General Social Studies Activities

(Could be used in any of the 4 strands)

Title: Brainstorming

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: none or paper and pencil

Steps:

1. Give students a topic or question.

2. Ask them to think of as many ideas as possible.
3. They can write down the ideas or say them aloud.
4. It is important to emphasize that all ideas should be accepted and none
critiqued in the brainstorming process.

Title: Collage

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: magazines, scissors, glue or paste, other art materials as desired

Steps:

1. Each student makes a collage by cutting out magazine pictures and gluing
them on a poster board or large piece of paper. Students can also draw,
write words, use stickers or other types of art materials on their collages.
2. Themes for the collage can vary from “All About Me” in kindergarten to
“A Just and Caring World” in the upper grades.

Title: Comic Strip

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: comic strips from newspapers or books, markers, crayons, pens, paper

Steps:

1. Students analyze comic strips from newspapers or books, examining and

discussing how they use humor, how the illustrations are done, and so
forth.
2. Students then design their own comic strip characters and story line based
on a social studies topic under study.
Title: Song

Grade level(s): 3-6

Materials: paper, pencil

Steps:

1. Tell students that they will be writing a song about the topic under study.
2. Students can either write the song and a melody from scratch or use an
existing song with a familiar tune and write new lyrics.
3. Be sure to tell students how many facts about the topic you want them to
include in the Song.
4. Sing some of the songs together or allow individual students who choose
to sing their songs for the class.

Title: Think/Pair/Share

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: none

Steps:

1. Have students think to themselves for a minute about a topic or question

you present.
2. Students then pair up to discuss their ideas for a few minutes.
3. Some students then share their ideas with the whole group in a
discussion-facilitated by the teacher.

Title: Fishbowl Discussion

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: none

Steps:

1. Position students’ chairs in two circles. The inner circle has four chairs and
a second circle has the remaining chairs for the students in the class. Both
circles face inward.
2. The teacher poses a question for discussion. Three students who want to
speak first sit in the inner circle. Only three of the four chairs can be
 occupied. When one of the three students in the inner circle is finished
participating in the discussion, s/he takes a seatin the outer circle. Then
another student from the outer circle can sit in the inner circle to
participate in the discussion. Students in the outer circle are only
observers of the discussants in the “fishbowl.”
3. If none of the three participants leaves the inner circle after a while and
another student wants to join the discussion, then the student sits in the
fourth chair and one of the three must return to the outer circle.
4. The discussion continues with students alternating between being
observers in the outer circle and active participants in the inner circle.

Title: Powers of 2

Grade level(s): 4-6

Materials: none

Steps:

1. Powers of 2 is a group decision-making activity that is challenging but

usually brings about the decision that is most preferable among a group of
people.
2. The teacher tells the students what the issue/concern they are addressing
and asks students to pair up and generate 4-10 options (teacher specifies a
number) for the decision.
3. After several minutes, pairs are then asked to join to form groups of 4.
Again, they must come up with just a given number of options. The pairs
can share their lists and decide among the ideas, which they all prefer.
4. Next groups of 4 join to make groups of 8. (Numbers may need to be
adjusted depending on the numbers of students in the class). Again, they
must agree on a given number of options. If in any of the groups, students
cannot agree, they can only take the ideas toThe next level that they all
agreed upon.
5. The teacher then facilitates hearing about the options from each group of
8, perhaps listing them on the board, discussing the pros and cons of each
idea, and using some type of voting procedure for making a final decision.

Title: Student-facilitated discussion

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: none

Steps:

1. Teacher begins the discussion with a question or issue under study.

Students who would like to speak raise their hands. The teacher calls on
one student to begin the discussion.
2. The first student who spoke then calls on the next student who has their
hand up who would like to speak.
3. The discussion continues in this manner with each speaker calling on the
next. If the teacher wants to speak again, s/he must also raise his/her hand
and be called upon.

Title: Nerf Ball discussion

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: none

Steps:

1. The teacher begins the discussion by throwing a foam ball to the first
speaker.
2. The discussion proceeds with each speaker throwing the ball to the
student who would like to speak next. Students and teacher must raise
their hands when they wish to speak.

Title: Popsicle stick discussion

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: popsicle sticks (or small chips or tickets)

Steps:

1. Give three to five sticks to each student.

2. Each time a student wants to speak in the discussion they throw a stick (or
chip or ticket) into the middle of the circle (or place it on their desks or the
floor).
3. Each student (and the teacher) can only speak as many times as they have
sticks for. When one’s sticks are gone, one listens to others continue the
discussion.
4. This is a great strategy to use to both encourage quiet students to
 participate and to limit those who sometimes monopolize the
conversation (including the teacher!).

