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Have you ever taught a math lesson that seemed to be going well-with students active, engaged and producing the right answers-but when you ask kids to explain the reasoning behind their work, they clam up or veer off on a tangent?It happens to the best of us, which is why it's so important to be intentional with our questioning and to think about not only the types of questions we are asking but also the pattern in which we're asking them.

Below we've rounded up eight tips to help you focus your questioning and, by doing so, deepen students' mathematical reasoning.

Don't let "information gathering" questions dominate your lesson.

These are answer-seeking questions such as "What is the formula for finding the area of a rectangle?" "When you write an equation, what does the equal sign tell you?" While these questions have their time and place (they help to establish what students know), they don't reveal higher-order thinking or reasoning.

Ask probing questions that require students to explain, elaborate or clarify their thinking.

This includes articulating the steps they took to solve a problem or complete a task. For example, "As you drew the number line, what decisions did you make so that you could represent seven-fourths on it?" "Can you show and explain more about how you used a table to find the answer?"

(Source: Minds in Bloom)

Give students adequate time to respond.

Research has shown that we often give students less than five seconds to answer a question in math class! When we move so quickly, we lose the chance to see how students are making sense of mathematics.

Ask students to make the mathematics visible.

By this we mean discussing the connections between mathematical ideas and relationships. For example, "How does that array relate to multiplication and division?" "In what ways might the normal distribution apply to this situation?"

Encourage reflection and justification.

These questions reveal deeper understanding of students' reasoning and actions, including making an argument for the validity of their work. For example, "How might you prove that 51 is the solution?" "How do you know that the sum of two odd numbers will always be even?"

(Source:@TEACHHEATH)
Avoid "funneling" the conversation.

This means landing on a desired conclusion in advance and giving little attention to student responses that veer from the desired path. You may be focused on students arriving at a particular answer, for example, or using a certain strategy to the exclusion of others. In a funneling question pattern, the focus is often on information gathering with one or two higher-order questions at the end.

Try "focusing" your questions instead.

While funneling question patterns are rigid and preset, focusing questions attend to students' needs and are open to being investigated in multiple ways. A focusing question pattern blends information gathering, probing, reflection and justification. It involves asking students what they notice and encouraging them to communicate their thoughts clearly.

This video case study shows the difference between funneling and focusing questions in action.

Encourage students to ask questions of one another.

It is much easier to facilitate a focusing question pattern when you are not the only one in the room directing conversation. Encourage students to support, challenge and question one another. For example, "Why do you think that?" "Could you have solved the problem in a different way?"

You may find that students' own questions take the conversation to a level you never imagined reaching!

(Source: Making Shift Happen)

This article is adapted from the NCTM publication Principles to Actions: Ensuring Mathematical Success for All.

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8 Ways to Pose Better Questions in Math Class - We Are Teachers

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It's so important to be intentional and to think about not only the types of math questions we are asking but also the pattern in which we're asking them.

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Talking about math helps elementary students deepen their understanding. Use these three tips to get the conversation started.

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Mastering ‘Silent e’ and Becoming More Fluent with Michael, Third Grader

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Explicit Vocabulary Instruction with Anita Archer

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At a glance

Working memory is like a temporary sticky note in the brain.

It's a skill that lets us work with information without losing track of what we're doing.

Kids and adults who learn and think differently often struggle with working memory.

Working memory is one of the brain's executive functions. It's a skill that allows us to work with information without losing track of what we're doing.

Think of working memory as a temporary sticky note in the brain. It holds new information in place so the brain can work with it briefly and connect it with other information.

For example, in math class, working memory lets kids "see" in their head the numbers the teacher is saying. They might not remember any of these numbers by the next class or even 10 minutes later. But that's OK. Working memory has done its short-term job by helping them tackle the task at hand.

Working memory isn't just for short-term use. It also helps the brain organize new information for long-term storage. When people have trouble with working memory, the brain may store information in a jumbled way. Or it may not store it for the long term at all.

Sometimes, what may look like trouble with working memory is actually an attention issue: The information was never put into the brain's storage system in the first place. Learn more about the differences between attention and working memory.

Dive deeper

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Working memory is an executive function skill that lets us hold on to new information so the brain can briefly work with it and connect it to other information.

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By NCTM President Linda M. Gojak
NCTM Summing Up, January 8, 2013

"It has been a long trip," said Milo, climbing onto the couch where the princesses sat; "but we would have been here much sooner if I hadn't made so many mistakes. I'm afraid it's all my fault."

