and has had a lasting impact on the community. This is a great website but only for a very particular focus. Rating (* * * Must See) (Erin Rathbun)

Whatcom County -- Place Based Education [|**http://www.ssc-inc.com/index.php**] (* *) Good This site is the home to the locally-owned recycling company, Sanitary Service Company. Not only does this site offer a kid's page and answers to frequently asked questions, it provides ways to contact the company. I think it would be a great place-based activity to visit a recycling plant and see how we, residents of Bellingham, can help improve the well-being of our environment. As an added benefit, Sanitary Serive Company is the recycling company that handles the food composting in many Bellingham schools so kids can really see how they affect their town, state, and the world! (Gina Dorn)

Whatcom County http://whatcom.kulshan.com/** This site contains lots of information on Whatcom County has a whole. It lists many resources and activities available to citizens in Whatcom County. This is a great resource for creating Place-Based educational opportunities. (Tanya Hedine)

= = http://www.fema.gov/kids/volhelen.htm Volcano’s for Kids This site gives an overview of the Mt. St. Helen eruption for students, which includes facts, dates of eruptions, information, and the geology behind it. It was put out by the FEMA for Kids group which brings resources for geological and natural history awareness to students. SA http://www.mesa.edu.au/friends/seashores/barnacles.html barnacles This website introduces students to all the types of barnacles that are found in tide pools and in the ocean. It also provides links for students to explore tide pool life and the types of barnacles found all around the world. SA

http://www.blm.gov/education/LearningLandscapes/menu/games.html Great Outdoors Bureau of Land Management offers an interactive website for students, inviting them to explore daily outdoor adventures, journey to see a fire in the wildhorse basin, play games about energy, weeds and public lands. There’s also information for students about what it’s like to be a BLM employee and what is included in the job itself. SA

=Washington State:=

Washington State (Place-Based Education): http://wsutoday.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?Action=Detail&PublicationID=4419&TypeID=1** (Good) David Gruenewald, associate professor at Washington State Universitie’s College of Education, believes that everyone benefits when students are engaged in their communities. He says that, “ideal teachers are those who connect students with their community, and meld those experiences with classroom lessons.” Gruenewald is helping organize a symposium, called “Palouse as Pedagogy,” which will focus on how the unique Pullman area landscape can be used in lesson plans. This event will be held this spring and would great to attend if you are planning on teaching in or near Pullman. (Joel Fagundes)

Washington State (Place-Based Education):[| www.watershedschool.org/program/**placebased**.html] This website introduces the “I Am Salmon” curriculum project. This project was developed in 1999 by the On Reel Company that is based in Seattle, Washington. This curriculum teaches students about wild salmon which is often a topic of high interest for students living in and around Washington State. (Good) (Annie Grage)

Washington State: Place-Based Education * * * (Must See) [|**http://www.ssc-inc.com/kids_page.php____**] Food to Flowers – Washington State Recycling Program This is a recycling program that many schools in WA are starting to adopt; kids recycle food, plastics, and paper from their school lunches and it is turned into compost that is sold and used throughout their communities. This website offers a LOT of good information about how to set up and implement the program at your school, and has a great kids page with many links to activities and coloring books etc. to help teach the kids why it’s important and how to do it etc. It is a great program and a very valuable website. Check it out! –Beth Baughey-Gill

Washington State – Place-Based Education (Good) [|**http://www.gigharbormuseum.org/at_museum.html__**] This is a good Place-Based Education website for students located in and around Gig Harbor, Washington. It gives information on what students can access when they visit the museum for a possible field trip or ideas on a report they can do about the history of Gig Harbor and the surrounding community. -Ryan Manning

Washington State- Place-Based (Dynamite!) [|********http://www.access.wa.gov/home.aspx********] This is Washington State's official government website. I placed it under place-based education because it is filled with information about Washington no matter what your focus. For example, the site has information about WA concerning anything under the headings: living, working, recreation, education, government, and doing business. A teacher can use this site to find helpful information about most things place-based in their area. It's a one-stop shop! Happy teaching about your town within WA state. (Melissa Lowry)

WA State PBE [|http://www.wscss.org] (* * GOOD) This is "Washington State Council for the Social Studies." It is full of information. It belongs under "Place-Based Education" because there are numerous links to museums and historical sites for class fieldtrips. There is a link to the WCSS newsletter--for the current quarter. There are also lesson plans, and related links all over the web. There are options to search for subjects like "African Americans," "American history," "Anthropology," etc. There are also a bunch of genealogy links and pictures of the world flags. One option I found interesting was the ability to create your own personalized family tree. This would be an excellent site to check out, but it's more of a gateway to other sites than a specific informational site itself. (Kate Blanchard)

Washington - PBE [|**http://www.wshs.org/**] This site explains what the the Museum of Washington History offers and also tons of information about Washington history. Although it isn't exactly hands on, I feel visiting the museum could still be PBE because the students are outside the classroom, seeing actual artifacts and even experiencing interactive plays, exihibits etc.! ( * * * * ) DYNAMITE. The website contains SO MUCH good information, one can find it useful regardless of if yo uare planning on visiting the museum. The important part is visiting the museum and experiencing the histroy, but even just the website has tons to offer. (Jayme Ramos)

Washington State – Place Based Education http://www.ecy.wa.gov/ecyhome.html** Through this website you can find information about the ecology of Washington State. There are links to learn about Washington’s Air, Land, Water, Toxics, and Wastes. The most beneficial part of the website is under the Environmental Education Link, which includes information about different projects and K-12 curriculum guides that teachers can get their students involved in. ( * * * * ) This website is DYNAMITE because it provides teachers with ways to get their students involved in environmental issues in Washington State. (Kristin Snider)

Washington State- Placed-Based Education KidsKonnect.com- http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/211/27/**** This website provides a short overview of Washington State. It shows the states symbols such as state flower, bird, flag, etc. It provides the population number and state capital name. What is great about this site is that it lists numerous website links that can connect teachers to options for placed-based education. There are links to Mount Rainier National Park, the Space Needle, State capital tour, Grand Coulee Dam, etc. These websites can give ideas for teachers to develop their curriculum based on specific locations that affected Washington’s history. ( * * ) GOOD- This website provides some useful information that may be valuable for primary students. It is a kid-friendly site with pictures and cartoons. It does lack a lot of information about Washington but is great connecting resource for other websites. (Sally Shiau)

Washington – Place-Based Education [|**http://www.bestapples.com/kids/color.html**] Washington’s apples are so well known throughout the world. This website gives information from the local farmer all the way to its disbursement. Great to learn about since so many people eat apples everyday. (* * *) = Must See. This website contains good information; how much one can use depends on focus. (Jubilee Roth) = =

=Pacific Northwest:=

Pacific Northwest: Place-Based Education http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/pacific/ (* * *) must see This is an extensive online collection of information on American Indicans of the Pacific Northwest, including those of the Northwest Coast and Plateau regions. The site contains links to ten different essays written specifically for teachers, about the resources in the collection and incorporating them into a place-based social studies curriculum. In addition, there are numerous primary source materials, maps, interviews, etc. This site would be an excellent resource when studying the American Indians of the Northwest Region. (Jessica Halstead) = =

Pacific Northwest: Place-Based Education [|www.lummi-nsn.org] * * * (Must See) An excellent resource and guide to what’s going on within the Lummi tribes. Having so many tribes so close by is very fortunate, and schools and teachers should take advantage of the possibilities for place-based projects and lessons. A field trip to Lummi island could provide a learning opportunity for geography, history, civics, economics, etc., etc. -Jennifer Crane

[|**http://content.lib.washington.edu/sc.html**] (Good) * * Placed Based Education /Pacific Northwest This website has information about Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. It is from the University of Washington Libraries, and it has links to digital images, essays, art and an entire collection of the American Indians in the Pacific Northwest. (Good) When teaching students about history of the Native American culture in our area this website is beneficial. Colette M. Self

The Pacific Northwest: Place-Based Education http://www.pnsn.org/welcome.html**** 3 Stars - Must See This great site has many links and resources available for both the teacher and the students. Perfect for a unit on weather and/ or natural disasters. Some links include information about active volcanoes, current earthquakes, and tsunami watches. Check this site out! (Amy Dooley)

Pacific Northwest -- Place-Based Education http://emnw.org/** Environmental Media Northwest is a non-profit organization that creates PSAs (Public Service Announcements) to inform the public about environmental issues in the Pacific Northwest. Click on the "Youth Ecology Program" link to see examples of PSAs students have made (and have actually aired on TV stations, radio stations, and in movie theatres.) Although this website is not terribly informative, it provides an excellent opportunity for engaging students in an authentic, place-based activity. Students can research an environmental issue important to the Pacific Northwest and then write and direct their own PSAs. Rating: (* * *) Three stars: You MUST SEE the examples of student-created PSAs because they provide excellent examples of relevant, place-based activities from a variety of foci. (Laura Southern)

//The Pacific Northwest:// Place based education [|**http://www.clearingmagazine.org/home.html**] (OK). Clearing Magazine' is a publication that is based on Place Based Education, especially in areas of the Pacific Northwest. The website offers access to previously published articles as well as a list of resources connecting to Place Based Education the PNW. Teachers who find the website useful may benefit from subscribing to the magazine, which also contains lesson plans. (Kristen Rothwell)

Pacific Northwest- Place Based Education [|http://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm] ( * * ) - GOOD. North Cascades National Park Service: This website has resources and programs that are designed for classroom use with an entire section of the website dedicated for teachers. There is a program that is accessible on the website which takes students on adventures and scanvenger-hunt type of activities on topics from the Lewis and Clark expedition to the animals that live in the Pacific Northwest. There are also many beautiful color photos that are displayed on their website that would be great for classroom use. (Erica Rasmussen)

Pacific Northwest - Place Based Education Pacific Northwest Region USDA Forest Service - http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/welcome.shtml** ( * * )Good - This web site offers a lot of links to information on the National Forests, the National Grassland, the National Scenic Area, and the National Volcanic Monuments in Washington and Oregon. The page itself has articles talking about recent happenings regarding the national forests and the animals in them. For example, one of the brief articles discusses recovery for the Northern Spotted Owl. For teachers of students who live near/in these areas, or spend time in them, this page offers a great introduction to them. I would suggest checking out the National Forest Foundation link and playing with their Carbon Calculator. It could really spark children's interest and enthusiasm for the natural treasures around them. (Casey Yeadon)

