Social Studies HS Guide

Digital Tools to Support Social Studies

Digital Tool

Overview

Inquiry & Primary Sources: Library of Congress

The Library of Congress provides millions of primary sources, lesson plans, maps, photographs, political cartoons, and teaching resources that support historical inquiry, evidence-based learning, and disciplinary literacy across all social studies courses. DocsTeach combines authentic historical documents with ready-to-use classroom activities that help students analyze primary sources, strengthen historical thinking skills, and build evidence-based arguments. Formerly the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG), Digital Inquiry Group offers inquiry-based history lessons, Civic Online Reasoning resources, and media literacy activities that help students evaluate evidence and analyze sources. OER Project provides free inquiry-based curriculum, engaging videos, readings, and instructional resources that support World History while promoting historical thinking and student-centered learning. iCivics provides interactive games, lesson plans, webquests, and primary source activities that help students understand government, constitutional principles, civic participation, and the responsibilities of citizenship. The National Constitution Center offers interactive lessons, constitutional resources, primary sources, and multiple perspectives that help students explore the Constitution, landmark Supreme Court cases, and civic reasoning.

National Archives DocsTeach

Digital inquiry Group (DIG)

OER Project

Civics & Government: iCivics

National Constitution Center

Geography & Data: Google Earth

Google Earth allows students to virtually explore locations around the world while investigating geography, historical events, migration, human-environment interaction, and cultural landscapes through interactive maps and imagery.

ArcGIS Online

ArcGIS Online is an interactive mapping platform that enables