"You must never feel badly about making mistakes," explained Reason quietly, "as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do by being right for the wrong reasons."
― Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

How often do our students consider their mistakes to be signs of failure? How many students, as well as parents, believe that the goal of learning mathematics is solely to get the correct answer? How often, on arriving at an answer, do students believe their thinking about the problem is finished? In The Phantom Tollbooth, author Norton Juster offers a valuable contrasting perspective:

Just as Reason explains to Milo, students can use their mistakes as learning opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of the mathematics that they are doing-although we may need to help them along the way.

Can you recall an experience when an important mistake helped you to understand an idea or a skill that was not clear? For me, it was learning to sail. I took a sailing class in the adult education program at our local high school. No matter how many times I read the explanation, I could not understand the difference between a "tack" and a "jibe"-two methods of turning a boat-one much safer than the other. Later, while sailing on Teachers' Pet, a 22-foot sloop, a heavy wind came up. We needed to head back to the dock. I called out the warning "hard-a lee" as I prepared to tack. Before I realized my mistake, the wind hurled the boom and the mainsail across the cockpit. It was too late. I had pushed the tiller in the wrong direction. Luckily, no one was hurt. Only after this hands-on experience did I clearly understand the sailing phrase "turning on the wind," the description of tacking that I had read so many times in the textbook. I never confused a jibe with a tack again! I often share this story with my students after telling them they have made an important mistake. I know they don't understand all of the nuances of sailing, but I suspect they know I had learned something important by making that mistake many years ago.

Helping students to learn from their mathematical mistakes can give us insight into their misconceptions and, depending on our instructional reactions, can enable them to develop deeper understanding of the mathematics they are learning. Meaningful assistance encompasses more than fixing a careless error related to poor study habits, such as misreading directions, miscopying a numeral, or forgetting a sign. Although we can easily and explicitly address careless errors in our instruction, it can be more challenging-but potentially much more rewarding-to address errors that fall into the special category of productive mistakes. These are the mistakes that have the potential to promote rich learning.

How we respond to productive errors can encourage or discourage student thinking and learning. As you reflect on your own instructional practice, which of the following describes your response to productive errors?

Do you-

assign a smaller number of carefully selected problems, with the expectation of having students devote more time to reasoning and making sense, rather than requiring them to go through the full litany of exercises found in the text?

ask students to explain their reasoning about whether an answer is correct or incorrect?

take the time to analyze students' errors, both written and oral, to determine misconceptions that students might have and how you can address those misconceptions?

follow productive errors with probing questions that offer students different approaches for reflecting on their thinking, or do you simply mark errors as wrong and demonstrate the "right way" to do the tasks?

provide students with mathematical tasks that-

allocate sufficient class time to discuss students' strategies and thinking?

explicitly work to persuade students and parents that mathematics is more than getting the correct answers?

As you strive to implement standards designed to ensure that students master mathematical practices and mathematical content-whether they are the Common Core or your own state or provincial standards-remember that how you respond to"good" mistakes has the potential to discourage students or to help them become more confident in their ability to do mathematics. This new confidence can transform student attitudes toward learning mathematics.

Along the way, you can share some examples of mistakes that have changed the world. Some of the more notable "mistakes" include Coca-Cola, sticky notes, rubber tires, chocolate chip cookies, and penicillin. You never know what the next great mistake may be!

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The Power of a Good Mistake - National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

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Linda M. Gojak How often do our students consider their mistakes to be signs of failure? How many students, as well as parents, believe that the goal of learning mathematics is solely to get the correct answer? How often, on arriving at an answer, do students believe their thinking about the problem is finished?

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This section addresses the critical questions of how to properly assess and place English language learners (ELLs) at the school-wide and classroom level.

To see our other topics related to assessment, visit the following sections:

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Assessment for English Language Learners

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This section addresses the critical questions of how to properly assess and place English language learners (ELLs) at the school-wide and classroom level. To see our other topics related to assessment, visit the following sections:

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Checks for UnderstandingPartner PracticeGroup Practice - The Teacher Toolkit

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Established in September 1999, the Bill of Rights Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that works to engage, educate, and empower individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society. The Institute develops educational resources and programs for a network of more than 50,000 educators and 70,000 students nationwide.

Through the Bill of Rights Institute I have been able to learn new skills, obtain vast knowledge, travel to the site of historical events, discuss history with scholars, and acquire quality teaching materials to use in my classroom.

- Bev Lucas, Government & U.S. History Teacher, Wichita, Kansas

I have learned so much about individual and economic freedom. Perhaps more importantly, I learned why it is critical to maintain them. Our Constitution is a gift from our Founders that resonates with modern society far more than many may realize.

- Razi Lane, 2014 Constitutional Academy Alumni

The lessons and resources I received from the Bill of Rights Institute will immediately be integrated into my classroom. My students already love Bill of Rights Institute lessons because they are interactive and thought-provoking.