Pacific Northwest – Placed-based Education [|**http://www.ess.washington.edu/SEIS/PNSN/**] Rating (* *) Good Something that is amazing about the Pacific Northwest is our access to mountains. We are surrounded by Mountains and have not too long ago been exposed to an eruption. This is something that teachers need to utilize as an advantage, because field trips and interviews are at an arm length. This site is wonderful for students learning about seismic activity. It has all of the recent readings and information about the Pacific Northwest seismic activity and hazard conditions. Sounds like this could be an exciting activity for children. (Jennifer Williamson)

=United States:=

= = U.S. - Place-Based Education Colonial Williamsburg: http://www.history.org/ Titled as the “site where history lives,” this highly interactive websites provides educators with online videos, podcasts, online exhibits, activities, games, and more! Check out the teacher’s page that features electronic field trips, lesson plans, research material, and a free e-newsletter. If a grant allows you with the financial resources, schedule a “study visit” here! (* * *) MUST SEE. (Laura McKenney)

=Civics=

=Whatcom / Skagit County:=

http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5663 Skagit County / Civics This website has a variety of historical information for all counties. This particular essay focused on the Skagit County from the geographical aspect, migration of people to the area, economics, and information about today. This is a great resource for localized information about a county from when it was founded to the current status’s of today. (Good) Colette M. Self

=Washington State:=

Washington State -- Civics [|****http://www.ga.wa.gov/visitor/capitoltour/start.html****] Students from Washington Middle School in Olympia created this website to explain more about the Washington State Capitol. Students visited the capitol, wrote the text, and took the pictures on the website. Two neat features include voice-overs for every page that read aloud the written text and interactive panoramic views of the different rooms in the Capitol. Rating: (* *) Two stars: This GOOD website contains student-friendly information about our state's capitol, some of which may be valuable, depending on the focus. (Laura Southern)

Civics - Washington State (* * *) Must see http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/** Site Provides information about the state legislature including lists of the governor's agenda and news articles, senate and local government bills, how to get involved in the state legislature for people of all ages, and an interactive web site for kids that has a variety of authentic ways students can become part of their community and their government. (Jessica Flanick)

Washington State: Civics http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/StudentsPage** (* * *) Must See. Washington State Legislature Student’s Page This site contains information about how a bill becomes a law, who represents you in Olympia, or what our state symbols are. It also has downloadable coloring books on the state symbols, and legislature. I also saw information on the State’s student online mock trial for this school year—very cool! (Katti Swanson)

//Washington State:// Civics http://www.courts.wa.gov/education/lessons/?fa=education_lessons.lpelem** (OK) Washington Courts has a program called 'Judges in the Classroom' which offers experiences and ideas for helping students of all grades better understand the justice system. This website has links to lesson plans for topics ranging from the Bill of Rights to trial procedures. (Kristen Rothwell)

Washington State: Civics http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/** (* * * *) Dynamite This site contains information about voting in Washington State. There are many useful links to information on current issues, voting, candidates, political parties, and initiatives. There is also a link for teachers that has lesson plans to get students involved in politics. (Amy Christiansen)

Washington State- Civics, History, Geography [|http://www.wscss.org/default.html] ( * * * ) - MUST SEE. The Washington State Council for the Social Studies : This website has links to resources, lesson plans as well as links to other websites that focus mainly on Washington state with links to national and global websites as well. One of the buttons on their website opens a page that has a table that displays links to the various areas of social studies and a large amount of information to be found in each area. (Erica Rasmussen)

Washington State - Civics [|**http://www.tvw.org/learn/classroom.cfm?bhcp=1**] This site provides television and other media access to civic based events and issues happening in Washington state. ( * * ) - GOOD. This site is good only if you are planning on incorporating media into your lessons. (Monica Savory)

Washington State - Civics [|**The Washington State Legislature**] This site provides information for kids about the Washington State Legislature. It provides information pertaining to how a bill becomes a law, a glossary of terms, symbols of Washington State, and information about who represents us down in Olympia. ( * * ) Good - The website contains some valuable information, depending on focus. (Amanda Cramer)

Washington State- Civics http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=home Rating (* * *) Must see This is a fabulous site that discusses all of the different things that Washington is doing for civics education. I am giving you the broader site because I think all of the information about civic involvement in schools is exciting, but there are links to Washington as well. I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to read about Project Citizen! (Jennifer Williamson)

Washington State: Civics Rating: (* * *) http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/ Great website to keep up with what is going on in Washington State politics! The more interest you show, the more your students will care about what is going on! (Tanya Hedine)

=Pacific Northwest:=

Civics- Pacific Northwest (* * *) Must see American Indians of the Pacific Northwest http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/index.html** If your class is doing anything around Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest, I highly recommend this site for resouces and background information. This site includes virtual artifacts from many tribes around WA state including documents, pictures, artwork, essays, and maps of original Native American territories. Site itself would be useful for upper elementary and secondary students, but documents and artifacts would be a great addition to any grade level Native American unit. (Melissa Lowry)

Pacific Northwest: Civics [|**http://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/index.html**] Rating: (* *) Good Center for the Study of the Pacific Northwest If teachers click on curriculum packets, they can find all kinds of ideas to use in their classroom. There is curriculum about //A History Bursting With Telling: Asian Americans, Indians and Europeans on the Northwest Coast,// and //The Cold War and Red Scare in Washington State.// These ideas are great for helping students to gain an understanding of the rights of others in the Pacific Northwest and in addition, how those rights have been violated in the past. (Holly Howard)

=United States:=

U.S.: Civics http://www.proteacher.com/090035.shtml (* * *) must see ProTeacher is a website where teachers can collaborate, chat, and share lesson plans and ideas. This page contains many lessons on citizenship, elections & voting, U.S. presidents, the Constitution, and the U.S. Government. This would be a very useful site for teachers looking for lesson plans and or ideas for teaching civics. (Jessica Halstead)

The United States (Civics): http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/history/civics/ (Good) This web-site is one huge link to over 40 US civic lesson plans. I think it is a great resource for teachers looking for a lesson plan on civics. One of the lesson plans on here is called: All Aboard The Campaign Train!- it has students plan a "whistle stop" campaign train trip across the United States. Create slogans, songs, speeches. Use measurements of time and distance. (Joel Fagundes)

The United States (Civics): http://members.aol.com/MrDonnHistory/Government.html** This website has numerous links to different resources related to United States civics. The site also lists several lesson plan ideas, includes a link to Power Point presentations and other interactive websites that are appropriate for all ages. * * *(Must See) (Annie Grage)

U.S.:Civics * * * * (Dynamite) [|**http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13442226/__**] Do You Have What It Takes to Become a Citizen? This is a great website! The link provided takes you to a page to take a minute portion of the civics test that immigrants must pass to become an American citizen. Take the test and see if you could pass! It is interesting to see what it takes to become a citizen, what this country values from her citizens, and how it all works out. More than that, the site has tons of links to other U.S. news and information, so no matter what you’re looking for you could find it on this site. No matter what you’re looking for, this is an interesting spot to check out. –Beth Baughey-Gill

[|****http://www.wethepeople.gov/about/index.html****] (3 stars) Civics-US This site is called We The People, a national endowment for the Humanities. It is a program geared towards young people and their teachers to help in preparing students to become informed US citizens. The site provides a list of related books ranging in grade appropriate levels from Kindergarten through high school. This site also has opportunities for grants! Sara Apperson

United States Civics: http://www.udel.edu/dssep/civicslit/chart2_k-2.htm This resource has a list of literature for primary elementary with different themes addressed. There are also links to grades 3-5 and upper schooling. This webpage has a table with the book title, the author, the idea of civics being addressed and then a short synopsis. (KDL)

United States –Civics (Must See) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_States** Wikipedia is usually a great place to get a summary on a topic or more links for resources. I think that this is a great place for teachers or students to go to get ideas and information on the economics of the United States. By reviewing this teachers can get a great idea of some possible economic teaching points for students. - Ryan Manning

US: Civics (DYNAMITE) **www.democracykids.org** This is an excellent, interactive site for kids to explore democracy in the US. The site is comprised of a 'learning module' filled with activities for kids to take part in, in order for them to become introduced to democracy. The intent of this site is to "get you thinking a little bit about how you can help make people's lives better by knowing what's going on, and by getting involved!" (Alicia Leerskov)

U.S. – Civics (DYNAMITE) [|**http://www.historycentral.com/Civics/index.html**] This site is devoted to explaining how the U.S. government works. It does this by offering a glossary of government terms, sections on U.S. History (president biographies, wars, aviation, Navy, etc.), and present day powers of political figures. (R.J. Rongcal)

Civics- United States (Dynamite!!) //Teaching Tolerance- Fight Hate and Promote Tolerance// [|**http://www.tolerance.org/teach/index.jsp**] This is a great sire for educators! There are a lot of resources on this site ranging from articles, lesson plans and free instructional kits and materials that are aimed at getting educators to "fight hate and promote tolerance" in thier classrooms. Teaching Tolerance publishes a monthly magazine, its articles and much more can be viewed from this website. This is a great place for teachers to look if they are striving to develop an equitable classroom that challenges and disipates barriers created by racism, sexism, classism and much more! Check it out! (Sara Connell)

United States: Civics http://civics-online.org/students/exploration/k_2exploration.php**** ( * * * * ) - dynamite I love this site. It has an area for anybody to click on, parents, teachers, students, and even site partners. Inside the students section, it is divided by age group. It gives historical aspects of civics, as well as providing lessons and resources for teachers. Going into this site, I didn't know much about civics, but it was full of information and lots of sources, which helped me to have a better understanding. It is useful and accessible to everyone and anyone...I love it. (Lindsay Yule)

The United States - Civics [|**The Democracy Project**] The Democracy Project is an interactive website designed to teach children about the presidency, voting, and how democracy affects each of us. ( * * * ) Must See - The website contains good information; especially for students studying democracy in America. (Jessica Koehn)

U.S. and International - Civics Center for Civic Education: http://www.civiced.org/index.php** Programs and lesson plans galore are provided on this comprehensive civics site. Check out Project Citizen where you can find “in your state” updates, free instructional materials, international highlights (because this is an international program), and more! The resource tab also leads you to civic education resources, civic education links, state correlations, and lesson plans. Enjoy! (* * * *) DYNAMITE! (Laura McKenney)

The United States - Civics Kids in the House - http://clerkkids.house.gov/index.html**** ( * * * )Must See - This is an excellent web site for teachers and students studying our national Congress, specifically the House of Representatives. There are links to learn about how a law is made, the history of the House, a virtual field trip of the House and other buildings, plus a link to lesson plans for the teacher. It also includes a glossary. The site is attractive and kid-friendly. (Casey Yeadon)

