Using the iPad in the Middle School Social Studies Classroom
Whether it is one iPad or many, this page is dedicated to the use of the iPad in the middle school Social Studies classroom. We have our ideas, but we'd love to hear yours. Click HERE to email us your great ideas for integrating the iPad into your middle school Social Studies classroom. To download the apps, simply click or press on the name and it will take you directly to the app store!
GoogleEarth***FREE***
Use this app to let students explore the location of various countries/civilizations around the globe. Zoom in so students can explore the street view panoramas of major cities and/or monuments. For example, click on the street view panorama icon for the Great Wall of China, and students will be able to "stand" on the Great Wall and take a look around by physically rotating the iPad.
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TourWrist***FREE***
Use this app to explore more panoramas of major locations around the globe. For example, when teaching about Ancient Rome, have students explore powerful panoramas of the city of Rome today. Ancient monuments sprinkled among the modern city will be interesting for the students to explore.
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Wonders of Old***$4.99***
If you teach Ancient Civilizations, this app is for you! Have students examine the interactive world map and interactive timelines for each major ancient civilization. Click on the entries on the timelines and additional facts/text will appear. Worth the cost when using Apple volume discount if you have a large number of iPads; worth the cost if you are only integrating one iPad.
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Wikipanion***FREE***
Use this great app to have students research major historical figures and/or events. The app connects to Wikipedia, which can be a great place to start an information search.
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Explain Everything***$2.99***
Create short movies to define key terms or explain the achievements of important historic figures. Combine video clips and text slides to summarize major historical events, respond to decisions made by world leaders (example: Was Andrew Jackson a hero or a villain?), or illustrate enduring contributions of ancient civilizations. Explain Everything is a more limited video program than iMovie in terms of creative and aesthetic choices for students.
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Visual Poet***FREE***
This fabulous app lets you create a photo strip (such as those that print out of a photo booth) by searching for images using Google, Flickr, Tumblr, or the iPad Camera Roll. Layer text (such as definitions of key terms) over the photos for a powerful vocabulary lesson. Email to export or save a screen cap to the camera roll.
EXAMPLE: 
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iMovie***$4.99***
Have students create movie trailers about historic figures or commercials about the causes of a particular war. iMovie is very similar to Explain Everything, but gives students many more creative options in terms of appearance, soundtrack, effects, etc.
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Creative Book Builder***$4.99***
Even though this is a paid app, it is worth every penny! This app allows students to literally write their own book - the kind you can read and interact with using iBooks. The book is published as an epub document instead of PDF - the advantage of which is that students can generate and embed their own audio clips and movies which can then be played/viewed by readers.
This could be a great way to assess students mastery of standards or complete project-based investigation. Download the file below for a sample outline of a student created book about the city-states of Sparta and Athens in ancient Greece. 
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Keynote***$9.99***
Students can make presentations about any of the content you cover in class, from a whole unit to a more narrow topic such as a historical figure or event. This app is fantastic for constructing any Thinking Maps or other graphic organizers.
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Comic Life***$4.99***
Have students retell historical events in comic book form. For EL students, retelling text in a new way to check for comprehension is an essential strategy. You could also have students define important vocabulary or make posters to explain a historic figure. This is a must-have app for instant engagement!
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