- Julie Conrady, Government Teacher, Norman, Oklahoma

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Keep up with the latest Institute news, programs, resources, and events Established in September 1999, the Bill of Rights Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that works to engage, educate, and empower individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society.

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The delegates had been tasked by Congress with amending the Articles of Confederation; however, they soon began deliberating proposals for an entirely new form of government. After intensive debate, which continued throughout the summer of 1787 and at times threatened to derail the proceedings, they developed a plan that established three branches of national government-executive, legislative and judicial. A system of checks and balances was put into place so that no single branch would have too much authority. The specific powers and responsibilities of each branch were also laid out.

Among the more contentious issues was the question of state representation in the national legislature. Delegates from larger states wanted population to determine how many representatives a state could send to Congress, while small states called for equal representation. The issue was resolved by the Connecticut Compromise, which proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation of the states in the lower house ( House of Representatives) and equal representation in the upper house (Senate).

Another controversial topic was slavery. Although some northern states had already started to outlaw the practice, they went along with the southern states' insistence that slavery was an issue for individual states to decide and should be kept out of the Constitution. Many northern delegates believed that without agreeing to this, the South wouldn't join the Union. For the purposes of taxation and determining how many representatives a state could send to Congress, it was decided that enslaved people would be counted as three-fifths of a person. Additionally, it was agreed that Congress wouldn't be allowed to prohibit the slave trade before 1808, and states were required to return fugitive enslaved people to their owners.

By September 1787, the convention's five-member Committee of Style (Hamilton, Madison, William Samuel Johnson of Connecticut, Gouverneur Morris of New York, Rufus King of Massachusetts) had drafted the final text of the Constitution, which consisted of some 4,200 words. On September 17, George Washington was the first to sign the document. Of the 55 delegates, a total of 39 signed; some had already left Philadelphia, and three-George Mason (1725-92) and Edmund Randolph (1753-1813) of Virginia, and Elbridge Gerry (1744-1813) of Massachusetts-refused to approve the document. In order for the Constitution to become law, it then had to be ratified by nine of the 13 states.

James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, with assistance from John Jay, wrote a series of essays to persuade people to ratify the Constitution. The 85 essays, known collectively as "The Federalist" (or "The Federalist Papers"), detailed how the new government would work, and were published under the pseudonym Publius (Latin for "public") in newspapers across the states starting in the fall of 1787. (People who supported the Constitution became known as Federalists, while those opposed it because they thought it gave too much power to the national government were called Anti-Federalists.)

Beginning on December 7, 1787, five states- Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia and Connecticut-ratified the Constitution in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document, as it failed to reserve un-delegated powers to the states and lacked constitutional protection of basic political rights, such as freedom of speech, religion and the press.

In February 1788, a compromise was reached under which Massachusetts and other states would agree to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would be immediately proposed. The Constitution was thus narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789. George Washington was inaugurated as America's first president on April 30, 1789. In June of that same year, Virginia ratified the Constitution, and New York followed in July. On February 2, 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court held its first session, marking the date when the government was fully operative.

Rhode Island, the last holdout of the original 13 states, finally ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790.

In 1789, Madison, then a member of the newly established U.S. House of Representatives, introduced 19 amendments to the Constitution. On September 25, 1789, Congress adopted 12 of the amendments and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of these amendments, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, were ratified and became part of the Constitution on December 10, 1791. The Bill of Rights guarantees individuals certain basic protections as citizens, including freedom of speech, religion and the press; the right to bear and keep arms; the right to peaceably assemble; protection from unreasonable search and seizure; and the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury. For his contributions to the drafting of the Constitution, as well as its ratification, Madison became known as "Father of the Constitution."

To date, there have been thousands of proposed amendments to the Constitution. However, only 17 amendments have been ratified in addition to the Bill of Rights because the process isn't easy-after a proposed amendment makes it through Congress, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states. The most recent amendment to the Constitution, Article XXVII, which deals with congressional pay raises, was proposed in 1789 and ratified in 1992.

In the more than 200 years since the Constitution was created, America has stretched across an entire continent and its population and economy have expanded more than the document's framers likely ever could have envisioned. Through all the changes, the Constitution has endured and adapted.

The framers knew it wasn't a perfect document. However, as Benjamin Franklin said on the closing day of the convention in 1787: "I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such, because I think a central government is necessary for us... I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain may be able to make a better Constitution." Today, the original Constitution is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Constitution Day is observed on September 17, to commemorate the date the document was signed.

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U.S. Constitution: Articles, Ratifying & Summary

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The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution The Preamble outlines the Constitution's purpose and guiding principles. It reads: The Bill of Rights were 10 amendments guaranteeing basic individual protections, such as freedom of speech and religion, that became...

