Websites and Videos For Every Social Studies Lesson

I’ve rounded up the best websites, videos, and digital web resources for students that you can use in your Social Studies lessons. And they’re all totally free!

We live in a digital world.

Let’s be honest. Like it or not, we do live in a digital world. In most cases, our students are more tech-savvy than we are, try as we might. They are more likely to engage with online resources than paper resources. Digital resources increase their engagement and interest.

We have the opportunity to equip and train our students to safely navigate the web.

Rather than hiding from the web and digital world, we can embrace it because it’s clearly not going anywhere. When we partner with students as they explore the digital realm of the world, we can provide the guidance and tools they need to learn to navigate it safely.

We can experience more than ever before.

Kids have access to see, listen to, and read about more than ever before. We can use that to our advantage!

For example, did you know that the ruts in the ground from covered wagon wheels are still visible today in some places? There is a video showing students what the Oregon Trail looks like today. Without the web, students would never get to see these ruts that are still around after hundreds of years.

In another example, the web can bring guest speakers into your classroom that you might otherwise never get to meet. Google' Earth’s “Celebrating Indigenous Languages” feature will bring linguistics to life in a way that reading about foreign words in a book never could.

We can teach our students to find a healthy balance.

Don’t get me wrong - this post isn’t advocating for increased screen time in the classroom. Instead, the encouragement is to consider how we can use what’s available on the web to make more meaningful engagements face-to-face.

What does that mean? Take the Google Earth example shared above. You wouldn’t just share that feature in isolation. You could have students explore in small groups, and then turn and talk about what they learned. They could share about diversity in their family and languages spoken in their homes. The online tool then becomes a catalyst for relationship-building and meaningful conversation.

Ready to get rolling?
Dive into the lists below to explore websites and videos for students for your Social Studies lessons.
Be sure to bookmark this page as it will be updated over time.