This Hot List represents the very best of available content on the internet with respect to American Government, Economics and Pennsylvania History. The Hot List has been pre-screened to give you the most accurate and up to-date information available. Please use these resources as your first step for any research you do in class. The links are divided into the main three components of your 8th grade social studies course as well as an additional Miscellaneous section.
American Government
USA Government
http://www.usa.gov/
The U.S. Government's official web portal
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/index.html
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for kids grades 6-8
Democracy at Work
http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/government/
Scholastic's student website for all things civics
Multnomah County Library
http://www.multcolib.org/homework/govhc.html
This library has an excellent offering of information on government and politics
Project Vote Smart
http://www.votesmart.org/resource_govt101_01.php
Go to this site to find out what your elected representatives have been doing while in office
U.S. Census Bureau
http://www.census.gov/
The official website to the Unites States Census Bureau
Federal Election Commission
http://www.fec.gov/
Visit this site to explore how our government administers and enforces campaign finance laws
Inside the Courtroom
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/eousa/kidspage/index.html
Visit this site to go to the U.S. Department of Justice - U.S. Attorneys Kid Page to go inside a courtroom to discover what prosecuters do
Elections the American Way
http://learning.loc.gov/learn/features/election/home.html
Visit this site to explore how and why we elect our representatives in this country
The Electoral College
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/
Don't understand the Electoral College? Then visit this site to have all your questions answered
Vote: The Machinery of Democracy
http://americanhistory.si.edu/vote/home.html
Visit this interactive site to follow the history of what Americans used to cast their votes
Congress for Kids
http://www.congressforkids.net/cartoonintro.htm
Visit this site to complete walkthrough of the federal government
The White House for Kids
http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/
Visit this site to explore everything you ever wanted to know about the White House and who lived there
The White House
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
The official site for the White House: President George W. Bush
Oyez
http://www.oyez.org/
Excellent site on the U.S. Supreme Court, take a virtual tour of the chambers, look up cases, find justices and more
The U.S. Supreme Court
http://www.supremecourtus.gov/
The official site of the U.S. Supreme Court: Chief Justice, John Roberts
Thomas
http://thomas.loc.gov/
In the spirit of Thomas Jefferson, legislative information from the Library of Congress
The Living Room Candidate
http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/
Watch presidential candidate commercials from Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton
The National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/
Visit the National Archives to learn more about the Charters of Freedom: Bill of Rights, Constitution and Declaration of Independence
Univeristy of Oklahoma College of Law: US Historical Documents
http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/
Visit this site to find a chronology of U.S. Historical Documents
The Declaration of Independence
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/index.htm
Visit this US History.org's website to learn all about the Declaration of Independence
The U.S. Constitution
http://www.usconstitution.net/
A complete look at America's Supreme authority, The Comstitution
The Smithsonian Institute for Kids
http://smithsonian.kids.us/
Visit this site to learn more about America's Presidents
First Amendment Minute
http://www.firstamendmentminute.com/
Excellent site offering an entertaining, fast paced and topical look at our freedoms of speech, petition, religion, assembly and press
The Magna Carta
http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/index.html
Visit this site to learn more about the Magna Carta and read the entire document
The Mayflower Compact
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/amerdoc/mayflower.htm
Visit this site to learn more about the Mayflower Compact and read the entire document
The English Bill of Rights
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/england.htm
Visit this site to learn more about the English Bill of Rights and read the entire document
The Bill of Rights
http://www.jmu.edu/madison/center/main_pages/madison_archives/constit_confed/rights/document/document.htm
Visit the James Madison Center online to read the Bill of Rights and learn more about James Madison
The United States Congress
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
Visit this site to find your elected representatives, view power rankings, research current legislation and stay current on the 2008 election
U.S. House of Representatives
http://www.house.gov/
Visit the official website of the U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate
http://www.senate.gov/
Visit the official website of the U.S. Senate
The President's Cabinet
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html
Click on this link to go directly to the President's Cabinet where you will find a list of each department and who is in charge
Federal Court System
http://www.uscourts.gov/
Visit this site to learn more about the Federal Judiciary to include: U.S. District Courts and the U.S. Courts of Appeals
The Republican Party
http://www.gop.com/
Visit the Republican Party's official homepage
The Democratic Party
http://www.democrats.org/index.html
Visit the Democratic Party's official homepage
The National Constitution Center
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/
Visit the National Constitution Center's (in Philadelphia) official homepage
Hippocampus Government
http://www.hippocampus.org/?course=15
This site offers video and text explanations of key governmental concepts
The Stock Market Game
http://www.smgww.org/
Go to this site to visit the official homepage of the Stock Market Game
Kids Bank
http://www.kidsbank.com/index_3.asp
Sovereign Banks online center for students to learn about money and banking
Young Investor
http://www.younginvestor.com/teens/
Columbia Management's site for teens to learn how to earn and then manage their money
XE
http://www.xe.com/ucc/
Click here to checkout this online universal currency converter
U.S. Treasury for Kids
http://www.ustreas.gov/kids/
Visit this site to learn all about other government websites for kids
New York Stock Exchange
http://www.nyse.com/
Click here to visit the New York Stock Exchange homepage
American Stock Exchange
http://www.amex.com/
Click here to visit the American Stock Exchange homepage
NASDAQ
http://www.nasdaq.com/
Click here to visit the NASDAQ homepage
U.S. Mint for Kids
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/
Visit this neat site to learn more about the U.S. Mint
U.S. Mint
http://www.usmint.gov/index.cfm?flash=yes
Click here to visit the U.S. Mint official homepage
U.S. Department of the Treasury
http://www.ustreas.gov/
Click here to visit the U.S. Department of the Treasury official homepage
Glossary of Economic Terms
http://economics.about.com/od/economicsglossary/Glossary_of_Economics_Terms_Economics_Dictionary.htm
Click here to find any economic term you don't understand for its definition
Social Studies for Kids - Economics
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/economics.htm
Visit this site to help you learn basic economic principles
Snyder County Pennsylvania
http://www.snydercounty.org/snyder/site/default.asp
Click here to visit Snyder County's official homepage
Borough of Selinsgrove
http://www.selinsgrove.org/sny-selinsgrove/site/default.asp
Click here to visit Selinsgrove's official homepage
Explore Pennsylvania History
http://www.explorepahistory.com/
Visit this site to learn more about Pennsylvania's past
Pennsylvania's Unified Judicial System
http://www.courts.state.pa.us/Index/UJS/Indexujs.asp
Visit this site to better understand how Pennsylvania's courts work
The State Museum of Pennsylvania
http://www.statemuseumpa.org/
Click here to visit Pennsylvania's state museum online
Pennsylvania's General Assembly
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/
Click here to visit Pennsylvania's legislative branch on the web
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/pahist/overview.asp?secid=31
Click here to learn more about Pennsylvania's past (more in-depth than "Explore Pa History")
PA Power Port
http://www.pa.gov/portal/server.pt
Visit this site to see the official PA state governemnt website
Channel One News
http://www.channelone.com/
The pre-eminent news and public affairs content provider for teens
The Betsy Ross House
http://www.betsyrosshouse.org/
Visit this site to learn more about The woman, the house and the flag
Rulers
http://rulers.org/index.html
This unique site chronicles the history of world leaders
42 Explore Social Studies
http://42explore.com/42exploress.htm
A Social Studies topics site