Winona State University

National Council for the Social Studies

Portfolio

Eric Schulz

HIST 431-01

Professor Lindaman

November 4th, 2021

 NCSS: Culture

Reflection of Personal Experiences, Strengths, Weaknesses:

The NCSS theme “Culture” deals with how humans have created, shared, and adapted to

cultures, and this is goes along with many topics in the social studies realm. As I have gone

through my education process to become a teacher, one topic we have focused on has been

culture. Not just teaching about cultures, but how to be culturally accepting as a teacher.

Strengths of this theme are that it opens the mind of a student to learn about cultures other than

the ones they are in and have interacted with. It’s important that students are taught about other

cultures so they can be respectful to their peers. One weakness that can come out of this theme is

that students may begin to have negative attributions to certain cultural groups, depending on

their own culture and beliefs.

Opportunity to teach:

Through my research, I have found that the Minnesota Standards for education has listed for 7th

graders to learn about Geography, more specifically, “People, Culture’s, and change over time”,

where this theme will be implemented a lot. Throughout 6th grade through 12th grade students

have many standards around culture that need to be taught.

Link to other NCSS Themes:

One thing that I like about the “Culture” theme is that it can be taught with other themes. For

example, in “People, Places, and the Environment” you will also be teaching on culture. If you

are taking a Geography course and want to learn about the culture of the Hmong people, you will

find an intersection between all of the other NCSS themes because culture is not limited to

religion, or any other one thing, and can intersect with governance, sciences, the people, etc.

Reflection on Sample 1:
From the PBS Wisconsin website, I found a great lesson plan for teaching culture to students at

the middle school levels. This lesson introduces the idea of culture to middle school ELL

students, from the perspective of self and society, and aims to get students to consider how

culture shapes their ideas, beliefs and identity. This lesson can be completed in one 45-minute

class period. The objective is for students to familiarize themselves with terms related to culture.

This sample is great for multiple reasons. One reason is that it hits 10 of the national standards,

as since I want to teach in Wisconsin, this is important. Next, it’s introducing a topic that

students may not yet be familiar with but will be detrimental for what later standards will cause

the students to learn. Lastly, at the end of the activity, students circle concepts about culture they

still don’t understand too well, allowing for the teacher to know what they need to focus on in

the next class periods.

Reflection on Sample 2:

From the PBS Wisconsin site, I found a great lesson plan that teaches students about an

indigenous group in the United States. In this lesson, students examine the characteristics of the

Kara people and their way of life and discuss the potential environmental and cultural impacts of

the Gibe III dam and hydroelectric plant in Ethiopia. Reflective writing prompts are also

included for students to demonstrate their understanding of the story.

 1.) https://www.mnhs.org/education/native-american

This is a really good source for looking into native American culture specifically. There are

many resources that help specifically with teaching Native American history and culture.

They have primary sources that you can use as well as a database where you can see

Ojibwe cultural objects. This source has a lot of historical information overall but is a great

source for Native American Culture.

2.) https://www.loc.gov

I really like this source because they have a great variety of subjects and classroom

materials to use. They have a good variety of primary sources for many different topics.

They have many different lessons plans that you can find by typing in a key word or

looking through. They also have a good section on culture in their primary sources as well

as their lessons plans. They also have good resources for students as well.

3.) https://www.docsteach.org/documents?

filter_searchterm=Culture&searchType=all&filterEras=&filterDocTypes=&filter_order=

&filter_order_Dir=&rt=TP25aD5HAfvJ

This source is a really good source to use because it has a lot of primary source documents

that you can use while teaching a lesson. It has activities that you can do in your classroom

with suggested teaching instructions that go along with it. It also has an activity feature

where you can do a historical activity on the website and send it to your teacher as an

assignment when you are done.

4.) https://dp.la/primary-source-sets

This source has lots of good historical information. These also include primary sources

from a big variety of subjects and different eras. Each source set has a vast collection of
sources under the same topic. These are primary sources; a lot are pictures or writings.

Then under each source there is a teacher guide that gives a big list of discussion questions

you can use as well as a couple different classroom activities for use.

5.) https://tpt.pbslearningmedia.org/subjects/social-studies/us-history/?

selected_facet=media_type:Lesson%20Plan

This is a really great source for all types of history. They have resources for all grades and

subjects as well as many different resources to look off of. You can look at Lesson plans

and for every lesson plan they also have the standards that each lesson would be hitting

which is really helpful. They have many different types of activities and pictures you can

look at. Overall this is a really great source to look at as it has so much information and

everything laid out for you.

6.) https://historycooperative.org/ancient-sparta-the-history-of-the-spartans/

This is a really good historical source for learning new information or if you need to brush

up on your historical knowledge of a particular topic this would be an excellent source. It

has a vast variety of sources and within each lesson it gives you a lot of knowledge on the

subject.

7.) https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons

This is a very good source to use as it has all kinds of history lessons and assessments that

you can use. It also gives you the resources you may need for a certain unit and includes the

student resources as well.

8.) https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/

I like this source because it is a good one to go to for information on a particular subject.

They have it laid out so you can select what type of resource you want to look at for what
age level and subject. Then each lesson plan or activity will have listed what grades it is

intended for as well as the topics that are covered in each lesson and a great idea for a

lesson to implement in your own classroom.

9.) https://www.mncompass.org/cultural-communities

You can use this source to look at the cultural makeup of Minnesota. There is a lot of

interesting facts and statistics about Minnesota and its culture, how the students do in

Minnesota schools and more.

 NCSS: Time, Continuity, and Change

Reflection of Personal Experiences, Strengths, Weaknesses:

The NCSS theme “Time, Continuity, and Change” deals with the historical aspect of social

studies. History is definitely the theme that gets most attributed to social studies, and in my

undergraduate I am emphasizing in history. Throughout all my level 400 courses in history, I

have obtained much knowledge that will help me teach my students in the future.

