The New York Times Learning Network

I found this site quite by accident, but after taking a look at it, I can honestly say that it looks like a great resource for social studies teachers. Although the content is highly American, it does have plenty of global history and current events lesson plans which look really interesting. One is on the comparison between war poetry and the actual words of veterans; another is on the fall of the Berlin wall.

There is also an area for students over the age of 13 to comment on various topics in a blog-like format. Some current topics for discussion are: "Why do we care about the Tiger Woods story?" "Do you suffer from 'Nature Deficit Disorder'?" "Is the music you listen to dull?" along with various other interesting topics. Although it can be argued that these topics aren't very 'scholarly', they do promote critical thinking about the nature of our society and the students' own lives.

Finally, the site also has student crosswords, a word of the day, and a few daily questions. It all looks pretty helpful to me!