Social Studies Education Articles for Teachers

Get Out, Get Active: Three Social Studies Activities Your Students Will Love

07-21-11

When the sky is blue and the sun is out, it is sometimes hard to keep students focused on their school work. One way to keep students' interest level high is to head outside, and conduct some open air lessons. Below are three different ways to supplement instruction with simple, fun and engaging ...

Psyching up the Stock Market: Using the Harkness Method to Explain Behavioral Economics

05-25-11

During my years of teaching I have explored many different methods of instruction; and although I’m not ready to subscribe to one specific school of thought, I am a strong proponent of using the Harkness method when it comes to teaching students in the upper grades/advanced classes. I think...

When Talking About Leadership Styles Is It Better to be Feared or Loved? Let Facebook Decide.

05-09-11

Whether you’re teaching a lesson on key figures from the Renaissance, influential politicians, or game-changing books, one man’s name will always be mentioned: Niccolo Machiavelli. That’s right history fans, Wednesday, May 3rd, marked the 542nd birthday of the man responsib...

Holocaust Remembrance Week and the Chain of Causation

05-03-11

This week is Holocaust Remembrance Week, an eight day observance established by Congress to commemorate the tragic events that transpired in Eastern Europe before and during World War II. This year's theme is Justice and Accountability in the Face of Genocide: What Have We Learned? The United Sta...

An Exploration of the Dada Movement and its Political Message

03-24-11

The art movement known as the Dada Movement began in the early 20th century amidst the turmoil of World War I. The term “dada” has multiple meanings in different languages: It means “yes, yes” in Russian and “hobbyhorse” in French. During this time,&...

Social Studies Board Games

02-15-11

One of the biggest challenges in any classroom is making content interesting, relevant, and engaging. Students are growing up in a world in which they are constantly looking to be entertained - but not necessarily educated. Great teachers, however, can combine the two by providing “edutainm...

Making the Supreme Court Matter to Teens

08-06-10

Highly relevant plus under-discussed equals the Supreme Court of the United States. Let's face it, outside of the occasional Supreme Court nomination process or a highly divisive case, we rarely hear about it. Yet, the decisions they make are pivotal in the lives of all Americans. Most unquestion...

My Top Interdisciplinary Social Studies Lesson Plans

06-15-10

When I started thinking about where I could find some of the best ideas for teaching elementary social studies topics, the answer was simple; I asked some great teachers and their students. In this article I'm going to share some of my favorite ideas, and the best that th...

Thematic Amusement Park Projects

06-13-10

Students of all ages love amusement parks and theme parks. They love the rides, attractions, larger-than-life characters, and the games. Theme parks also provide a perfect opportunity for interdisciplinary instruction. Thematic amusement park projects can be assigned as either individual or ...

Pop Art Lesson Plans

06-11-10

Pop Art is visually appealing to students. However, the first question they usually ask is “How can that be art?” This question provides a wonderful way to explore the ways that people define art. It also can lead students to look at individual works of art in a mo...