U.S. Government
Updated: April 8, 2002
2000 Census Data On-line - Grades 4-12 - The newest census data postings offer lots of opportunities for geography, mathematics, or social studies instruction. Figures are available in both HTML and spreadsheet formats, so students can manipulate, compare, and calculate using the actual data. Lots of lesson possibilities here.
The American Presidents - Grades 6-12 - Here's a compilation of information on all the American presidents. This metasite goes way beyond the basic biographical information, collecting information, as available, on all manner of details - personal and political. Great starting point for that research paper on President Polk.
Anatomy of a Murder - A look at the criminal justice system - Grades 6-12 - This Thinkquest site was created by students to provide an introduction to the judicial process and the way in which citizens are accused of and prosecuted for crimes.The information is factual, well-written, and provides a basic description of the events surrounding a criminal investigation and prosecution. This could serve as a good introduction to a study of judicial process and law enforcement.
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government - K-12 - This site from the Government Printing Office provides basic information on American government structure and law-making. Topics include the functions of state and federal governments, how laws are made, separation of powers, the Bill of Rights, and other fundamentals. The treatment is done at four different levels of complexity, and the elementary-level content could be a particularly useful first introduction to American government.
Biographies of the Presidents - Grades 4-12 - The White House web site includes short biographies of all the American presidents, suitable for introductory use or to compare presidencies. There are also a few facts about the presidents, presidential "firsts," and the various administration.
Civics Online - Grades 6-12 - This site, developed by a consortium including Michigan State University, offers an extensive on-line resource for teaching civics, government, and related topics. The heart of the site is its collection of primary source documents and images. Users can access these chronologically and by topic. Though the interface is a bit rough, this site is well worth a look, especially if you're interested in using primary resources.
Civics Timeline- Grades 9-12 - Here's a great chronological guide to primary documents and related materials. Ignore the user interface, which isn't particularly user-friendly. You'll eventually find your way to a huge collection of materials that students can use to see precisely who was saying what in American history. There's no interpretive material or other guidance. This is strictly a reference resource, but it's a good one.
Congressional Directory - Grades 4-12 - C-Span's congressional directory does a great job of providing member information including bios, committee and subcommittee assignments, and lots of other information for the house, senate, and executive branches of the federal government. This site is thorough enough for use by adults, and so easy to use that kids will have no trouble with it.
2001 Congressional Pictorial Directory - Grades 4-12 - The Government Printing Office's on-line Congressional "face book" offers images and short biographies of senators, representatives, and other government officials. Use them in reports, profiles, or for other research purposes.
Congressional Quarterly On-line - Grades 9-12 - The on-line edition of CQ offers up-to-the-minute "inside thebeltway" reporting on Congressional activities, pending legislation, and related news. Great resource for the political junkies in your class!
The Democracy Project - Kids' Edition - Grades 3-6 - PBS designed this site to provide information for upper elementary students on how a democracy works and affects daily lives. The presentation includes a number of well-developed lesson plans covering the various topics.
Core Documents of American Democracy - Grades 6-12 - This site is an entry point to the Government Printing Office's compilation of important U.S. historical documents. In addition to the obvious, there are specially annotated versions of the Constitution, as well as links to historical papers, presidential proclamations, and other historical resources.
The Capitol - An Interactive Tour - Grades 6-12 - Well, sort of. This site from the University of Virginia offers lots of images of artwork and statues in the U.S. Capitol, as well as additional references, but interactive 3D it isn't. Still, it's an interesting collection of images for those interested in a glimpse of what's inside.
Tour the U.S. Capitol - Grades 6-12 - This site from the Architect of the U.S. Capitol offers historical information as well as a collection of photos showing key features. There is also an "interactive tour," but the site navigation is complex enough that you should probably do some serious previewing before turning students loose on this one.
Election '98 - Grades 6-12 - This is the web site for the PBS series The Democracy Project. It offers a large selection of links to 1998 election information and materials, including lesson plans and classroom activities. This site is particularly strong in its coverage and analysis of accuracy in political advertising and campaign materials, with a number of resources created in cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communication. Good site for students interested in the media's role in elections or in analysis of political advertising.
Election Advertising Quality is the aim of the Campaign Quality Project at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. This site offers a series of reports on this year's election campaigns, the advertising tactics they are using, and public reactions to the candidates and the campaigns. Great resource for a high school discussion of political campaigns and advertising strategies.
First Amendment Schools - Grades 6-12 - The Freedom Forum's First Amendment site offers a variety of information about first amendment liberties, including this section on schools which have specific programs to teach about how first amendment freedoms work. This could be the basis for a discussion on government, discussions of diverging opinions, or how free societies manage controversial issues.
FirstGov for Kids - Grades 3-8 - This site offers one-stop surfing for federal agencies' offerings for younger students. The collection covers topics from government to ecology to physics, and the offering vary from very good to mediocre. Nonetheless, this is a convenient, safe starting point for students interested in working with government sources.
