Social Studies/History
Explore and share tips, strategies, and resources for helping students develop in the social sciences.
Guest Speakers Can Be a Perfect Way to End the Year
When standardized exams are over and summer is fast approaching, here’s one way to keep high school students interested in learning.Giving Students the Skills to Spot Fake News
By learning how to deconstruct news stories and identify media bias, students equip themselves to become smarter digital consumers.Evaluating Primary Sources Through a See, Think, Wonder
By taking the time to observe, make inferences, and ask great questions about historical artifacts and images, students learn to avoid jumping to conclusions.AI Tool Demo: Canva’s Text-to-Image Generator
Assistant editor Daniel Leonard shows how teachers are using Canva’s AI image generator to create fun writing prompts and engaging history-oriented images.Authentic Social Studies Assessments Through Student-Written Letters
Writing letters offers an opportunity for students to get creative, get personal, and get deeply connected to course content.407Your content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.AI Tool Demo: Creative Uses for ChatGPT in History and ELA
Assistant editor Daniel Leonard shares a few interesting applications of ChatGPT that teachers have adopted to drive critical thinking and deeper analysis.Scaffolding Discussion Skills With a Socratic Circle
Students deepen their understanding and build a sense of community by engaging with their peers’ reasoned arguments.12.2kYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Inquiry-Based Tasks in Social Studies
Assignments that are bigger than a lesson and smaller than a unit are a good way to experiment with inquiry-based learning.10.6kYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Interactive Note-Taking in Social Studies Class
Incorporating frequent questions and student discussion into direct instruction helps boost engagement with the material.608Your content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Getting Their Hands Dirty
Experiential learning—like making incense sticks in factory conditions—teaches kids about real social issues.9.7kYour content has been saved!
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6 Free Online Resources for Primary Source Documents
The Common Core Learning Standards describe the importance of teaching students how to comprehend informational text. Primary source documents are artifacts created by individuals during a particular period in history. This could be a letter, speech, photograph or journal entry. If you're looking to integrate social studies into your literacy block, try out one of these resources for primary source documents.15.3kYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Learning to Synthesize Through a Hands-On Activity
Using construction paper and glue sticks to practice a higher-order thinking skill makes the task more accessible for students—and more engaging.Reinventing AP Courses With Rigorous Project-Based Learning
A new study shows that when implemented well, AP courses built around project-based learning can raise test scores for all students, including those in traditionally underserved demographics.4.7kYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Talking Politics: Valuing Different Perspectives
Students learn how to share and listen to opposing beliefs with empathy.8kYour content has been saved!
Go to My Saved Content.Using a Murder Mystery Game in History Class to Kick Off the Year
Solving a ‘whodunit’ on the first day of school builds community—and introduces students to valuable skills in a historian’s tool kit.792Your content has been saved!
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