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Family Communication Style
Eighth graders explore the different ways that families communicate with each other. After a lecture/demo, 8th graders generate a list of relationships that might benefit from practice in the art of conversation and communication.
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Economics: Property Rights and the Rule of Law
Students examine the economic value of property rights. In a classroom activity, "You're the Economist," they analyze actual research data from establishing land holding titles in Para, Brazil. They assess several case studies about the...
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My Top Interdisciplinary Social Studies Lesson Plans
Here are some top social studies lesson plans and activities which present concepts in a memorable fashion.
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Citizenship Program
Students explore teamwork, decision-making, and ways to communicate. They discuss their favorite activities, places they would like to travel and set ground rules for their groups. After identifying their feelings toward the program,...
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Guantanamera: A Poem and a Song
Students compare revolutionary actions of Jose Marti and Pete Seeger. In this Cuban folk song instructional activity, students listen to the song "Guantanamera" and discuss the content. Students read articles on the poet and the...
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Is Capitalism Good for the Poor?
Students have the unique opportunity to analyze actual data collected by field researchers They research to see whether holding clear title made a difference in farmers' willingness to invest in capital improvements that would increase...
Personal Genetics Education Project
Genetics and Reproduction
Disease prevention or designer babies? Use a set of slides to introduce the growing practice of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. Teens read related articles and then break into groups to address different scenarios. Afterward,...
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Outdoor Survival
Students are introduced to basic outdoor survival concepts. They identify the seven basic needs for survival. Students describe the symptoms and treatment for frostbite and hypothermia. They compare and contrast the value of different...
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Absolute Location
Fifth graders examine the geographic concept of absolute location. Using a variety of resources, they create a life-size classroom grid and locate the coordinates of a point, identify latitude and longitude of different locations, and...
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Solar Energy Connection
Students conduct solar experiments. They calculate the solar gain and operate a solar cell devise used to generate electricity. Students compare and contrast solar energy gain with students in India. They analyze the difference...
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Walking For Water
Learners investigate how third world countries get their water. In this water instructional activity, students research how countries like Kenya and Ethiopia get their water supply. Learners participate in an experiment to role play how...
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Spirit and Nature
High schoolers examine sources of spirituality. In this religion lesson, students investigate ties between the spiritual and natural worlds. High schoolers design community and personal projects that feature relationships to the natural...
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Oral Reports through 'Personality Bags'
Students prepare an oral book report on a biography they have read. They bring in a bag of objects they associate with the report's subject and use them as props for the report.
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Habitat Cards
Students discuss the relationship between a habitat and the environment. In groups, they use the internet to research the relationship between the animals and the habitat on their card. They present their information to the class to...
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Making a Mental Map
Students discuss maps and explore the concept of the mental maps they use to navigate their everyday routines including the importance of landmarks. They draw a map of how they travel from home to school.
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Ancient Cities
Students discuss ways homes, buildings and cities are designed for a particular climate and geography. Students use a chart and conduct library and online research to explore ways the Mayans and Incas developed their land based on their...
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The IMF in Action: What Does the IMF Do?
Students use newspapers and the internet to discover what the IMF does. They work together in groups to brainstorm occupations which need another language to be spoken. They also examine data related to trading among countries.
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Grid it, Map it
Students participate in designing a city layout using grids and coordinates. They work on a city space and create a grid on a life size layout on the gym floor.
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Why do Countries Trade?
Young scholars explore trading among countries. They participate in a trading simulation designed to illustrate a complex marketplace in which goods and services are traded.Pupils use this experience to investigate the conditions that...
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Severe Weather - Deciding Where to Live
Students recognize the variety and frequency of severe weather occurrences. They research the type of severe weather that may occur in their area as well as determine the frequency of occurrence.
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Predicting Severe Weather
Students recognize the range and variety of severe weather. They plan for severe weather conditions that they may experience on an immediate and long-term scale and use climate information to make personal choices about where to live and...
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Social Studies: Cooking Methods - Past and Present
Fourth graders identify geographic regions (Texas' Edwards Plateau) and sequence steps in the hot rock cooking process. They compare and contrast prehistoric and contemporary cooking methods. Students conduct online research and record...
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Population Dynamics
Young scholars investigate the causes and consequences of population growth and the envrionmental factors that contribute to it. They discuss what they think the world's population will be in 2050.
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Laurence of Arabia
High schoolers critically examine the life and contributions of Lawrence of Arabia to the modern Middle East. They view a video on Laurence of Arabia. Students discuss the movie. High schoolers create a propaganda posters or stories...