As an academic field, social studies appeals to many because of its interdisciplinary nature. Like anthropology (with which it intimately relates), students find themselves exploring a wide range of subjects and how they relate to humanity’s past, present, and possible futures. Such a diverse banquet offers them nourishing food for thought, and — of course — the internet plays host to nearly every relevant fact, figure, opinion, and analysis available. The following blogs should prove worthwhile when seeking supplementary lessons for eager minds of any age.
Anthropology
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Savage Minds: This group anthropology blog makes the subject fun and accessible for a wide range of interests and backgrounds, with little gems sure to work in many different classrooms.
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Dienekes’ Anthropology Blog: No matter the social studies lesson, chances are Dienekes’ Anthropology Blog hosts an article to supplement it with great intelligence and insight.
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Morbid Anatomy: At the curious intersection between "art and medicine, death and culture" sits the fabulous, fun, and decidedly not-for-the-faint-of-heart Morbid Anatomy blog.
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Material World: Materialism is never chic, but anthropologists know material goods reveal quite a bit about the culture that produces them.
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Grant McCracken: Both economics and anthropology factor into social studies, making Grant McCracken’s blog a useful supplementary read.
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A Hot Cup of Joe: Check out informed (and sometimes deliciously snarky) news and commentary from the wide world of archaeology, anthropology, skepticism, science, and more.
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Conversations with Dina: The super awesome Dina Mehta talks to people and shares their stories through her thoroughly lauded ethnography blog.
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media/anthropology: Digital media and anthropology collide in John Postill’s fascinating resource about humanity’s past, present, and future with the latest (or then-latest) technologies.
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American Anthropological Association: Follow the AAA’s official blog for excellent, updated, and informed information to punch up most social studies lessons.
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Blogs at Social Science Research Council: Educators who like infusing current events into their classrooms have plenty of content to follow here, concerning economics, media piracy, Africa (particularly Sudan), politics, and plenty of other stimulating subjects.
Economics
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Real Time Economics: The Wall Street Journal‘s economics blog analyzes current, relevant trends and topics, particularly as they pertain to the United States.
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Greg Mankiw’s Blog: Whether one agrees with his opinions or not, Greg Mankiw’s blog still attracts a fair amount of attention for its contemporary economic commentary.
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Free Exchange: Follow world economic news from a variety of different writers and reporters, courtesy of The Economist.
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Economix: For social studies teachers always having to forward questions about real-world economic applications or visuals, this New York Times blog has their backs covered.
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Calculated Risk: Bill McBride and Doris Dungey contribute to one of the English language’s most celebrated economics blogs, with finance and global stories.
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Cafe Hayek: Both a blog and a podcast, Cafe Hayek hemorrhages comments and commentary on all things economic.
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Roubini Global Economics Blog: This resource provides a perfect read for social studies teachers wanting to infuse their lessons with international perspectives.
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Economist’s View: A University of Oregon professor dishes out his own detailed analysis of the current economic climate.
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Marginal Revolution: Discover how economic changes big and small can come to positively impact communities the world over.
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Freakonomics: Freakonomics is a wildly popular book, blog, podcast, video series, and movie famous for its accessibility. Chances are, anyone seeking some sort of interesting article relevant to the current syllabus will find something valuable here.
Geography
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NewGeography.com Blogs: Cities and urban spaces may be the name of the game here, but the blogs at NewGeography.com also cover politics, economics, and other social studies subjects.
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National Geographic Blogs: No matter the geographical topic or student age bracket, chances are the venerable staple has something to make learning super fun and engaging.
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World Geography Blog: This fun read concerns itself with extremely interesting cultural and physical phenomena from around the world, with plenty of lovely photos and travel stories.
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Cultural Geography Blog: Because Cultural Geography Blog specifically targets social studies students and teachers alike, its content will certainly work well in a classroom setting.