When I first got into history, I focused on Milwaukee history, as that was my hometown. At a

young age I joined the Milwaukee Historical Society, and I plan to use some of the cool stories I

was told, and the history that I learned in my classroom in the future.

Opportunity to Teach:

A review of the standards shows “Time, Continuity, and Change” represented strong throughout

the 512 curriculum. It is the lead strain in grade 5 (first contact through American Revolution),

grade 6 (Minnesota history), grade 7 (US history 1800 to present) and receives 1 full credit in

grade 9-12 for US History and 1 full credit in grade 9-12 for World History).

Link to Other NCSS Themes:

I love this NCSS theme as I find it ties to all of the other NCSS themes. For example, when

studying the Dust Bowl, “Time, Continuity, and Change” intersects with “Science and

Technology,” “People, Places, and Environment, and “Production and Distribution of

Resources.” When studying Maoist China, this theme intersects with “Culture,” “Production and

Distribution,” “Global Connections” and “Individuals, Groups, and Institutions.” When studying
the formation of the American government, “Time, Continuity, and Change” intersects with

“Power, Authority and Governance.” The possibilities are limitless.

Reflection on Sample 1:

The first sample I found was from the Teaching Native American History website, and it is

called “Decolonize Place”. This includes three lessons that provide students opportunities to

analyze an article discussing how indigenous history is not historically accurate through a public

display either in a museum or a school mural. Students then analyze primary sources pertinent to

the history being conveyed in order for students to critically discern how the perspective is

ahistorical or from a settler colonial perspective rather than from an indigenous perspective. 

Students eventually write a position paper as to whether or not the George Washington school

mural should be removed due to it possibly causing historically trauma.  With their position

paper written, students will engage in a Socratic discussion grappling with the issues.

Throughout the unit, students will also have an opportunity to locate another public display:

mural either in a school or municipal setting, a statue, or place name and analyze for the

historical accuracy and representation within the community.  Students will evaluate the

authenticity of the history or the image being conveyed.

This lesson has many different strengths. I think that it’s really good that the students get to

analyze articles, do a Socratic seminar, write an opinion piece, and then find an example of their

own and write a paper using the knowledge that they learned. One thing I would change about

this lesson would be the example that they use of a mural that poorly represents history, and

make one that’s more near the school I’m teaching at. For example, there is a mural right here at

Winona State that I could use.

Reflection on Sample 2:

The second sample I found was also from the Teaching Native American History website, and it

is called “Interview an Elder”. In this lesson 3rd through 5th grade students interview elders from

the Wampanoag and Mohican Nations. They will first learn how the interview process works,

and practice interviewing their peers.  Students will learn about the history of the Wampanoag

and Mohican Nations so they will have needed background information on the Nations being

represented by the elders they will be interviewing. Students will then develop questions in

advance of each interview. These will be sent in advance to the elder who will be visiting the

classroom. On the day of each interview, students will each receive a printed question sheet with

space to record their answers. The elder will be introduced, and then the interview begins.

I think that this lesson has a lot of potential. Having students get to interview elders from a

Native American tribe can be very beneficial, and will most likely stick with the students far

greater than just teaching them about it. As a teacher, I would have to find a tribe with elders that

would agree to doing all of this, and that may make this lesson unreasonable depending where I

am teaching. One way I could incorporate this lesson into my classroom could maybe be by

having students watch interviews that have already been done with elders, although they then

lose some of the excitement that this lesson holds.

 1. Ed Teacher: http://besthistorysites.net/

This page gives you multiple links. It is a good source to help you think about

organization of World History, or if you need World History topics for grade 8 social

studies.

1a. Digital History: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/

I will refer to this cite as a snappy, go to location that helps you with chronological

overviews of American history. Era break-downs and primary sources, links are

found here. Also note the categories of film and music as related to the eras.

1b. History Teacher (not Mr. Donn): http://www.historyteacher.net/

There are a number of practicing teachers (often but not always AP) that create and

post their own extensive lists. This is one example. So many links, so much to

explore! Includes AP resources.

1c. Smithsonian Education:

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/history_culture.html

History and Culture

1d. Smithsonian Source: http://www.smithsoniansource.org/tea/viewdetails.aspx

Document Analysis, Compare and Contrast, Jig Saw, Graphic Organizers, PERSIA

Topics: Civil Rights, Colonial America, Native American History, Transportation,

Westward Expansion

Like the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian has a number of great teaching

collections. Worth exploring! As noted, good graphic organizers and themes.

2. Teachinghistory.org: http://teachinghistory.org/

National History Education Clearinghouse

From about 2000-2010, the federal government issued grant money for a project

called Teaching American History. As grants brought numerous groups together to

think about the teaching of American history, much creativity was generated. This

web page was created in part to collect many of the things going on as a result of the

grants. It is a hub that can also take you to multiple other locations. On the plus side,

there are great materials here, also broken down via grade level. There are also many

great “Ask the Teacher” parts. On the negative side, as the Teaching American

History grant creativity has gone away (no more grants), this page has not received

the infusion of new observations and materials it needs.

3. Stanford History Education Group:

https://sheg.stanford.edu/home_page
Best advice here—visit the cite early and often. Learn as much as you can about the

work of Sam Wineburg as he has published numerous articles on historical thinking,

or methods of learning history. He comes from a Psychology background, so you are

literally studying how students learn history--kind of a meta level thing for those of

you trying to figure out the whole history thing yourselves. Great fun though, to enter

this realm of thinking!

4. Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/education/

OK, enough Wineburg and fun fact—he is not the only one promoting the use of

Historical Thinking Skills and the psychology of learning history. The Library of

Congress has put their vast collection to use and promotes Historical Thinking Skills

through primary source collections and graphic organizers. Another cite you should

keep in your toolbox.