United States – Civics http://www.educationworld.com/a_special/election.shtml** This is a great website with TONS of links for teachers. There are resources for professional development, technology integration, as well as “strategy of the week” links. This week’s strategy was ideas on how to bring the national election into the classroom and apply it to the students. They even posted examples of how first graders in Ohio held “mock elections” and generated a basic understanding of polls, candidates, and the election process. There is a search engine where you can type in “democracy” or “government” and find links to more lesson plans and curriculum standards and articles related to civics. Rating: * MUST SEE! The resources are endless, and the search engine within this site makes it really useful for teachers to look up lesson ideas. Recommended for: teachers only. Bethany Stead

The United States-Civics Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government for kids http://bensguide.gpo.gov/** This is a great website for kids to use when wanting to learn about the U.S. government. It has information for grade levels k-12. There are four different grade ranges (k-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) with information regarding the U.S. government, games and activities, and other useful websites that kids can access. There is also a teacher and parent section with valuable information. I really like this site because it is well organized and kid friendly. Kids of all ages can learn interesting facts about the U.S. government. Rating ( * * * *Dynamite) (Erin Rathbun)

United States – Civics [|**http://www.kids.gov**] I like this site because you can find information from where you live and any other area in the US as well. Kids can learn about how the US government works and how it all came about. This website contains good information; how much one can use depends on focus. (* * *) = Must See. (Jubilee Roth)

United States -- Civics [|**http://pbskids.org/democracy/mygovt/hospital.html**] (* *) Good This site was created through a PBS initiative called The Democracy Project. The specific link I have provided allows students or teachers to click on an interactive map of a community and, depending on what building is clicked, gives the visitor information on how the government affects the business, institution, etc. For instance, if you click on the hospital building, very basic information is provided on the government's role in the care provided at a hospital. I like the interactive nature of this site, but like I said, it is very basic. It could be used as a jumping-off point for future investigations of the government's role in daily life. (Gina Dorn)

http://lessonplanz.com/Lesson_Plans/Social_Studies/__Grades_K-2/Civics___Government/index.shtml This specific portion of LessonPlanZ.com provides lessons for K-2 on Civics and Government as well as provides a “TeacherChat Forum where educators can post questions or comments about resources to share or that they need. Example lessons include voting, presidents, election results and public transportation. Good Site. N. Ingroum

=World:=

World: Civics [|www.facingthefuture.org] (Dynamite) This is an amazing resource that offers lesson plans and links to sites that can help teachers decide how to begin instilling an awareness of the outside world into their students. It provides free lesson plans on issues such as sustainability, population, poverty, and the environment. It also gives information on how to take action from a local to global level. -Jennifer Crane

World (Civics) http://www.funlessonplans.com/social_studies_lessons.htm** This site is a little confusing, but it does have some good ideas and teacher worksheets for Social Studies topics about the world. There are some civics worksheets that teacher could use in their classroom. (contains some good information) (Kyle Niekamp)

World- Civics (Must See) [|**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American_politics_compared**] This is a great resource for Whatcom County teachers because of their proximity to Canada. As close as Canada seems it is a different part of the world than the United States. This Wikipedia link gives teachers facts to teach when teaching students the differences between Canadian civics and American civics. - Ryan Manning

The World: Civics http://www.earthday.net/default.aspx**** 2 Stars - Good This organization helps support the environment and promotes proactive stewardship around the world. It provides great resources on how to conserve energy and do your part in the world, to keep the earth green. There are some great links about projects, Earth Day, and activities for students. (Amy Dooley)

World- Civics [|**http://www.education-world.com/soc_sci/civics/index.shtml**] (* * * Must See) This site contains lots of resources for teachers in civics and other areas. There is a list of sites that would be good for students to visit, in the areas of citizenship and what it means to be a citizen. There are also lesson plans available in many subject areas. It would be great to look around when planning lessons on civics and citizenship. (Janessa Maertens)

World-Civics http://tiki.oneworld.net/sustain/home.html**** Must See. This is Tiki the penguin’s website about sustainability. It’s great for kids and definitely worth checking out. There’s a quiz with fun animations where children can test how sustainable their lifestyle is. There are different countries flags form all over the world and it can be read in different languages. There are links to other sites and lots of information in kid-friendly terms about how to be earth friendly and do your part to save the planet. (Kathleen Converse)

World Civics Link – http://www.religioustolerance.org/amish.htm** Rating – * * * */* * * Between Must See and Dynamite Recommended Audience – 7th grade and up; teachers This is the Amish part of a very big site called RelgiousTolerance.org. As religion is a touchy subject, I thought this might be a good place to start. If the teacher wanted to assign group projects on different religions throughout U.S. history (or beyond) this site would be Dynamite, but even just for the Amish section, the information is phenomenal, quite in-depth. Again, this could be for a secular lesson or a lesson about religion, but as the Amish are a very unique group, I thought I’d throw it out there. – Monica O’Brien

The World: Geography, History, Economics, and Civics https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/** (* * * *) Dynamite! CIA- The World Factbook You can select any country and get a summary of the main issues in that country including an introduction, the geography, people, government, economy, communication, transportation, military, and transnational issues. There are also reference maps and flags from around the world. This is a great starting point for any research project. It is also safe, secure, and reliable for students of any age. (Amy Christiansen)

World - History, civics, geography, economics http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html Portals to the world: This website is full of tons of information, but designed in a somewhat strange way. The front page lists all areas of the world which you click on and it takes you to a page with a list of options. You can click on history, geography, commerce etc. and that brings you to a page with links to other sites regarding that topic. I think it can be a great resource for older students, who understand the process of finding and understanding information. Perhaps a great page for teachers to learn more about the world or find the links they enjoy! (* * *) - MUST SEE. The website contains good information; how much one can use //depends// on age group and reason for inquiry. Many articles seem pretty intense, which may be too much for a simple report! (Jayme Ramos)

The World - Civics, History, Geography [|**Kids Click**] Kids Click is a website especially for children, containing information on civics, history, geography, religion, and much more. ( * * * * ) Dynamite - The website contains so much good information, one can find it useful regardless of the focus. (Jessica Koehn)

The World – Civics, Geography, History... http://www.geographic.org/ Here you can find information on almost any country in the world. The website includes maps, flags, population, government, leaders, economy, transportation, religion, and more. You can look this information up by year to see how it has changed over time. ( * * ) This website was GOOD because it has a lot of information about countries but you need to follow many links in order to finally find what you are looking for. (Kristin Snider)

The World- Civics The Teacher’s Guide- http://www.theteachersguide.com/socialstudies.html This website provides several lesson plans that introduce civics and the world into the classroom. There are lesson plans on religious tolerance, citizenship, community helpers, developing a country simulation, etc. This is a great guide for teachers to use for supplements to a social studies curriculum and can encourage different ideas for teaching civics. The website is well-organized and also provides other links for lesson plans in other social studies areas. ( * * * ) MUST SEE- great tool for teachers to use as a reference! (Sally Shiau)

=Economics=

= =

= =

=Whatcom / Skagit County:=

Whatcom County: Economics * * (Good) [|******http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/purl.cover.jsp?purl=/6544962-EqIAxs/native/******] [|****Economic Impacts of Geothermal Development Whatcom County, Washington****] This website offers some interesting statistics and information. The PDF document is very in-depth. However, the information is very specific, and you would definitely have to be looking for this information to find it useful. Still, not a bad topic to be familiar with. –Beth Baughey-Gill

Whatcom County -- Economics http://www.bwedc.org/ The Bellingham Whatcom Economic Development Council website contains a plethora of charts, graphs, and statistics about working in Whatcom. Of pariticular interest, the "Regional Data" link provides an informative PDF file that summarizes much of the information on the website and includes demographical and labor statistics, a top private employers chart, and even the hourly wages for a wide variety of local jobs. Students could pore over these charts and graphs to learn more about the businesses and industries in Whatcom as well as what incentives Whatcom provides to entice entrepreneurs. Rating: (* * *) Three stars: You MUST SEE the well-organized statistical charts and graphs on this website because they are clear, informative, and easy-to-read, and, depending upon the focus, could be used for multiple purposes. (Laura Southern)

Whatcom County- Economics Link – http://www.cbe.wwu.edu/cebr/Sector%20Profiles.asp** Rating – Good Recommended Audience – 7th grade and up; teachers Summary – This is a good informational site put together by Western’s College of Business and Economics. It provides lots of specific economic information about different areas of Whatcom County. It’s rather dense, but it would provide a good grounding and some great statistics for any report on the local area. – Monica O’Brien

Whatcom County – Economics http://www.choosewashington.com/counties/Industry_Sectors.asp?county_id=70 This offers information about Whatcom County’s cities, population, industry sectors, top companies, occupations, labor force, and others. It is a great place to get specific information about where the population of Whatcom County is working and living. ( * * * ) This website is MUST SEE because the information is very organized and easy to find. (Kristin Snider)

Whatcom County - History/Economics HistoryLink Essay: Whatcom County - http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7327** ( * * * * ) Dynamite - This web site contains an article about the history of Whatcom County's economics. It describes how the county was started and the different industries that contributed to the building of the county. After it describes that, it also talks about the economics of Whatcom County today. There are also several links to other areas in Washington. The home site is HistoryLink.org, an on-line encyclopedia of Washington State History. So, even if you are looking beyond Whatcom County, this site can provide with several other articles and information on cities and counties in Washington State. (Casey Yeadon)

Whatcom County – Economics [|**http://www.ferndalerecordjournal.com**] This local newspaper is wonderful for honing in on news relevant to just northern Whatcom County. The paper has been around for over 100 years. The only downside is that their archives only go back a few years. (* *) = Good. The website contains some valuable information depending on focus. (Jubilee Roth)

Whatcom County -- Economics [|**http://www.headwaterseconomics.org/profiles/p_Whatcom_County_Washington.pdf**] (* *) Good This huge document is an economic profile of Whatcom County that could be used as a resource for teachers or older students. It contains detailed data for everything from population to agriculture to income. I appreciate that the document provides information on methods and data sources. (Gina Dorn)

=Washington State:=

Washington State: Economics http://www.workforceexplorer.com/cgi/databrowsing/?PAGEID=4 rating (* *) good This is the official website of the Washington State Employment Security Department. The site includes extensive information on the state labor market, employment profiles, as well as links to information about every career imaginable. It also includes employment information by region of the state. This would be a valuable resource for an upper-elementary or middle school career or economy research project. (Jessica Halstead)

[|****http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/newspapers_subjects.aspx?s=34****] (2 stars) Economics-Washington State This site offers hundreds of links to old newspaper articles that have information on the Industry and Economics of specifically Washington State. If you know exactly what you are looking for, this site would be helpful for finding newspaper articles that could provide you with valuable information. However, this site could be daunting if you are looking to it for ideas on what to teach in an Economics lesson. Sara Apperson

