Curated OER
First Amendment Guarantee of Free Speech (Senior, Social Studies)
Young scholars receive a list of banned books from which they choose one to read. They read their chosen book and write a paper that includes a discussion of the First Amendment and its guarantees and the reason(s) why they believe their...
Curated OER
Social Studies--Important People/Groups of the Holocaust
Students take the personas of eight different groups of people involved in the Holocaust. In this activity about the Holocaust, students view "The Rise and Fall of Adolph Hitler" students view and discuss the video, focusing on...
Curated OER
The Future of Social Studies Education
Students work in groups of four and complete a roster of their names and personal information and to complete a release form that allows their pictures to be placed online. They then engage in classroom activities while being...
Curated OER
Creating a Database: Africa, Technology, Social Studies
Students use technology to create a database demonstrating their knowlede (in the case) of the African Continent. This project could be applied to almost any other concept studied.
Curated OER
Disease and Epidemics - Social Studies
Students explore how the study of diseases, epidemics and disease management promotes our understanding of human culture and history. They also examine the roles of agriculture, trade and living in cities in promoting the spread of...
Curated OER
Social Studies Lesson: Apartheid
Learners examine the Apartheid system of South Africa through a role-play activity. The role-play activity ends with a class discussion on how the events affected each individual. A class discussion continues after reading an article...
Curated OER
Houghton Mifflin Social Studies/ Chapter 5, Lesson 2: Mexico Defeated (pp. 116-120)
Third graders study how the United States declared war on Mexico and succeeded in gaining control of California. Several activities are included in the lesson. The lesson outline is included as a link.
Curated OER
The Journey of a Banana
To investigate the price of bananas in order to evaluate basic counting and number sense skills, your mathematicians focus upon multiplication and problem solving that incorporates social studies in the form of building awareness about...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Relationships…Quality Control
Quality relationships don't just happen. They require nurturing, patience, thoughtful communication, and honesty. Help tweens develop these relationship skills with an activity that asks them to themselves and then outline a...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Debate: Islam & Democracy
World religion or social studies classes studying Islam may find this debate-based instructional activity useful for exploring Islam and its compatibility with democracy. The final assessment is a five-paragraph persuasive essay. Some...
Curated OER
Advertisements
Students explore educational offerings for people with disabilities. In this social studies lesson, students research early schools for people with disabilities and discuss the advertisements that were used at the time. Students create...
Curated OER
Immigration and Ellis Island
Fourth graders explore family histories. In this social studies lesson, 4th graders identify the countries from which their ancestors came and locate them on a map. Students discuss the role that Ellis Island played in immigration in the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Road to the Constitutional Convention
After defeating the most powerful nation in the world, the United States had to deal with its own weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation. Activities in the lesson include analyzing primary sources from the Founding Fathers to...
Museum of Tolerance
Cultural Research Activity
Class members explore cultural diversity through a variety of texts that showcase the importance of traditions. Then, they interview their family members to research their own cultural background and write their findings on quilt...
Museum of Tolerance
Oral History Activity
Oral history has brought a multitude of lessons, stories, and factoids to our current knowledge of the past. Let us continue to use oral history traditions through a lesson that encourages pupils to discover and appreciate...
Museum of Tolerance
Artifact Research Activity
Artifacts give us the privilege of learning about the past, may it be family, culture, or traditions. Here, class members learn about their family's past with the help of an artifact, or family heirloom. Once an artifact is...
Museum of Tolerance
Quilt Activity
After completing the first five lessons from the series, scholars assemble their quilt pieces to create a family history quilt. They then rate their experience of learning about their families by conducting interviews, creating family...
ESL Library
Beginner Level Thanksgiving ESL Lesson Plan
Thanksgiving is a cherished tradition in the United States and Canada. Introduce the beginnings of the Thanksgiving celebration with a resource that features reading comprehension activities, vocabulary exercises, and a short...
Curated OER
Greeks Around the World: A Case Study on Greek Diaspora
Students gain an understanding of the concept of Diaspora relating to Greeks. They use guided discovery to apply the geographic inquiry model to an examination of the reasons for Greek Diaspora.
Museum of Tolerance
Family Role Model Activity
What does is take to be a role model? Through grand conversation, and the use of books and a graphic organizer, scholars find out and apply the requirements to identify a role model within their family. They then journey through the...
PBS
Constitution Day
Travel back to 1787 as young scholars investigate the creation of the US Constitution. After first working in small groups to create sets of classroom rules, young scholars go on to read a summary of the Constitution and watch a short...
Curated OER
The Right to Die - A Role Playing Activity
Learners are assigned various roles to play in simulation intended to demonstrate the difficult choices involved in keeping relative on a life support system. They research a case, prepare their roles, and present their positions to the...
C-SPAN
Make a “Deliberations” Site
Many hot button issues require deliberations, even in your classroom! Learners work in teams or as individuals to decide on a deliberation question to make into a Google site. They research the topics in depth, discuss both sides of the...
PBS
Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson - A Journey Back to Separate but Equal Conditions
Baseball great Jackie Robinson fought for social justice. His efforts to push for equal access are detailed in an episode from from the Ken Burns: The Jackie Robinson Collection. After viewing the clip, class members engage in a...