Assignment #2

Within the Social Studies endorsement are many different topics for high school classes; I will focus on five.

1. Geography
Geography is important because it teaches students were in the world places are. Students also learn about different cultures, climates, and other distinguishing factors which make up other places in the world. I did not pay enough attention in high school geography, and as a result I felt ignorant of where places are in the world. If/when I teach geography, hopefully I can make it fun for the students and create an atmosphere where they will learn and remember where places are and learn about other cultures throughout the world. Maps are very important for teaching geography. Geo Teacher is a good resource for links to different Websites for creating maps, which would obviously be helpful for use in a geography class. A good site for blank maps is Google Images, which would help for quizes and tests. National Geographic is a helpful resource that would have a lot of information and pictures of people and places throughout the world. Another fun way for students to learn about geography is through the National Geography Challenge where students would also engage in competition with other students from all over the United States.

2. U.S. History
U.S History is my favorite subject and is, hopefully the subject I will be teaching the most. I think it is important to know about the history of our country since we live here. There are many good Websites that will prove helpful for use in my classes. The "History Matters" site will be very useful. It has a link to a large number of primary sources and images that would help to make sense of the time frame I will be teaching about. The Website also has a link for great test and quiz questions. Quiz Hub is another resource that provides fun quiz games that will make taking quizes much more exciting, or for creating stimulating games for students to remember dates, people, and places. The Smithsonian Website has many helpful links. The poster section allows for a teacher to download a poster like this one. The teacher could then use that one picture to explain a new role of women during WWII as they joined the work force.

3. Current Events
Current Events helps to keep students informed about tomorrow's history. There are obviously many Websites that report important news and events for teaching a current events class. Websites like C-Span, CNN, and PBS, have teacher friendly websites for all the latest.

4. American Government
American Government is also another important subject that I will probably be teaching. Students should know about the past Presidents, the branches of government, the Constitution, and all of the other important points that make up American government. Teachervision is an excellent resource for anything having to do with American Government. It provides lesson plans, quizzes, and a vast supply of information and links to help with American Government class. The Library of Congress website also has a lot of info. especially on the Constitution.

5. Economics
Economics can be a fun class if the teacher uses the right resources. Many students will want to pursue business, and hopefully a course in economics will excite many. One great source for helping teachers in economics is Econclass. There are some really fun games that illustrate economic priciples and engage students. The site also gives scenarios that get the students to think in terms of economics. EcEdWeb is another website that gives links for resources that would make economics fun for students to learn.