5. Smarthistory: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-

history-basics/beginners-art-history/a/cave-painting-

contemporary-art-and-everything-in-between

Smarthistory was an extended grant based off the original Khan Academy. As a

result, a number of individuals were hired to go around the world and film famous

works of art. They then give a brief 5-10 minute review of the work of art. There are

many ways this can be used an plugged into a lesson. Applicable for both US and

World history.

6. Gilder Lehrman Institute: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/

This is a great project you should bookmark and check back periodically. It has

drawn on the best of historians in the profession and contains many components

related to American history. There is a wonderful guide if you ever teach AP history.

It can also be useful for you to brush up on eras for your own professional

development. The entire site is organized by eras, thus providing you with a great way

to think about chronological flow—what is in an era? How much attention do I want

to give to various themes of an era? Compare the eras to the SHEG project.

Eras, Primary Sources

6a. History Now: https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-now/2016-10/african-

american-soldiers

You may need to sign up or have a subscription to access all of the History Now

material. It is essentially an on-line magazine related to teaching of a theme. As such,

it will include a literature review and sample lessons. Even if you can not access all

the material, it is worth reviewing the different themes they have published over the

past number of years.

7. National History Day: https://www.nhd.org/

See Minnesota History Day

8. National History Day Minnesota:

http://education.mnhs.org/historyday/

Minnesota has one of the best History Day traditions in all of America. In many

ways, their page is better than the National History Day page. Every year, both pages
feature a guidebook related to the theme. There are also a number of samples found

throughout the page. Winona State hosts the Southeast Region (it may be virtual

again this year?).

9. World History Matters: https://worldhistorymatters.org/

This one won an American Historical Association award in 2007. There are links to a

half dozen or so projects here, may of them fascinating. For purposes of world

history, review the World History Sources:

http://chnm.gmu.edu/worldhistorysources/index.html

10. Annenberg Center: https://www.learner.org/subject/social-studies-

history/

While catching up on the Annenberg material on world history, I came across this

link. There are quite a few methods and “teachers in action” videos related to a range

of interesting topics. There is also an emphasis on image analysis and good samples

across the various grade levels. Definitely worth an exploratory look.

11. Teaching Native American History Curriculum

https://teachnativehistories.umass.edu/

Ten Tips to Decolonize Your Classroom worth a look.

https://dpi.wi.gov/amind/resources

Sources Related to American Indian Education (Wisconsin)

 https://cehsp.d.umn.edu/departments-centers/ruth-myers-center-indigenous-education/

resources-teaching-aihc

Resources for Teaching American Indian History and Culture (Minnesota)

12. Black Lives Matter/Social Justice in Current Events:

https://neaedjustice.org/black-lives-matter-school-resources/

This page has many ideas/reflections themes and is hosted by the National Educators

Association.

Further note: There is a great deal of new material circulating on the BLM theme in the wake

of the George Floyd tragedy. I encourage you to explore and post on our discussion sections.
 NCSS: People, Places, and The Environment

Reflection of Personal Experiences, Strengths, Weaknesses:

The main focus of this theme is for students to understand the connection between people, places

and the environment. This theme intersects with geography a lot, as it focuses on where people

are, and their environment. I have a hard time with the topic of Geography, which makes me

want to learn about this theme more, and will spend more time focusing on making sure that my

students get the best education in this topic.

As an undergraduate student, I have been tasked to take multiple courses in Geography, physical,

cultural and economic. These were the first Geography courses I have ever taken in my time as a

student, so it was all new information to me, besides what I had learned from courses that

intersected with Geography.

Links to other NCSS Themes

I find that People, Places, and Environments link up to many of the other goals. One good

example is the similarity to goal 5 Individuals, Groups, and Institutions since people and groups

are very related. Distribution of resources from goal 7 intersects with the environment due to

their complicated relationship. It also intersects with theme 1: Culture, as by learning about

people, you will spend time focusing on their cultures.

Opportunity to Teach:
In grades 5-8, People, places, and the environment is covered every year. However, in grade 8, it

is the main center of focus out of the strands of social studies. In grades 9-12, this topic earns a

student half of a credit.

Reflection on Sample 1:

For this sample, I chose National Geographic, and found a great lesson plan that has students

explore the relationship among reduced snowpack, human population, and water security, and

how Everest climbers impact watersheds. This lesson has three activities that are all over one

hour long, so this lesson could take three class periods to complete, and I would try to reduce the

activity lengths so that I could make that happen. Activity 1 has students learn new terms and has

them use corroboration to find data from articles. Students should work in pairs to find

the temperature, wind, barometric pressure, and relative humidity. Activity 2 has students learn

about how the U.S uses water, and students come to conclusions by analyzing graphs, charts, and

other data to ultimately conclude that the U.S has a water consumption problem. Activity 3

connects activities 1 and 2 by having students learn about how mountain climbers impact the

water shed at Mount Everest.

One thing I would change about this lesson is the length that each lesson takes to make it more

appropriate for a lesson in the middle/high school classroom. I would also make sure that activity

3 does a good job in connecting the first to activities, and assess the students to make sure they

got the correct information out of the lesson.

Reflection on Sample 2:

In this lesson, from the National Geographic website, students identify the responsibilities of the

government and individual climbers to protect Mount Everest by reading examples of

regulations. Students create a Bill of Rights for Everest; then students use their research to guide

the creation of an infographic meant to educate the community about protecting Everest in a

visually appealing, easy to read way. 

Some things that are great about this lesson plan is that students look at regulations currently in

place and about how the actions that are being taken to protect Mount Everest are being utilized.

The lesson also ends with an activity that focuses on how students can apply the newly learned

information into the U.S water shortage problem, and how we can make regulations that can

help.
 1. https://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=928009

This page has numerous activities and games to add depth to your 8th grade geography

curriculum

2. http://www.mcss.org/standards

This cite gives you a link to the Minnesota social studies standards for k-12. The link gives

the standards for each goal and the bench a breakdown of the benchmarks that should be

hit for each topic.

3. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/resource-library/

This page features thousands of ready-made lesson plans for educators to use across many

different issues to fit your curriculum.

4. http://www.aag.org/cs/mycoe/geographic-learning

This page gives in detail tools and knowledge for teachers to craft lessons around. Tools

that help define geographic ideas and measure data from across the world.

5. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states

The U.N. website is an excellent place to go for learning about internationalism and

nationalism. It covers the geography code for teaching what nationalism is and what is

internationalism.

6. https://teachinghistory.org/quick-links-high
 This source provides several links to quick social studies related topics. In here, you

can find lessons different topics of social studies, including links about people and why they

do or did live where they do.

7. https://www.gapminder.org/

Gapminder is a good resource when trying to introduce students to world demographic

data and how different countries compare to each other.

8. https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/

The teaching Zinn website holds many useful lesson plans and material to craft numerous

different lessons around. The website provides a more diverse curriculum and topic matter

than other website choices.

 NCSS: Individuals, Groups, Institutions

Reflection of Personal Experiences, Strengths, Weaknesses:

The theme “Individuals, Groups, and Institutions” focuses on how institutions have a huge

impact on students lives. It aims to teach students how institutions are formed, what influences

them, and how they influence our own culture. When I think of institutions, I think of school,

government, religion, and family. This theme it brought up in courses like Sociology,

psychology, history, political science and anthropology.

Links to other NCSS Themes

This theme intersects with the theme “Civic Ideals” and “Power Authority and Governance” as

institutions play a large role in the make up of government. It also intersects with most themes,

like NCSS 8, as most topics in social studies will have some sort of relation to an institution or

multiple instututions.

Opportunity to Teach:

When students are in grades 9-12, the standards show that there is an emphasis in Psychology,

History, Anthropology, and Political Science, and institutions will be brought up in those

subjects a lot, offering an opportunity to teach this theme.

Reflection on Sample 1:
The first sample I chose is called “The 5 Pillars of Islam” from PBS Learning Wisconsin. In this

lesson, students explore and understand the basic beliefs of Islam as well as the Five Pillars that

guide Muslims in their daily life: belief, worship, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage. They will

view segments from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly and information from Internet sources to

look closely at each pillar. Then, as a culminating activity in groups, students will create posters

about the Five Pillars for classroom display. This lesson is meant for students in grades 5-12.

This lesson allows for students to learn about a particular religion, a major institution that

impacts the lives of much of the world’s population. It allows for students to learn about the 5

Pillars of Islam and that use corroboration and reteach what they learned to reinforce their

learning.

Reflection on Sample 2:

The second sample I found is from PBS Learning Wisconsin and it’s called “Laws that Regulate

Behavior”. In this activity, students will explore several laws that regulate personal behavior.

These are composite examples of laws either proposed or passed in communities across the

country. Students are to review the laws and discuss their necessity, their positive and negative

effects on personal freedom and public good, and whether the laws should be amended or

repealed.

This lesson is great because students get to use primary sources and see how institutions play

into their everyday life. The students also get to form opinions on public good, and if laws are

needed or not.
 NCSS: Power, Authority, and Governance

Reflection of Personal Experiences, Strengths, Weaknesses:

In my experience, learning about government has been one of my favorite topics in the social

studies realm. I first got interested in social studies after I found a passion for politics. Currently,

I am a club president for a political club on my campus, and I have done a lot of outreach for

political candidates, get out the vote work, and even met many politicians. The topic of

government, and powers has been one of my main focuses, especially thought history. This topic

is my strong suit, and the only weakness I have in this realm is learning about by biases, and

making sure I don’t teach them to students.

Links to other NCSS Themes

I find that Power, Authority, and Governance link up to a few of the other goals. One good

example is the similarity to goal 5 Individuals, Groups, and Institutions since institutions tend to

be government related. Distribution of resources from goal 7 intersects with the government as

well as the government tends to be who deals with the distribution of resources. Lastly, Theme

10, Civic Ideals, is intersected with this theme due to its relationship with the government.

Opportunity to Teach:

In grades 9-12, there are many standards in the Civic Skills that this theme covers.

Reflection on Sample 1:
For this theme, I found a lesson plan on Teaching Civics that has students distinguish the

difference between individual rights and common good. This lesson covers Standard 3: The

United States is based on democratic values and principles that include liberty, individual rights,

justice, equality, the rule of law, limited government, common good, popular sovereignty,

majority rule and minority rights. Benchmarks: 9.1.2.3.1 - 9.1.2.3.3.

This lesson allows for students to form an opinion on common good and individual rights. It also

allows students to contextualize documents and gather information from articles in order to find

current day issues revolving around the individual rights vs common good arguments. I think

that this lesson plan is really good since it allows for students to form their own opinion and then

I would take it a step further and allow for students to discuss as a group what they believe.

Reflection on Sample 2:

For sample 2, I found another lesson from ICivics that deals with taxes. This lesson teaches the

basics of taxes: what they are, who pays them, what kinds exist, and what they’re used for.

Students learn how people’s income is taxed, how much revenue taxes generate, and how taxes

and government services are related. Activities based on real life show students how to analyze a

pay stub and how to calculate sales tax. This lesson is meant for students in grades 6-9 and

covers the Civic standards 5.1.1.1.1-5.1.1.1.3.

This lesson plan allows for students to learn about taxes, how the Government uses taxes, and

even teaches them on economics. This lesson plan could be made stronger by having an activity

where students get to work together to answer a main question. The topic of taxes can be boring

to some students, so making this activity a little more fun would be important in my classroom.
 1. https://teachingcivics.org/

This link gives you multiple resources you can use. Such as videos or lesson plans. It also gives

you the ability to save lesson plans and resources to a folder so that you have them when you

need them.

2. https://www.icivics.org

The website has many different games and teaching strategies including different ways to

explore primary sources or activities for remote learning. As well as a list of lesson plans for

teachers to use.