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It's never been easier for students to create fun and engaging videos to show off their knowledge! There are a lot of terrific video programs out there, including one of our favorites, WeVideo. Their easy-to-use editing tools and classroom-ready templates make it simple for kids of all ages to assemble impressive videos on any topic. We've rounded up 25 video project ideas for your students to try. You're going to love the results!

General Video Projects

Use these video project ideas for any subject or grade. They're easy to personalize and a lot more fun than writing a paper every time.

Student portfolios offer a chance to document learning and growth throughout the school year. Use the easy template to help kids create and customize their own video portfolios in a snap.

Keeping a journal offers students a way to record and reflect on their thoughts and experiences. An online version is called a blog, while a video version is known as a vlog. Encourage students to record new videos on a regular basis as they document their experiences throughout the school year.

Here's another fun video option that works for so many subjects. Students can create a broadcast for a historical event, to document the events in a book, or to report on a scientific discovery. Or have kids make up their own news stories for a creative twist.

True understanding means taking time to reflect on what they're learning. Instead of just reciting dates, ask kids to reflect on how historical events make them feel, or relate history to current events going on around them now. Don't just read a book-go deeper to make emotional connections. Videos allow students to talk through their reflections, something that's easier for many kids than writing.

This is such a fun way to learn to use video-editing programs! Students complete the actions on a checklist, like showcasing their bedroom, introducing their pet, or fixing their favorite snack. Then, they use video editing to add a little flash before sharing it with the class. Find the checklist here.

Instead of writing a paper, ask students to make a video of their research project. This way, they can share not only what they learned but how they learned it. Easily incorporate media, interviews, music, and more, and then share their projects in an online portfolio for everyone to see.

Language Arts Video Projects

Give new life to book reports, write and film stories, create a commercial, and more with these language arts video project ideas!

Forget ordinary reports- this template will help kids make engaging videos that show off their knowledge instead!

Crafting their own commercial is a really terrific way for students to practice persuasive writing. They can choose an existing product or start by inventing a brand-new "must-have" item for their project.

This is another clever spin on ordinary book reports, presented in the form of a book review. Have each student choose a book to read and review. Remember, it's OK if they don't wind up liking the book! The important thing is to read, summarize, and then share their thoughts in a video.

Make short videos to help others learn new vocab terms, in English or in foreign languages. It's much easier to remember that la naranja means "orange" when you see someone peeling a piece of fruit as they speak it for you. And it can be a lot of fun coming up with creative ways to demonstrate tricky words like "ephemeral" or "procrastinate."

Read-alouds are fun for little kids to watch, but they're even more fun for older students to create! Have students choose a beloved picture book, then use this template to create a read-aloud video. ( Check out some of our favorites for inspiration.)

Giving clear and concise instructions is a key life skill, but it takes some practice. Ask students to make instructional videos on any topic they like, being sure to include enough detail that someone watching would be able to copy their method and receive similar results. It's harder than they think!

Green screen effects allow students to put themselves into any background they like. Once they've mastered the green screen, challenge them to use it to film a story or play they've written. It's creative writing brought to life!

Sounds, photos, and music are all capable of evoking emotion, though not everyone reacts the same in all cases. Assign students an emotion, then ask them to use various forms of media to try to evoke that emotion in the viewer. Encourage them to focus on image and sound rather than words.

STEM and Social Studies Video Projects

Show off their love of science, technology, engineering, and math with these clever video ideas for all ages!

Understanding and putting the scientific method into practice is a key part of hands-on science activities. Have kids record a video to sum up their project, demonstrating each step of the method along the way.

Kids love to ask, "But when are we gonna use this in real life?" In this video exploration, they'll find out. Students come up with a real-world math situation, then show it in practice. You can use this concept with all sorts of math topics. Think money and decimals, figuring area, calculating taxes, and so much more.

Use stop-motion videos to explain scientific processes, with simple animations recorded one frame at a time. This technique can add a cool touch to science project videos.

Encourage your students to make their thinking visible by screencasting as they work their way through a math or science problem. Watching other kids work through a process can help all students better understand the topic.

Travel the world without leaving home by creating a virtual field trip video using Google Earth. Insert photos, street views, music, and more to make a geography lesson into a real adventure.

Turn a history report into a personalized experience by asking kids to film "A Day in the Life" of their subject. It could be an Egyptian pharaoh, Napoleon Bonaparte, or Aztecs living in Mexico before the Europeans arrived. This is one of those video project ideas that works for any place and time.

School Community Video Projects

Use these ideas to get the word out about exciting happenings, on campus and off!

Morning announcements have come a long way since the days of scratchy PA snippets full of feedback. It's easy to put together beautiful and engaging video announcements using this template instead.

