Web+Evaluations+KM

Web Evaluations

Title: Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government URL: []

Comments: This was a really good site for students of all ages. It did a good job separating activities for different grade levels. I like how it really taught younger students what government is before they learn the branches. It also had advanced materials and fun games for students who are in high school. One thing i really liked about this site was the use of pictures. No matter what grade level you are in, it makes websites more exciting when there are pictures. There are also many fun games to play on the website. Although these games are fun, and very helpful, they are more directed towards the younger students. A very helpful part of the website was the historical documents section. It had information about some very important documents so students could understand. The only flaw with this website is the fact it is kind of childish. It is more directed towards elementary and middle school students. This could be used in the classroom to help discussions. The teacher could make an assignment that asks their students to find information on this website. -KM

Title: Kids.Gov

URL: [|http://kids.gov]

Comments: This website is a great tool for a teacher to use in their classroom. The website is made for grade level students. The website organizes itself into many different subjects. You click the subject you want, and then a fair amount of links show up on the website. These websites that kids.gov provides are all very useful websites for the classroom setting. Although there are many quality things about this website, there are also some negatives. The first negative is the website provides links for many different subjects, not just social studies. The fact there is so many different subjects could cause some confusion. The other problem i have with the website is the fact it is not really suited for students in high school. It is directed more for kids in the elementary school level. This website could be used in the classroom to help students find research. If the student was doing a research project, this site would provide many different sources to help them make the best project possible. -KM

Comments: I think that this is a great source for teachers of most levels. I plan on teaching high school so this site may not work for me, but for it would be great for elementary and middle school students and teachers. I really like the "Site of the Month" feature. Also, the links that are provided under the different subjects are from reputable sources like the Library of Congress and the CIA. The American History sub-categories, which include Cultures in America and People in American history, would both be great to use in any number of lessons in American history. What I wasn’t too sure about, was the presence of the ads. The more legitimate the site, the fewer the ads, but this site seemed to defy the norm. But not only does the site have great information for history, but the maps portion of the site would be a great resource as well. -KS

Comments: I think this would be a great resource for a teacher working with elementary students. With lots of games and other interactive things that can get younger kids involved with history and really enjoying going to a history site as opposed to dreading it. This site has bright colors and catches the eye but at the same time is not overwhelming and isn't filled with clutter thats going to distract students and that isn't useful. This site looks credible and doesn't look to have much of a bias or a tilt in any particular direction. This site is very appropriate for students and could be used within the classroom at schools. Although there were some ad's this site they were not inappropriate and the site still seems to be credible and still looks like a great resource within the classroom for students in elementary learning history. -BS

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