Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
From Ben’s Pen to Our Lives
What would Ben do? Jumping off from the pseudonymous letters Ben Franklin fooled his older brother into publishing when he was still a teenager, young literary lovers dive into acting, writing, and addressing a local issue with wit and...
Curated OER
Exploring the Heroes of Social Justice Movements
Learners explore social justice, the civil rights movement, and everyday heroes. They view video clips, learn about James Armstrong: The Barber of Birmingham, and create their own hero wall. They present their walls to the class and...
Curated OER
The Dragon of Brog: Stereotyping and Discrimination Social Justice Lesson Plan
Stereotyping and discrimination are explored in this social justice instructional activity. Students listen to the book Dragon of Brog, in which mythical characters experience discrimination. Then, they sculpt a magical character out of...
Annenberg Foundation
Service Learning in the Social Studies
Active Citizenship Today (ACT) is a "unique social studies service learning program" that requires students to learn about the public policy associated with community issues they identify in their local community. This web site provides...
DocsTeach
The Civil War: Celebrate or Commemorate? Debate Definitions
Match game for the win! Build learners' historical vocabulary using an interactive matching game. Class members match each term to its definition with a tap. A writing prompt rounds out the lesson, leading to further discussion on how...
University of Virginia
Analyzing Social Commentary in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn continues to be one of the most frequently banned books. The satire and social commentary present challenges when using the book as a core text. Direct readers' attention to how Twain uses plot,...
Facing History and Ourselves
Citizen Watchdogs and the News
To conclude their case study of media coverage of the shooting of Michael Brown by a Ferguson, Missouri, police officer, class members consider the role of citizen watchdogs in a democratic society, develop strategies for combating...
Curated OER
Understanding Social Commentary
By learning how to identify and understand social commentary students can flex their critical thinking skills.
Curated OER
What is an Atlatl?
Let's go an an archaeological dig! Prepare your kids with a list of vocabulary terms relating to archaeology, including different types of items that one might find. They study pictures of each item and play a memory game based on the...
Curated OER
Game Related Social Skills
Most of us like to play games, but knowing what to do when a game doesn't go the way one expects is a learned skills. Adolescents with behavioral disorders practice responding to a variety of situations that arise during game play. They...
Teaching Tolerance
Slavery as a Form of Racialized Social Control
An engaging lesson delves into the effects of slavery on society. Young historians read text excerpts, complete handouts, and participate in group discussion to understand how slavery was a means to control society and establish a racial...
Overcoming Obstacles
Good Citizenship
An individual's background and experiences affect their worldview and interaction. In this lesson, scholars draw a pair of glasses with pictures of experiences they've been through, relate the responsibility to social media and the...
Open Oregon Educational Resources
Principles of Microeconomics: Scarcity and Social Provisioning
There’s no such thing as a free economics course, but here's a resource that is as close as you can get. Drawing on the expertise of a textbook, augmented by input from higher education economics instructors, a helpful eBook presents a...
Curated OER
This Ain't No Tea Party!
Create food-safe bowls with your class, then organize a meal for the community using the class's bowls to serve. This lesson is based on the Empty Bowels Project, where school kids gain an understanding of global hunger through community...
Curated OER
Communication, Day 2: Assertiveness
Having social skills and being able to assert yourself in a positive way is so important. Students with mild to moderate disabilities engage in a series of activities to practice assertive communication and social skills. Perfect for a...
Council for Economic Education
What Makes an Entrepreneur?
What do the founders of Wendy's and Virgin Airlines have in common? They are both entrepreneurs! Key definitions and case studies help learners brainstorm their own definitions of what it takes to succeed in business. A series of...
US Institute of Peace
Perspectives on Peace
Much like a garden, once the seeds of peace are planted, they need to be tended! How can humankind make and keep peace? The second installment in a series of 15 peacebuilding activities focuses on different perceptions of peace. The...
Curated OER
Social Studies Wonders: An Exploration
Help middle schoolers conduct Internet research and develop a working definition for the discipline of social studies. From a list of websites, they develop classification skills and differentiate between primary and secondary sources....
Teaching Tolerance
The War on Drugs—Mechanisms and Effects
The war on drugs doesn't have definite results. An interesting instructional activity examines the social, political, and economic effect of the war on drugs. Academics learn how the war on drugs has led to mass incarcerations and...
Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
Honesty and Integrity
What are the benefits of kindness and integrity? When is it difficult to be honest? Through discussion, writing, and hands-on experiences, your young learners will consider the definitions and importance of having honesty and integrity...
swmcdn
AP US History Test Review
Every major concept, key term, and definition that an AP US history student should know for a test prep session and the big exam is right here in this comprehensive, well-organized study guide.
Therapist Aid
What is Bullying?
What is the definition of bullying, and how can you deal with it? Elementary and middle schoolers discuss verbal, physical, social, and cyberbullying before talking about strategies to avoid and stop bullying in their school.
Curated OER
I Can Buy Anything I Want: Consumer Debt and Social Responsibility
A clear, comprehensive overview of consumer debt, credit, interest, international currency, and social responsibility, this 45-minute session falters in the application stage. You'll need to create a way for learners to demonstrate their...
Facing History and Ourselves
Defining Human Rights
Eleanor Roosevelt leads the drive to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. To begin a study of universal rights, class members create a definition of a right and compare it to the 1947 version. They then investigate Eleanor's...