Introduce a new teacher, celebrate a student of the month, or learn more about school support staff by making a Q&A video. This template provides examples of questions to ask, making the interview process easy and fun.

Build excitement for the upcoming talent show, fundraiser, or pep rally with an event promo. These are perfect for sharing on social media for the whole community to see! Get the template here.

Tackle important topics like recycling, safety, health, and more by making PSAs. Students are more likely to listen to their peers than to yet another adult "telling them what to do." Create a list of possible topics, or ask them to brainstorm issues that are important school-wide.

Lots of schools have replaced homeroom with morning meetings. Asking kids to lead these meetings can provide valuable learning opportunities, but it's really hard for some students to speak up in front of others. Let them lead a morning meeting via video instead, using this simple template.

Love these video project ideas? Get more at WeVideo and learn how to make video creation part of your classroom.

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25 Creative Video Project Ideas Your Students Will Love

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It's never been easier for students to create fun and engaging videos to show off their knowledge! There are a lot of terrific video programs out there, including one of our favorites, WeVideo. Their easy-to-use editing tools and classroom-ready templates make it simple for kids of all ages to assemble impressive videos on any topic.

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Funding for Mission US is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities; U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences; U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Japanese American Confinement Sites Grant Program; Janet Prindle Seidler; The Page & Otto Marx, Jr.

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Copy of Digital Daily 5 Slides With Timers (UPDATED Jan. 2024)

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10 Best Science Tools for Elementary | Common Sense Education

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10 Best Science Tools for Elementary is a list of 10 apps, games, and websites curated by Common Sense Education editors.

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Accommodations for Students with Dyslexia.pdf

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Watch NOVA videos on demand. Stream full episodes online.

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HOW TO TEACH ONLINE - 5 Steps to Start Online Teaching for Beginners 💻

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Virtual field trips are a game changer. Not only do they fill in for real field trips when budgets and other roadblocks prevent in-person options, but virtual field trips also open doors to educational experiences all over the country and the world, both past and present. No fundraising or permission slips required!

(Note: For anyone who needs it, YouTube offers a closed-captioning option. Just click the CC button in the bottom right-hand corner.)

Amazon Career Tours are free virtual field trips that inspire students to pursue careers of the future. Tour whenever, wherever on Kahoot! Each tour comes with a Teacher Toolkit that includes a facilitation guide and student worksheets.

2. The Zoo

There are so many amazing online options when it comes to zoos that we couldn't narrow it down to just one. Most zoos have live webcams in some of their most popular exhibits, such as the KC Zoo Polar Bear Cam and the Giant Panda Cam at Smithsonian's National Zoo. However, some zoos offer a more in-depth look. You'll definitely want to check out the San Diego Zoo as their site for kids includes behind-the-scenes videos and stories, as well as a variety of printable activities and online games. Check out our full list of virtual zoo goodness.

3. The Aquarium

It's a similar story with aquariums. You have your pick of live webcams, but our favorites are the Georgia Aquarium's Ocean Voyager webcam (wait for the whale shark!) and the "Jelly Cam" at Monterey Bay Aquarium (so soothing). The Seattle Aquarium even has a 30-minute video tour. Want more under-the-sea fun? Here's our ultimate list of virtual aquarium field trips.

4. The Farm

The classic preschool field trip goes online! You can have your pick of dairy farm field trips, but we like this one from the Dairy Alliance and this one from Stonyfield Organic. Farm Food 360 gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in Canadian farm and food tours-from raising pigs to making milk and cheese. We're also loving these virtual egg farm field trips from the American Egg Board.

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5. An Art Museum

We found 20 art museums with virtual tours, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art's # MetKids and its awesome Where's Waldo? setup. And you can't miss the world-famous Louvre in Paris (no passport needed!). Check out the current virtual tours: Traveling Materials and Objects, the Advent of the Artist, the Body in Movement, and Founding Myths: From Hercules to Darth Vader!

6. A National Park

From webcams at Hawaii volcanoes to a virtual run along the rim of the Grand Canyon, you have tons of options here. Our top pick would have to be Yellowstone. The interactive maps are a great way to see the Mammoth Hot Springs and Mud Volcano, but we think kids will be psyched about the Old Faithful Geyser livestream and the opportunity to make their own predictions for its next eruption. Check out everything the National Park Service has to offer virtually.

7. A Planetarium

Through Stellarium Web, kids can explore over 60,000 stars, locate planets, and watch sunrises and solar eclipses. If you enter your location, you can see all the constellations that are visible in the night sky in your corner of the world.

Take your students on a virtual field trip of a recycling center and a modern landfill. Plus, there's a full-on curriculum that includes lesson plans, take-home handouts, and more.

