Author: integratedsocialstudies
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A History of Surviving Hot Weather
To celebrate the heat of summer and add to my other blog, A History of Surviving Cold Weather, it is time to explore how in the heck, humans stayed cool throughout history. It is worth noting that in many parts of the world, many of these techniques are still used. The first thing to know…
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If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be? Or a lesson in how we have too many clothes (WordPress Daily Writing Prompt)
The idea of wearing an outfit too many times is unappealing to Americans, to say the least. When I was in high school, I planned my outfits to rotate in a two week cycle. More if things from the previous year still fit. There was a distinct social pressure to not wear clothing that often…
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End-of-year Social Studies Resources: Projects and Games to Engage Your Classroom
The end of the year can be difficult for many teachers because they are burned out, testing is over so your students are checking out, yet you still have a ton of time to fill. I think the end of the year is the best time to try out new strategies, projects, and games. Here…
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Historical African Landmarks for World History Classes
Unless you have actually taken time to learn African history, you probably have a difficult time expanding the regular course work in your world history class. There are historic towns that textbooks will mention but they usually don’t expand on these locations. But we should strive to add more details to our African history units…
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What is your favorite holiday? A Glimpse at 3 Historical Holidays (A WordPress Daily Writing Prompt)
I like when I read an old novel or historical account and a holiday that is no longer important or is forgotten is involved. Here is a small sample of my favorites. 1.Boxing Day This still exists and many countries still have it on the calendar but no one in my world knows what it…
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History of Cold Weather
There are a few universal questions people have about people in history. One of those questions is, “how did they stay warm?” People may be curious about the lack of electricity and a central heat source or women wearing skirts. It is a curious subject. Here is a little history about cold weather and how…
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History of Valentine’s Day: A TpT Freebie
If you high school students were anything like mine, they loved celebrating Valentine’s Day with their friends. For many, it is a special day and what student doesn’t love to have a special lesson that gives them a short break from the regular class work? Indulge your class and spend some time on a Valentine’s…
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What cities do you want to visit? (WordPress daily writing prompt)
As usual with the WordPress daily writing prompts that I participate in, I am going to give the answer a history twist. It is fun to debate which contemporary cities I’d visit but the real challenge for me is to narrow down which historical cities I’d like to visit. (Real answer: all of them.) I…
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Fun History & Math Game
It’s busy work. Let’s just get that out of the way. This is the epitome of busy work. And I still love it. Sometimes you just need something to keep the students busy. I loved taking the opportunity to just relax with my students but I still had to keep them busy with something. Maybe…
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Shop Small TPT shops 2024
My annual shop small blog is back with the 2024 edition. If you love TPT, I hope you consider checking out some small shops. We make some awesome resources too! I have NOT reviewed these resources and make no guarantees about quality. I do believe however, that small shops make great resources and wanted to…
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If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? (WordPress daily writing prompt)
I once read an opinion piece that suggested that borders shouldn’t exist and that humans should have the right to live anywhere they want. After all, we live on this planet together and should all have the freedom of movement to go anywhere at any time. I’ve always remembered that because perhaps in an ideal…
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Your life without a computer: what does it look like? (WordPress daily writing prompt)
Computers are nice and I like the ability to look things up but could I give up my computer? Yeah, I could. This includes my phone. It is convenient and provides a lifeline during many situations in life but I could do without it. My life is filled with many things outside of electronics and…
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Election Resources for Your Classroom
It doesn’t matter how old your students are. A strong, healthy democracy depends on an informed population and that begins by talking about and teaching about elections in school. Here are a few resources to help you support elections. My elementary school did this when I was a student and I still remember it. Every…
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How do you feel about cold weather? (WordPress daily writing prompt)
I’m proud to be a Northerner. Climate change is quickly changing everything but I grew up in the snow belt. Lake effect snow, freezing temperatures, and blizzards. Snow well into spring was common. It even snowed the first weekend of my second year of college. And it stuck for a day. In August. I’ve always…
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Pennsylvania Geography Bundle
Pennsylvania geography is too often ignored by teachers because it isn’t included in textbooks. This doesn’t have to be the case for you. Here are three of my TPT resources that focus exclusively on Pennsylvania geography and are built for elementary students. Pennsylvania Geography Workbook This resource focues on PA’s physical geography. This print-and-go resource…
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5 Reasons African Queens Need to be Included in Your History Class This Year
I’d love to see history classes reworked to include many more women throughout an entire academic year. Since we don’t live in that world yet, here are five reasons why you should consider spending time this Women’s History Month studying African queens in your history class. 1.Africa had numerous female regnants not just regents. Female…
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Wives of Henry VIII Short Read Bundle
The wives of Henry VIII are not necessarily part of any history curriculum. Their story is unique, interesting, and allows for many opportunities for discussion in the classroom. Teachers also don’t have a lot of time to add to much information to the class which is why it is important to use resources designed to…
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Social Studies Homeschool Resources That Aren’t Games
Don’t get me wrong. I love games in the classroom. They can really help students connect with the lessons. Heck, I sell several games (click here to see some). But sometimes, you just want to encourage students to sit down, be calm, and focus. Successful education requires students to master numerous ways of working. A…
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Shop Small Teacher Shops 2023
After one year off, the annual Shop Small Teacher Shops is back for the 2023 edition. I hope you find something interesting and support a small shop today. Here was my criteria for inclusion: I have NOT reviewed these resources and make no guarantees about quality. I do however want you to consider finding a…
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What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why? (WordPress daily writing prompt)
What’s my favorite game? The one I invented for my TPT shop.