3. https://www.annenbergclassroom.org/

This source has huge amount of information about the constitution and different court cases that

correlate with different parts of the constitution. This source also has a list of games, videos and

other websites as wells as handouts for teachers to use in the classroom.

4. https://www.civiced.org/

This website has sources for teachers to use such as lesson plans, textbooks and pod casts.

5. https://constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/historical-documents/
This source has historical primary source documents with questions as well as lesson plans for

teachers to use on government.

6. Power and Authority

This hyperlink brings you to a word document that is a lesson plan on Power and Authority.

7. https://wisconsin.pbslearningmedia.org/

PBS is an easy way to find lesson plans for your class. It also gives you options to different

videos or interactive lessons by grade level and subject.

8. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/classroom-resources/

National geographic allows you to search for classroom materials related to government and

civics. These sources include maps, videos, games, and interactive lessons.
 NCSS: Production, Distribution and Consumption

Reflection of Personal Experiences, Strengths, Weaknesses:

In my time as a college student, I have had much experience in my social studies courses in

dealing with production, specifically in my world affairs courses and my economic courses. In

my Geography courses I have also learned about the environmental impact that means of

production has, and how government regulations impact the economy.

I believe that this topic is important for students to learn as we continue to ask questions

surrounding the future of production and how consumption manipulates the economy and is

everlasting. The strength in this theme is that students get to learn information that will be used

in many different topics throughout their education, and can even impact their views on

economic decisions.

Links to other NCSS Themes

This theme connects with a few other themes, as “Production, Distribution, and Consumption”

goes into geography, economics, government, and the environment. This theme intersects with

NCSS themes 8, 10, 6 and 3. The importance of production is often regulated by governments,

controls the economy, and can even become environmental when non-renewable and renewable

resources come into the topic.

Opportunity to Teach:
This theme coincides with many of the grades 9-12 standards, specifically under the Economic

strand, and the geography strand.

Reflection on Sample 1:

The first sample lesson plan that I chose is called “Making Sense of the Federal Budget, Debt &

Deficits” from the Foundation for Teaching Economics website. Organized into five lessons the

unit covers the topics of; the national debt and its historic origins; government spending and

federal budget allocations; sustainability of the federal debt; federal, state and local government

budgeting, spending and funding; government financial accounting and reports; how rational

public choices can lead to budget deficits.  The unit targets grades 7-12 and has application

across the social studies, especially in economics, civics and history courses.  The five lessons

comprising the unit provide a sequencing that builds on each other.

Some strengths of this lesson plan are that the activities engage students in problem solving,

critical thinking and group interaction that leads to a more comprehensive understanding of the

issues surrounding government budgets, deficits and debts.  All activities include debriefing

questions for a teacher-led discussion or student response assignment. One weakness is the

length, but the way the lesson plan is made makes it easy for teachers to choose activities form

the lesson plan, but does not force the teacher to do all of the activities, so I might choose a few

to do.

Reflection on Sample 2:

The next sample is from Lesson Planet, and it’s called “China - Where Will They Fit in the

World Economy?” This lesson plans focus is to teach students why China is so crucial to global
economics through an informative resource. Activities include using databases to search for

information, watching a video or listening to a podcast, and reading about China's economy.

This lesson is great for students as it has many activities that are interesting to students, but it

doesn’t dive deep enough into China and their role in the economy.

1. https://www.fte.org/teachers/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/efllessons/foreign-

currencies-and-foreign-exchange/

The Foundation For Teaching Economics is filled to the brim with countless lesson plans and

ideas to use in your own class room. There is a plethora of economic topics to choose from, with

even more lesson plans to choose from. The FTE provides general explanations, videos, and full

blown activities with materials and all, making this one of my favorite sources.

2. https://www.moneyinstructor.com/finance.asp

Money instructor holds lesson plans from as early as 7th grade, and goes up to college level. The

website is bland in color, but makes up for it with graphics and content. Each level has many

different lessons to choose from, all of which are laid out in a simple and understandable format.

3. https://www.economicsarkansas.org/for_teachers/lesson-plans-k-3.html

Economics Arkansas brings an interesting take on economics to the table. The general age group

they target ranges from KINDERGARTEN all the way up to 12th grade. The website is very

easily navigated, and has less content than previously listed sources, but it can be helpful for

those younger age groups who you would never expect to learn much from a topic like

economics.

4. https://www.icivics.org/teachers?search_api_fulltext=econ

iCivics was a website previously mentioned for a different topic, but after some digging, there

are solid economic lesson plans that involve the economy’s relation to government, as well as the
free market and how it works. This site provides learning objectives, something that was unique

to this site throughout my research. The resources provided are easily accessible through

downloads, making this a great site to use in the classroom.

5. https://www.lessonplanet.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keywords=economy

Lesson planet is a very aesthetically pleasing website with a lot of graphics and things to choose

from. It is well organized and consists of many different methods of teaching. There are videos,

assessments, in class assignments, and much more.

6. https://study.com/academy/lesson/economics-lesson-plan-for-elementary-school.html

Study.com is a well organized source for lesson plans, games, and inspiration for any teacher’s

classroom. With videos, projects, games, and assessments, Study.com targets an older age group

with an easy to understand approach to everyone’s absolute favorite subject!

7. https://www.econedlink.org/

This link is for a website called econedlink. The website was created by the Council for

Economic Education. It has a lot of great resources for all grade levels, Kindergarten through 12th

grade. You can also filter through what you’re looking for. Not only does it provide resources

involving concepts of economics, but there are many activities for student to do that can be

related to their world. For example, there is a car loan calculator. The possibilities are endless

with this website.

8. https://www.brighthubeducation.com/middle-school-social-studies-lessons/126676-

eleven-great-economics-lessons/

Bright Hub Education has some good resources in this link. There are 11 different lessons that

could be done within it. These lessons are simplified and can be used for middle school grades. If
a teacher really wanted to, they could use it to review at high school levels. Along with some of

the lessons, there are also some activities that teachers can use.

