Social Studies School Service
DVD Lesson Plan: Thirteen Days
Here you'll find a fine teacher reference for presenting the film Thirteen Days, a dramatic interpretation of the Cuban Missile Crisis during the Kennedy administration. It includes a brief description of the film, learning objectives, a...
It's About Time
Competition Among Organisms
Who knew plants could be so competitive? Join your class as they observe plants competing for space and nutrients. Middle and high schoolers describe possible effects of introducing a new species into an already established ecosystem,...
Teach Engineering
Adapatations for Bird Flight - Inspiration for Aeronautical Engineering
It's a bird, it's a ... device made to mimic birds. The eighth installment of a nine-part module has pupils read various articles to learn about bird flight. They consider the implications for aeronautical engineering.
Curated OER
My Country, My Country: To Vote or Not to Vote
Students view a film about elections in Iraq. They examine the story of a doctor and his decisions to vote. They work together to complete a worksheet about voter turnout.
Curated OER
Video Biographies
Who was Alexander The Great? How did Abraham Lincoln’s early life influence his political life? Learners select a historical figure to use for video biography. After developing research questions and collecting information, pupils search...
Curated OER
Maquilapolis: Examining Incentives in a Market Economy
Students discuss the factors that influenced them to purchase a particular item. They work together to read and identify incentives of a character. They view a video on the topic as well.
Curated OER
Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela
Learners view a video about Nelson Mandela and apartheid. They discover what it was like for people living in South Africa during apartheid. They work together to discuss strategies that could be used for people to better communicate...
Curated OER
Waging A Living
Students view a video clip about minimum wage. They discover the history of wage policy in the United States and the difference between the minimum wage and living wage. They write a paper on how to increase the wages.
Curated OER
The Boys of Baraka
Students view a video about the experience of boys from West Africa in the American school system. They discover how one's environment can affect them in the classroom. They write about the experience from different points of view.
Curated OER
No Bigger Than a Minute
Students view a video clip about ideas displayed through images. They work together to analyze paintings and complete activities. They discuss how media representation of an issue can affect one's viewpoint.
Curated OER
Soldados: Soldiers' Stories
This lesson will help students practice conducting an oral history interview, increase knowledge about what it is like to be a soldier, gain knowledge about the Vietnam War and gain knowledge about the Chicano experience in the U.S.
Curated OER
Immigration Research Project
Students formulate guiding questions to use as an aid for research and then use the guiding questions worksheet to help gather information necessary for meeting all criteria for completing the project. They then work together to collect...
Curated OER
Prisoners in Another War
Students examine the role of the Geneva Convention. In this world history lesson, students investigate primary sources that prompt them to consider the evolution of the Geneva Convention.
Curated OER
A Good Story
Students explore the contributions of philanthropists. In this philanthropy lesson plan, students watch "The Gift of All: A Community of Givers." Students then read biographies of philanthropists and create PowerPoint presentations about...
Council for Economic Education
Cost/Benefit Analysis: Three Gorges Dam
Students, in groups, take various roles in evaluating the costs/benefits of the Three Gorges Dam project on the Yangtze River in China.
Curated OER
The Fog of War
Students view the film Fog of War and discuss the most striking elements of the film. They focus on chosen lessons from robert McNamara's life such as: empathy, rationality and proportionality.
Curated OER
Depicting Motherhood in Family Stories
Students examine the roles of mothers and grandmothers by looking at black-and-white photographs of one American family and comparing that family's multi-generational story with their own. In this mothers and grandmothers lesson plan,...
Curated OER
Georgia O'Keeffe Watercolor
Students study the work of Georgia O'Keeffe. In this visual arts lesson, students critique Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings and observe flowers in nature to create a unique pastel painting.
Curated OER
Using Primary Sources to Discover Reconstruction
Fifth graders discover how reconstruction had an impact on racial issues in the United States. For this Reconstruction lesson, 5th graders are introduced to primary vs. secondary resources and then rotate through stations to view...
Curated OER
Jazz and Math: The Beat Goes On
Students collect real data through listening, counting and timing jazz pieces.They use ratios, rates, and proportions to report collected data and demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of rhythm and tempo in music.
Curated OER
Literacy as a Force in the World
Students research and compare economic factors and data mining in Nepal. Students look at data to determine how the Nepalese quality of life compares to other countries and predict whether the literacy rate indicates or influences the...
Curated OER
Higher and Higher: Amazing Skyscrapers
Students brainstorm the names of skyscrapers then get into groups and create their own skyscraper. In this architecture lesson students answer questions about their skyscraper after creating one.
Curated OER
The Fibonacci Keyboard- Jazz and Math
Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationships of the Fibonacci Sequence. They apply the Fibonacci Sequence and find its relationship to a piano keyboard. They explore various relationships between music and the Fibonacci...
Curated OER
Making Movie Storyboards
Students explore the importance of images in telling a story in film, analyze movie clips and identify some visual cues that help them explain the story; students work collaboratively to storyboard a passage from a book and present them...