National Council for the Social Studies
Analyzing a Product or Political Advertisement
How do advertisements evoke specific thoughts and feelings? Class members find out through the exploration of the Internet, videos, television, magazines, radio, and posters. Learners investigate commercial advertisements, political...
Curated OER
Econ in a Bag
Here is a nice idea, have your young entrepeneurs form their own companies. Each company is given a paper bad to locate and place resources in that they can use to create products their businesses sell on Sale Day. They identify and...
Playbooks
Reader's Theater Exercise: The Night Before Christmas
Yes, Virginia, there really is a reader's theater script for "The Night Before Christmas." The exercise is a great way to productively channel pre-holiday energy.
Manchester College
Spain – Culture and Famous Landmarks
Introduce your class to Spain and liven up the class period with some Spanish pop music! Learners view a presentation about Spain and take notes on the information before watching a couple of music videos in Spanish. They use listening...
Curated OER
Can China Kick the Habit?
Middle schoolers watch a video on the problem of smoking in China. Using the Internet, they explore the cigarette marketing campaigns in the United States and on their way home identify advertisements. They discuss their findings and...
Curated OER
Struggle for Equality
High schoolers read and discuss a selection of news clippings, sermons, and narratives that depict the continued struggle for equality and mistreatment of African American citizens. They present a "60 Minutes"-style news program with the...
Mesa Public Schools
Country Project
Give your young learners the chance to discover more about countries in their world community with a research project. Class members write reports on an assigned country and include such major features as geography, important historical...
Population Connection
A Demographically Divided World
Did you know that birth and life rates vary across the world? The resource, the second in a six-part series, discusses just how demographics differ across countries and why it might be the case. Scholars complete worksheets, watch...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Categories of Cold War Histiography
While the objective is to provide an overview of the Cold War in preparation for further study, this resource addresses the topic at a rather advanced level, and might need its own introductory lesson. The handouts include terms such as...
Curated OER
Micro-finance Challenge
Students play a micro-finance game. in this global economy lesson, students play a game that assists them in concepts of micro-finance. Students will also watch a business development video and explore additional resources.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Islamic Civilization in Spain
There may be elements of this lesson that are useful for a unit on Islamic influence in Spain; however, there is little alignment between the learning objectives and the final product --a ten page report. For example, some of the...
Curated OER
Privacy and Online Life: Protect Yourself
Help your class protect privacy, security, and their online profiles with this examination of social media, especially Facebook, and who can see what about each of us. Resource contains useful links for learners to conduct their own...
Smithsonian Institution
Mobilizing Children
Scholars find out how the government used propaganda to mobilize children to help in the war effort. Lesson exercises include analyzing a quote from Franklin Roosevelt, viewing propaganda images and posters, and participating in a lively...
Curated OER
Midwest Region Commercials
Third graders research their assigned state using a variety of resources including a website, books, and travel brochures. They complete questions on a worksheet to use when writing a commercial for the state. They film the commercial...
PBS
Elasticity of Demand
High schoolers explore the current economy and determine what items will or will not sell in a poor economy and why. After researching aspects of the current economy, reviewing a provided case study, completing the provided...
Curated OER
Research Project
Students fill out a form which asked the WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY about the person they were assigned to research, they gather their information from different web sites on Lightspan and Yahooligans. They create a HyperStudio and...
Curated OER
World Continents
Students identify the continents of the world. In groups, students create a three-dimensional clay representation of their assigned continent. Using KidPix software, they draw and color their continent. Students research their continent...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
The Great Depression - Hard Times Hit America
To gain an understanding of how the Great Depression affected everyday citizens, class members examine letters written either to the president or to the governor of Alabama asking for assistance.
Curated OER
Our Troubled World: A Study of Global Issues
Students analyze global issues. In this research skills lesson, students research selected global issues. Students create e-collages or digital videos that feature their selected issues.
Curated OER
Movie Project: "Living History...Saul, The King of Israel"
Students create a movie about King Saul. They are evenly split into "production groups" composed of 5-6 students.
Curated OER
Ad Targeting and Techniques
Students explore advertising techniques. For this advertising lesson, students discuss what a target audience is. They brainstorm what products might be targeted toward them and other target audiences such as their parents. Students also...
Curated OER
Propaganda Techniques
Young scholars identify five propaganda techniques used in advertisements, then write their own ads using propaganda techniques that influence others to buy their products. They videotape their commercials, and write about recognizing...
Curated OER
Literature: It's a Mad, Mad Macbeth
Students determine how the themes expressed in Macbeth are also applicable to contemporary society. They complete a series of written assignments demonstrating their comprehension of theme, content, and interpretation of the play....
Curated OER
Jerusalem
Young scholars review Jerusalem's long and vital history. They view the video Jerusalem: History of the Holy Land. Students are explained that to portray Jerusalem's compelling history as a site of crucial importance to Jews,...