9. https://www.khanacademy.org/

Although Khan Academy has many different subjects that they make videos for, economics isn’t

any different. There are a whole bunch of videos in different areas of economics. For example,

they have a section just for GDP. There are various other topics as well. As for grade levels, I

would probably use it for it for high school, but it could also be used for high school.

10. https://www.aeaweb.org/resources/teachers

This website is from the American Economic Association. It has many resources for both

students and teachers. There are both lesson plans and activities are that on the website to use.

What I like about this website is that it also has student guides that teachers can use. They can be

used for both beginners and grad students.

11. https://wisconsin.pbslearningmedia.org/subjects/social-studies/economics/

This website is through the Wisconsin PBS website. I like this website because it is user friendly.

To look for a specific thing like videos or lesson plans, all they have to do is use the filter. Along

with that filter, they can also choose a grade level to go with it. The website also breaks it down

into different types of economics. For example, on the side, they have both macroeconomics and

microeconomics (etc).

12. https://www.frbsf.org/education/teacher-resources/

I was surprised to find this resource. It’s from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. There

are a wide range of resources on this site. For example, there was a podcast about if college

matters or not and videos. There are other resources that explain concepts about the Federal

Reserve. I’m sure other Federal Reserve Banks have resources as well.
 NCSS: Science, Technology, and Society

Reflection of Personal Experiences, Strengths, Weaknesses:

“Science, Technology and Society” is an interesting theme in the social studies realm, because as

a student I rarely think of teaching anything scientific in the classroom. Science plays a large role

in culture, and that is where the intersection to social studies mainly occurs. Throughout my time

as a student, science has came up very little except for when talking about the history of

medicine. Technology on the other hand has come up much more, as it plays a big role in the

development of civilizations, war weaponry, the history of medicine, and many other aspects of

the social science realm. In some sense, when we learn and teach social studies, we are teaching

the development of societies, and I believe that is where this theme comes into play.

Links to other NCSS Themes

This theme mainly intersects with NCSS theme “Production, Distribution, and Consumption”

due to the technological innovations that have created the economic style the world lives by.

“People, Places, and Environment” also intersects with this theme, as societies are made up of

people, and their cultures can play a large role in the technological innovations they decide to

work in. For instance, this answers why different countries are more advanced in specific
technological innovations. A country that has a major produce of vegetables may be further

advanced in farm machinery than a country who mainly exports steel.

Opportunity to Teach:

This theme would definitely be taught in the higher grade levels of high school, mainly 9-12. The

standards this would cover would be around innovations, and developing and developed

countries.

Reflection on Sample 1:

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students have the opportunity to practice close reading of

passages from Galileo’s Starry Messenger concerning his observations of the stars and

constellations through a telescope. They will develop an understanding of how he constructed his

arguments to challenge the established views of his time using new technology and logical

reasoning. This lesson has students cite specific textual evidence to support analysis and explain

the analysis they obtain from the reading. This lesson meets the standard CCSS.ELA-

Literacy.CCRA.R.1: “Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical

inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions

drawn from the text.”

This lesson is very good for students between 6th through 8th grades. The lesson allows for

students to learn about a specific advancement in history, and look through the eyes of a

scientist. If I were to teach this lesson, one thing I would change would be to make it more

related to history, and possibly have students discuss why this was groundbreaking.

Reflection on Sample 2:

Another sample found from EDSITEment is a lesson tat hprovides students with the opportunity

to form, revise, and research questions for an investigation of the First Industrial Revolution,
using resources available. The activities first have students look at news articles from the 1840s

and find ads revolving around clothing, and then has students reenact how clothing would have

been made in the era before the industrial revolution. At the end the students conclude whether

or not the industrial revolution happened, and what innovations led to this.

This activity is great in teaching about the industrial revolution, as well as the technological

advancements that were made that lead to it. It also allows students to understand why the need

for innovations to occur took place, and how the technological advancements ultimately led to

the revolution.
 1. SHEG - https://sheg.stanford.edu

They are pretty clearly the gold standard for new, innovative, and diverse lessons right now

as far as I can tell. There are both great lessons (thinking like an historian) and assessments

(beyond the bubble) on a vast array of topics, many of which could be applied to the

Science, Technology, and Society theme.

2. Minnesota Historical Society - https://www.mnhs.org

This is a great resource for many of the other areas, but the MNHS has a lot of Minnesota

History materials that include materials about the Anishinaabe and Dakota peoples. The

materials are mostly paid and in these merchandised “bundles” which is a bit of a bummer,

but still have good resources available for free. Talking about their pre-contact

technologies and societies as well as the impact Western technology and science had on

Indigenous people is a key aspect of the current standards, and especially if the new

standards are adopted.

3. National Geographic - https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/classroom-

resources/

They have a lot of great resources about the history of climate change, industrialization,

and much more. The thing that intrigued me the most though was their stuff about
storytelling through photography. Although they do all sorts of stuff as a publication that

aren’t totally applicable to social studies curriculum, but they’ve been known for years

nowe as the gold standard for high-quality photographic storytelling. It only makes sense

then that they’d be the ones to examine how different kinds of cameras, film, and

technology contributed to the way they tell, and everyone else for that matter can tell those

stories. They have some resources on the educator’s page for just that. It’s not in the

format of lesson plans or anything, but fascinating stuff that could easily be spun out into

its own lesson for most history courses (probably 9-12 world or U.S. history).

4. Library of Congress - https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/

Unsurprisingly, the Library of Congress has a plethora of materials on all things

American, so it only makes sense that would include Science, Technology, and Society. The

ones that particularly caught my eye front their amazing “classroom resources” page were

the ones regarding child labor in America (which would tie into themes about societal

changes during industrialization) and Civil War photographs and how photography

changed peoples perception of war forever. Great stuff overall, and it is a free public

resource which makes it even better.

