Social
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Education World's
Social Sciences Subject Center is your one-stop shop for free social studies teaching materials. Be sure to check out the sidebar on this page for links to social studies and history lesson plans, printable work sheets, and other tools and resources. Click links below to read articles of practical interest to social sciences and history educators across the grades.
A Token Economy and Fifth Grade Financiers
Students in Beth Moore's classroom know what to expect if they break class rules -- a big, fat fine! That's business as usual in a classroom where everyone receives a salary, maintains a checkbook, and designs and sells goods in the class store.
Student Mentors Encourage Wise Choices
A mentoring program brings middle schoolers into primary classrooms to teach lessons about manners, bullying, and more. The primary students are putting the lessons to good use. The older students confidence has grown and they take academics more seriously.
Recycling Activities Turn Trash Into Treasure
In one Indiana art class, students create glamorous ensembles from recycled rubbish and strut their stuff on the runway. A Spanish club in Missouri makes money and serves a need in the community by operating its own recycling center.
Planner Nights for Parents Give Students a Jump on Projects
Teachers were concerned about students effort on projects, so the schools Title I teacher planned a Project Planner Night. Parents appreciated this chance to gather project materials, clarify instructions, see sample A and C projects from previous years, and more.
Teachers Can Help With the U.S. Census
The U.S. Census provides the federal government with key data that affects local communities, and the Census Bureau wants educators to spread the word about the 2010 head count through lesson plans and teaching materials it has prepared for teachers.
Cultural Experience Night
Students and families gathered at one Illinois elementary school to enjoy entertainment and cuisine from places like Africa, Ireland, the Philippines, and more. The goal of this event is to improve students relationships and interactions with each other.
Using Old Newspapers to Teach History
Few people think of todays newspapers as tomorrows history books. But two history teachers have compiled reproductions of newspapers front pages to help students get a snapshot of events as they were reported.
The Candidates Plans for Education
Education World presents presidential candidate positions on No Child Left Behind, lowering the high school drop-out rate, ensuring teacher quality and links to education platforms.
Coping With Parent (Over) Involvement
“I’m hearing from teachers that it’s as if the kids come to school with home strapped to their backs -- or, perhaps more accurately, strapped to their ankles like house arrest bands. These parents from the 1970s have been referred to as ‘helicopter parents.’”
Top Teacher Ties History to Current Events
By tying the lessons of history to the issues of the day, Deirdra Grode, a seventh-and eighth-grade social studies and language arts teacher at Hoboken Charter School in Hoboken, New Jersey, is teaching her students to be analytical and socially aware.
Education Humor With Regina Barreca: Machiavelli and Classroom Management
Clearly it was the fact that I had to write an introduction to Niccolo Machiavellis The Prince that got me thinking about how Machiavelli had missed his intended audience: the teachers of the young. Teachers need Machiavelli."
Souper Bowl" Connects Kids to Their Communities
Dont miss this opportunity for your school to connect with the community during Super Bowl week. Each year, the Souper Bowl of Caring involves students as they collect millions of pounds of food to benefit local organizations. Participation tips included.
Helping Children Become Well Aware"
In the book One Well, author/educator Rochelle Strauss talks about the need to view the worlds water supply as a giant, finite pool from which everyone on Earth drinks, and the responsibility we all have to protect that well.
Podcasting and the News
Students listen to a news podcast and use a graphic organizer to record what they learn.
Social Studies Fairs Inspire Young Historians
Picture a room filled with colorful project displays and students who look like they just stepped out of the pages of a history book -- and you are imagining the view teachers and parents enjoy during a social studies fair. Included: Tips for starting a fair in your school.
Students Make Connections" With Small School
Through Connections Schools emphasis on peace issues and non-violent conflict resolution, teachers not only hope to create a safer school environment, but change agents to send into a troubled Chicago neighborhood and the larger community.
Teaching Critically Is Worth the Effort
With all the pressures to prepare for tests and stick with the curriculum, some teachers feel they are losing teachable moments." But it is just those moments, argues Mary Cowhey, which can help students develop as critical, creative thinkers.
Channeling Boys' Rage
How can we help defuse angry males?
NYC Teachers Recall 9/11
Many New York City teachers on September 11, 2001, had to push aside the average person's concern for self and family and focus on the safety of the frightened children in their classes. A book of teachers' essays relates their bravery and creativity on 9/11 and in the days and weeks after.