Title: Yes/No/Sometimes/Not Sure

Grade level(s): 3-6

Materials: Signs with each of the four titles above posted on different walls
around the room

Steps:

1. The teacher makes an absolute statement about a topic under study

(examples: Women’s rights activists were right to demand the vote for
women OR All endangered species should be protected by national laws
prohibiting killing or using them in any way).
2. Students think about the statement and which of the four signs best
indicates their opinion about it.
3. After students have silently chosen their response, students are asked to
physically move to the sign indicating their opinion.
4. The small groups at each sign then talk for a couple of minutes together
about why they chose that title.
5. Teacher then calls on one student from each of the four groups to give a
brief explanation of some of the opinions in their group.
6. Students then return to their seats and the steps are repeated with other
statements.
7. This is an excellent discussion activity for bringing out and respecting
different points of view.

Title: Computer Games

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: computer, computer game

Steps:

1. Computer games can be a fun and interactive way for one or two students
to learn more about a social studies topic.
2. Teachers should always review computer games beforehand to assess
their Suitability for classroom use and any biases that may exist.
3. Examples of social studies oriented computer games include Oregon Trail
 and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

Title: Videos

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: Video player, video

Steps:

1. Videos can be one way to bring a close up view of a culture or time period
to the social studies classroom.
2. Teachers should always preview videos to assess their suitability and
biases.
3. Videos should not be overused in the social studies classroom as they are
a passive form of learning.

Title: Board Games

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: paper, pencils, markers, chips or objects for playing pieces, dice, other
art materials as desired

Steps:

1. Students create board games to help each other learn about a topic under
study.
2. Have students think about board games they enjoy (examples: Chutes and
Ladders, Game of Life, Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, etc.)
3. Make sure to tell students how many facts to include about the topic
under study in their board game. After the games are made, exchange and
play them.

Title: Game Show

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: varies depending on game show chosen

Steps:

1. Have students brainstorm game shows they enjoy (example: Jeopardy).

 2. Either students or teacher creates questions for the show based on a
subject under study.
3. Develop modifications as needed to play the game in the classroom. This
activity can be a fun way to review for an upcoming quiz or test on a unit
of study.

Title: Sentence Mixer

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: sentences cut in half, one for each student in the class

Steps:

1. Teacher writes sentences about important facts concerning a topic under

study.
2. The sentences are then cut in half. First half of a sentence should begin
with a capital letter and the last half of a sentence should end with a
period.
3. Each student is given one half of a sentence and is instructed to find their
match.
4. When students think they have a match, they check with the teacher and
then sit down again.
5. After all sentences have been formed, students read them aloud.
6. Important note to teacher: When you write the sentences, make sure that
each half makes sense with only one other half.

Title: Jackdaw

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: shoebox, varied materials depending on what students choose

Steps:

1. A jackdaw is a collection of interesting artifacts that provide information

about a particular subject, period, or idea.
2. Students can create cultural jackdaws about themselves or a culture they
are studying. Historical jackdaws might feature objects from a certain time
period or items about a famous person from that time period. Jackdaws
can include a variety of primary sources and other items as students
choose.
 3. Students can share their jackdaws individually with the class or they can
be set up in a museum format for everyone to look at.

Title: Journal Writing

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: paper, pencil Steps:

1. Students can write in their journals in response to teacher questions or

issues about any topic under study.
2. Younger students can just draw pictures or use invented spelling while
older students can write about questions or interests they have about the
topic.

Title: Dialogue Journals

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: paper, pencil

Steps:

1. After a student writes in his/her journal, the journal is exchanged with

another student who writes back. Or the teacher can write back to all the
students.
2. Journal writing can focus on the social studies topic under study or the
dialogue written can be written as though it was between two famous
people in history.

Title: Diary Entries

Grade level(s): 3-6

Materials: paper, pencil

Steps:

1. Students write a diary entry from the perspective of another person,

endangered species, land form (what would the ocean write?), a visitor to
earth from outer space, or another creative perspective connected to the
topic under study.
2. Diary entries could be read aloud as students wish or compiled in a class
 book.

Title: Jigsaw

Grade level(s): 3-6

Materials: paper, pencil, resource materials

Steps:

1. Each student begins in a small group focused on one aspect of the topic
under study. For example, if the class was studying Native American
tribes, each group would focus on a certain tribe. Within each group, each
student would focus on becoming an expert about a given aspect of that
tribe, for example housing, religion, child rearing practices, and food.
2. After each student learns about his/her assigned topics, the groups change
so that all the housing experts form a group, all the religion experts form a
group, and so forth. The students then share what they learned about the
given aspect of their tribes, looking at similarities and differences.
3. Another example for the jigsaw method would be to have home groups
around different geographic regions (plains, islands, mountains, etc.) and
the second groups focused on life in the regions (climate, jobs, housing,
recreational activities, etc.).