Washington State: Economics http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/us/A0861871.html** 1 Star - OK The information in this article provides the reader with specific agricultural, natural, and manufactured products that the state of Washington provides to support its economy. (Amy Dooley)

Washington State: Economics (MUST SEE) www.wcit.org Washington state's economy depends on international trade. On this site, for the Washington Council on International Trade, Washington's dependence on trade and the effects of trade on Washington's economy are discussed. The WCIT is a private, non-profit, non-partisan association supporting the expansion of the global marketplace. (Alicia Leerskov)

Economics- Washington State (Okay) //Trends in State Spending// [|**http://www.researchcouncil.org/washace-publications/NGFS%20Budget%20Trends.pdf/view**] This site is a little confusing, so I wouldn't recommend it to students. It would be a good site for teachers to use to show trends in spending in Washignton State. This information could be interpreted in a variety of different ways for classroom use. This highlights spending on an institutional level and makes some note of spending on an individual level. (Sara Connell)

Washington State: Economics [|**http://www.econedlink.org/**] Rating: (* * *) Must see! National Council on Economic Education This website contains a variety of lesson plans for all ages of students. Many of these lessons can be modified for Washington State. For example, the lesson plan //Goods and Services// can focus on the jobs in Washington State. These lessons are great because they often integrate other subjects such as reading, writing, and math. (Holly Howard)

Washington: History, Geography, Economics http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/us/A0851536.html** ( * * * * ) - WOWZA - DYNAMITE This website is awesome. I used a kid's search engine to find it. The search engine is dibdabdoo.com. This site specifically is about Washington State. The main page gives a general introduction telling where in the U.S. Washington is located. Then below this introduction are links to the history, geography, and economics, as well as other topic related to Washington. Every link seems to be very thorough and informative. Great site for research for students. (Lindsay Yule)

Washington State - Economics [|**U.S. Census Bureau - Washington Economics**] This site displays information collected in the 2006 census pertaining to income, employment, and occupation in Washington State. ( * ) Ok. The website may contain some information of value; especially if you are looking for household economics information for Washington State. (Jessica Koehn)

Washington - Economics Consumer Jungle: http://www.consumerjungle.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=70&fontstyle=f-larger In a consumer-driven economy, students need tools to make informed consumer decisions and to learn how to think critically. This website provides consumer education curriculum that is “ready to use” and aligned to the National Standards for Business Education, National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences, and The Washington State EALRS. Also check out the LifeSmarts program… a consumer challenge game show style competition with state matches that can lead to regional and national competitions. This site is a spectacular resource! (* * * *) DYNAMITE! (Laura McKenney)

Washington State - Economics Washington's Economy - Office of Financial Management - http://www.ofm.wa.gov/economy/default.asp**** ( * * )Good - This web site is helpful if you are working with older students and looking specifically at the economy of Washington. As a teacher, you can pick and choose what information you would like to present to your students. There are articles that cover income, economic impact, economic trends, labor force, transportation, trade and economic development. If your students are studying any of these things, then this would be a great page to go to. It also includes forecasts for jobs in Washington and the trends of incomes between male and female workers. (Casey Yeadon)

Washington State – Economics http://www.netstate.com/economy/wa_economy.htm This is a brief overview of Washington’s economy. It is divided into headings like crops, livestock, manufacturing, and service. Underneath it briefly lists all the most important items. It gives some specifics (for example, instead of simply saying “retail stores” under the service category, it goes further to list the top five in Washington – Nordstrom, Starbucks, REI, etc). There are also small notes on whether certain products are #1 or #2 in the state production. It is nice because information is succinct, bulleted, easy to read, and ideal for a quick skim. There are links to the state map, a state quiz, and state facts to familiarize yourself with the state and provide a context for the economic information as well. Rating: *OK - It is not the place to go for in-depth knowledge, but is sufficient for a general understanding of our state economy. Age recommendation: 5th graders and older. Bethany Stead

Whatcom County- Economics [|**www.bellingham.com**] Rating ( * *) Good This is the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce website. This is a really exciting website. It has demographics of whatcom, looking at general characteristics, social characteristics, economic characteristics and household characteristics in Whatcom. It also has an interesting site for WYPS (Whatcom Young Professionals), which is where young business people can join and build skills and network to strengthen their future as business professionals. This is an interesting and informative site! (Jennifer Williamson)

=Pacific Northwest:=

The Pacific Northwest (Economics): http://www.pnreap.org/ The Pacific Northwest Regional Economic Analysis Project is designed to allow people to access a variety of web-based programs in order to analyze economic trends. The data can be downloaded, compared, and customized as needed. This information is updated yearly. *(OK) (Annie Grage)

Pacific Northwest (Economics) http://www.pnwer.org/ This site is ok, and it provides a lot of information about the economy of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, and Western Canada. However, the information is technical and it could be a resource for a teacher to use before teaching about economics. It would be best for the upper grades as it can be pretty advanced stuff. (contains some good info)(Kyle Niekamp)

Pacific Northwest - Economics[|**http://www.pnreap.org/**] (* * *) Must See This site was really a cool site because there was SO much to see and do. Basically you can pick an area of the Pacific Northwest and then create graphs and charts about all the different economic aspects of that area, such as income, employment etc. There are seriously chart after chart after chart! I would recommend the site to older grades definitely though because it is A LOT of information in a pretty advanced format! Check it out! (Jayme Ramos)

Pacific Northwest- Economy About the Northwest Economy: http://www.gonorthwest.com/Visitor/about/economy.htm This website contains information regarding the economy of the Pacific Northwest. There is information on the history of the economy, the new economy, and the advantages and disadvantages of the economy today. It is easy to read and is accessible to both teachers and students (middle school and older). The information is good but there is not a lot of it. Rating (* * Good) (Erin Rathbun)

=United States:=

U.S.-Economics [|www.kidsbank.com] (Good) This website is great for younger students who are still just beginning to learn about economics and money. The site is completely interactive and invites kids click on characters to find out about saving money, interest, checks, loans, etc. It provides a good introduction to something they’ll be needing to understand the bulk of their lives. -Jennifer Crane

[|**http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/home.cfm**] (must see) 3 stars Economics / United States This website is a great foundation for lesson plans in economic K-12 grade. There are lessons that lead you to additional websites such as the NCEE. The website states that they are the “portal to economic education resources in all forms and at all levels. Colette M. Self

United States- Economics Economic Education Web http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/home.cfm (* * * Must See) This site contains information on the standards relating to Economics, as well as lots of resources, including lesson plans, in the area of economics. It also has many ideas of how to use technology and the internet to teach students about Economics. (Janessa Maertens)

U.S. Economics - (* * * * ) Dynamite, y'all! http://www.whitehouse.gov/fsbr/esbr.html** Why not get the facts straight from the horse's mouth, even if he is an "ass." The white house provides a site with the latest economic stats and proposals, which would offer perhaps offer a basis of information for a student debate from a wide array of topics from unemployment rates, stocks, national debt, and even on an unrelated note...Avian Flu preparedness! Check it out. (Jessica Flanick)

The U.S.: Economics http://www.federalreserve.gov/kids/default.htm** (* * *) A must see. Federal Reserve Kids Page This site has a lot of information on the Federal reserve including what it is, the history of it, information about inflation, interest rates, and much more. It also contains a quiz that the kids can take to try and learn the information. (Katti Swanson)

U.S. Economics http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.us.htm** ( * OK) This is a straight-to-the-point site, showing statistics on unemployment, average hourly earnings, consumer price index, etc., within the United States. It currently shows data from April 2007 through September 2007. You have the option of clicking on an icon that will show you the graph of that data. It is a good, visual interpretation for middle school kids—younger kids may have difficulty interpreting the graphs. There are also numerous footnotes that take the data into greater detail. This site is not exciting and not too visually-pleasing. Older kids could get a lot of information from it, but they would have to know how to interpret it. (Kate Blanchard)

The United States - Economics [|****http://www.ncee.net/****] This site contains tons of information that would be valuable for students and teachers. It contains online lesson plans for teachers and programs that classrooms could get involved in. ( * * * ) - MUST SEE. This site is a great resources. Teachers will be able to find something of use! (Monica Savory)

The United States - Economics [|**Social Studies for Kids**] Social Studies for Kids is a website that contains information about Economics in kid-friendly language. This website contains a lot of background information about economics including how money has changed, why trade is important, and how the internet has affected economics. There are also links to several other social studies websites provided through this website. ( * * * ) Must See - This website contains good information; how much one can use depends on focus. (Amanda Cramer)

US – Economics [|http://www.moneyinstructor.com/taxes.asp]- This site has a series of worksheets to help teach students about tax – why is there tax? Where do taxes go? These will also help reinforce math skills and reading comprehension. (*) OK– If you want to do lessons on economics this would be good practice or assessment, and it’s a fairly important concept that few teachers seem to touch on. (Jeff Ballew)

United States- Economics National Council on Economics Education- http://www.ncee.net/resources/lessons.php This website is sponsored by the National Council on Economics Education. This organization serves to provide connections and resources for educators to include personal finance and economics in the classroom. This site provides free online K-12 economic lesson plans. It is easy and accessible for any teacher to use because there are options to search by grade, economic concept, and/or national standard. This is a great resource for teachers to research different economic curriculums and find supplemental materials for lessons. ( * * * ) MUST SEE- This website has many different links to other economics education websites as well as free online lesson plans. It contains valuable information! (Sally Shiau)

http://www.owen.k12.ky.us/trt/elementarywebquests.htm This Elementary Web Quest page developed by Owen County Schools in Kentucky is an excellent resource that I would recommend to any and all primary or intermediate teacher. There are many Web Quests for a variety of subjects, including the water cycle, economics, various history topics, geography, and career choices. This really is a great resource for teachers to access. N. Ingroum

=World:=

The World (Economics): http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialStd/grade3/Econ_Interd.html (Good) This web-site has a third grade economics lesson plan on the rain forest. The expectation is that after third grades complete this lesson plan they will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the historical development and the current status of economic principles, institutions, and processes needed to be effective citizens, consumers, and workers in American society. I would definitely consider using this in my third grade classroom. (Joel Fagundes)

World-Economics (Must See) http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/economics.htm This site makes economics applicable to kids. This page is actually one within a whole site called Social Studies for Kids. I liked this site because it offers activities and lessons around economics, among other social studies topics. The site is mainly for teachers, although the info. is geared towards students. (Melissa Lowry)

World – Economics (* * * MUST SEE) http://www.twnside.org.sg/twe.htm** This site represents the journal, //Third World Economics//. Hundreds of articles are available to read on-line concerning current third-world issues. Several links are available including links to books, and other magazines and publications. (R.J. Rongcal)

