Social Studies

Find biographies and images of important historical and present-day people from around the world. You can search by name, country, ethnicity, job, or birth or death date. Watch Biography tutorial., opens a new window

Learn about the rich history of the California Missions. Discover how they started, the people who ran them, the indigenous population, and their legacy today. Physical California Missions books are also available in our catalog.

National and international geographical information including maps, statistics, history, infographics, and images. Explore the United States, Canada, and over 200 more countries around the world! Watch CultureGrams tutorial.

Access hundreds of reference and non-fiction eBook titles on a variety of subjects including art & architecture, computer science, health & medicine, history, and more. Also included are full-text classics, poetry, and drama that are in the public domain. All titles can be read online or downloaded to your device for 21 days. See the Get Started Guides for more info.

Find up-to-date information and important facts on a broad range of curriculum-related educational topics. Includes kid-friendly charts and graphs, images, educational videos, full-text books, magazines, and news periodicals. Watch Elementary tutorial.

Experience environmental education with Gale In Context: Environmental Studies and get 24/7 access to nearly 400 pages across science, social studies, and the humanities. Organize, share, save, and cite easily with integrated tools for Students and Researchers.

Explora can help you complete research and classroom assignments. With Explora, you will discover reliable information on thousands of topics covering a wide range of subjects including art and music, literature, language arts, geography, history, social studies, world cultures and languages, science, technology, engineering, mathematics, health, and sports.

Optimized for search and discovery, the Gale eBooks platform enables you to search through hundreds of ready reference eBooks on science, health, business, history, literature, religion, and much more. Once you’ve selected the content, you can download and save it to your drive and document using Google Suite for Education. Watch Gale eBooks tutorial.

LearningExpress provides students and educators in elementary school and middle school with skill-building resources for classroom and homework success. Students can prepare for important tests, get extra help with assignments, and boost their skills in math, English language arts, and social studies. Students can also prepare for high school entrance exams. This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

LearningExpress gives students in grades 9 to 12 resources for class and homework. Build skills in math, science, English language arts, social studies, and thinking skills, and technology. Discover practice tests and study materials for the SAT, ACT, AP exams, and more. Find colleges, scholarships, and financial planning tools. This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.

This series is a great source of quick and reliable information that helps young readers identify what is common to, and unique about, individual states across America. Physical It's My State books are also available in our catalog.

Discover and learn for fun and school! Find facts about science, nature, archaeology, and space. Includes National Geographic Kids magazine, books, images, and more. Watch the National Geographic tutorial.

This online resource covers today's hot button social issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana. You will find pro-and-con viewpoints, reference articles, primary sources, interactive maps, infographics, and more. The full-text articles cover current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science, and more. The content is a great tool for speech and debate classes or for research assignments. Watch Opposing Viewpoints tutorial.

Provides ready reference eBooks from Oxford University Press' Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias. Highlights from the collection include architecture, economic history, music, German and American literature, Shakespeare, ancient Egypt, the Reformation, the Renaissance, women in world history, and much more. Watch Oxford eBooks tutorial.

Look up U.S. history information in news articles and documents. Find photographs, illustrations, and maps. Topics range from the arrival of Vikings in North America to the American Revolution, the Civil Rights movement, 9/11, and the War on Terror. Watch U.S. History tutorial.

The Watch & Learn Library from Scholastic provides 230+ nonfiction videos, vocabulary, and quizzes for young learners in grades PreK-3. The videos use real-world footage to build science, social studies and social-emotional knowledge. Closed captioning for each video supports beginning readers. Content available in English and Spanish.

This resource provides an overview of world history covering the most studied events, cultures, civilizations, religions, people and more. Find historical data from primary sources and reference documents. Also included are photographs, illustrations, and maps. Watch World History tutorial.