5. National Archives Docs Teach - https://www.docsteach.org/documents

This one is a searchable database for primary source materials. Utterly invaluable in my

opinion for Social Studies teachers in general, but for this theme, I was able to find a

number of really high quality documents about Nicola Tesla, the cotton gin, the Manhattan

project, and more. Anything found on here could be spun out and turned into its own

lesson/activity, or enrich existing curriculum with an often much-needed infusion of

primary sources into the content students work with. The possibilities are really endless

with this one.

6. National Endowment for the Humanities - https://edsitement.neh.gov

The National Endowment for the Humanities provides high-quality lesson plans that could

be used for almost any of the themes. One particular one thorough is great, “Visual

Records of a Changing Nation” which tracks societal change, through the lens of the

camera ad the technology evolved; thus encompassing all three branches of the Science,

Technology, and Society theme. This is a slam dunk, anytime you see a .gov and some of the

pages are formatted weird but there’s a ton of info, that is a very good sign.

7. American Labor Museum - https://labormuseum.net/?p=resources

While their website is a little shoddy and difficult to navigate at times, if you can find your

way to their teacher resources page, you’ll find really nice resources. They have about 20

different lesson plans they’ve created about events in American Labor History and

worker’s perspectives that often aren’t covered in your typical U.S. History textbook. They

also include links to local museums (most of which have even shoddier websites) which

usually correlate to a specific event or local group that might. These might have even more

specific info about moments in labor history as technology changed our society forever.

8. Gapminder -

https://www.gapminder.org/tools/#$model$markers$bubble$encoding$trail$data$filter$

markers$usa=2019;;;;;;;;&chart-type=bubbles&url=v1

This interactive tool lets students examine the history of every country graphically. It

makes the most sense for its economic application, but there are a number of other filters

that would be useful for all sorts of disciplines. This could be a great way for students to
visualize the trends associated with vast technological shifts for various countries (9-12

World History or 8th grade Global Studies)

NCSS: Global Connections

Reflection of Personal Experiences, Strengths, Weaknesses:

The world is more connected than it has ever been. The connectivity of the world has changed

the very facets of our life on a local, national, and international level. We can see this in the

rapidly changing social, political, and economic systems and institutions that dominate our

modern society. World trade has expanded to where people are able to get goods and services

halfway across the world, and technology has removed or lowered the barriers of distance by

introducing different cultures and people together. Connecting nations and regions together

provides a lot of opportunities, but also a lot of uncertainties. The world is intertwined due to the

complex and diverse global connections among world societies and regions.

Link to other NCSS themes:

“Global Connections” links with many of the other NCSS themes, such as NCSS 10 “Civic

Ideals”, and “Power, Authority and Governance” due to their relation to government and the

connection between governments is what Global Connections is mainly about.

Opportunity To Teach:

In grades 9-12, there are many standards where students have to learn about the other countries,

mainly through Geography and Political Science courses.

Reflection on Sample 1:

The first sample from PBS Wisconsin, called “Terrorism: What’s in a Word” has the objective

of: “Students will be able to analyze the consequences of defining terrorism in certain ways and

learn how different individuals and groups might use the term for political advantage.”

There is currently no definition of terrorism that is accepted internationally. Some acts -- like

the attacks on the World Trade Center -- are indisputably terrorism, but others cause enormous

debate. How do we decide what elements make a certain act one of terrorism? What

consequences does that decision have? These questions are what the students are hoped to be

able to answer at the end of the lesson. This lesson does a great job in bringing up a subject that

many students may already have biases on, and trying to clean the slate, start over, and have

students take on a new understanding of the term “terrorism”.

Reflection on Sample 2:

For Sample 2, I chose another lesson from PBS Wisconsin called “Middle East: Land,

Resources, and Economics”. The objective of this lesson is that students will be able to describe

major geographical features of the Middle East and explain how these features and other natural

resources influence the economy of the area. This lesson is meant for students in grades 9-12.

This lesson has students use topographical maps and has them analyze them and create

conclusions. And then students are given a Middle Eastern country and they compile their own

research to answers certain questions that they will share with the class. This lesson is very
strong as it brings in two important activities, analyzing maps, and having them do individual

research and then presenting that research to the class so much more information can be taught in

less time.

1. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/educators/lessons.html

This website has a various amount of lesson plans based on different themes and connecting

questions based off of the Middle East.

2. https://www.globalminnesota.org/education/high-school-programs/

Global Minnesota is an interactive website that gives current events topic discussions and online

videos/resources to enhance your lesson plans.

3. https://cla.umn.edu/global-studies/outreach-engagement/educator-resources

This website’s units, lesson plans, websites and resource lists have been developed by licensed

K-12 teachers in conjunction with Institute for Global Studies professional development

opportunities. Each of the lessons are linked to the state standards.

4. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/global-network/

This website hits on many articles, activities, videos, pictures, lessons, etc. that are great to use

for your global connections standard. This site also has various amounts of content that covers

other NCSS Standards.

5. https://www.livebinders.com/play/play/1795537?tabid=2b4f7c41-35d8-54ff-4e62-

917e0d b4435f

This resource has activities, games, lessons plans that go into the global nature of the world and

has lessons on how regions are connected.

 6. https://iowacore.gov/content/geography-and-global-studies-content-area-resources-

socia l-studies

This website has an array of information and sources that can be used for global connections.

The website has videos and resources that show how interdependent the world currently is.

7. https://cgs.la.psu.edu/teaching-resources/k-12-resources/cgs-k-12-curricular-

materials/hi gh-school-level-8-12/

This website has lesson plans and unit overviews on global connections. The website also has

some workshops that teachers can use in their classrooms.

8. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/interdependence-and-you/

This website explores the ways how the world is globally connected by mapping where products

come from, and analyzing the import and export patterns. The website also presents ways you

can discuss global connections with the class and lesson objectives.

