All resources in Washington Social Studies

Tour the White House in 360 Degrees

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Welcome to the White House 360 Virtual Tour! This immersive experience will bring you inside the halls of the White House and provide access to all the public rooms on the Ground and State Floors. It will also allow you to examine the rooms and objects even closer than you would in person. This feature was made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Primary Source

Author: White House Historical Association

The White House at Work: Classroom Resource Packet

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Ever since John and Abigail Adams moved into the President's House in 1800, hundreds of individuals have worked behind the scenes to help the White House fulfill its roles as a home, office, and museum. White House staff serve the many needs of the first family in a variety of occupations. They prepare family meals, serve elaborate State Dinners, maintain the grounds, and much more. There is no such thing as a "typical" day in the White House. Explore the dedication and skills of the residence staff, their cohesion as a community, their special relationship with the first family, and their experiences as witnesses to the nation's history.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan

We the People: The White House

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The president of the United States serves as the chief executive and commander of the armed forces, all defined in Article II of the Constitution as the executive branch. Join a group of middle schoolers on a tour of Washington, D.C. as they learn about the Constitution and what it means to be "We the People." The "We the People" videos are produced in collaboration with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

Material Type: Lesson

International Trade

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As Adam Smith said, everyone lives by exchanging. They exchange—buy and sell—to make themselves better off. Does the same principle apply to international trade? Do nations benefit from importing and exporting? The November 2016 issue of Page One Economics explains the basics of international trade and its importance to the economy.

Material Type: Lesson, Reading

Author: Scott A. Wolla

Primarily Washington: Washington's Gateway to Pacific Northwest Primary Source Materials for Teachers and Students

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Primarily Washington is the Washington State Library, Washington State Archives, and Legacy Washington's way of bridging the gap between the primary sources in our collections and the classroom. The State Library's goals include actions to promote education and life-long learning, as well as connect Washingtonians to their history. This portal will contribute to these efforts by containing content that will consist of digitized primary sources that have been partnered with curriculm developed by Washington State teachers. There are also featured exhibits for further study by students and all others wishing to learn more about the history of the Pacific Northwest. Note: These primary sources include materials that reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times. These materials are presented as part of the historical record. Inclusion of these materials does not mean endorsement of or agreement with any views expressed. But they provide opportunities for examining multiple perspectives, generating discussions and comparing and contrasting points of view over time.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Primary Source

Authors: Washington State Archives, Washington State Library

Food & Culture of Pacific Northwest Natives

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This online lesson provides perspectives from Native American community members, images, objects, and other sources to help students and teachers understand the efforts of Native Nations of the Pacific Northwest to protect and sustain salmon, water, and homelands. Scroll to begin an exploration of the Pacific Northwest history and cultures.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Author: Native Knowledge 360

Human Geography: An open textbook for Advanced Placement

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Human Geography: An open textbook for Advanced Placement is aligned to the 2015  College Board course articulation for AP Human Geography. The purpose of  AP Human Geography is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth's surface. Students employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human social organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their science and practice.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Tracy Pitzer

BlackPast.org - Online Reference Center Resources

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BlackPast.org provides free access to documents, transcripts, timelines, videos, and lesson suggestions. With over 6,000 pages of information, BlackPast.org is the single largest free and unrestricted resource on African American and African history on the Internet today. Through this knowledge, the site aims to promote greater understanding to generate constructive change in our society.This resource highlights teacher-developed lessons for using BlackPast.org in the classroom and links to different sections of the BlackPast.org website.

Material Type: Lesson, Primary Source, Reading

Authors: Barbara Soots, Jerry Price, Washington OSPI OER Project, Jerry Price

Ancient Nubia - Unit Overview

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These educational videos provide an invaluable resource on Ancient Nubia for Middle and High School Ancient World History and Geography teachers and students. The video content aligns with Geography, Economics, Civics, and Historical Thinking Social Studies standards across the nation. Key concepts and inquiry skills from each content area weave seamlessly throughout the videos and associated lesson plans. This unit overview document links to developed resources on the Archeology in the Community site.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Unit of Study

Authors: Barbara Soots, Washington OSPI OER Project, Jerry Price

Grade 10 Inquiry: Columbus: An American Hero?

