7th Grade Social Studies Projects

My Superhero's Project

Databases

American History
  • American History Online Spans more than 500 years of political, military, social, and cultural history, highlighting the important people and events of the American experience.
  • American History Investigates the people, events, and themes of our nation's evolution, from the explorers of the Americas to today's headlines.
​Modern World History
  • Modern World History Online Covers the people, places, and events in the broad expanse of history—from mid-15th century to the present.
  • World History Modern Era offers over 7,300 primary sources, including treaties and proclamations, speeches, newsreel footage, biographies, and photographs that give comprehensive treatment to key historical developments in all regions of the world from 1500 to the present. Also offers interactive study and teaching tools.

Evaluating Websites

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EasyBib

Always cite your sources, so you can give credit to the author(s) who wrote the information you are using!


1) Choose your source.
At the EasyBib home page, just click on the tab to pick the type of source you are citing (example: Website). In many cases, all you'll have to do after that is type in the URL or title of your source. EasyBib offers over 55 different citation options - the full list is accessible on the final tab.



2) Fill out the form and click "Create Citation."
If you've auto-cited your source, many of the form fields will automatically be filled in. Review the information in these fields, and enter any additional information you need. Any fields outlined in red need to be filled in. If you can't find an author or editor, then leave that field blank.




3) That's it! 
Export your bibliography or keep going. If you are finished, copy and paste into you Google Doc. If you're not finished, just select another source. EasyBib will automatically add your citation to your bibliography and alphabetize it appropriately.

On a Tight Budget Resources

Part 1: Overtime

Income calculator
Scroll down on the article until you see Step 1----->
Key things to remember when searching on Google:
  1. USA incomes
  2. Current information (2015-2016)

Part 2: Living and Utilities

Rent
Utilities
Cable/Internet/Phone

Part 3: Child Care

Daycare
Google town and daycare:
South Orange daycare or Maplewood daycare

Part 4: Food

Food Stores

Part 5: Clothing

Clothing Stores​
NEW
USED

Part 6: Medical

General Medication
NOTE: When researching the prices of general medication, consider looking at name brands vs. generic/store brands.

Part 7: Entertainment

Google search

Part 8: Savings

Average Costs to Consider
College
According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2015–2016 school year was $32,405 at private colleges, $9,410 for state residents at public colleges, and $23,893 for out-of-state residents attending public universities.
Home Prices
According to Zillow, the median home value in Essex County is $325,800. The median home value in South Orange is $581,900. The median home value in Maplewood is $503,500. You generally need a down payment of 3.5-10% of the cost of the house if you have an FHA (First-Time Home) loan. You need 20% to get a regular loan. 

Economics Project

Resources about Countries & Economics

*CIA World Factbook (website)
  1. Use the map or the drop down menu in the center of the page
    and select your country.
  2. Click the different sections to view more information.
*World Geography and Culture (database)
  1. Select your country from the drop-down menu on the top left.
  2. Click on different categories using the left hand sidebar for more information.
*World Book Online (database)
  1. Click Student.
  2. Type the name of your country in the search bar at the top.
World Bank (website)
Use the white navigation bar at the top to select either Countries or Topics
   1. Select your country/topic from the list (if your country is not listed, try selecting the region). Then use the navigation bar on the left to find information about your country/topic.
  • Home: The homepage has some basic information about your country/topic. Here you can find news stories and reports about the status of the country, or research and reports about specific programs related to your topic.
  • Overview:  Use the tabs at the top of the overview page to view the Context (background information), Strategy (programs in your country/programs that address your topic), Results (the impact of programs to improve the economy in your country/programs that address your topic), and Partners (links to other organizations that are working on addressing this topic around the world - Topics only)
  • Data: View charts and graphs about the status of your country/topic.  Click the magnifying glass at the top of any graphic to view more information
   2. Click HERE to read an article specifically about strategies to end extreme poverty and hunger (Millennium Development Goal 1)
The Observatory for Economic Complexity (website)  
→Use for data on the country you are studying.
African Economic Outlook (website)
    →Use this site to look up any Sub-Saharan African country’s economic needs.
The World Trade Organization (website)
  1. Select your country from the list.
  2. For more information try Googling the name of the country and the trade agreement.  For example: United States AND NAFTA.  
Amnesty International (website)
→Use this site to search for your country of study alphabetically and read the report on its economic needs and overall standard of living.
United Nations (website)
→Use this site to search when your country joined the United Nations.

World’s Richest Countries

*World's Richest Countries (website)
→Use this site to search for a country’s top imports, exports and so on.

World’s Poorest Countries

*The International Statistical Institute-Developing Countries (website)​
→Use this site to see if the country you are studying is less developed, has reached developed status, and when. This data is highly reliable since it is pulled from the United Nations.
United Nations List (website)
List of least developed countries in the world

Government

Library Databases

Encyclopedias

World Book Online is the complete digital version of the 22 volume print encyclopedia with maps, photos, multimedia offerings and thousands of editor selected web sites. 

World History Modern Era offers over 7,300 primary sources, including treaties and proclamations, speeches, newsreel footage, biographies, and photographs that give comprehensive treatment to key historical developments in all regions of the world from 1500 to the present. Also offers interactive study and teaching tools.

