Ohio Social Studies Strands
Ohio Social Studies Strands

By Eric J. DeMichele
ED439 – Dr. Helms

A list of websites and
projects that teaches
students specifically about
the six educational strands
relative to social studies
The Six strands
 American
Heritage
 People in Societies
 World Interactions
 Decision Making and Resources
 Democratic Process
 Citizenship, Rights, and Responsibilities
American heritage
Websites
 http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/history/marsh
all/military/civil_war_usa/
 http://lcweb2.loc.gov/amhome.html
 http://history.hanover.edu/texts.html
 http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/
 http://www.dol.gov/dol/asp/public/programs/histor
y/main.htm
Activities
Write your congressman from the point of view of a
Southerner, Northerner, or Slave to persuade against war
 Discuss “On this day in History” from the website in class
everyday for 5 minutes
 Re-enact the Salem Witchcraft Trials in class
 Re-enact Martin Luther King’s march on Washington and
“I have a dream” speech
 Identify and explain the Secretary of Labor and his/her
responsibilities

People in societies
Websites
 http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/AS.htm
l
 http://www.csuohio.edu/history/japan/index.html
 http://link.lanic.utexas.edu/menic/
 http://vlmp.museophile.com/
 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/Unofficial/Canadiana/REA
DME.html
Activities
Internet based treasure hunt on African-American History
 Bring your Kimono to school project – discuss and
explain the value in Japanese culture
 Religious roundtable – Students assigned different
religions to research
 Take a virtual museum tour of any foreign country
 Research and discuss sports that originated from foreign
countries

World interactions
Websites
 http://kayenta.geog.byu.edu/gisonline/
 http://www.usgs.gov/education/
 http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collectio
n/Map_collection.html
 http://www.frw.ruu.nl/nicegeo.html
 http://www.mapblast.com/
Activities
 Learn
countries and capitals of Asia
 Learn countries and capitals of Europe
 Learn countries and capitals of Africa
 Learn countries and capitals of South America
 How do I get there? – Go to Mapblast.com and
find directions to get from one point to another
Decision making and
resources
Websites
 http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/edu/RSE/RSEyellow/gn
b.html
 http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/edu/ilm/resources/educat
ors/subject/SRESeconomy.html
 http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/
 http://www.landmark-project.com/eco-market/
 http://www.federalreserve.gov/
Activities
Goodnews Bears Stock Market Project
 Marriage simulation project – making and maintaining a
household budget
 How has the Constitution shaped the economy of the
U.S.? – identify characteristics of market economy and
provisions in the Constitution that support it.
 Eco-marketing project – economic issues
 Federal Reserve Bank – research and discuss history and
implications

Democratic process
Websites
 http://www.ohio.gov/
 http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html
 http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Welcome.html
 http://www.senate.gov/
 http://www.fbi.gov/
Activities
Hold a mock election for president of the U.S.
 Pick a Supreme Court case to review and give your
opinion on the decision
 Email your U.S. Senator with any questions or concerns
you have
 Participate in the Junior Special Agent program of the
FBI.
 Hold a mock session of Congress – introducing new bills
that the students construct

Citizenship, rights, and
responsibilities
Websites
 http://www.youthlink.org/
 http://www.ed.gov/Family/agbts/
 http://www.citizen.org/
 http://ibert.org/
 http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/ins/serv/
Activities
 Discuss
top youth issues in the U.S. today
 Do a product testing and rating in class to
determine the best brand of a particular product
 Dissect the federal budget project – Students
decide what goes and what stays
 Hold a mock town meeting to discuss issues
relative to their hometown
 Take a field trip to city hall