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What makes a teacher great? (WordPress daily writing prompt)
My passion for education and teaching could make this topic a book. Some of the chapters would be philosophical musings about the profession while others would be practical how-to’s. Rather than spouting out my entire thesis on teaching, I will narrow it down to my two most important traits for teachers. Being flexible and adaptable…
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When is the last time you took a risk? How did it work out? (WordPress daily writing prompt)
When talking about teaching risks (classroom teaching not physical, mental, or emotional safety), there is a lot to unpack. Teaching to the test, teachers paying their bills, public pressure, and school funding; there are a lot of reasons why teachers don’t push themselves to try new methods. Sometimes, you do find a few teachers who…
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7 Social Studies Writing Resources on TpT
Writing practice in your social studies classroom should be frequent but that doesn’t mean it always has to be formal. Explore these 7 resources to add a new assignment to your usual curriculum. 1.Fun History Writing Prompts Be goofy. Get students talking about or writing about history with these writing prompts that are weird and…
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Taking a break
I’m signing off for a little while to enjoy summer vacation. If you are a teacher, do the same. June is not the month to get ready for next school year. Relax. Sleep in. Be with your family and friends. See you later in the summer!
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Pharaoh Queens
This is the final installment in my Queens of Africa series. To catch up on the others first click the links below: Kandakes of Kush Queens of Ethiopia Queens of Madagascar Warrior and Rain Queens Queens of Africa: Full Bundle Like the other resources before, Pharaoh Queens is a collection of short reads that are…
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Project-based learning: Build-a-museum
Let’s get right to it. If you’re here you’re wondering what the grade levels are for this PBL. This resource that can be purchased in my TpT store is available for grades 1 – 4, 5 – 8, and 9 – 12. Something for everyone! Brief Overview This resource was inspired by an article I…
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Social Studies Skill Builders
When the pandemic began, my oldest began learning at home: first, by me (and sort of his school) then full-time via virtual school that was conducted by his school district. It was awesome but I was privy to how little social studies instruction students actually receive. Social Studies is not just one subject and each…
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Tru’ng Sisters: A TpT Resource Blog
Adding more women to your world history or Asian history classes can be difficult for many of us because we studied a European-centric curriculum. I knew I wanted to add more women to my world history curriculum but the list of Asian women was limited to two names: Empress Wu and Dowager Empress Cixi. Both…
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Pennsylvania Landmarks for Google Classroom™
Pennsylvania is a beautiful place to call home. Ensure that you celebrate it in your classroom and explore the geography and landmarks just like the state social studies standards ask you to. This Google Classroom™ resource includes images of each featured landmark with a brief history. I didn’t want this resource to take a lot…
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End-of-year Busy Work: 6 Fun Resources
If you are a staunch believer that no time in the classroom can ever be wasted then this is not the blog for you. If you are, however, a realist and understand that many times at the end of the year, we are all just hanging on till the end, then read on. I see…
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Indigenous Languages of North & South America
It all began when I gathered too much information about the history of the English language while I built my History Behind Beowulf in my TpT store. I was really enjoying learning so much about English but most of the information would never make the final resource. I packaged it and created a separate resource.…
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The Grading Policy That Saved My Life
It’s no secret that teachers have no time. There are only so many hours in the day yet the to-do list for teachers is endless, especially if you are at a school that requires you to fully clean out your classroom each year. There are ways to simplify your life but not every method will…
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Top 25 Inventions and Discoveries: A Google Classroom™ Resource
Inspired by the passionate arguments that grownups have over sports, I wanted to inspire students to become just as passionate about world history concepts. It took me a while to figure out but I finally achieved it when I created the Tournament of Technology. Then the pandemic began. Scrambling to convert resources into Google Classroom™,…
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Warrior and Rain Queens
When I decided to create the African Queens series, I began with two areas that I knew: Egypt and Nubia. I knew of one Nubian kandake and a handful of Egyptian queens. I like that advice. Start with what you know. Researching Nubia led me down a research rabbit hole that led to gathering names…
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Pennsylvania Regional Geography
I’m not sure if the love of geography is genetic but I certainly loved learning it when I was in school and so does my oldest. We’d worked on learning the state names and capitals, their locations, and then I decided he needed to master Pennsylvania geography. First, I created Pennsylvania Geography for Grades 1…
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Pennsylvania Essential Bundle