//The World:// Economics http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worldbalance/material.html** (Good) There is a wonderful book titled "Material World" that has families from around the world stand in front of their homes with all their possessions spread out around them. It allows a glimpse into the differing economic statuses of people living in different areas of the world. This website shows photos and offers a short blurb and facts about five of these families. Those who find the website useful should check out the book as it offers even more detailed information and more examples. (Kristen Rothwell)

The World: Geography, History, Economics, and Civics https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/**** (* * * *) Dynamite! CIA- The World Factbook You can select any country and get a summary of the main issues in that country including an introduction, the geography, people, government, economy, communication, transportation, military, and transnational issues. There are also reference maps and flags from around the world. This is a great starting point for any research project. It is also safe, secure, and reliable for students of any age. (Amy Christiansen)

World: Economics http://www.jubilee-centre.org/online_documents/Globalizationandtheworldeconomy.htm** ( * ) - okay. This site is okay. I linked to a document about the world economy and how it is affected by globalization. So, if globalization is your focus, this could be one valuable resource. But, you would probably need others too. It is a Cambridge paper. (Lindsay Yule)

World- Economics [|**http://www.worldbank.org/**] ( * * ) - GOOD. The World Bank: The link that I provided above is to the homepage for the World Bank website where you will find links, resources, ariticles and charts on econmics and banking activities from countries around the world. This website also has a link under 'Resources' for teacher and for youth which will take you to new pages that are designed with an educational focus. The youth page is also pretty interesting and I encourage you to browse through this site to see what it has to offer. (Erica Rasmussen)

World - History, civics, geography, economics http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html**** Portals to the world: This website is full of tons of information, but designed in a somewhat strange way. The front page lists all areas of the world which you click on and it takes you to a page with a list of options. You can click on history, geography, commerce etc. and that brings you to a page with links to other sites regarding that topic. I think it can be a great resource for older students, who understand the process of finding and understanding information. Perhaps a great page for teachers to learn more about the world or find the links they enjoy! (* * *) - MUST SEE. The website contains good information; how much one can use //depends// on age group and reason for inquiry. Many articles seem pretty intense, which may be too much for a simple report! (Jayme Ramos)

World – Geography/Economics: Trade/Interdependence/Globalization [|http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/soc/cecsst/cecsst041.html]- This is a total group lesson using the themes of geography to illustrate the interdependence of countries. Group discussion and an activity are used to teach the objective. (* * *) – In a discussion on the modern world, economies, trade, etc. this //very// in depth lesson plan would be a great one to do with students. It requires atlases and almanacs, though reading those for information is a good process skill to teach students. (Jeff Ballew)

World: Economics Rating (*) http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm** Has good discussions of what is going in. Always good to get ideas out but people are pretty opinionated, so it can get kinda heated. (Tanya Hedine)

=Geography=

=Whatcom / Skagit County:=

Whatcom County (Geography): http://www.rootsweb.com/~wawhatco/geog.htm This website contains a lot of great information about many of the geographical features in Whatcom County. The items are listed in alphabetical order and each includes a description (i.e. town, lake, river, etc.), the location, and a brief history. This website would be a good reference site and vocabulary resource for students. (Good) (Annie Grage)

Whatcom County: Geography http://www.rootsweb.com/~wawhatco/geog.htm 2 Stars - Good This is a site that describes some of the major cities and landmarks of Whatcom County. It would be a great site for students to research and gather information about the geography in the surrounding area. (Amy Dooley)

Whatcom/Skagit County – Geography (EALR: The student observes and analyzes the interaction between people, the environment, and culture.) Northwest Clean Air Agency: http://www.nwcleanair.org/aqPrograms/education.htm** The air quality of Whatcom and Skagit county is a unique asset, but with population increase, Northwest Clean Air Agency is working to reduce air pollution by way of education and community outreach. Browse this website and note the agency’s free classroom presentation program that “introduces student to the concepts of air pollution and global warming.” Educational display materials are also available through the agency. I would highly recommend this resource for any teacher desiring to raise environmental topics in the classroom! (* * *) MUST SEE (Laura McKenney)

=Washington State:=

Washington State: Geography [|**www.theus50.com/washington/geography.shtml**] (Good) While the information regarding the state’s geography is fairly standard on this website, it does have the added bonus of an interactive state map. As you move your mouse along cities, landmarks, and landforms, a bubble will pop up giving information on that specific spot. Also, it has the capability to zoom in on any given location to give students a feel for how you go from a world map, to a continental map, country map, state map, regional map, and finally local map. -Jennifer Crane

Washington State- Geography http://www.netstate.com/states/geography/wa_geography.htm (Good) This site gives some excellent, detailed information about Washington state that is very succinct and easily accessible. It gives some details about all of the land and the climate in the different areas of the state. It would be a great starting point for research about our state. (Janessa Maertens)

Washington: History, Geography, Economics http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/us/A0851536.html ( * * * * ) - WOWZA - DYNAMITE This website is awesome. I used a kid's search engine to find it. The search engine is dibdabdoo.com. This site specifically is about Washington State. The main page gives a general introduction telling where in the U.S. Washington is located. Then below this introduction are links to the history, geography, and economics, as well as other topic related to Washington. Every link seems to be very thorough and informative. Great site for research for students. (Lindsay Yule)

United States- Geography[|**http://education.usgs.gov/common/primary.htm**] ( * * ) - GOOD. USGS Education: This website has links to a variety of geography resources and information including map making programs and interactive activities and games for students. The home page for the USGS Education site also has pages that are specific to grade levels. (Erica Rasmussen)

Washington State -- Geography [|**http://www.wamaps.com/citymaps.asp**] (* ) OK This site offers all kinds of maps of Washington including links to Washington State Parks maps and state maps. This would be an interesting site to collect maps so that different kinds of maps could be compared. I also like the idea that each of the links provided not only provide maps but other geographic resources. (Gina Dorn)

=Pacific Northwest:=

The Pacific Northwest (Geography): [|****http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/TNBhistory/Lessons/Railroads.htm****] (Good) This web-site links you to Tacoma Narrows Bridge Lesson Plans. This lesson plan that I found has students explain the importance of geography on the development of the Pacific Northwest. This is a complete lesson with lesson objectives, Lesson steps, and evaluation/assessment. It is a very neat educational web–site. (Joel Fagundes)

Pacific Northwest- Geography (Must See) [|****http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/mount-rainier-maps.htm****] Since Mount Rainier is one of the main geographical features of the Pacific Northwest it could be very fun to look at maps associated with Mount Rainier National Park. This link provides access to the maps of climbing routes, hiking trails, and more on Mount Rainier. A website like this could provide information for students before a field trip to Mount Rainier. -Ryan Manning

Pacific Northwest – Geography ( DYNAMITE) [|****http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/virtualatlas/OUT_LINK/links_body.htm****] The site is links database divided into eight sub-regions of the Pacific Northwest. There are several links to other websites under each sub-region. Links focus on cities, geography, history, Native Americans, and more. (R.J. Rongcal)

Pacific Northwest - Geography [|[[http://www.gonorthwest.com/Visitor/about/maps.htmThis|**http://www.gonorthwest.com/Visitor/about/maps.htm**]]] This website provides a number of maps of the Pacific Northwest. There are maps of cities and roads, states, top attractions, cultural regions, mountain ranges, etc… It is easy to find a map of a specific place you are looking for in the Pacific Northwest. The website not only provides information about Pacific Northwest geography, but it also has links to other interesting information about this area. (* * *) This website is a MUST SEE because it has so many different maps of the Pacific Northwest. It will be very easy to find the map you are looking for.

Pacific Northwest- Geography Virtual Atlas of the Pacific Northwest- http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/virtualatlas/home.htm** This website provides a compilation of maps that describe geographic conditions within the Pacific Northwest region in the U.S. This region includes Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Through several links teachers can find area maps of coastal and interior Native American groups in Washington. This map is useful for teachers introducing local native populations in the Pacific Northwest. ( * ) OK- This website has valuable information for a specific lesson on Native American tribes in Washington. The map is a great geographic tool to present in the classroom to show students how widespread the tribes are. However, this site has several links that do not connect and is not organized well. (Sally Shiau)

=United States:=

United States (Geography) http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaGeography/UsaGeography.htm Great Site! Has great, kid-friendly information for every state in a easy to use website. This would be a easy a good site for students to access and gives good information about each state. It is really easy to navigate also. (MUST SEE) (Kyle Niekamp)

United States- Geography (Rating: Must see!) [|**http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaGeography/UsaGeography.htm**] I think Kidport would be an excellent site to have pulled up during a USA geography unit because it is very user friendly. The main page has a big map of the US where students can click on any state and get a comprehensive review of that state including pictures of popular features, state statistics, and historical information about that state. (Melissa Lowry)

United States -- Geography [|**http://gos2.geodata.gov/wps/portal/gos**] Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) is a clearinghouse of maps and metadata about the United States. Search for particular regions or landforms or browse through pre-existing maps. Many of the maps on this website are interactive and allow you to zoom in or out, create multiple layers, and even set the transparency. Rating: (* * * *) Four stars: This website is DYNAMITE because there are so many excellent maps depicting different geographic features in the United States that no matter the focus area, this website will have a resource. (Laura Southern)

The United States: Geography [|**http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games.htm**] ( * ) OK This is a fun page focused mainly on the students learning about the geography of the United States. There are time-based games for naming the states and placing them where they belong on the map. They have the same kind of games for state capitals, lakes and rivers. This would be a good site for a unit about United States history. There are beginner, intermediate and advanced versions of the games, so, as the kids get better, they can challenge themselves more. (Kate Blanchard)

//The U.S.:// Geography http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es**** Linked from the Library of Congress, this website allows children to select a state and learn more about it, especially some of its physical features. Additionally, it offers links to stories and articles relating to each state. (Kristen Rothwell)

The World - Geography [|****http://www.maps4kids.com/****] This is a great site to find maps all across the world. Also includes geographic information and games. This site would be helpful for more national, regional, and local lessons as well. ( * * * ) - MUST SEE. This site is great if you are studying maps or map skills. My CT has already used it several times in our map lessons. (Monica Savory)

United States – Geography [|**http://www.almanac.com**] The almanac shows what has happened in history, weather predictions, past weather predictions, tips on gardening and astronomy. What I like about this site is the potential students can make by connecting how weather affects the land and waters and vice versa.The website may contain some information of value; it depends on focus. (* *) = Good. (Jubilee Roth)

=World:=

World: Geography http://earth.google.com/ (* * *) must see This site contains the free download for Google Earth, an amazing program which allows you to begin with an image of the whole Earth, and then zoom in closer and closer until you get about 100 feet off the ground. The great thing about this is that you can type in your own address and zoom in to see a satellite image of your own neighborhood, or wherever else you want to see. This site would be very useful for mapping projects. (Jessica Halstead)

