Social Studies Education Articles for Teachers - Page 5

Pop Art is visually appealing to students. However, the first question they usually ask is “How can that be art?” This question provides a wonderful way to explore the ways that people define art. It also can lead students to look at individual works of art in a more critical way. They can discus...

It's that time again. The end of the school year is upon us. There's all sorts of energy in a classroom, and trying to channel it into the right direction can be near impossible. It's a tough task to get much out of those last few weeks of school. A teacher has to make a choice at this point, to ...

Keeping students’ attention in the final weeks of the school year can be challenging for even the most seasoned educators. You can take advantage of students’ focus on summer by planning some summer-themed lessons to wrap up the school year. Here are some ideas to help you make the most of the fi...

No matter how many times I read accounts of the Titanic disaster, I still find myself thinking of ways it could have been averted. What if there were more lifeboats? What would have happened if the California had answered the distress calls? Or, what if the Titanic's captain had managed to avoid ...

Nothing welcomes spring like a dance around the Maypole. The old European tradition is still carried on today both in Europe and the Americas. There are many ways you can celebrate May Day in your classroom. For example, you can have your elementary school children create their own Maypoles. Many...

The world has become a smaller place. We connect with people all over the world on a regular basis, whether it is through the Internet, or while talking to a customer service representative located on another continent. We've started to travel more freely, and we’ve become dependent on devices, s...

The U.S. Census is as old as our democracy. Instituted by our founding fathers, the Census was designed to guarantee that every American have equal representation. The original Census was collected on horseback, and the makeup of the House of Representatives was determined by this collection of t...

  When Thomas Jefferson was called upon to write the Declaration of Independence he might have known that he would affect history with his message to King George III.  It’s easy to question whether he realized that his well chosen words, focusing on “natural rights,” would shake the world order ...

The Civil War was the result of philosophical, political, and economic differences that could not be resolved by the Constitution, nor by any actions taken to resolve the strain caused by the disparate values of the north and south. It was a pivotal point in American history. It led to a redefini...

What could be more exciting than the Olympics? Its story is long and rich. World culture and history has been deeply influenced by the lessons it imbues. Would the Ancient Greeks recognize one of their greatest traditions as it is today? Now, as we are experiencing the Olympics, it is an excellen...

President Abraham Lincoln is best known for keeping the United States together, his leadership during the Civil War, and ending slavery. His importance to our culture is immeasurable. What we can learn from his life alone could easily fill textbooks. Giving students the opportunity to move beyond...

In September of 1968, in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, President Lyndon B. Johnson decided to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week. In 1988, President Ronal Regan extended this week into a month-long celebration, which starts September 15th and ends October 15th. This celebration re...

Every year teachers welcome a new group of students into their classrooms. The way the students interact with the teacher, and each other, can make the difference between a great year, and a not so hot one. From the moment students enter the classroom, and in some cases even before, the teacher w...

In this time in history it's hard to believe that it would take more than a few seconds for anyone to find out information. With the click of a button, news is sent to your inbox. But things were very different in the 19th Century. It took years for the slaves living in Texas to get word of the E...

1. Capitalize on traveling - Summer travel can provide a way to infuse a little reading, writing, and arithmetic into the mix. Kids can create a travel journal by writing about a trip they took during the summer. Better still, prompt them at the end of the school year to take a journal on their s...