From the Land, Of the Land: An Interdisciplinary Lesson on Indigenous Peoples
Energize a geography or language arts lesson with this online activity for grades 7-12. Students research the concept of indigenous people then write a diamante poem about what they've learned. Both the research and the poem creation are done online.
Online Mapping
Knowing your home address is important in early childhood. Learning how to read and write directions is key as well. So in this online activity, students use Google Maps to pinpoint their home address and get directions to and from school.
Jet-Setting Pets
In this lesson, K-5 students select a pet and a travel destination, then find four things the pet could do at that
locale. Designed for use with Inspiration/Kidspiration, the lesson can be adapted for use with other programs.
A Picture's Worth 1000 Words
In this interdisciplinary lesson, K-8 students try to interpret what pictographs -- pictures that symbolize a word
or concept -- really mean. Then they write sentences using their own pictograph system.
Search for Ice and Snow
Using an Earth Image database (Space Shuttle images) and world map, students identify places on Earth where there
is ice and snow, and then create a table showing where they found the information, and the geographic location of
the snow and ice.
A Guide to Doing the Right Thing
How often do we ask ourselves, "What is the right thing to do?" and wonder if we are forcing our sense of what is
right on other people. Ethicist Bruce Weinstein offers five principles everyone can use in ethical decision-making.
Teacher of the Year Targets Education Inequities
Jason Kamras, the first National Teacher of the Year from Washington, D.C., wants people to know that urban children
want to learn - they just need the resources and support.
Constitution Day
America and its educators recognize each September 17 -- the day our Founding Fathers signed the U.S. Constitution
-- as Constitution Day. Education World has scoured our site and the Internet to gather dozens of teaching ideas to
help you recognize this landmark day.
Creating School-Wide Anti-Bullying Strategies
Approaches to reducing bullying often focus on the conflicts among specific children. But what school counselor Stan
Davis advocates and practices is a school-wide anti-bullying approach that encourages and outlines respectful behavior
as well as consistent consequences.
Growing Caring Citizens Through Good Works
Social studies teacher Peter White always felt compelled to help the less fortunate, and he spread and channeled his
passion through a student club called Students for 60,000. Students have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for
causes in the U.S. and adopted two Nicaraguan towns
Will the Leaning Tower Fall?
Students in grades 9-12 research the Tower of Pisa and write a report about its history. They examine the physics
of why the Tower leans and whether it might fall. Finally, they plan a trip to Italy to see the Tower, developing
an itinerary and budget for the trip.
Sites to See: World History
World History sites offer students, teachers, and the general public a wealth of resources for teaching and learning
about world history. Included are primary documents, lesson plans, multimedia exhibits, Webcasts, teaching strategies,
and more.
Repaying the Kindness of Strangers
Like hundreds of thousands, Laura Dunham's tranquil morning in Sri Lanka December 26, 2004, was shattered by a massive
tsunami. Afterward, Dunham was fed and sheltered by local residents, and has returned to that village to help with
reconstruction.
Four Days in Paris
In this foreign language or social studies lesson for grades 4-6, students research a travel destination, set up a
four-day itinerary, and then use iWork's Pages program to create an illustrated travel journal detailing their "experiences."
Sites to See: Countries of the World
Where in the world is Nepal and how does its GNP compare to that of other nations? Check out these sites to discover
and compare information about the countries of the world. Included: Links to resources for grades 5-12, ranging from
basic maps and summaries to downloadable handbooks containing exhaustive details.
Design a Community Flag
In this interdisciplinary lesson, students in grades 3-8 research basic principles for flag design, find out how their
city's flag (or the flag of a nearby city) ranked in a national survey, and then use the computer to create their
own community flags.
Quilting Connections
Help your K-8 class celebrate Women's History Month. Students research an influential woman, then create on the computer
a quilt block with text and graphics. Quilt blocks are then printed and combined to form a quilt of connections.
Sites to See: Economics
Economics sites help students learn to be smarter consumers, savers, and investors. The sites include interactive
activities, lesson plans, games, curriculum materials, articles, and other resources for teaching and learning about
economics. Included: Fourteen great sites for teaching personal finance and economic systems in the classroom.
Sites to See: Community Helpers
Community helpers include police officers, postal employees, doctors, shopkeepers, and many others workers who help
make the community a better place to live. Check out the community helper Web sites below for games, information,
and printable worksheets you can use in your preK and primary classrooms.
