Social Science

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 Evaluation Scale (scale 0 = not applicable, 1= not recommended, 2 = fair, 3 = good and 4 = excellent) 

Description of Content:   This on-line program has between 15 to 18 questions per content area, so the Social Studies section has the five content areas of history, geography, economics, political science and behavioral science.  The questions within the content areas require the thinking skills of comprehension, application, analysis, and evaluation and are reflective of a typical pre or post-test. 

Navigation and Structure:   Navigation of the site was somewhat frustrating in that you had to answer a question, check your answer, go to summary and then go back in order to answer another question.  Sometimes you could go to answer a question after simply checking it, but this was not the norm.  The on-screen help of checking the answers is valuable, and the explanations were at a level appropriate to the skills level of the student. 

Instructional Applications:   This site could be used with students who are at the tail end of their studies.   It would be good for students who like answering questions that are reflective of GED content and knowledge and who like getting immediate feedback.  It could be used to reinforce prior knowledge of a student and to improve self-confidence at the end of their studies if they have mastered a subject.  

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Evaluation Scale (scale 0 = not applicable, 1= not recommended, 2 = fair, 3 = good and 4 = excellent) 

 Description of Content:   This software is designed for an in-depth study of History.  The teacher can decide what region or continent to study in addition to what time period.  The program covers basic American, World, and European History, in addition to regional areas such as Africa, East Asia, Latin America, Middle East, and South and East Asia.  The program consists of reviews and tests, writing activities, document-based questions and projects, graded practice tests, glossary terms, chapter overviews, time lines and chronology, reference maps and biographies.  There is a remedial component that has easy to read selections with practice tests and mini lessons. 

Navigation and Structure:   This program is very user friendly both for teachers and for students.  Teachers and students have many choices and options to choose from within the program.  For instance, a teacher can make an assignment and the students can decide in what format they want to learn the lesson.  The program has easy to follow outlines and the structure is easy to navigate.  

Instructional Applications:   This program can be used for class participation or individual instruction.  It would be ideal for high school or middle school as an aid in classroom instruction.  The American History section could be very beneficial in helping with a Citizenship class.  This program is more in-depth than is needed for GED programs and most students would opt for more generalized study. 

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Evaluation Scale (scale 0 = not applicable, 1= not recommended, 2 = fair, 3 = good and 4 = excellent) 

Description of Content:   Excellent, provoking, offensive, diabolical, sadly truthful, and hilarious political cartoons will keep your students in class reading and discussing American political and contemporary culture, events, and ideas. 

Navigation and Structure:   Cartoons are well organized with graphical links to topics.  Students can also use the search engine to find other cartoon topics.  Teachers may want to study the Teacher Guide and Teacher’s Tour of the Index for ideas on how to use this site.  Cartoons are printed easily or can be e-mailed for use in class assignments. 

Instructional Applications:    Online handouts will help students interact with this website in scavenger hunts, tic tac toe, and cartoon bingo as they infer the artists’ meaning and opinions and interpret symbolism in political cartoons.  Students can also use cartoons to inspire writing assignments. 

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 Evaluation Scale (scale 0 = not applicable, 1= not recommended, 2 = fair, 3 = good and 4 = excellent) 

Description of Content:   EBSCOlearn is an online service that students may access via the Internet.  The Online Reader is a reading comprehension program designed to improve students' standardized test scores.  This program uses a variety of magazine articles, each accompanied by a test, to help students demonstrate literal or initial understanding, interpret passages, apply critical analysis, and utilize reading strategies.  Teachers assign topics based on grade level and content area. 

The EBSCOlearn package provides 3,600 reading assignments from all curriculum areas.  These assignments come from the Learning Online Package!  The articles are from outstanding resources:  News and World Report, Ranger Rick, Scientific American, Biography, and National Wildlife.  The product is a great way to provide teaching across the curriculum. 

Besides the EBSCOlearn package, the service also offers The Curriculum Reference Product Line.   This database gives a teacher access to over 38,300 articles in numerous areas:  Civics Collection, 7,500 full text articles; Earth & Space Science Database, over 7,700 full text articles; Language Arts Collection, over 6,100 full text articles; Physical Science Collection, over 7,000 full text articles; and World History Database, over 9,200 full text articles.  It appears that these articles are not ones that are assigned via Internet, but they can be accessed by the teacher, printed, and used in class.  It is a library at your fingertips.   

Navigation and Structure:  Teachers access the Internet via a teacher management site.  There they may search the database for articles based on specific grade level or content area.  Students may then, in turn, access these assignments via the Internet at school, home, the library, or even the South Pole!  A step-by-step sheet of directions needs to be provided to the student for easy access.  Tech support has been good since the service is interested in getting feedback from adult literacy personnel. 

Instructional Applications:   Although the lexile range is from 250 to 1300 (grade level 1 to 12), it appears that most articles begin at 520 (level 3) and above.  This program is a great way to introduce students to the Internet.  Students may work in pairs or individually if they are in the classroom.   Many ESL students enjoy the product because the Internet is the way in which they communicate with those in their homeland, so some are quite comfortable with it.  Once again the product engages the student in many forms of learning.  They become much more active learners.  

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 Evaluation Scale (scale 0 = not applicable, 1= not recommended, 2 = fair, 3 = good and 4 = excellent)