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This inquiry by Ryan Theodoriches, Evergreen Public Schools, is based on the C3 Framework inquiry arc. The inquiry leads students through an investigation of the decision by the federal government of the United States to honor Christopher Columbus with a federal holiday as well as efforts to challenge the view that Columbus should be revered as a national hero.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Authors: Barbara Soots, Washington OSPI OER Project, Jerry Price, Ryan Theodoriches

Unit Design: Tribes, Exploration, and Expansion

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The unit has two parts. In each, students dive into inquiry to answer the compelling questions: 1. Who are some of our closest tribal neighbors, and what have they been their lifeways since time immemorial? 2. Why do people explore, and how does this lead to expansion? Part 1 is focused on the examination of the northwest and some of the original inhabitants. Through these questions students will learn about the culture of some of their closest tribal neighbors, the Spokane Indians. The final project for Part 1 is a cultural investigation display, in which students will show what they know about the culture of the Spokane Tribe. In Part 2, Students will also learn about forces that brought change to the northwest: fur trade era and exploration. Students will ultimately learn about the Corps of Discovery and the Oregon Trail and know the impact each had on the west. Students will finish Part 2 with a timeline activity that will reflect choice and build upon student strengths according to their skill set. Finally, a lesson on a Tribe of the Columbia Plateau is offered as an extension, but it is strongly recommended that students get to experience this lesson. Note that the emphasis here is on the Spokane Tribe as one of our closest tribal neighbors. In no way is this an exhaustive study nor should the tribal cultures be generalized to other tribes of the region. We understand that each tribe in our region and North America was and continues to be unique in its culture, practices, lifeways, and traditions.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Assessment, Case Study, Diagram/Illustration, Interactive, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Primary Source, Reading, Simulation, Student Guide, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Author: Leslie Heffernan

Atlas of the Pacific Northwest

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This 2018 edition is the first to be released in a digital, fully-interactive format, designed to highlight facets of the Pacific Northwest landscape with novel approaches to data presentation. Where previous editions of the atlas were designed to ask and answer questions, this atlas serves as a platform for the geographically curious to explore the region, providing as many critical questions as it does critical answers. Beyond this page are maps of the familiar and the unfamiliar. Migration maps highlight human movement between the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the United States; a wildfire timeline chronicles the year-to-year spread of modern and historical fires; and the watershed guide abandons traditional political boundaries in favor of natural, hydrological borders. All data in the atlas were gathered from publically accessible sources, compiled using open-source software and coding libraries. This is an atlas designed to be open, responsive, and to satisfy the geographic curiosity of any and all interested.

Material Type: Data Set

Authors: Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University Libraries and Press

State We're In: Washington (3-5 Edition) Teacher Guide

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These Teacher Guides were developed by Washington educators to accompany the League of Women Voters of Washington's book The State We're In: Washington (Grade 3-5 Edition). Each chapter guide is  aligned with Washington Social Studies Learning Standards and includes a launch activity, focused notes, text-dependent questions, and an inquiry lesson developed using the C3 Framework. 

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Unit of Study

Authors: Barbara Soots, Washington OSPI OER Project, Jerry Price, OSPI Social Studies

How is being a citizen online like being one in real life?

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The inquiry helps students examine the responsibility of  being a citizen both in the real world and the online world. In answering the compelling question “How is being a citizen online the same as being one in real life?” students will identify the attitudes and actions necessary to be a good citizen. The unit offers 12 lessons with formative performance tasks for educators to choose from depending on the age and needs of their students. Each provides students with opportunities to collect evidence and an understanding of how online behavior and boundaries are comparable to those necessary in the real world. At the end of the inquiry, students create an explanation and identify examples of the correlation between online and real life communities.  Unit created by NCESD teachers: Sara Bedient, Sasha Dart, Brittany Jones, Krystina Nelson, Julia Spanjer, Keirstin Stansbury, Brittney Therriault   

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Anne Stewart, Sasha Dart, Sara Bedient, Krystina Nelson, Julie Spanjer, Brittney Therriault, Keirstin Stansbury