Hail to the Chief(s)!: Lessons from Presidential Libraries
Presidential libraries hold the papers and memorabilia of former U.S. presidents, making them available to the general
public, and preserving them for future generations. Discover how you can use online resources from presidential libraries
to teach students about U.S. presidents.
I Do Solemnly Swear: Presidential Inaugurations
Stuffy and formal or disorganized and strange? Presidential inaugurations have run the gamut over the years. Check
out this lesson plan for grades 3-5 in which the facts and frenzy surrounding 55 presidential inaugurations are investigated.
The Bear Necessities
Does the idea of your K-2 students doing Web research seem impossible? Check out this simple, but engaging, lesson!
With teacher guidance, students use a KWL worksheet and a single easy-to-read Web site to record what they know, what
they want to learn, and what they do learn about polar bears.
Kids Can Help Too
Children in the United States and around the world have responded to reports of the recent tsunami in Asia by contributing
to the relief efforts in record numbers -- and in unique ways. Learn what they're doing -- and how your students can
help too. Included: Where and how to contribute to tsunami victims.
Making Social Studies Work for At-Risk Kids
Joann Winkler, the 2004 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) elementary school teacher of the year, has
her at-risk kids running businesses, collecting for the needy, and giving national park "tours."
Advancing the Need for International, Global Studies
Caryn Stedman is so eager to broaden her students' views of the world that she has invited visitors from other countries
to her school. Stedman, an award-winning social studies curriculum specialist, talks about her zeal for international
literacy.
How Understanding Poverty Can Help Low-Income Children Learn
Teachers often come from vastly different social and economic classes than their students, which can lead to culture
clashes in the classroom. A new book by Dr. Ruby K. Payne helps educators understand low-income students, and discusses
ways to improve their learning.
Inform Your Vote
Do your students voice support for one candidate or another in this year's presidential election? Do you wonder what
their support is based on? Offer students a chance to weigh in on the issues, and compare their positions with that
of the two party candidates.
Elections, Voting in Words a Kid Can Understand
The vocabulary and idiosyncrasies that surround voting and the election process are difficult for adults to grasp.
In America Votes: How Our President is Elected, Linda Granfield explains the whole process in words any fifth
grader will understand.
The Prop Box: Setting the Stage for Meaningful Play
Dramatic play is an essential mode of learning for young children, and "prop boxes," play materials grouped by theme,
make this activity even more effective. Find out how you can use these educational tools to guide your students toward
meaningful role-playing and creative exploration.
Country Comparisons in Current Events Class
Do you have middle or high school students who are eager to debate current events, but sometimes lack evidence for
their arguments? Or, are students struggling to understand the challenges faced in a developing country? If so, this
lesson plan, using online resources and a spreadsheet program, may be just what you need to inform and inspire classroom
discussions!
Developing 9/11 Lessons That Are Informative, Sensitive
For the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, The Families of September 11, Inc., released guidelines
for lessons about the attacks that are informative and sensitive to the needs of children who may have lost relatives
or friends.
Scholarship Allows Teacher to Experience Japan
Thanks to a Toyota scholarship program, Sandi Bullington and 49 other U.S. teachers to traveled to Japan for intensive
study of the education system, economy, and culture. Their experiences will bring an international flavor to their
lessons this year.
Twenty-Five Activities for Building Student Character, School "Community"
In an already packed school day, finding time for character education can be a challenge. Most of these 25 activity
ideas can be worked seamlessly into the school day to build student character and to develop a sense of community
in your school.
Author Explains Juvenile Justice System
Television court dramas may draw a lot of young viewers, but they don't educate the public about the juvenile justice
system. Author and lawyer John W. Biggers hopes his Kids Law books will help adults and teens understand the
juvenile system.
Drinking Up Inspiring Words
Who hasn't smiled at the memory of a favorite teacher, student, or teaching moment? Teachers and their admirers share
inspirational stories in the book, A Cup of Comfort for Teachers.
What We Learned from Reader Polls
All teachers support tenure. Educators would never agree to a dress code. And, despite the ups and downs, teachers
rarely regret their career choice. It's obvious, right? Well, maybe not. Read what Education World learned from its
first 17 Weekly Surveys.