Nickelodeon teamed up with two astronauts on the International Space Station to demonstrate how slime reacts to microgravity and had kids reproduce those same demonstrations back here on Earth. It makes for an amazing 15-minute virtual field trip.

The Nature Conservancy has a brand-new virtual field trip entitled "You're the Scientist! Citizen Science, Frogs & Cicadas." Check out their full library of videos on topics like climate change and water security.

Discovery Education hosts a variety of virtual events -each with a companion guide with hands-on learning activities. Current offerings include "Making a New Life: The Courage of a Refugee" and "The Future Is Now" (architectural and engineering innovations). Stay tuned for their upcoming civics virtual field trip, "The American Ideal."

This virtual field trip from Great Lakes Now has three components: coastal wetlands, algae, and lake sturgeon. Each video is a quick five minutes long.

Explore online exhibits and discover the history and evolution of play. Check out board games that changed play, sports video games that shaped digital play, and the making of Monopoly to name a few.

Kids can learn about the most recent Census and how census data is collected and used. This virtual field trip also features interviews with subject matter experts and an interactive challenge.

The "Museum of We the People," the Constitution Center serves as a "headquarters for civic education." Check out the Interactive Constitution section, and be sure to watch the virtual tour.

Houston, we have a virtual field trip. Three, actually. All with companion educator guides. The star of the show is the behind-the-scenes tour of the Johnson Space Center.

Boise State put together this fully interactive virtual field trip with text, photos, audio, and video about the history of music. The four featured music locations are: Vienna, Austria; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia.

This living-history museum provides a look into life in an early American community. The website offers five different webcams featuring areas such as the tavern and the armory.

This virtual experience of George Washington's home is incredibly well done. Enter the different buildings-from the opulent mansion to the chilling slave quarters-and click on different items for video and text explanations.

This virtual tour comes with a real tour guide! Blaine Kortemeyer is the Assistant Chief of Interpretation and Education, who lends his expertise on the building of this national monument. The 3D Explorer is also an excellent tool.

Take a visit to the National WWII Museum for "a cross-country virtual expedition to discover the science, sites, and stories of the creation of the atomic bomb." Don't forget to download the classroom guide!

For a look inside the iconic building, check out the 360° tour of some of the most historic rooms of the People's House, from the Situation Room to the Oval Office. Examine each room and check out the contents up close.

The National Museum of Natural History's virtual experiences are self-guided, room-by-room tours of permanent, current, and past exhibits. Be sure to send kids to the second floor Bone Hall so they can take a look at all different kinds of skeletons.

A collaboration with over 1,200 leading museums and archives, Google Arts & Culture is an incredible storehouse of monumental works of art. We recommend the Street View and Play sections.

Boasting the world's largest collection of 360° image videos, 360 Cities provides kids with the opportunity to see stunning panoramas across the globe, including their video of the ice floe on the Vistula River in Poland.

It's the official residence of the Queen of England, and boy, is it opulent! Get a peek inside the gorgeous Grand Staircase, White Drawing Room, Throne Room, and Blue Drawing Room.

See one of the wonders of the world with this amazing, thousands-year-old fortification system known the world over. This virtual tour has four scenes available (you have to pay to get access to all 14). The bird's-eye view of Mutianyu pass is a highlight.

Most of us recognize the giant stone statues of Easter Island, but what's the story behind them? Nova's online adventure "Secrets of Easter Island" delves into the mystery with a virtual tour.

National Geographic lets you explore the world's largest cave, located in Vietnam. Use the interactive map to enjoy the fully immersive experience (sound on!).

You don't need a time machine! Discovering Ancient Egypt has a ton of free resources, but it's the interactive pyramid map and 3D temple reconstructions that really give it a field trip feel.

Virtually visit Turn Back the Clock, a museum exhibit that ran for two years at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Through compelling personal stories, innovative interactive media, and pop culture artifacts, the exhibit takes guests through seven decades of history-from the dawn of the nuclear age to significant policy questions our leaders face today.

No, really! You can absolutely "go" to the red planet. With Access Mars, you can see the actual surface of Mars, recorded by NASA's Curiosity rover. Trust us-don't skip the intro. And if your kids liked that, check out this 4K tour of the moon. These may go down in history as some of the best virtual field trips your students get to experience.

Take a virtual tour of this historical battleship located on the Camden waterfront. This battleship has traveled more miles than any other!

No need to travel to Rome! Take in the amazing art and architecture located in the Vatican Museums with these 360-degree views.

Download the app and climb aboard the virtual tram line! Take a virtual walk through the Space Center Houston with informational stops along the way.