U.S. Government Online presents in-depth information on the structure and function of the U.S. government and its everyday role in the lives of citizens.

Current Articles

Student Reference Center Gold Contains a wide range of information from subject areas that include Geography & Cultures, History, Literature, a Multimedia Gallery, Biography, Science & Health.

EBSCO HOST (Newspaper Source Plus) Includes more than 860 full-text newspapers, providing more than 35 million full-text articles. In addition, the database features more than 857,000 television and radio news transcripts.
  1. To search, click on EBSCO HOST.
  2. Click on the first link Web Search Screen.
  3. Select the check box that says Newspaper Source Plus (it's the 8th link down) and then scroll to the bottom of the page and click Continue.
  4. Now you can begin your search.

Recommended Websites

Types of Governments
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Government Types
Definitions of the major types of Government as well as what type of government each country has.
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Types of Government
This site provides simple definitions of various forms of governments around the world.
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Forms of Government
Learn about various forms of government throughout history
and the world.
United States Government
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Kids.gov | Government
U.S. government's official web portal for students. 
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Ben's Guide to US Government
Learn about the branches of government, election process, and citizenship.
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American Government
Everything you need to know about the American government.
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State & Local Government
on the Net
Includes organized links to state, regional, counties, cities, and other sites. 
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About the White House
Learn about the US Presidents and all things related to the White House. 
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Core Documents of Our Democracy
This collection provides American citizens with direct online access to the basic Federal Government documents that define our democratic society.

EasyBib

Always cite your sources, so you can give credit to the author(s) who wrote the information you are using!


1) Choose your source.
At the EasyBib home page, just click on the tab to pick the type of source you are citing (example: Website). In many cases, all you'll have to do after that is type in the URL or title of your source. EasyBib offers over 55 different citation options - the full list is accessible on the final tab.



2) Fill out the form and click "Create Citation."
If you've auto-cited your source, many of the form fields will automatically be filled in. Review the information in these fields, and enter any additional information you need. Any fields outlined in red need to be filled in. If you can't find an author or editor, then leave that field blank.




3) That's it! 
Export your bibliography or keep going. If you are finished, copy and paste into you Google Doc. If you're not finished, just select another source. EasyBib will automatically add your citation to your bibliography and alphabetize it appropriately.

Population

Library Databases

Historical Populations
American History Investigates the people, events, and themes of our nation's evolution, from the explorers of the Americas to today's headlines.

World History Ancient and Medieval Era covers human history from prehistoric times to the beginning of the Renaissance. Includes biographies, primary sources, maps, timelines, photographs, audio and video segments, including in-depth explorations, and profiles of city-states, countries, and regions of the ancient world.
Current Populations
EBSCO HOST this links to all the EBSCO databases will let you find full-text content across all subject area from popular magazines, scholarly journals, newspapers, transcripts, pamphlets, reports, primary resource documents, biographies, almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, photos, maps, flags.
  1. To navigate click on EBSCO HOST.
  2. Then click on the link that says Web Search Screen.
  3. Then scroll down and select Middle Search Plus. Scroll to the booth of the page and click Continue.
  4. Now you can begin your search.
World Geography and Culture is a database with a global approach to facilitate the study of countries, places, peoples, and geography concepts and skills.
Student Reference Center Gold Contains a wide range of information from subject areas that include Geography & Cultures, History, Literature, a Multimedia Gallery, Biography, Science & Health.
World Book Complete digital version of 22 volume print encyclopedia with additional reference material, including World Book Advanced, World Book Kids, Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos, World Book Dictionary and World Book Atlas as well as a collection of primary source documents. Features include classroom activities, lesson plans, discussion guides, a timeline builder, citation builder, maps, photos, multimedia offerings and thousands of editor selected web sites. Updated regularly.
Global Issues in Context extends the life and the value of textbooks by providing both historical context and current viewpoints. Coverage of the countries and issues studied in today’s schools includes podcasts, videos and other interactive features to engage and educate.

Recommended Websites

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United States Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/
This site will give you current national and international population estimates. It is also a great sources for topics about population, geographical maps showing the different populations, and a library collection of formats that include audio, video, mobile apps, images, infographics and publications.



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National Geographic-Population
http://education.nationalgeographic.com
/education/topics/population/?ar_a=4
This site has articles, images, and videos about different topics related to population.
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PBS/NOVA-World in Balance
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/
worldbalance/
NOVA investigates the impact of forces that are radically changing populations in both rich and poor nations. This site is rich with articles about issues related to population.

World Religions

Call numbers for World Religions

Dewey Numbers
230-Christianity
​297-Islam
291-Religions
294.3-Buddhism
294.5-Hinduism
294.6-Sikhism
296-Judaism
299-African Religions
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Databases about World Religions

World History Ancient and Medieval Era 
Covers human history from prehistoric times to the beginning of the Renaissance. Includes biographies, primary sources, maps, timelines, photographs, audio and video segments, including in-depth explorations, and profiles of city-states, countries, and regions of the ancient world.

Ancient and Medieval History Online 
Explores the pre-modern world with in-depth focus on Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Resources about World Religions

BBC-Religions
United Religions Initiative