Web White & Blue - Grades 7-12 - The Markle Foundation created this site to present a starting point for examining political races and campaigns around the country. It includes links to the campaigns themselves, and also to organizations which track political campaign tactics and promises. Great site for students with an interest in politics.
Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections: 1932-1996 - Grades 6-12 - This is a large Abode Acrobat file (just over 3Mb) containing state by state and party by party election statistics for elections from 1932 to 1996. The file, which is intended to promote a book by the same name, can be viewed but not printed. Even so, it is an interesting and useful resource for students studying the history of U.S. elections or political parties. You can download the Adobe Acrobat reader from the TeachersFirst Toolbox.
Cast Your Vote! - Grades 6-12 - This is actually an introduction to statistics from the Annenberg Center's collection of web lessons. Its basis is a look at political polls and their actual meanings. Written at an introductory level, it provides basic discussions of sampling, probability, and reporting error. A good background for any study of statistics or election polling.
Congressional Biography Collection - Grades 6-12 - This is a database of biographical information on current and former members of Congress. The search engine enables users to retrieve text and limited images. The information is published by the Congress. Factual, concise, and easy to use.
Famous Trials of the Twentieth Century - Grades 9-12 - This collection was developed at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. While intended for college students, it presents a wealth of information on more than a dozen different high-profile 20th century court cases, including the Scopes trial. The site also includes references to other resources dealing with American courts in the 20th century.
FedWorld - Collection of links and searchable databases dealing with Federal activities. Good resource for "off the beaten path" federal information.
FinanceNet - FinanceNet is the Internet's home for public financial management worldwide. It was established by Vice President Gore's National Performance Review in Washington, D.C. in 1994 and is operated by the National Science Foundation (a Federal agency) under sponsorship of the U.S. Chief Financial Officers Council. FinanceNet reaches across geopolitical boundaries to link government financial management administrators, educators and taxpayers worldwide.
FirstGov - FirstGov is a federal government portal with a plus. In addition to offering links into most of the nooks and crannies of the federal government, FirstGov also links to relevant resources from the rest of the world. If you're looking for statistics, information, regulations, or related information - federal, state, or local - this is a great starting point.
The House of Representatives - The House home page contains links to member pages and biographies, committee links, House history, and procedural information.
The Democratic Party On-Line - Grades 6 and up - This is the Democrats' home page, with links to party positions and issues.
The Republican National Committee - Grades 6 and up - It's the Republicans on-line. The "school" section contains links to party history, platform, and issues statements.
Oyez, Oyez - A multimedia Supreme Court database developed at Northwestern University with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Includes case summaries indexed by name, date and subject, audio files of oral arguments, and biographies of Supreme Court justices. Audio files require RealAudio player, which is available in the TeachersFirst Toolbox.
The Supreme Court - Grades 6-12 - Though several law schools have maintained excellent Supreme Court sites for years, the Court now has its own site, containing dockets, decisions, historical information, and much more. This site is not written for students, so they may need help with some areas.
Supreme Court Justice Biographies - Grades 6-12 - This section of Northwestern University's Oyez Oyez site offers biographies of the nine Justices and background information on their voting styles and records.
Supreme Court Database - Grades 9-12 - This is Cornell University's Supreme Court site, containing decisions past and current, court schedules, biographical information, and decision analyses. The information is well organzed, though sometimes bit dense for young users.
The Senate - Home page for the Senate includes member biographies, Senate protocol and history, and related information.
Thomas Legislative Database - Maintained by the Library of Congress, Thomas contains information on the status of federal legislation, Federal Register, and daily schedules including committee meetings. Thomas is geared to provide current status on as much legislation as possible. Required reading for those studying American government.
State and Local Government Resources - Grades 6 and up - This collection from the Library of Congress includes links to state-specific govenment and legal information from a variety of official and independent sources. There are collections of state statutes, web site directories, state constitutions, and much more. Very useful resource for state history assignments or any study of state-specific government.
State and Local Governments - Grades 6 and up - Piperinfo's state government site offers a meta-index of each state's web presence. The results are generally only as good as the information offered by the states themselves, but this site can save tons of time in searching the sites for the precise information you're after.
Stately Knowlege - Grades 4-12 - This site from the Internet Public Library offers quick summaries about each of the 50 states: capital, state birds, flowers, etc., population, and other information. There are also additional links for those who need more information.
States and Capitals - Grades 3 and up - Another treatment of the basic information.
Each state has its own home page. This page is usually an entry point for additional information about that state. Select a state from the table below. Other state-specific resources are listed below.
Fifty States and Capitals - Grades 4-8 - All fifty states are listed in alpha order in files. Any information on and about the state is found in the files, with a link to the state’s web site. The site offers a wealth of information without having to go all over the Internet to find it. A great, great site to check out!! Anything about the state is listed here from well-known facts to small details and little known trivia. Excellent web site for research. The site includes maps by state or capital, and over 2300 state web sites are linked here. Commonwealths and territories are listed as well. From Weber Publications, Santa Clarita, CA.
Copyright
© 2001 by the Network for Instructional TV, Inc.
All rights reserved.