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Mapperz: GIS technology and geocaching hold amazing educational potential, and Mapperz helps visitors find the latest offers most suitable for their needs and wants.
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Living Geography: Fabulous geographer Alan Parkinson shares his stories, posts some favored resources, comments on different facets of the field, and gives plenty more mentally stimulating content.
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The Learning Network: Geography: The New York Times regularly posts some incredible lesson plan suggestions, many of which cover recent geographical and cultural stories.
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GeoCurrents: Via blogs, podcasts, a community, and other media, GeoCurrents links up geography and social studies buffs with maps and insights into the latest news.
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Google Earth Blog: Tech-savvy teachers who know how to use Google Earth effectively should stop by the official blog to pick up some great tips and tricks to further hone their skills.
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My Wonderful World Blog: Get inspired with this blog’s undeniably amazing photos, "missions," factoids, stories, and more — all aimed at engaging kids in the geography of home and abroad alike.
History
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The History Blog: Chances are, any visitors to this content-rich gem of an insightful blog will probably find exactly what they need to pump up most social studies lessons.
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Beachcombing’s Bizarre History Blog: As the title promises, Beachcombing’s Bizarre History Blog seeks out some of the weirdest stories from across time and history, which might prove to be quite the crowd-pleaser in classrooms.
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Real History Blog: Watch history as it happens, with particular attention paid to parsing fact from fiction and propaganda from reality.
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Shorpy: For American teachers and students, Shorpy’s fusion of research and (mostly) Library of Congress images perfectly illustrate the country’s frequently spotted, occasionally idyllic past.
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9th Btn Y & L War Diaries: Although not a blog as most Internet denizens are used to, this useful, informative read collects the war diary of Private Harry Lamin in such a format. Give it a visit for a first-person look at the front lines of Flanders and Northern Italy between 1916 and 1920.
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Bangable Dudes in History: Definitely putting the "fun" in "Fun Blogs for Social Studies Teachers," though obviously not suitable for sharing with the kids. Pour a glass of wine in the lounge after class and start talking Tesla.
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The Modern Historian: Hit up The Modern Historian for this-day-in-history bits and bytes from around the world and covering both obscure and more well-known events and faces.
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History News Network: George Mason University hosts a useful resource reminding visitors that history happens every day, although it still delves deeply into the past.
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Scandalous Women: Social studies teachers with a fierce feminist side can easily mine inspiration here, with profiles of the best, brightest, and sometimes ill-behaved ladies who shaped the world.
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ArchivesBlog: This blog serves as an aggregator for articles and posts relevant to archives and archivists, so educators looking for relevant supplementary reads might want to start here.
Politics and News
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The Caucus: For the social studies teachers helping their students navigate today’s complex political sphere (especially elections), this New York Times offering might do the trick.
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CNN Political Ticker: American classrooms wanting to follow the latest political headlines should check out CNN’s Political Ticker regularly.
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Trend Lines: Pop over here for the latest news and views regarding all things global politics, courtesy of World Politics Review.
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Global Voices: Probably one of the quintessential citizen journalism resources on the internet, Global Voices sheds light on news, opinions, and stories mainstream media sources might otherwise overlook.
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The Observers: From France comes this international news and politics blog, which pays close attention to ethical and human rights issues in particular.
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Global News Journal: Reuters posts regular commentary regarding some of the most explosive news stories currently happening across the globe.
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Informed Comment: Middle East expert Juan Cole delivers his perspective on one of today’s most volatile — and frequently misunderstood — regions.
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Little Green Footballs: Voted one of Washington Post‘s "reader’s choice" political blogs in 2004, Little Green Footballs still kicks around strong confrontational, human rights-oriented reads.
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Daniel W. Drezner: Foreign Policy magazine’s Daniel W. Drezner merges "global politics, economics, & pop culture" into one popular resource.
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Council on Foreign Relations: Like the title says, readers stop here for updated news and questions about international and geopolitics, making it a great resource for more advanced classrooms.
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