Virtually visit museum rooms in the famous Louvre located in Paris. Even check out The Louvre kids' site for student-friendly galleries and stories. You can't visit The Louvre without seeing the Mona Lisa, so check out their immersive Mona Lisa experience available in the app store.

This interactive tour of Ellis Island lets students explore places like the Baggage Room and the Stairs of Separation through short stories, historical photographs, videos, and audio clips. Students can also hear the stories of real kids who recently immigrated to the United States, explore colorful charts and graphs with immigration data, and watch a 30-minute movie that includes a Q&A with National Park Service Rangers who explain what coming to America was like for many immigrants.

38. Plimoth Patuxet Museums

Travel back to the 17th century with options for free, on-demand, digital resources or a live, 1-hour virtual school program led by a Plimoth Patuxet Contemporary Indigenous Museum Educator. Students explore Wampanoag daily life and history; discover the real history of Thanksgiving and the legend behind it; meet a 17th-century Pilgrim; get an interactive sneak peak into 17th-century wardrobes; and learn about simple machines and water power at the Plimoth Grist Mill. There are also options for virtual hands-on history workshops, including Wampanoag Pottery and Write Like a Pilgrim.

When you can't visit the museum in person, 3D virtual field trips to the Children's Museum Houston are the next best thing. All videos are produced and curated by museum educators and feature hands-on activities that can be done in the classroom. Topics include nutrition, math, states of matter, forces and properties of water, and more.

Beyond the Battle Field is a virtual field trip for grades 2-8 hosted by Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived historical-fiction series for kids. Students will meet a museum educator as well as the museum curator, and explore artifacts and documents from the American Revolution. Plus they'll hear the stories of teens who served during the war. There's also a Classroom Kit available with a vocabulary list and discussion questions by grade level.

If you liked this roundup of the best virtual field trips and want more resources like this, be sure to subscribe to our newsletters.

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40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips

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You can't always get there in person, but lots of places will let you "visit" online. These are the best virtual field trips out there!

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Social Studies Lessons

This historical atlas of the United States combines cutting-edge research with innovative interactive mapping techniques.

This resource challenges traditional ways of learning about the past by exploring the diverse social and cultural histories of the United States. The site also offers professional development seminars for teachers.

Focused on high school students, the Big History Project is a joint effort between teachers, scholars, scientists, and their supporters to bring a multi-disciplinary approach to knowledge.

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This fantastic YouTube channel provides an engaging glimpse into some of the most notable events and developments in history. With sequences of videos on the World Wars, the history of science, U.S. History, and more, it's a great first introduction or review.

The creators of Crash Course have also created a second channel geared towards younger students. This biweekly show is meant for elementary school kids and covers topics ranging from Earth science to chemical reactions.

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Need a list of some great history websites? EdTechTeacher has done the hard work and compiled them all for you!

A nonprofit organization that has developed an array of programs for schools, teachers, and students that now operate in all fifty states, including a website that features more than 60,000 unique historical documents.

At its heart, America is an idea. What keeps this idea vibrant? The Idea of America is a digital U.S. history program that presents our nation's rich history through an original framework that views America as an enduring "Great Debate."

A free inquiry-based distance learning curriculum created by inquirED. The 20-minute social studies lessons can be done at home and address questions like How can I capture where I am in time and place?, How can we communicate with others to share our thoughts and ideas?, and How can we celebrate our everyday heroes?. New inquiries are being released weekly.

It's hard to beat the National Library of Congress. It's one of the best social studies websites and even features an entire portal just for teachers.

Use the online tool to access countless primary source documents to enhance learning. Find lesson plans and more on the Educator Resources page.

This colorful site contains lessons that meet national and state standards as well as STEM and College and Career Readiness goals. They've even got lessons on coronaviruses!

Developed by the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian's History Explorer is designed for K-12 teachers and students and offers hundreds of free, innovative online resources for teaching and learning American history.

The Reading Like a Historian curriculum promotes historical inquiry while engaging students. The lessons are designed to explore a central historical question and include a set of primary documents for students of various reading skills.

It's easy to see why we've included this on our list of the best social studies websites. Studies Weekly Online allows you to create a customized, standards-based curriculum for social studies and offers a free trial.

TCI offers the full package! You'll find resources to help you better prepare, present, assign, grade, and teach-even through distance learning!

The Ashbrook Center at Ashland University worked with the National Endowment for the Humanities to develop web-based lesson plans for U.S. history and American government teachers.

This site is designed to help K-12 history teachers access resources and materials to improve U.S. history education in the classroom and through distance learning.

Teaching Tolerance is dedicated to reducing prejudice, improving intergroup relations, and supporting equitable school experiences for our nation's children. There is even a special module specifically designed for the racism surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

This interactive site is designed for 3-6 grade students and includes lessons on geography, environment, U.S. history, and U.S. government.