World: Geography * * * (Must See) [|**http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Social_Studies/Geography/GGR0009.html**] Finding Your Spot in The World This website offers lesson plans for Geography. It is a great idea, and set up so user-friendly that you cannot be left wanting. The other nice feature about this website is it offers links to hundreds of lesson plans for ANY subject for ANY grade level. This is a gem of a resource! I use it all the time for ideas when I’m teaching. It is only rated 3 *’s however, because you would have to be a teacher to find it useful. Enjoy! –Beth Baughey-Gill

[|****http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/standards/matrix.html****] (4 stars) Geography-World This website lists and goes into detail about 18 geography standards related to the earth. Also, it provides links to activities as well as lesson plans that are sorted by grade level and specific standards that are met through the lesson. Sara Apperson

[|******http://www.earthday.net/footprint/index.asp******] 3 stars (must see) World / Geography This is an excellent internet source for finding out how you affect the world. With the use of an on-line quiz the student can estimates how much productive land and water they need to support what they use and what they discard. This would be great to integrate social studies with earth science and our world’s environmental issues. Colette M. Self

World: Geography (GOOD) [|****http://members.aol.com/bowermanb/101.html?foo=Return+to+Main+Page__****] This site, titled "Geography World", is packed full of educational links--everything from general geographic information about countries, regions, and climate of regions, to games, puzzles, trivia and quizzes about all things geography. (Alicia Leerskov)

Geography- World (Good!) //All About Oceans and Seas// [|****http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/ocean/****] If you are studying oceans of the world in your class, this would be a great site for you to check out. Along with a lot of great information about the different oceans and seas throughout the world, there are also many lesson plan ideas and connections to science, literacy, history and more! This site could be usefuol to teachers for some ideas and also for students who want to learn more. It is geared for study in grades K-3. (Sara Connell)

Geography - World ( * * * ) Must see [|**http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0873835.html**] Info Please views geography beyond the location of places on the globe and gives links to cultural information, religions, almanacs, culture and more for a number of different countries and regions. It offers interactive quizzes, lesson plans, and would be a great resource for planning an interactive geography lesson. (Jessie Flanick)

The World: Geography http://www.atlapedia.com/index.html** Rating: (* * *) Must see! When you go to this website, there are three different choices to click on. First, you could go to //Countries A to// //Z// which contains facts on countries geography, history, economics, and more. Second, you could go to //World Maps// which contains physical and political maps. Third, teachers and students can click on //Class Resources// for additional school and homework resources. (Holly Howard)

The World: Geography http://www.peacecorps.gov/kids**** (* * *) Must See. Peace Corps Kid’s World: For teaching the focus of World Geography, this is a great site! The animated dog, “traveler” shows you around the world, and also shows people how they can make a difference (could possibly relate to global citizenship). The site also includes fun facts about many different countries, and is easy to navigate. (Katti Swanson)

The World: Geography, History, Economics, and Civics https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ (* * * *) Dynamite! CIA- The World Factbook You can select any country and get a summary of the main issues in that country including an introduction, the geography, people, government, economy, communication, transportation, military, and transnational issues. There are also reference maps and flags from around the world. This is a great starting point for any research project. It is also safe, secure, and reliable for students of any age. (Amy Christiansen)

World - Geography [|**CPL Kid's Pages - Countries**] This site provides information on countries all over the world. Links are provided for each individual country. There are also links to several other world geography sites, as well as U.S. geography sites. ( * * * * ) Dynamite - This website contains so much good information, one can find it useful regardless of focus. (Amanda Cramer)

The World - Civics, History, Geography [|**Kids Click**] Kids Click is a website especially for children, containing information on civics, history, geography, religion, and much more. ( * * * * ) Dynamite - The website contains so much good information, one can find it useful regardless of the focus. (Jessica Koehn)

World – Geography/Economics: Trade/Interdependence/Globalization [|http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/soc/cecsst/cecsst041.html]- This is a total group lesson using the themes of geography to illustrate the interdependence of countries. Group discussion and an activity are used to teach the objective. (* * *) – In a discussion on the modern world, economies, trade, etc. this //very// in depth lesson plan would be a great one to do with students. It requires atlases and almanacs, though reading those for information is a good process skill to teach students. (Jeff Ballew)

The World – Civics, Geography, History... http://www.geographic.org/**** Here you can find information on almost any country in the world. The website includes maps, flags, population, government, leaders, economy, transportation, religion, and more. You can look this information up by year to see how it has changed over time. ( * * ) This website was GOOD because it has a lot of information about countries but you need to follow many links in order to finally find what you are looking for. (Kristin Snider)

World: Civics, History, Economics http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/plans.html Developed under the auspices of the //Washington// //State// courts, this page provides Lesson Plans and Teaching Strategies coving a variety of subjects. Lessons are divided by graded level and subject. Subjects include American history, civics, economics, and much more! Great Resource! N. Ingroum

The World - Geography Kidport World Geography Index - http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/WorldGeography/WorldGeoIndex.htm**** (*) OK - This web site offers a brief overview of a few of the world's major countries. So, if students want some quick facts about China, then this would be a great place to send them. As a teacher, you may want to check out the homepage of Kidport. It offers information on other subjects, Social Studies included, for grades K-8. You may find some of the information useful, depending on your focus of study. (Casey Yeadon)

World – Geography http://www.yourchildlearns.com/features.htm** This site has links to free map puzzles of the world, complete with “key world features” like major rivers, rainforests, deserts, and mountains. It also has links to software that provides an interactive map of Asia, and 7-ft printable “mega-maps” of the world. Most of the software is free. Rating: * OK – this is a good resource to use when looking for teaching aids and visuals on world geography units, and the interactive map is certainly a valuable link for student self-guided exploration. But it does not provide a lot of support for geography content material (information about the geographic features itself.) Recommended for: teachers. Bethany Stead

World-Geography World Geography at http://www.mrdonn.org/geography.html**** This is a great website for both teachers and students. There are links to many different geography topics such as maps, continents, landforms, deserts, river, and much more. Each link contains online resources for both teachers and kids. It is very well organized and contains a lot valuable information. Rating (* * * * Dynamite) (Erin Rathbun)

World – Geography http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/worldquiz.html Rating (* * *) Good This site is a nice change from simply reading information about the geography of the world. It is an interactive site that allows you to take a quiz and then will provide you with explanations of the answer as well as a visual. You can select the world quiz (with continents and oceans) or you can specifically select different continents all over the world. What a fun thing to have some of your student’s do or you can do to get updated on some geography facts. (Jennifer Williamson)

World : Geography rating: (* *) [|****http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Geography.htm****] Fun geography games! Always important part of getting interested in a subject--having fun with it! (Tanya Hedine)

=History=

=Whatcom / Skagit County:=

Whatcom County: History [|**http://www.skagitriverjournal.com/WA/WhatcomSec.html**] (* *) good The //Skagit River Journal of History & Folklore// website covers the pioneer history of Whatcom and Skagit Counties, as well as early exploration of the Puget Sound. This non-profit organization continually updates its site with new research and findings. The site is rich with photographs and interesting stories. For example, one featured story seeks to debunk the myths about “Dirty Dan Harris.” This site would be invaluable as a research tool when studying local pioneers, etc. (Jessica Halstead)

Skagit County (History): http://www.skagitriverjournal.com/****
 * (Must See) This is a fantastic web site if you are interested in the history of Skagit County. This is an in-depth, comprehensive site about the Skagit County. It has newspaper articles that date back to the 1800’s. It would be great for students doing a report about what Skagit County used to be like. (Joel Fagundes)

Whatcom County: History [|****www.bellingham.org****] (Good) This website provides a brief history of the city of Bellingham for visitors. While the actual website is not terribly dense with information, it does have an impressive database with a variety of websites pertaining to the history; links to museums and historical resources, the arts, farmers markets, galleries, sculptures, and the main sites for the Lummi and Nooksack tribes. -Jennifer Crane

Whatcom County- History (Must See) [|www.westernfrontonline.net] This is a great website for Whatcom County because it has a lot to do with the history of Western Washington University which is a major part of Whatcom County. This Website also includes achieves to view past articles that have appeared in the Western Front. Most of the articles covered in this paper deal with events in and around the Bellingham community. -Ryan Manning

Whatcom County- History (Good) http://lyndenpioneermuseum.com/resources/eduLinks.php The Lynden Pioneer Musuem offers excellent historical and educational resources for all of Whatcom County. In addition, they have a page just for teachers with links to social studies lesson plans and a list of many recommedations such as guest speakers and workshops. This site definitely has a historical focus that would be benefical to any teacher in Whatcom County. (Melissa Lowry)

Whatcom County—History [[[|http://www.whatcomhistory.net/**|**http://www.whatcomhistory.net/]]] * * * MUST SEE) Wow. I really, really like this website. I ran across it when I was attempting to find out something about Custer's history for one of our projects. This site has biographies of notable people in Whatcom County. There are also postcards from various Whatcom County sites, such as the great Northern Railroad Depot, and "Waterfront 1915." Viewers can also see the petition to make Fairhaven a city. The site lists books on the history of Whatcom County, in addition to linking to numerous other sites. There are newspaper extraction, as well as a list of civil war veterans. Interesting stuff!! (Kate Blanchard)

//Skagit County// History [|**http://www.stumpranchonline.com/skagitjournal/AdminFree/Sedro-WoolleySec.html**] This site begins by listing the places to explore around the wonderful little town of Sedro Woolley. If you continue to scroll down, you reach a timeline and photos section which chronicles the towns of Sedro and Woolley as they were separate and the early days of Sedro Wolley. Because Sedro Woolley is such a small town, this site would be fun to explore with students as they recognize town establishments as they looked long ago. It also contains links to newspaper articles referencing Sedro Woolley from as far back as the 1800s. (Kristen Rothwell)

Whatcom County- History [|**http://whatcom.clearwire.net/index.html**] ( * * ) - GOOD. Whatcom County Historical Resource Guide: This website provides information and links to resources, historical groups/societies, and photographs on the history of Whatcom county, Bellingham and Fairhaven. The information on this site would be helpful in planning lessons and activities for the classroom or for upper elementary student use. (Erica Rasmussen)

Bellingham/Pac NW - History [|http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/soc_studies/ps_cities/bham_hist.html] This site has a brief overview of Bellingham’s history, and a bit on Bellingham today, with fill-in-the-blank sheets for both sections. Includes links to Kent’s “Puget Sound Curriculum” with pictures of different Pacific NW cities. (* * *) The information could be easily adapted for any grade, and can be a good quick lesson to supplement more in-depth learning. (Jeff Ballew)

