Curated OER
Social Studies: Great Circle Route
Young scholars compare routes between Minnesota and China using a map and globe. Using the "great circle route" method, students find the shortest route between two points.
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
(Texas) Capitol Visitors Center, Pre-Visit Lesson Plan, Grades K-3
Pupils examine pictures of the four flags Texas had had through history. They discuss similarities among the flags and they relate the flag as a patriotic symbol of Texas. Then they create their own flag incorporating a Lone Star...
Curated OER
Capitol Visitors Center, Post-Visit Lesson Plan, Grades K-3
Students visit the Texas Capitol Visitors Center. They review the importance of the Lone Star as a state symbol. They create a collage of Lone Stars using various print media (newspapers, magazines, travel literature and advertisements.)
Curated OER
Letters to the Government
Seventh graders examine how to be active participants in their local, state, or federal governments. They create a powerpoint presentation and write a letter to one of their governmental representatives about a problem and solution of...
Curated OER
Types of Branches
Fourth graders study the three branches of government. In this politics activity, 4th graders list the three branches of government, understanding what each branch does, and compare and contrast how government is run with how...
Curated OER
You Are Smarter Than The Ads
Fourth graders examine advertising techniques and create original designs for advertisements in this three day, 4th grade art/social studies lesson. The lesson includes assessment ideas, resource information, and learning objectives.
Curated OER
Celebrate Hanukkah in Israel
Explore Hanukkah and its origins with a social studies lesson. Learners discover the history of Hanukkah and its traditions. They locate Israel on a map, hear the story of the menorah and create their own...
Curated OER
“Leading Doctors Say…”
Seventh graders analyze how media and celebrities influence consumers. In this social studies lesson, 7th graders view different commercials and discuss their advertising techniques. They explain why celebrities are often used to give...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 African American Settlers
Go West, young man! Scholars investigate the impact of African American settlers moving to the Nebraska territory, following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the mid 1800s. Using primary sources, timelines, maps, and...
Curated OER
What Makes the Writer Write
Your 11th and 12th graders are ready to critique society! Channel that inclination by studying a novel that offers social criticism of other eras (book recommendations included). This resource presents a well-thought-out overview of such...
Curated OER
The Voting Game
Upper graders play the voting game to help them understand voting patterns, political movements, and build a content specific vocabulary. Each student creats a chart to determine if his or her political view veers liberal or...
Curated OER
Two Truths and a Lie: Internet Research Skills
It's tough for high schoolers to assess what is a credible resource and what is not. A helpful resource prompts class members to research a particular topic and record two facts—and create one lie—while documenting the sources. They...
Friends of Fort McHenry
Was the War of 1812 Our Second War of Independence?
Though it occurred almost 40 years later, could the United States have been fighting for their independence again in the War of 1812? Using appropriate primary source material from each of the two wars, compare and contrast the situation...
Curated OER
Reading and Responding: Lesson 3
Reinforce comprehension of informational text. This is a one-on-one lesson intended to build an internal dialogue the reader can use to boost overall comprehension. They work independently with a tutor or teacher to read a nonfiction...
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...
Curated OER
Career & Technical Education: Grade 7
Educate your learners on the importance of using bio-diesel as an alternative transportation fuel. Provided here are several links to books (with reviews), a 24-page informational text in three reading levels, a corn activity, and...
Curated OER
Studying STI/HIV
Eighth graders describe symptoms, effects, treatments, and prevention for chlamydia, HPV, herpes, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B and C, and HIV. They begin by answering provided background questions and get one's feelings about what they think...
New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 1
Work out your core, Common Core State Standards, through the first workshop in a series of 15 designed for educators. Inquiry-based activities designed for all content areas and grade levels explore the shifts to new standards,...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Class Citizenship Tree
Third graders discuss citizenship and the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance. On poster board, the teacher draws a tree and students draw their citizenship ideas on paper or clip pictures from magazines and glue them to the tree.
Curated OER
Changing the World: Social Entrepreneurs Part One
Students analyze the purpose of a social entrepreneur. In this entrepreneurship lesson, students create a "help wanted" advertisement and graphic organizer to provide information on how a social entrepreneur seeks long-term change by...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Kyrgyzstan Bride Kidnappings
Students examine the Kyrgyzstan bride kidnappings and compare wedding traditions there with those in the United States. They explain these differences and similarities in a fictitious letter to a peer in Kyrgyzstan.
Curated OER
Social Boundaries Activity: Map It Out
Middle schoolers observe the school for one week to identify social boundaries. In this map it out activity, students sketch the school's social boundaries, identifying where social cliques hang out. Middle...
Curated OER
Kindergarten Social Studies Lesson 4
Students examine the lives of children in other places. They listen to a read aloud of Eve Bunting's, Dandelions, and retell the story of the family living in the West. They talk about the sod houses and compare them to the types of...