On this site, you will find scholarly articles offering critical analyses of significant speeches, curriculum units designed for undergraduate teachers and students, lesson plans for high school and middle school teachers, and a blog with brief commentaries on speeches and pedagogical issues.

A portal to world history websites including Women in World History, World History Sources, and more.

This infinitely adaptable, free standards-aligned world history course for high school students connects to the past to the present, with an eye to the future.

Museum Tours

Enjoy virtual visits to the galleries, go behind the scenes, and engage with art from anywhere with our virtual events, videos, and themed audio tours.

Explore three floors of the Boston Children's Museum on this virtual tour which includes fun stops at the Explore-a-Saurus and Japanese House exhibits.

Located in the heart of London, students can explore this iconic museum with exhibits dedicated to everything from Egyptian mummies to the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies.

Explore the " At Home With DIA " museum experience at the Detroit Institute of Arts that offers virtual field trips, online exhibits, weekly film screenings, and more.

This is definitely one of the best social studies websites around! Use Google's Street View feature to tour the world-famous Guggenheim museum, including works of art and the breathtaking spiral staircase.

The Street View tour of this California museum gives students access to European artworks that date back as far as the 8th Century.

Travel to Paris might be out of the question right now, but students can virtually walk through this gallery which includes works from Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, and more.

Scope out two incredible online exhibits through Google: one dedicated to American fashion and another featuring a collection of works from Dutch Baroque painter Johannes Vermeer.

Dig into the archaeology and history of Mexico's pre-Hispanic heritage with a virtual tour of 23 exhibit rooms, including artifacts from the Mayan civilization.

South Korea might be on the other side of the Pacific, but you can still visit one of the country's most popular museums through this extensive virtual tour of Contemporary art from Korea and more.

This historical museum in Germany provides a virtual glimpse of ancient artifacts, including the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Pergamon Altar.

Explore the masterworks from the Dutch Golden Age, including works from Vermeer and Rembrandt. Google offers a Street View tour of this iconic museum, so you can feel as if you're actually wandering its halls.

Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most iconic painters of all time, and this virtual tour allows visitors to marvel at the largest collection of his artwork.

Virtual Field Trips

Go beyond the classroom walls and explore some of the world's most iconic destinations-no permission slips required.

Explore a variety of remote learning opportunities for students, including virtual field trips (Elkhorn Slough), science challenges, walkabouts, and more. The site also offers a teacher resource library.

Embark on a virtual field trip that covers three main components: coastal wetlands, algae, and lake sturgeon. The videos are short and targeted at middle schoolers.

Even through a virtual tour on a tiny screen, students will be dazzled by the magnificence and wonder of this thousands-year-old fortification system.

There's so much to see at this iconic New York museum-even on a virtual tour. From couture ball gowns to a history of music, students will be captivated by the 26 online galleries.

These wonderful virtual field trips allow students to explore a coastal rain forest or the coral reefs in the Dominican Republic, and so much more.

Check out the fantastic behind-the-scenes videos and stories. Then, be sure to check out the great list of activities and downloadables.

The Seattle Aquarium hosts a 30-minute virtual field trip. Students can learn about the animals and the food web that can be found in the Puget Sound waters.

This incredibly cool and responsive website allows students to explore more than 60,000 stars, watch sunrises, search for planets, and more!

These self-guided virtual tours give students an up-close look at permanent, current, and past exhibits.

This site details the Census Bureau's plans used to engage, educate, and ultimately count an increasingly diverse and growing population.

Perfect for K-8 social studies students, this site includes curriculum content, online learning videos, and quizzes along with a list of the corresponding national and state Standards.

The best way to experience Yellowstone is to visit. The second best way is to explore the cool interactive maps and, of course, the live stream of the Old Faithful Geyser eruptions.

Social Studies Games and Simulations

Dive into engaging civics and law-related education programs. Students of all grade levels can learn more about the values and skills essential to being a responsible citizen.

Choose articles based on reading level, so you can use these articles for various ages and skillsets. Schools and districts closed due to the outbreak can request free unlimited access to Kids Discover Online.

This free, core academic website delivers videos, animations, and simulations for middle-school and high-school students.

This pick for best social studies websites allows students to "watch episodes, play games, and sing along to your favorite Horrible Histories songs!"

iCivics provides tools to help students learn about civic life. Teachers and students can access printable lesson plans, interactive digital tools, and award-winning games.

Established by Congress, this interactive website provides free online resources for remote students of all ages who are learning more about the Constitution.

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Best Social Studies Websites for Kids & Teens

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These are the best social studies websites to help teachers and kids learn about social studies or better teach it, chosen by teachers.

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