Thoughtful Learning
Using Positive Self-Talk
Boost positive self-talk with a chart that turns negative feelings into happy ones. Scholars write down their negative emotions then rewrite them with a positive flair to aid in changing their outlook.
University of Wisconsin
Analyzing Presidential Campaign Propaganda
Campaign propaganda has evolved from 1952 through the presidential election of 2008. A social studies activity prompts class members to analyze the devices used in ads and political cartoons, noting strategies they believe would work to...
Teaching Tolerance
Inventing a Better World
From play pumps that provide clean water to shoes made from trash, innovators change the world one invention at a time. After researching various inventions, young entrepreneurs develop their own. Extension opportunities include prompts...
Missouri Department of Elementary
How We Are Alike And Different
Scholars develop social awareness by exploring the concept of similarities and differences. Learners examine two beverages and use a Venn diagram to identify similarities and differences. They tally each item to identify if they are more...
Curated OER
Social Sstudies: Change in Space and Time
Students examine the dynamics of change and compare and contrast it with other cultures. They cite examples of how people change over time and explain why it is necessary. Students organize a skit, Webpage, or Powerpoint presentation...
Curated OER
5th Grade Social Studies
In this social studies learning exercise, 5th graders answer multiple choice questions about economics including exports and imports, goods and services, and more. Students complete 22 questions.
Curated OER
Time For Change
Learners examine and discuss the inventions and changes created by the Industrial Revolution. They create posters or clay models about inventions, write paragraphs about the advantages and disadvantages of the changes, and develop a...
Curated OER
The Changing Experience of Colonial Childhood
Students research how childhood was depicted in art in the 17th through 19th centuries. In groups, they research pieces of art and write a paper explaining how the portrayal of students in art changed at the end of the 18th century.
Curated OER
Social Studies: Dating Behaviors
Upper graders discuss the importance of responsible dating. In addition to a discussion period, the lesson includes Powerpoint presentations, poster designs, and related role-playing activities. In one scenario, students act as parents...
Curated OER
Social Studies Activity Sheets
In this social studies worksheet, students complete social studies activity sheets including changing the world, historical women, travel, and more. Students complete 52 sheets.
Middle Tennessee State University
The Invention of the Telephone
All of the people in your class would agree that life would be different without the invention of the telephone! Study Alexander Graham Bell's most famous and influential invention through the primary source document of his...
Theodore Roosevelt Association
Roosevelt's Legacy: Conservation
The legacy of Theodore Roosevelt carries through modern American politics, economics, foreign policy, and society. But his proudest and most profound efforts were in the world of conservation, and in preserving the natural beauty of...
Center for Civic Education
Historical Analysis of Constitutional Amendments
Each of the 27 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were adopted within specific economic, political, social or cultural, and international contexts. As part of their Constitution Day/Week studies, seniors investigate these factors for...
NPR
Suffrage Lesson Plan
Has life changed for American women in the last century, or are there common themes between the lives of 21st century women and the struggle of suffragettes from the 1910s? Explore the ways media reflects the position of women...
Yale University
inspireED Innovator's Guide
Educators and scholars come together to build a team of go-getters striving for positive change in their school and community. Become an insipreED team with this handy guide designed to get you started. Sixty pages outline the who, what,...
National Woman's History Museum
Susan B. Anthony: She's Worth a Mint!
A instructional activity all about Susan B. Anthony showcases the Civil Rights leader's contributions towards equality. A Susan B. Anthony coin sparks engagement. Scholars take part in a discussion that sheds light on what being an agent...
Therapist Aid
What is Bullying?
What is the definition of bullying, and how can you deal with it? Elementary and middle schoolers discuss verbal, physical, social, and cyberbullying before talking about strategies to avoid and stop bullying in their school.
Curated OER
Social Studies: Famous History
While a rudimentary overview of facts relating to U.S. History, this resource could be used as a starting point for a discussion of this topic. However, there is very little information included on each slide, and one of the terms used...
Cave Creek Unified School District
Crusades and Culture in the Middle Ages
The Crusades sounds like a glamorous time period in the Middle Ages full of glory—but was it? Scholars find and review the truth of the Crusades' influence on the world through the resource. The study guides, separated individually by...
NPR
Partners In Winning The War Lesson Plan
How propaganda was used to change the concept of women's roles during World War II is the focus of an online exhibit provided by the National Women's History Museum. Packed with propaganda posters and pictures, the packet points out how...
National Endowment for the Humanities
People and Places in the North and South
North and South: two opposite directions and two opposite economic and social systems in time of the Civil War. Pupils peruse census websites and primary source photographs to understand what life was like for the everyday person before...
Media Education Lab
The Ethics of Propaganda
What are the short and long-term consequences for consumers and producers of modern media propaganda? Class members ponder this essential question as their unit study of ethics of propaganda concludes. After examining two case...
Curated OER
Second Graders Create Their Own Social Studies Book
Students develop their own social studies textbook. Students gain knowledge of American immigration and Ellis Island. Students discover the process of becoming a naturalized citizen and what it means to be a citizen
Curated OER
Second Graders Create Their Own Social Studies Book (Part I, The 5Ws of the Constitution)
Students develop their own social studies textbook using a blank theme book as they complete activities and learning experiences throughout the year. The activities are in art, music, simulations, read alouds, shared writing and a class...