It’s easy for teachers to skip the Pennsylvania specific standards because teachers don’t have resources to help teach the information. I’ve begun creating a variety of Pennsylvania specific social studies content and created an essential bundle to help you meet your requirements. Pennsylvania Symbols This Google Classroom™ resource is an opportunity to have students work…
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Women’s History Month: A list of women to teach this month
My problem with a lot of women’s history month lessons that are built for elementary-aged students is that they tend to highlight women who worked rather than women in history. This sounds divisive but I want students to know that women made history, led revolts, changed nations, fought in wars, and all the other things…
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Study more Black History
Sticking with the traditional people such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, or Harriet Tubman is all well and good. Their stories are important, interesting, and essential to American history. But world history teachers need something different for their classrooms. Adding more Black history doesn’t necessarily mean adding more Black American history. World…
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Taking a winter break
I take a winter break every year. Writing, editing, and formatting blogs is time consuming and during December, I am just too busy. Being honest with myself, I’m too busy in the first half of January too as the new year starts too which is why I don’t return until mid-way through January. 2021 has…
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Queens of Madagascar
Madagascar has a long history of queen regnants and was a country of unrelenting materialism. Until the Europeans arrived anyway. Once the Europeans set their sights on Madagascar, they infused their code of paternalism and a great social shift occurred. The women of Madagascar fought changing gender roles and expectations while at the same time…
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Shop Small TpT Shops
Welcome to the fourth annual Shop Small TpT Store blog! I hope you find something you like and will support a small TpT shop this holiday season. Here was my criteria for selection: Must be a small shop (fewer than 3,000 followers) Resource must have a cover For middle and high school only I have…
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Queens of Ethiopia
Learning about the history of Ethiopia and the role they played in Africa is usually contained to their adoption of Christianity. I was ignorant of the role of women in Ethiopia before I set out to create a series about the queens of Africa. However, this might be my favorite resource in the entire series…
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History of the English Language
Other than a few tidbits about the progression of the English language, no one teaches the history of the English language. I get it. But I had all this information as I researched and built my History Behind Beowulf resource that I thought I would package the language information and see if anyone liked it.…
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Pennsylvania Ice Age
Pennsylvania ice age history isn’t taught in every classroom but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to learn. Our ge0graphy was shaped by the ice age and we were home to many wonderful creatures of the ice age. Plus, this resource aligns with some grades science standards making it a truly integrated social studies topic.…
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Chinese History Essentials Bundle
Especially if you do not have a textbook or other curriculum supplies, teaching Chinese history can be daunting. It is a long and highly documented history that makes it difficult to narrow down the curriculum to what American students need to know. Check out my Chinese History Essentials Bundle. This TpT bundle includes five of…
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World History Activities on Google Classroom™
Google Classroom™ resources are an opportunity to stretch your teaching wings a little and try something new. Digital learning doesn’t mean it is all reading and typing. These activities are all created for high school world history classes and all require Google Classroom™. Use them during a regular class period, during centers, snow days, or…
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Kandakes of Kush: Part of the Queens of Africa Series
The Kandakes of Kush had to handle the pressure from their northern neighbor, the Ancient Egyptians while they maintained their prominence on the African continent. Combine those pressures with an impending patriarchal shift and you have a group of amazing women. We don’t know a lot about them. We know when some of them ruled…
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Fun History Writing Prompts
How could you tell your Model-T from your neighbors Model-T? Which would you rather live in: castle or palace? Which old skill would you rather have: being able to dial an 11-digit number on a rotary phone or grabbing a CD without touching any part of it? These are the tough history questions that we…
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Free High School History Resources in my TpT Store
Everyone loves freebies. Download some of my favorite freebies for your high school world history class. Click the image to be directed to my TpT store for download. Social Studies Vocabulary AND Social Studies Project These are two different resources that I also like to suggest together. Working with just vocabulary gets boring. Adding the…
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Novels for High School History Class: Books by Time Periods
Fitting in a novel to a world history class is difficult. There is a lot to cover and adding a novel complete with in-classroom discussion seems next to impossible. But if you can manage it, and I highly encourage you to, your students will be greatly benefited. Novels in history class can add a human…
Integrated Social Studies 