Learning With Laptops: An Urban School Shows Gains
Not everyone thinks of Internet research as a third-grade skill. But it is at East Rock Magnet School in New Haven,
Connecticut. Third and fourth graders are assigned laptops, and not only have test scores increased, but student motivation
as well.
Celebrating Asian and Pacific-Island Heritage
Each May -- during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month -- we recognize the special contributions of people of Asian
and Pacific Islander heritage. The lessons here introduce students to famous Asian Americans and explore their origins
and their literature.
Starting School Reform from the Inside
Teachers and principals know their schools best, which is why they need to take the lead in school reform, says author
Roland S. Barth. Only when everyone in a school commits to life-long learning will education change.
Sites to See: Geography
Geography Web sites offer teachers and students a world of geographical resources and information for the classroom,
including fact sheets, maps, lesson plans, interactive games and activities, quizzes, and a variety of visual and
audio resources. Included: A baker's dozen of the best geography sites on the Web!
Author Does His Homework on Hot Topic
Everyone knows that doing homework is a must for a good education, right? Not necessarily, according to author John
Buell. Revamping how much and what type of homework is assigned can create more opportunities for learning.
Strategies That Work: Service Learning
In its truest form, service learning connects deeply to the school curriculum. It offers students unique opportunities
to learn responsibility, experience satisfaction, and provide benefit to the community as they acquire new skills.
Cold Mush: Serving Stories from the Iditarod Trail
Jeffrey M. Peterson of Minnesota, this year's Teacher on the Trail, is eager to experience the Iditarod and to share
his observations and lessons with students around the world.
Why Not a Woman?
Many people in the United States think a new federal holiday should be added to the federal holidays already observed
in the United States. Some members of Congress agree, but only if that holiday honors an important woman. No one can
decide, however, who that woman should be. That's where you come in! You and your classmates must nominate a woman
you think is important enough to have a federal holiday named after her.
Students Map Neighborhoods With GIS
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), mapping and analysis software employed by the U.S. government, NASA, and other
agencies, now is helping students locate and document hazards in their communities.
An Experiment in Unfair Treatment/Prejudice
Pauline Finlay, who teaches at Holy Trinity Elementary School in Torbay, Newfoundland (Canada), submitted this lesson,
which offers a simple experiment to help launch a discussion of unfair treatment and prejudice/bias. (Grades 3-12)
Teacher Feature: Starring George Musser
PE teacher George Musser's students are participating in a schoolwide Run the Capitals project that will require them
to run, walk, and jog more than 16,000 miles. The project has spawned some healthy competition among grade levels.
In some instances, classes take "buddy walks."
Some R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Lessons) Just for You!
Aretha and Rodney are always talking about respect; now it's Ed World's turn! If your students lack it or could
stand to learn more about it, we offer five lessons this week to get them talking and thinking about R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
Strategies That Work: Playground Maps
A large-scale map painted on playground asphalt "provides a 'clean slate' on which students can do all kinds of activities,"
says Ed Bonne, known throughout the United States as "The Playground Map Guy." Included: Activities for using playground
maps.
Strategies That Work: Teaching About Current Events
The statistics we read about students' awareness of world events are frightening. Every teacher must play a role in
building students' current-events knowledge. A strong current events program can also teach essential skills related
to writing, geography, and history.
A World of Learning: Geography Activities for Geography Week
Geography lessons can make a "world" of difference in students' knowledge of the world and in their test scores.
That's because geography is multidisciplinary by nature. This week's lessons teach geography -- and math, language,
and cultural literacy.
A Child's Plea Becomes an Adult's Crusade
Jodee Blanco's school career was not a series of joyous milestones, but a years-long sentence of misery. Blanco talks
with Education World about her book, which details her harsh treatment at the hands of bullies, and her current efforts
to help schools stop bullying.
Remembering Those Who Gave Their Lives: Lessons for Memorial Day
What does Memorial Day mean to your students? Do they grasp the significance of the sacrifice that American men and
women have made to preserve our freedom? Included: Five lessons help students understand the meaning of Memorial Day.
Wire Side Chat: Lessons of the Holocaust
To help you provide your students with the information and insights they need to understand the events and implications
of the Holocaust, Education World interviews Warren Marcus, a teacher educator for the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum in Washington, D.C.
"Mystery Province/Territory" Game Tests Students' Knowledge of Canada
Learn which province is the "Cradle of Canada," which has the largest Chinese-speaking population in North America,
and the location of the world's only potato museum in Education World's Mystery Province/Territory game -- a partner
to our Mystery States game.