Whatcom County- History Whatcom County Historical Society- http://www.whatcomhistory.net/ This website provides a list of books and various resources that pertain to Whatcom County’s background and history. The books can be found at the Whatcom Museum’s book store. There are a few historical documents such as the “Petition to Incorporate the City of New Whatcom, 1890” that are available to view on the site. ( * )OK- This website may offer valuable information depending on the focus. It only offers a few links and doesn’t provide very much information on the background. It is more useful as a connection to other resources. The list of books are helpful for teachers to refer to. (Sally Shiau)

Whatcom County - History/Economics HistoryLink Essay: Whatcom County - http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7327** ( * * * * ) Dynamite - This web site contains an article about the history of Whatcom County's economics. It describes how the county was started and the different industries that contributed to the building of the county. After it describes that, it also talks about the economics of Whatcom County today. There are also several links to other areas in Washington. The home site is HistoryLink.org, an on-line encyclopedia of Washington State History. So, even if you are looking beyond Whatcom County, this site can provide with several other articles and information on cities and counties in Washington State. (Casey Yeadon)

= =

=Washington State:=

Washington State (History) [|**http://allwhatcomcounty.com/funfacts.htm**] This site has about 40 fun facts about Washington State and Whatcom County. There are some really interesting historical facts about Washington State that are included on this list and these facts could be some interesting things to share with your students and I believe students would find them interesting. (contains some good information) (Kyle Niekamp)

Washington State – History (DYNAMITE) [|www.skagitriverjournal.com] An in-depth, and recently updated site on the history of the Skagit County area. Dozens and dozens of links leading to different historical accounts, stories, authentic news reports, historical figures, etc. Also has plenty of rare photographs up to over a hundred years old. (R.J. Rongcal)

Washington-History [|**http://content.scholastic.com/browse/unitplan.jsp?id=195**] Good. Native Americans. This also looks at Native American tribes in Utah and New Mexico, but there is a section of Washignton Native Americans and interviews that have been done with them to try and save the salmon populations. This ties into some environmental issues and could even be place based since some of it is in the Skagit Valley. Comes with lesson plans grades 4-8. Also gives links to books and other resources on the topic. (Kathleen Converse)

Washington: History, Geography, Economics http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/us/A0851536.html ( * * * * ) - WOWZA - DYNAMITE This website is awesome. I used a kid's search engine to find it. The search engine is dibdabdoo.com. This site specifically is about Washington State. The main page gives a general introduction telling where in the U.S. Washington is located. Then below this introduction are links to the history, geography, and economics, as well as other topic related to Washington. Every link seems to be very thorough and informative. Great site for research for students. (Lindsay Yule)

Washington State- Civics, History, Geography [|http://www.wscss.org/default.html] ( * * * ) - MUST SEE. The Washington State Council for the Social Studies : This website has links to resources, lesson plans as well as links to other websites that focus mainly on Washington state with links to national and global websites as well. One of the buttons on their website opens a page that has a table that displays links to the various areas of social studies and a large amount of information to be found in each area. (Erica Rasmussen)

Washington – History Unit [|http://www.proteacher.com/cgi-bin/outsidesite.cgi?id=8353&external=http://www.halcyon.com/marcs/natheme.html&original=http://www.proteacher.com/090077.shtml&title=Native%20American%20Theme%20Unit]– This is an outline of an entire unit on Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. It includes a schedule, list of resources, and explicit ties to writing, art, and science. (*) OK– If you’re looking to put together a unit on Native Americans this would be a great place to start. (Jeff Ballew)

History- Washington Washington Timeline of State History- http://www.shgresources.com/wa/timeline/** This website contains a timeline of the history of Washington State. There is a lot of information about Washington’s history but there is not a lot of detail about the information on the timeline. This would be good for teachers to use if they wanted their students to create a timeline. However, it is not very helpful to those teachers that want to know a lot of detail on a certain event in history. Rating (* Ok) (Erin Rathbun)

=Pacific Northwest:=

Pacific Northwest: History * * * (Must See) [|******http://ncseonline.org/nae/docs/makaheditorial.html******] Native Americans and the Environment This website has so much information available to everyone, but particularly concerning people of the Northwest. The website has some general information and links to multiple tribes’ history and information, but it focuses on the Makah Tribe and the whaling controversy that has happened over the years. The Tribe actually lives in WA and the history of the Pacific Northwest and the Tribe’s fight to keep their traditional rights is very relevant to everyone in the Northwest. Take a look around the site and learn about a small portion of the history of this place. –Beth Baughey-Gill

[|********http://www.vannattabros.com/histlog.html********] (3 stars) Pacific Northwest-History This site is all about the history of logging in the pacific northwest. The text is simple and easy to read, yet informative. There are many links to artifacts that relate to the history of logging. This would be a good site if you are looking for information on logging specifically! Sara Apperson

Pacific Northwest: History (* * * MUST SEE) [|www.depts.washington.edu/labhist]__/ The history of the Pacific Northwest is rich with the culture and conflicts associated with the labor force. This website, created by the University of Washington, provides a detailed history of the labor and Civil Rights history in the Pacific Northwest. (Alicia Leerskov)

History- Pacific Northwest (* * * Must See!!) //Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive// [|********http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/crbeha/********] This site connects reserachers with a plethra of primary sources that relate to the ethnic history of the Columbia River Basin. It would be valuable for both teachers and students. It would be most valuable to intermediate and secondary students doing research about the specified topic. From this database you can search for artifacts that relate to a certain ethnic group and can be narrowed down by a time period, the type of artifact that you're looking for, ect. An important thing to note about this site is that it only contains primary sources. There are an abundance of photographs, interviews, vidoes, signed, documents, ect that would be great to take a look at! (Sara Connell)

History- The Pacific Northwest The Oregon Trail (* * *) [|****http://www.isu.edu/~trinmich/Oregontrail.html****] This website gives very detailed information about many aspects of the travels down the Oregon Trail. It contains A fun mini textbook on the Oregon Trail., descriptions of the [|historic sites on the trail], [|fun facts about the Oregon Trail] , and a full-text of trail diaries and books. The site also contains links to some really interesting kid-friendly resources if students wish to learn more about the Oregon Trail. (Janessa Maertens)

History - Pacific Northwest (* * * * ) Dynamite!! Watch out -- She's gonna BLOW! [|****http://www.lib.washington.edu/subject/History/tm/pnw.html****] This site offers a number of FANTASTIC links to Lewis and Clark journals and informational sites, and pretty much everything Pacific Northwest from the Columbia River Basin to Indians and archaeologist upheaval in recovering artifacts and skeletal remains. Thousands of lessons could be crafted from these websites! (Jessica Flanick)

Pacific Northwest-History &Geography [|**http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/index.html**] Good. Lewis & Clark. If you are interested in doing a unit on Lewis and Clark this website has interdisciplinary lesson plans on the topic. It combines geography, history, language arts and fine arts. The lesson is clearly laid out with materials and objectives walking you through it. It also has links to other websites on the same topic. (Kathleen Converse)

Pacific Northwest: History http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/wpaintro/wpahome.html**** (* *) Good. American Life Histories This website contains manuscripts from Pacific Northwest residents written between 1936-1940. They are scanned in PDF files, and most contain photographs. The downside is that the site is a little awkward to navigate. Also, there is a state search… but no way to narrow it down more than that. There are a lot of manuscripts to sort though, which would probably need to be done by the teacher. (Katti Swanson)

Pacific Northwest History http://www.native-languages.org/home.htm**** Rating – * * * * / * * * Between Must See and Dynamite Recommended Audience – 3rd grade and up; teachers This site has an incredible amount of information on the Quinault Indian Nation, which is near where I grew up. The larger site has information on every Native American group in the United States. I put this site under Place-Based Education because although it has a lot of great information, there is so much depth to it that I think it would best used to find out about individual tribes in one’s own area. I simply chose the Quinault Indians as an example because they were the tribe that my dad worked with and that I am most familiar with. – Monica O’Brien

Pacific Northwest History [|**http://www.nativeamericans.com/WashingtonState.htm**] ( * * GOOD) This site offers timelines, maps and cultural histories about tribes in Washington State. There is a beautiful photo gallery. A highlight--a list of famous quotes from Native Americans (What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset." Eagle Chief (Letakos-Lesa) Pawnee). I love this stuff. A warning--this site is not specifically about Washington State native Americans. It has information about a vast amount of different tribes. Make sure you know what you are looking at. Otherwise--very entertaining, interesting and accessible. (Kate Blanchard)

Pacific Northwest: History http://www.endoftheoregontrail.org/histhome.html** (* * *) A must see For students studying the Oregon Trail and the settling of the Pacific Northwest, this site is excellent. It provides a background as well as detailed articles from before the land was inhabited to when it was finally settled. (Amy Christiansen)

Pacific Northwest: History and Geography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest** ( * * * * ) - dynamite this website tells about all different dynamics of the pacific northwest. It has a section on the history, geography, culture, religion, economy, population, climate, geology. Also, throughout the page, there are links to other wikipedia pages related to what is being mentioned. For every blue word on the page, another page opens to describe that topic (which help the reader to understand a topic if further explanation is needed). (Lindsay Yule)

Pacific Northwest - History [|**http://content.wsulibs.wsu.edu/pncc/NW_history/index.php**] This site offers access to newspaper articles collected since the 1930's regarding Pacific Northwest history (primarily Washington state). ( * * ) - GOOD. This site would be great when looking for primary resources. Includes pictures of the actual newspaper clippings. (Monica Savory)

The Pacific Northwest - History [|**Pacific Northwest Coastal Indians**] This site provides a lot of background information and history about Indians in the Pacific Northwest. It also provides additional links to information about Indian tribes that did not reside in the Pacific Northwest. ( * * * ) Must See - This website contains good information; how much one can use depends on focus. (Amanda Cramer)

The Pacific Northwest - History [|**The Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition**] This site includes the journals, maps, drawing and additional texts of explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. ( * * * ) Must See - The Website contains good information. This site is outstanding for those studying the journey of Lewis and Clark. (Jessica Koehn)

Bellingham/Pac NW - History [|http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/soc_studies/ps_cities/bham_hist.html] This site has a brief overview of Bellingham’s history, and a bit on Bellingham today, with fill-in-the-blank sheets for both sections. Includes links to Kent’s “Puget Sound Curriculum” with pictures of different Pacific NW cities. (* * *) The information could be easily adapted for any grade, and can be a good quick lesson to supplement more in-depth learning. (Jeff Ballew)

