Polk Bros Foundation
This Week's Social Studies Journal
This worksheet is ideal for a bell-ringer/writing warm-up in your class to review what was learned in a previous lesson, and includes identifying important terms and facts associated with a historical topic. Encourage learners to...
Holly Middle School
Leadership 101
A four-week leadership class is designed to help scholars develop the skills they need to become effective leaders. Pupils study the habits of highly effective people and apply these concepts to leadership. They investigate paradigm...
Tean Truth
Leaders Are, Can, and Think
A great way to begin a discussion of leadership is to have learners reflect on their own experiences with leadership. A one-page learning exercise asks individuals to list what they believe are the top characteristics, qualities, and...
WE Charity
Exploring the Four Leadership Styles
What is your leadership style? Tweens and teens independently complete a Four Leadership Styles worksheet. Once completed, they use a leadership code to identify their prominent leadership style. Class members gather by style, brainstorm...
C-SPAN
14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause
Two Supreme Court cases, Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education take center stage in a lesson about the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Class members research both cases to compare and contrast the rulings.
C-SPAN
Primary and Secondary Sources: Trailblazers in Congress
Trailblazers forge the path into uncharted territory, they establish a precedent for others to follow. Young historians research trailblazers in Congress using primary and secondary sources to profile outliers that changed the face of...
While They Watched
Teaching the Holocaust
What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination? Between collaborators and bystanders? Guilt and responsibility? Prompt learners to think critically about a very complex and textured topic with an innovative packet...
Public Schools of North Carolina
Democratic Republic of Congo - Map Skills
Work on your map skills with a packet of activities about the river basins in the Democratic Republic on Congo. Learners study the maps provided before answering the geography questions and writing an acrostic poem about the region.
C-SPAN
Supreme Court Justices Research and Resumes
According to Article III, Section1 of the United States constitution, the only qualification one needs to be appointed to the Supreme Court is to demonstrate "good behavior." The president and Congress are given the power to determine...
Curated OER
The Presidents Song
Remember learning to spell “encyclopedia” by singing along with Jiminy Cricket? How about using a singing exercise to learn the names of the presidents? “The Presidents Song,” includes the names, in order, from Washington to Coolidge....
Curated OER
Hinduism- Caste System Simulation
Students examine the Hindu caste system. In this religious studies lesson, students participate in a classroom simulation where they represent the castes of Hinduism and take part in a rebirth ceremony.
Curated OER
Faces of the Past: Boys in the Civil War
Students investigate the role of boys during the American Civil War. In this Civil War Research lesson, students study the contributions of young Union and Confederate men to the war effort. Students also make...
Generation Nation
Propaganda
How does propaganda influence our vote? Through grand conversation, scholars gain information about what is and how to identify the different ways propaganda is used in a presidential election. Using their new-found knowledge, citizens...
Curated OER
Amazon Rainforest Unit
Learners study the Amazon Rainforest. In this geography skills lesson, students complete assigned textbook reading on the region and then complete an Internet activity that requires them to identify countries in the region as well as...
Curated OER
Read More Than Words
Students, in groups, visually read photographs from the Farm Security Administration taken during the Great Depression. They analyze the photos and present their observations to the class.
Curated OER
Show Me the Money
Young scholars investigate the history of paper currency in the United States and consider anti-counterfeit strategies that are used by making their own paper.
Curated OER
Understanding Native American Culture
Ninth graders explore Native American culture. In this early Americans lesson, 9th graders will visit several stations around the room and examine native American artifacts then draw comparisons to other cultures. Students will then...
Curated OER
Rural Voices Through Photography
Students research the history of the Depression particularly in the ways it was documented by photography. Then they take their own pictures in the style of one of the best documentarians, Dorothea Lange.
Curated OER
Contours, Curves & Lines
Learners discover how straight lines and curves function in both art and the science of conservation tillage by building model "hills" and experimenting on them.
Curated OER
African Safari Adventure
Students conduct Internet research on the different safaris available. They locate and label safari sites on the continent of Africa. They create a PowerPoint presentation for the class to persuade the class why they should vote for...
Curated OER
It's a Wrap!
Learners study two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects by assembling a sculptural piece from something very flat - pieces of newspaper or wallpaper. They see what materials people used to make clothing during the depression.
Curated OER
Jamestown Colonies and the Powhatan Indians
Eighth graders discuss the Jamestown colony and the Powhatan Indians. In this colonial history lesson, 8th graders talk about conflicts between the Native Americans and the colonists. They read a biography about Pocahontas to help them...
Curated OER
Focused Learning Lesson: American History
Eleventh graders review the Progressive Movement and the Women's suffrage movement. They also review the changes from the end of World War I to the Great Depression.
Curated OER
Geography of South America
Students explore South America. In this geography skills lesson, students watch a video about the geographical features of the continent. Students complete worksheets on the topic.