Articles: inspiration, professional development and resources for instruction
Augstine, Norm. "The Education our Economy Need".  Wall Street Journal

Berson, Ilene R., and Michael J. Berson, and Meghan McGlinn Manfra.  "Touch, Type, and Transform: iPads in the Social Studies Classroom." National Council for the Social Studies

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. "The Littlest Schoolhouse." The Atlantic. June/July 2010.

Document Analysis Worksheets. National Council for the Social Studies

Integrating Primary Sources into Classroom Instruction. National Council for the Social Studies

Kirchner, Jana and Tracy F. Inman.  "History + English + Humanities = Critical, Creative, Global Thinkers."  National Council for the Social Studies  

Merz, Sandy. "Teaching Secrets: Getting to Know your Students through Seating Challenges" Teacher Leaders Network

Risinger, C. Frederick.  "Integrating Art and Music into Social Studies Instruction." National Council for the Social Studies  

Sheffield, Caroline C. and Stephen B. Swan.  "Digital Reenactments: Using Green Screen Technology to Recreate the Past." National Council for the Social Studies

Schmoker, Mike. "Write More, Grade Less"

The Social Studies Professional Newsletter.  National Council for the Social Studies.   May/June 2012. 

Books: for inspiration
Codell, Esme Raji. Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher's First Year. (1999)
Esquith, Rafe. Lighting Their Fires: How Parents and Teachers Can Raise Extraordinary Kids in a Mixed-up, Muddled-up, Shook-up World. (2010)
** Esquith, Rafe.  Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56. (2007)
Esquith, Rafe. There are No Shortcuts. (2004)
The Freedom Writers, Zlata Filipovic and Erin Gruwell. The Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. (1999)
Gruwell, Erin.  The Freedom Writers Diary Teacher's Guide. (2007)
Gruwell, Erin and Ann Quindlen.  Teaching Hope: Stories from the Freedom Writer Teachers and Erin Gruwell. (2009)
Gruwell, Erin.  Teach with Your Heart: Lessons I Learned from the Freedom Writers. (2008)
** Kopp, Wendy. A Chance to Make History: What works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education for All. (2012) 
Kopp, Wendy, Steven Farr, and Teach for America. Teaching As Leadership: The Highly Effective Teacher's Guide to Closing the Achievement Gap. (2010)
Kozol, Jonathan. Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. (1992, rereleased in 2012)
Kozol, Jonathan. Letters to a Young Teacher. (2008)
Matthews, Jay. Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created The Most Promising Schools in America. (2009)
McCourt, Frank. Teacher Man: a Memoir. (2005)
Participant Media and Karl Weber.  Waiting for "SUPERMAN": How We Can Save America's Failing Public Schools. (2010)
Whitmire, Richard. The Bee Eater: Michelle Rhee Takes on the Nation's Worst School District. (2011)

Books: for professional development
** Heacox, Diane. Making Differentiation a Habit. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing, 2009.
Marzano, Robert J.  Classroom Assessment and Grading that Work.  Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision    
     and Curriculum Development, 2006.
Marzano, Robert J. Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum 
     Development, 2001.
Marzano, Robert J. The Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum 
     Development, 2007.
Schmoker, Mike. Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning. Alexandria, Virginia: 
     Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2011.
** Sousa, David A. How the Brain Learns. 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, Inc., 2001.
Tomlinson, Carol Ann.  How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms.  2nd Edition.  Alexandria, Virginia: 
     Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2011.

Websites: for lesson plans
"Article of the Week" by Kelly Gallagher - http://kellygallagher.org/resources/articles.html
Current Event articles, political cartoons and videos - 
     ABCs This Week, http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/
     Channel One News (for kids, by kids), http://www.channelone.com/
     Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN, http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/category/gps-episodes/
     Slate Magazine, http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/cartoons/2012/07/cartoonists_take_on_the_olympics.html
     Time for Kids, http://www.timeforkids.com/
     The Week, http://theweek.com
Docs Teach, great lessons already prepared using primary sources - http://docsteach.org
EconEd, quality lessons, sponsored by the Council for Economic Education - http://www.econedlink.org/
Facts for debates - www.ProCon.org and FactCheck.org
Lesson Planet, lessons and worksheets - www.lessonplanet.com
National Archives, introducing students to primary resources - http://www.archives.gov/education/research/
National Geographic, videos and lessons - http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/?ar_a=1
NY Times Learning Network, lesson centered around current events - http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/
PBS Teachers, very interactive lessons - http://www.pbs.org/teachers/

Websites: for primary sources
Teaching History - http://teachinghistory.org
The Library of Congress (digital copies) - http://www.loc.gov/library/libarch-digital.html
     Click -> Handout that helps you search the Library of Congress database
The National Archives (digital copies) - http://arcweb.archives.gov/arc/action/BasicMultimediaSearchForm
     Click -> Handout that helps you search the National Archives database

Websites: professional organizations and reform
Achievement First - http://www.achievementfirst.org/The Achievement Network - http://www.achievementnetwork.org/
The Center for Civic Education - http://new.civiced.org/
The Center for Education in Law and Democracy - http://www.lawanddemocracy.org/
Citizen Schools - http://www.citizenschools.org/
Echoing Green - http://www.echoinggreen.org/about
Jovenes y Padres Unidos (Youth and Parents United), based out of Denver - http://www.padresunidos.org/
Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) - http://www.kipp.org/
Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) - http://educationalequity.org/
Michael Johnston (Colorado State Senator), helped pass the READ ACT and SB-191 - http://www.mikejohnston.org/bio/
Mind Trust - http://www.themindtrust.org/
National Council for the Social Studies - http://www.socialstudies.org/
New Leaders for New Schools - http://www.newleaders.org/
New Schools Venture Fund - http://www.newschools.org/
The New Teacher Project - http://tntp.org/
Professional Association of Colorado Educators -http://www.coloradoteachers.org/
Rafe Esquith - http://www.hobartshakespeareans.org/ourclass_welcome.php
Rocketship Schools - http://www.rsed.org/
School of One - http://schoolofone.org/
Stand for Children: Colorado -  http://stand.org/colorado
Students First - http://www.studentsfirst.org/
Teach For All, the global network for expanding educational opportunity - http://www.teachforall.org/