Title: Boggle

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: paper, pencil

Steps:

1. This is a fun game in which students are encouraged to stump the teacher.
It is loosely based on a commercial game called Boggle because points are
scored when students think of ideas the teacher did not think of.
2. Students brainstorm as many ideas as they can think of related to a
question the teacher poses about a topic under study.
3. The teacher then shares his/her list with the students (note: don’t try to
come up with every possible answer!). Students then share the ideas they
came up with that the teacher didn’t have.
4. This is a great strategy for reviewing for a quiz or test or for finding out
what students know about a topic before embarking on a unit of study.
Title: Webbing

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: paper, pencil or chalk and chalkboard

Steps:

1. Webbing involves putting the central theme in the middle of the paper (or
on the board) and then brainstorming sub-topics, questions, and related
ideas. A “web” is constructed as students connect these ideas to the main
topic and each other.
2. Younger students can participate in the web process with the teacher
constructing it on the blackboard. Older students can do it this way as
well or do their own webs on paper.

Title: Gallery Walk

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: varies depending on projects and presentations

Steps:

1. Students set up their projects around the room. A few students at a time
sit with their projects to explain them as the rest of the students roam
through the “gallery.”
2. After a time, roles are switched and another set of students presents, and
so on until everyone has had an opportunity to present.

Title: Ladder Ranking

Grade level(s): 4-6

Materials: list of six to twelve statements about a topic, scissors, glue, paper

Steps:

1. In pairs, students cut apart and rank order the statements about a topic
under study. Ask them to place the statements in vertical order, with the
most important at the top of the ladder.
2. After the pairs are finished, compare and discuss their rankings.
Title: Learning Centers

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: varied

Steps:

1. Rather than teaching a topic to the class as a whole, many students and
teachers enjoy having learning centers in the classroom. Each center has
activities for students to complete about the topic under study. Students
can rotate through the centers over several days or choose which centers
they would like to work at.
2. Activities should be self-explanatory or include directions the students
can follow. Learning Center time is a great time in the school day for
teachers to meet with or assess individual students.

Title: Individual Projects

Grade level(s): K-6

Materials: varies depending on project

Steps:

1. Students identify a topic they are interested in learning about. The topic
could be related to a social studies unit or to the overall curricular goals
for the year.
2. Teacher defines the parameters for the project allowing for as much
student choice as possible, especially in regard to how students
demonstrate and present their learning.
3. It is helpful if there is a part of the school day designated as “project
time.” The teacher serves as an assistant to the students, helping them
identify resources and challenging them to extend their thinking and
work about their topic.

Title: Opening Day Mixer

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: handout, pencil

Steps:

1. Teacher gives each student a handout with items and blank spaces next to
them (see p. 1 in Course Readings and Handouts packet).
2. Students go around to each other in the room and each student writes
their name next to one item that relates to them (examples: likes to read,
watches movies, hates spinach).
3. This is a fun activity for the first day of school, a good way for students to
meet each other, learn their names, and find out what they have in
common.

Title: Card Game

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: index cards, markers, other game pieces as needed

Steps:

1. Have students think about and list card games they play and enjoy.
2. Using index cards, students create card games designed to teach facts
about a topic under study.
3. Be sure to tell students how many facts they need to include in the game.
They can Also include other game pieces, such as dice or play money, as
needed.

Title: Cards-on-back Mixer

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: post it notes, pencil, paper

Steps:

1. This game works for any topic being studied that has specific categories.
Teacher places a post-it note with a word on the back of each student
without them seeing.
2. Students go around to each other in the class, collecting clue words that
relate to the word on their back. When they think they know what the
word is, they can sit down, take off the post-it note, and see if they were
right.
3. Students then form groups based on having the same words on their
 backs. They come up with a definition of their word, using the clue words
they collected and share it with the class.
4. Here is an example. Let’s say you are studying ecosystems such as
rainforest, wetlands, plains, oceans, and so forth. These would be the
words on students’ backs. Clue words for rainforest might include
monkeys, tall trees, destruction, and so forth.

Title: Cooperative Group Roles

Grade level(s): 2-6

Materials: none

Steps:

1. Use some or all of the following group roles when students are engaged in
group work.
2. Give out roles randomly or with forethought with the titles on index
cards.

Facilitator - This person keeps the discussion or activity going, focuses on

keeping everyone on task and making sure everyone has a chance to speak

Recorder - This person copies down key points in the discussion.

Time Keeper - This person keeps track of the time so that each person has an
equal number of minutes to discuss their resource and what they learned about
the social issue.

Summarizer - This person will present a one to two minute summary of the
group’s learning, ideas, and thoughts on the social issue to the rest of the class.

Question Asker - This person asks at least 3 questions during the discussion,
encouraging several students to share more of what they learned and/or to
explain one aspect of the issue further.