Federal Reserve Bank
Government Spending and Taxes
What types of government programs are designed to improve economic inequity in the United States? Introduce your learners to government programs, such as low-income housing, Social Security, and Medicaid, how they work to improve...
Curated OER
Lesson: Skin Fruit: Propaganda of the Deed
Art can express acts of injustice and move society to action. Upper graders analyze contemporary art relating to specific moments in history. They discuss propaganda, anarchy, sociology, and violence as activism. After researching and...
Curated OER
Let Me Tell You About My State
State reports can be a lot of fun, especially when the learners get to choose the state they study. This research and writing-focused social studies lesson engages learners in collecting information, essay structure, research, and...
Earth Day Network
The Neolithic Revolution
With the abundance of food products we can easily access in our society today, it is easy to forget the toll this can take on our global environment. Young learners will discover how the transition to agriculture and domesticated living...
State Bar of Texas
Texas v. Johnson
If you saw a person burning an American flag, how would you feel? Scholars analyze the concept of freedom of expression and speech with the Supreme Court case Texas v. Johnson. A short video clip creates open discussion in pairs on the...
Teaching Tolerance
In Our Own Words: A Story Book with a Purpose
Academics turn into storytellers in an engaging activity on activism. The activity focuses on promoting social change in local communities with stories. Young historians plan a storybook to target a specific audience and social issue and...
Missouri Department of Elementary
My Action Plan
To complete a study of the importance of developing a positive self-image, high school seniors complete an "Action Plan for Maintaining Who I Am" worksheet. They then submit their finished worksheets for inclusion in their Personal...
Teaching Tolerance
The War on Drugs—Mechanisms and Effects
The war on drugs doesn't have definite results. An interesting lesson examines the social, political, and economic effect of the war on drugs. Academics learn how the war on drugs has led to mass incarcerations and negatively affected...
iCivics
Step Six: Real World Policies
Sometimes it takes real-world examples to get concepts to click. Use the resource to instruct middle schoolers on the relevancy of public policy in today's world. Exercises include a 5W + H graphic organizer, class discussion, and...
Facing History and Ourselves
Defining Our Obligations to Others
Introduce young learners to the concept of a Universe of Obligation, a term coined by sociologist Helen Fein, with a instructional activity that asks learners to consider the extent to which they feel a responsibility for others. Class...
Teaching Tolerance
Slavery as a Form of Racialized Social Control
An engaging lesson delves into the effects of slavery on society. Young historians read text excerpts, complete handouts, and participate in group discussion to understand how slavery was a means to control society and establish a racial...
Curated OER
Lesson Planning For The Social Studies Classroom
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concepts related to writing lesson plans for the elementary Social Studies class. They are introduced to the lesson planning template and create an initial lesson. Then students...
Curated OER
Concept Formation Lesson Plan: Understanding "Protest"
After analyzing both examples and non-examples of a variety of protests conducted by ethnic groups in Seattle and the state of Washington during the twentieth century, your class members will work to identify the key ideas and...
Museum of Tolerance
Essential Vocabulary and Concepts
Genocide. Scapegoat. Propaganda. Words are powerful. Words carry the weight of history. To prepare for a visit to The Museum of Tolerance, class members consider the weight of meaning in words related to intolerance.
Federal Reserve Bank
Potato: A Tale from the Great Depression
There are so many ways to use a potato: bake it, fry it, or barter it. The lesson explains the concepts of bartering, money, and goods and services with a story that takes place during the Great Depression. Academics complete group...
Curated OER
Friar Margil and the Spanish Missions
Students examine the concepts of diversity and assimilation. They identify the validity of sources and recognize bias, and create original illustrations from the students' point of view which show the impact of the Spanish friars on the...
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...
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Enterprise and Commerce
Using Mark Twain's The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, invite your learners to consider the concept of virtue in a democratic society devoted to gain and self-interest. This stellar resource guides your class members through a close...
iCivics
Municipal Government: High School
Municipal government takes on many roles, not just the ones we are used to hearing about such as Parks and Recreation. Scholars delve into the topic to get a grasp on how the government system functions. They participate in readings,...
City University of New York
Women's Suffrage and World War I
Democracy cannot exist where not everyone has equal rights. Discuss the state of democracy and women's suffrage during World War I with class discussions, debates, and primary source analysis, in order for class members to connect...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Conflict Mediation – Part 1: Getting Ready
Two scholars walk into a room arguing, what is happening? Peers observe the two actors in preparation for a whole-class discussion about conflict. Learners establish a conflict, name the three approaches—passive, aggressive, and...
Curated OER
Executive Government: Executive Decision Making
Students make executive decisions. In this Social Studies lesson, students explore the concept of executive decisions through a game of chess. Students role play a year-level formal plan and implementation.
Curated OER
How Secure is Social Security?
Students explore the Social Security System including its history, benefits, funds, problems, and its future.
Curated OER
Religion in Social Change: What's God Got To Do With It?
Students determine how religion influences social change. For this religion and social change lesson, students examine how the religious beliefs of Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. were inspirational as they worked to reduce...