Pacific Northwest - History (EALR: The student understands the origin and impact of ideas and technological developments on history.) Museum of Flight: http://www.museumofflight.org/Display.asp?Page=Educators The Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA offers a wealth of programs and workshops for educators and their students. Featuring professional development, On-site Programs (at the museum), Outreach Programs (at your school), oral history podcasts (link is located under the “Education” tab), and more! Beware of the cost of such programs ($200-$600), but also note the grant information included on the site. Some of the more intriguing programs include NASA Distance Learning Expeditions on topics such as Robotics, Microgravity, Rover Construction, and more! Workshops are most appropriate for grades 4-12. Link any program to the EALR stated above (impact of technological development on history). (* * * *) DYNAMITE (Laura McKenney)

Pacific Northwest – History [|**http://www.washington.edu/uwired/outreach/cspn/Website/Course%20Index/Lessons/20/20.html**] This website contains the background notes to a history lesson on the Pacific Northwest. It specifically addresses how World War II was significant to the history of this region. Included are basic census data and charts tracking the number of people (by ethnicity) in the region over the course of the 1940s and 1950’s. There are also many old photographs and explanations of the new aluminum plants, shipping industry, and airplane manufacturing companies the opened during the war. History of women in the workplace is also addressed in detail. The information is thorough, and the inclusion of authentic photographs is also a plus. Rating: * MUST SEE: It has details that are very specific to the region and harder to find. A teacher would find it very useful for lesson planning. Recommended for: teachers. Bethany Stead

Pacific Northwest – History [|**http://www.lewisandclarktrail.com**] This site is wonderful to see where Lewis and Clark have traveled, get timelines of events, and see different areas where their expedition took them.This website contains good information; how much one can use depends on focus. (* * *) = Must See. (Jubilee Roth)

Pacific Northwest -- History [|**http://www.kidzworld.com/article/1387-american-indians-northwest-bands**] (* *) Good If you're looking for a kid's website that outlines Pacific Northwest Indian history, this is a pretty good resource. The site provides information on details like ceremonies, food, and types of shelter. It also provides links to tribes of other areas, so students could easily compare lifestyles and history. (Gina Dorn)

Pacific Northwest rating (* *) [|**http://www.cfr.washington.edu/research.cesu/**] Good article on the ecosystem. Helps you to be knowledgeable. Not the most useful article, but if it is something you do not know anything about, it is good to read! (Tanya Hedine)

=United States:=

The U.S.: History [|**http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/**] 3 Stars - Must See This is an interactive site loaded with tons of rich information about our nation’s history. Perfect for the teacher and/or upper-elementary to middle school student. Some lesson plans and other resources are provided. Timelines and great pictures of events are included on almost every link! (Amy Dooley)

United States History (* * *) Must See American Memory site is a digital achieve of events that have occurred in the United States. This is a very useful site for documents, photographs, and archival information of US History. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html (Collette M. Self)

US-History [|**http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/index.html**] AT&T Education: This has lessons about Black History, although they are just interactive computer lessons not actual lesson plans. There is a quiz you can take that tests your knowledge of African American culture, I thought that could be valuable. There is also a database to search for other articles related to the topic. This would only be good to use with older grades who could navigate the site themselves and it would have to be supplemented with other lessons. (Kathleen Converse)
 * -Okay

The U.S.: History [|**http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/history/**] Rating: (* *) Good depending on a focus based on presidents or freedom. White House Kids History. This site contains great information about the presidents of the United States, a freedom timeline, help learning the ABC’s, coloring pages, and more. I really like that this site contains information for younger students (kindergarten – third grade). (Holly Howard)

U.S. History http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascadia_subduction_zone**** Rating – * * * Must See Recommended Audience – 6th grade and up; teachers This is a Wikipedia site about the Cascadia subduction zone. The Pacific Northwest has a very interesting physical geography, especially as it is part of the Ring of Fire. The language is bit sophisticated for younger grades, but I thought it might help tie social studies and science together to study the physical geography volcanic mountains provide while studying the volcanoes themselves. Could be the start to a great interdisciplinary unit. – Monica O’Brien

The United States/World: History ( * * * ) MUST SEE [|****http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do****] I'm pretty excited about this page. I knew the History Channel would have something good, and sure enough--here it is. In addition to having "This Day in History" on the opening page (showing video of the ending of the hijacking of the Achielle Lauro today), there are tabs for topics such as "The Cold War," "The American Revolution," etc. It's pretty cool because when you click on those, they tell you what happened under that specific topic for this day. For example, clicking on "Civil War" tells us that John Bankhead Magruder was sent to Texas on this day in 1862. I think this would be a great tool for a daily classroom exploration--what happened one hundred years ago today? Fifty years ago,etc.? (Kate Blanchard)

The U.S.: History [|www.whitehousekids.gov] (* * *) A must see. Whitehouse Kids This site is great for students learning more about the Whitehouse and the Presidents. It has links on both sides of the page including history, tours, pets, traditions, sports, and patriotism. Under the history link contains information on each of the Presidents including coloring pictures for the younger students. There is also a Parents and Teachers icon that gives information on how to contact the Whitehouse and the President, as well as lesson plan ideas. Overall, this is a valuable resource for students to explore on their own or as a class. (Amy Christiansen)

United States - History [|http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/WAKI-Chapter.aspx?chapter_id=15] Although this site is the world almanac and can be used to look at all types of topics, I thought it was especially great for US history. The site is so easy to get around and looks really fun too! Kids will love the pictures and easy reading, while learning a lot. Also pages are set up in an easy way that leads reader to topics surrounding theirs. Everything is in a chapter format so information follows perfectly. ( * * * * ) - DYNAMITE. The website contains SO MUCH good information; one can find it useful regardless of focus! Basically anything you're looking for is here. (Jayme Ramos)

U.S. - Place-Based Education Colonial Williamsburg: http://www.history.org/** Titled as the “site where history lives,” this highly interactive websites provides educators with online videos, podcasts, online exhibits, activities, games, and more! Check out the teacher’s page that features electronic field trips, lesson plans, research material, and a free e-newsletter. If a grant allows you with the financial resources, schedule a “study visit” here! (* * *) MUST SEE. (Laura McKenney)

The U.S. – History http://www.historycentral.com/** This website includes just about everything you wanted to know about U.S. History. There is information about Presidential elections, wars, current events, railroads, and much more. A bonus is that it provides teacher guides about certain topics to help when organizing lessons. The website also includes lists of books to use when teaching about specific historical events. ( * * * * ) This website is DYNAMITE because it has so much information about U.S History for both students AND teachers. It also includes information about World History. (Kristin Snider)

US – History [|**http://bensguide.gpo.gov/subject.html**] Rating (* * * *) Must See This site is awesome! It provides numerous links to information for both students and teachers on American History. One of my favorite links was to lesson plans for American History. It had specific lessons and information for the most specific and broad subjects in U.S. History. This is a great site for U.S. History, so go check it out. (Jennifer Williamson)

=World:=

The World (History): [|**http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html**] This website has a variety of links and the section on history is broken into several different timelines. Each of the timelines is divided by location and provides even more links which are specific to the time period and each area in the world. There are also sections that focus on culture, religion, science, and politics. * * *(Must See) (Annie Grage)

World -- History [|******http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html******] HyperHistory Online is an interactive website covering over 3000 years of world history. Search for people, history, events, or maps, or search for a topic such as science, culture, religion, or politics. Information, pictures, and relevant links are included. Rating: (* * *) Three stars: This website is a MUST SEE because it is easy to navigate, contains color-coded timelines for easy access, and provides information about many people and events in world history, no matter the focus. (Laura Southern)

World History http://www.explore.parliament.uk/**** Rating – * * * Must See Recommended Audience – 4th grade and up; teachers This is a site done by the British government to help explain parliament to kids, very similar to some of our own U.S. sites. It’s very user-friendly, easy to read and has lesson plans for teachers. As it does only focus on Britain, it’s a “must see”, instead of a “dynamite,” but I thought it might be a fun way to compare different styles of government. – Monica O’Brien

The World: Geography, History, Economics, and Civics https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/**** (* * * *) Dynamite! CIA- The World Factbook You can select any country and get a summary of the main issues in that country including an introduction, the geography, people, government, economy, communication, transportation, military, and transnational issues. There are also reference maps and flags from around the world. This is a great starting point for any research project. It is also safe, secure, and reliable for students of any age. (Amy Christiansen)

World - History, civics, geography, economics http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html** Portals to the world: This website is full of tons of information, but designed in a somewhat strange way. The front page lists all areas of the world which you click on and it takes you to a page with a list of options. You can click on history, geography, commerce etc. and that brings you to a page with links to other sites regarding that topic. I think it can be a great resource for older students, who understand the process of finding and understanding information. Perhaps a great page for teachers to learn more about the world or find the links they enjoy! (* * *) - MUST SEE. The website contains good information; how much one can use //depends// on age group and reason for inquiry. Many articles seem pretty intense, which may be too much for a simple report! (Jayme Ramos)

The World - Civics, History, Geography [|**Kids Click**] Kids Click is a website especially for children, containing information on civics, history, geography, religion, and much more. ( * * * * ) Dynamite - The website contains so much good information, one can find it useful regardless of the focus. (Jessica Koehn)

The World – Civics, Geography, History... http://www.geographic.org/** Here you can find information on almost any country in the world. The website includes maps, flags, population, government, leaders, economy, transportation, religion, and more. You can look this information up by year to see how it has changed over time. ( * * ) This website was GOOD because it has a lot of information about countries but you need to follow many links in order to finally find what you are looking for. (Kristin Snider)

World – History [|**http://www.bbc.uk/history/forkids**] I love this site because 1) it has a slightly different perspective since it is a British website and 2) it is packed with great history interactions and learning from mythological characters to real-life people, places, and events. It is fun and educational. (* * * *) = Dynamite. The website contains so much good information, on can find it useful regardless of focus. (Jubilee Roth)**

World -- History [|**http://worldhistorymatters.org/**] (* * *) Must See What an amazing resource tool for students and teachers! This site not only compiles and reviews other web resources for world history, it offers curriculum resources as well. I just love the abundance of primary sources, case studies, and curriculum guides. The site is easy to manage and well organized. The only reason I did not give it four stars is because it is only really useful when teaching older students. I would check it out anyway, though, for some creative topics and valuable sources! (Gina Dorn)

Various Subjects

http://www.imaginecm.org/ The Imagine Children’s Museum, in Everett, WA, is a great resource for teachers to get information about field trips and programs for the Seattle area. This website gives information about all of the programs available including: “Eco-Explores,” “ET: Protector of the Planet,” “Culture Quilt,” “Pioneer Times,” and “Chickenography.” The Imagine Children’s Museum offers many resources to teachers and children not only with social studies subjects, but also with art, music and science. (KDL)