9. https://www.un.org/en/

The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945, and is currently made up of

193 countries. The United Nations is a globally connected organization were all of the world’s

nations can gather together, discuss problems, and find a shared solution.
 NCSS: Civic Ideals

Reflection of Personal Experiences, Strengths, Weaknesses:

This standard, perhaps more than any other, helps students identify with what it means to live in

a democratic society. If students are given the true chance to fully interact with NCSS standard

10 then they begin to experience how to become an integral part of society. This standard has

many components. The first, knowledge, creates a strong foundation for the others. Knowing

what ideals a society is built upon, knowing the fact and theories of history, and knowing how to

make informed analyses on events and even future events all work together to make a learner or

candidate "civic literate". Next is being capable of organizing and providing clear instruction to

various levels of learners, while having the appropriate disposition. This is vital to social studies

candidates. Knowledge is no use if it cannot be imparted unto others in an intelligible manner.

Being a wonderful educator does not mean knowing the most, but being able to help your

students learn in the most effective way for them and to climb Bloom's Taxonomy for learning.

Links to other NCSS Themes:

This theme intersects very much with “Power, Authority, and Governance” due to both relating

to government.

Opportunity to Teach:
In grades 9-12, there are many standards where students have to learn about the government,

both state and federal.

Reflection on Sample 1:

Using the Annenberg Classroom website I found one lesson plan that surrounds Civic Ideals.

This lesson plan focuses on freedom of assembly, as found in the First Amendment. Students

consider the importance of the right to assemble and protest by analyzing cases where First

Amendment rights were in question. Using the case National Socialist Party of America v.

Village of Skokie, the students will consider if the government is ever allowed to control the

ability to express ideas in public because viewpoints are controversial, offensive, or painful.

Students will use primary sources and Supreme Court cases to consider whether the courts made

the correct decision in the National Socialist Party v. Skokie case. Students will be able to form

an opinion on the essential question: Is the government ever justified to restrict the freedom to

assemble?

I like this sample as it allows for students to learn how to use primary sources and allows for

them to reflect and make their own opinions. I would most likely open the discussion up as a

whole and allow students to debate on why they take a certain stand on their topic.

Reflection on Sample 2:

This lesson will allow students to use primary sources, the Bill of Rights, and Supreme Court

cases in conjunction with the game “That’s Your Right” and the Annenberg Guide to the

Constitution. Students will be able to understand the meaning and importance of the Bill of

Rights as well as how it safeguards freedoms and protects citizens from government intrusion in

everyday life. Students will focus on primary sources, the Bill of Rights and real-life scenarios to
prepare them to play the game “That’s Your Right.” Afterward, students can extend learning by

exploring real Supreme Court cases that affect students in schools.

This lesson plan has a lot of great aspects. For one it goes along with a game which will make

the students more excited to learn. It also allows students to use primary sources, and gets them

more used to the constitution and applies it to current day life.

1. Minnesota Center for Social Studies Education: https://www.mncsse.org/

This is a wonderful source for teachers looking to find any resource related to Social

Studies teaching, but in particular Civil Ideals. This website lists the Minnesota Standards,

different websites for curriculum, different modes for instruction, as well as assessments. 

1.A. iCivics: https://www.icivics.org/

This website is a great tool for Civic educators, as it provides online games, even some for

remote learning. iCivics also gives lesson plans in a simple format for educators, as well as

fun in-class activities. The main purpose of tis website is for educators to teach students

about Democracy, and gives students a fun way to learn!

1.B. Annenberg Classroom: https://www.annenbergclassroom.org/about-us/

AnnenbergClassroom.org provides a comprehensive, multimedia curriculum on the

Constitution. They offer free classroom resources including videos, games, lesson plans and

timelines as well as a guide to the Constitution, which provides the original text and then

explains it in plain language.

1.C. Teaching Civics: https://teachingcivics.org/find-lessons-2/

Teaching Civics offers an easy way for educators to find lesson plans on civic ideals.

Educators are able to search keywords for what topic they are trying to find a lesson plan

on, and then pick through hundreds to find the one that best fits their education style.

1.D. Minnesota Historical Society http://education.mnhs.org/educators

The Minnesota Historical society website offers online resources and activities for families

and educators to do in their classroom or at home. There are both low-tech and no-tech

activities as well as different activities for different ages. In addition there are lesson videos

for teachers to use in class or for students to watch at home.

1.E. Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State http://www.sos.state.mn.us/

This website is a great resource for educators. This website contains voting election results,

information on who is on the ballot and other questions and information in relation to

upcoming elections. This is great for educators who are teaching content related to voting

and government. 

1.F. CNN 10 http://www.cnnstudentnews.com/

The Student news has switched to CNN 10 which is focused on delivering 10 minute daily

news segments. These segments are delivered in a neutral bias, with focus on the context

such as who, where, what and why. This is a great resource for educators to show their

students what is happening around the world and not just in their own community. 
1.G. Minnesota Government - https://mn.gov/portal/government/

This website is a simple way for teachers to find information on Minnesota politics, and

lists direct links to every major department in the Minnesota Government, as well as

information on Federal departments. If you want to teach about the different people in the

Minnesota government you can simply click the link for one, for example “State Auditor”

and it will bring you directly to their website.

1.H. Lesson Planet - https://www.lessonplanet.com/search?

keywords=civic+ideals+and+practices

This website is a very useful resource for educators who are planning on using educational

videos or for educators who are looking for my lesson plan on Civil Ideals. It’s fast, simple

and reliable and allows for you to quickly find any video ro lesson plan that you want to

teach about.

1.I. Bill of Rights Institute https://billofrightsinstitute.org/

This website is a great resource for educators as well as students. This website offers lesson

plans to educators pertaining to the constitution and the bill of rights. In addition students

can apply for scholarships as well as attend summer programs and webinars to prepare for

future classes and tests.