Cobblestone Magazine is a great resource for social studies topics. Their articles are well researched and thoroughly reviewed before publication. In addition to numerous non-fiction articles, they have multiple features every issue that help with reading comprehension/checking for understanding. The best part about this magazine is the articles are geared toward kids which makes the articles easy to read.
September 2009.Volume 30.Number 7
In the particular issue listed above, there is an article called “A Historic Rediscovery” by Robin Chalmers. It describes the discovery of a cliff dwelling in Colorado that was once inhabited by pueblo families somewhere around A.D. 1200. The article explores the wonders archeologists and scientists have discovered through certain excavations of this ancient civilization. I highly recommend this article if your class is learning about ancient cultures, especially if you have a 4th grade class who is learning about American Indians as designated by the TEKS. This is a good article to spark your students on the subject!
Snippet:
“Richard Wetherill and his brother-in-law Charles Mason were searching for stray cattle on December 18, 1888. Through the falling snow, they saw “a magnificent city” built into the aclove of the mesa across the canyon.
Almost 600 years had passed since the ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellers had left Mesa Verde (Spanish for ‘green table’) in present-day Colorado. It is believed the Pueblo people lived in the area from A.D. 550 to A.D. 1300. Yet the two ranchers clearly saw the outlines of walls, towers, windows, and doorways. Awestruck by their discovery, the men decided to explore.”