Lessons in Life: Connecting Kids and Soldiers
Many teachers are finding that both they and their students want to do something to help U.S. troops abroad.
Education World has compiled a list of organizations that link classes with deployed servicemen and women.
Reviving Reviews: Refreshing Ideas Students Can't Resist
Is review time a deadly bore for you and your students? Add a little fun to review time and you might be surprised.
Games will spice up reviews, revive interest, and ensure retention! Included: Five activities for use in all subjects,
all grades!
Teaching Kids to Make Moral Decisions
Colorado attorney Michael Sabbeth teaches an ethics framework" to fifth graders -- to arm them with the skills for
making moral decisions.
Its Up for Debate!
Debates are a staple of middle and high school social studies classes. But have you ever thought about using debates
at the lower grades -- or in math class? Education World offers five debate strategies and extra lessons for students
of all ages.
Dealing with War and Terrorism in the Classroom
With security alerts now part of American life and the number of troops in the Middle East growing daily, avoiding
the topics of war and terrorist threats is becoming increasingly difficult for teachers. Today, Education World offers
educators tips on how to address those issues with their students.
Tales from the Trail: Iditarod Teacher Readies Lessons, Long Johns
Iditarod "Teacher on the Trail" Cassandra Wilson sees a sled-ful of lessons in the annual race.
Teaching Students to "Go Fourth" Peacefully
Go Fourth, an anti-bullying program based on classroom discussions and exchanges among children around the globe,
recently brought teachers, parents, and fourth grade students from East Greenwich, Rhode Island, school to Shaoguan,
Guandong province, China, on a mission to promote respect for cultural diversity.
Learning and Living the First Amendment
Find out how you can use your school as a mini democracy lab, applying the First Amendments five freedoms to school
governance and everyday issues. Included: Links to lesson plans and resources on the First Amendment.
Were In the Money: Lessons for Teaching About Money
Every time we spend a dime -- or a penny or a dollar -- we see the face of one of our presidents! What better time
than Presidents Day can there be to teach kids about money? Included: Five hands-on lessons. Hold a money bee," make
predictions, learn about inflation/the cost of goods over time, more.
Five Lessons in Black History
Primary source materials teach about Rosa Parks, school integration, and the growth of the African-American population
throughout history. Plus: Students create a database/timeline and write a rap about a famous figure in Black History.
More!
Kids Count Clams to Spur Community Cleanup
Students in one Maine school count clams instead of Cuisenaire rods and enter data into PDAs instead of notebooks.
But they arent just learning how to use technology to count clams, theyre learning that what they do in school can
benefit the entire community.
Orphan Train: A Social Studies Project that "Clicked" with Students!
Two 4th grade teachers ride the rails of the "Orphan Train" as they use technology to add vitality to their social
studies curriculum. Included: Links to lessons and resources you can use to develop your own Orphan Train project!
Map Lessons: The Route to Improved Geography Skills
Celebrate National Geography Awareness Week with five lessons that employ maps to teach geography and a wide variety
of other subjects and skills. Included: Lessons to teach K-12 students about landforms, the global economy, maps from
space, more!
Learning Geography Through E-Mail
A month ago, some students in Bellingham, Washington, werent even sure where to find Arizona on a map of the United
States. Now they can find Australia, Korea, and even Azerbaijan on a map of the world, thanks to an e-mail activity
initiated by their schools library media specialist.
Make Classroom Connections to This Years Elections
Use these five activities to drive home the importance of voting, teach about the process of creating laws, track
election results and voter turnout, and teach students what its like to make the tough decisions that elected officials
make every day. Plus links to a dozen more election lesson plans!
Telecollaborative Project Develops Compassion, Global Awareness
Each week, an educator takes a stand or shares an Aha! moment in the classroom in the Education World Voice of Experience
column. This week, educator Brenda Dyck reflects on the power of telecollaborative learning in the lives of middle
school students. These intercultural exchanges, Dyck observes, have the potential to move middle school students from
complacency to compassion.
Celebrating African American History Month: Is Racism Dead?
Help your students recognize the achievements of African Americans and appreciate the ongoing struggle for unity.
Degree Confluence Project: At the Intersection of Geography and Technology
Longitude-meets-latitude project comes together on the Web!
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