Curated OER
What Do Maps Show?: Lesson 1 Introduction to Maps
Students brainstorm a list of the different types of maps they have seen or used. Using the activity sheet, they look through a social studies book to find all the maps and to determine what they are used for. Using a poster, they review...
9/11 Memorial & Museum
Exploring Afghani Culture through Literature
Hosseini Khaled's The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns are the anchor texts in a semester-long course that explores Afghani culture and traditions.
Curated OER
Grocery Store Field Study
Learners visit a local grocery store (not a community market) to gather information about where some commonly eaten produce items come from. Once they have collected this information, locate the countries of origin on a map and research...
Smarter Balanced
Aztec Empire
To set the stage for a study of the Aztec Empire, groups use the provided definition of civilization and generate a list of elements that make up our modern day civilization. The whole class then examines an image of an Aztec city and...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Engel v. Vitale
"Is school-sponsored prayer in public schools unconstitutional?" That is the question teams debate as they consider the arguments presented to the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale. The attorneys study the provided talking points and...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Improving Academic Skills
Third graders play a variation of Bingo to reinforce study skills, time management, and test taking strategies. As the teacher draws key words, they offer brief explanations or descriptions about how the words can be used. As key words...
Curated OER
Social Studies Board Games
Student-created board games are an effective in-class study tool.
Curated OER
First Amendment Guarantee of Free Speech (Senior, Social Studies)
Learners 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 book...
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
Students 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 lesson plan useful for exploring Islam and its compatibility with democracy. The final assessment is a five-paragraph persuasive essay. Some information...
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...
Curated OER
Pledge of Allegiance
In this social studies activity, students read the Pledge of Allegiance by Frances Bellamy. Students match 6 words from the pledge to their correct definition.
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...
Curated OER
Intolerance in American History
Examine the United States through the lens of intolerance using this 2-week unit plan, which includes details for 13 days of instruction. Scholars study examples of prejudiced behavior throughout history, discuss issues in groups,...
National Park Service
A Peace Park
Piece together American and Canadian culture by learning about peace parks! Scholars discuss differences between Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park as a group. The newly-informed pupils answers questions about this...
Orlando Shakes
Les Misérables: Study Guide
A writer has the responsibility to defend the less fortunate members of society. At least that was the view of Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables. The novel is the subject of a study guide from Orlando Shakespeare Theater....