World and US History Google Activities for Distance Learning

The past couple months have been some of the most challenging time for teachers that I can remember. Schools suddenly closed and teachers were forced to switch to a distance learning model that most had little experience with (if any at all).

Amazing, teachers across the country stepped up to the challenge and utilized resources that could help kids learn.

I created digital assignments and activities for US History and World History that can be great materials for this model as well.

For US History, the distance learning resources that have helped me the most were unit guide packets. They're concise and cover just the most important concepts that kids need to know for each unit. Each packet is 9 pages with a reading, map, people-to-know, primary source excerpts, a timeline, and image analysis activities.

These allow teachers to provide one simple assignment for kids per unit that is thorough and engaging.

For World History, I like using digital interactive notebooks for distance learning. These pages are like digital graphic organizers on the main concepts of each unit. They include links to online sources like readings, videos, and pages on each element of the unit.

These pages are great because they can be assigned one at a time to keep a nice pace or in bulk by unit so kids have everything they need.

I love these pages because they're visually engaging, provide a variety of activities like drag-and-drop timelines, graphic visuals, and worksheets designed to ensure kids know the main concepts.

Distance learning is tough for sure, but with the right resources it can be much more manageable for teachers and students alike!

Students of History's New Lesson Plans and Resources

The school year recently started and you may be starting to feel that stress of lesson planning for your social studies classes. When I first started teaching, this would be a serious stress every night as I couldn't sleep unless I have the next day's classes thoroughly prepped and ready. You may not have that level of anxiety but no matter what, it can be a time drain on your life.

I developed a site a couple years ago with a goal of easing that stress on teachers. At first, I just had resources organized by day and unit. This year, I'm upping the game with new lesson plans for EVERY DAY of the year!

Each day now has a short, easy-to-follow lesson plan with links to videos, Google Docs, suggestions for differentiation, and more. PLUS there are engaging resources and activities for every day - often with several to choose from that work best for your students.

These are available for:

• US History
• World History
• Civics and American Government

Each curricula is thorough enough so you don't have to plan for the entire year. There's station activities to get students moving and active, primary source analysis to get students in-depth with the content, interactive notebooks, digital Google Drive notebook sets, PowerPoints with guided notes and graphic organizers, review games, videos, assessments, and more!

The lesson plans detail how to best use all of the resources in your class. They're simple so you're not scanning through long documents and standards about how to use the resources. While they're simple, they're also engaging for students. They involve multiple activities to keep students active and ensure that they are learning for the full time in each class - whether that's 90 minute blocks or 45 minute periods that meet every day.

You can download a bunch of free resources here to see the kind of high-quality, engaging classroom activities you'll have for every day of the year. Then, you can join for a month or a whole year - there's no long term commitment. Download as much as you like and never stress about lesson planning for your social studies classes again!

Lesson Plans and Resources for Every Day of US History, World History, & Civics!

Really exciting news, everyone! After a year of organizing, updating, and writing lessons, my new site is now LIVE! 

What's so exciting about this site? Well, not only do you get the most engaging history resources available anywhere for every day of the year, but there are now LESSON PLANS for every day! You don't need to wonder about the best way to use a resource, plan the order of a lesson, or worry about how to implement a project. At StudentsofHistory.com all the lessons are done for you! 

We have complete curricula available for US History, World History, and American Government. Each curriculum is broken down into easy-to-manage units of about 4-10 class periods. Each period includes a short lesson plan with 3 or more resources plus links to relevant videos to show and strategies to use.

You'll never have to stress about a lesson plan again!!! 

Take back your life and focus on what really matters: you and your students. 

You can rest assured knowing that our resources are the most exciting and interactive materials available anywhere for social studies. Each unit is filled with: 

• Google Drive digital notebooks for World & US
• Mind-blowing PowerPoints in full 3D
• Interactive Notebook resources for History
• Magic-motion PowerPoints with moving video portraits that bring historical figures to life!
• Project Based Learning packets for World & US
• Primary source materials 
• Links to short videos for every topic
• Fun online review games
• Editable tests, quizzes, & more! 

I promise you will not be disappointed by these amazing curriculum packages. You can subscribe and cancel any time or join for a whole year and save big!

You can download free lessons on our page as well to check out the resources!

Thanks so much for stopping by to check us out!

Protestant Reformation and What it Means to Resist & Collaborate Lesson Plan

This Protestant Reformation Lesson Plan has your students learning about key events from the Reformation and deciding if they would join the movement, collaborate with the Catholic Church, or act like nothing was going on.

I really want to get the students in my classes to think about what resistance means and how it can impact the brave people like Martin Luther who stand up to those in power. I also want them thinking critically about what it means to ignore injustices or collaborate with those committing them.

This complete lesson download includes short readings on 4 early events/people that influenced the Protestant Reformation:

• John Wycliffe Declared a Heretic
• Jan Huss Executed for Heresy 
• Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses
• The Affair of the Placards

After reading about each event, students decide if they'd join the Protestant movement, collaborate with the Roman Catholic Church, or choose to ignore it and act like nothing had happened. After going through all 4 events, students analyze what their role would have been in the Reformation as a whole.

Finally, students analyze what it looks like and what the repercussions can be for those who resist, collaborate, or ignore.  This download includes both printable and Google Docs versions of the activity along with directions pages for both the students and you as the teacher.

Updated World War 2 Unit Plan!

I just gave my World War 2 Unit Plan Bundle a big update and it now includes over 50 activities for teaching everything about WW2 for either World or US History!

This awesome package features interactive notebook pages, Google Drive, PowerPoints, projects, dozens of primary and secondary source readings and activities, review materials, assessments, and more.

These are truly some amazing teaching resources and I know they will be awesome for your classes. I have used them myself for years now and refined them and added to the unit each year. Now, there's so many activities that you have choices each day about which resource you want to use. For example, on day 2 of the unit, there are 3 different reading activities. You can select one for your whole class or have students do different ones in groups!

     

It truly makes for an incredible and interactive unit in your social studies class. You can preview the entire unit here. It includes a Unit Planning Guide plus review materials at the end, including Jeopardy, task cards, and more. Then there's multiple tests to pick from which you can edit as well!

I promise this will be one of your best units of the whole year - packed full of exciting and egaging activities!

You can download this awesome World War 2 unit plan here!

Space Race Readings, Timeline, & Newspaper Activity - Now Updated with Google Classroom!

This lesson plan on the Cold War's Space Race has been totally updated to now include a Google Classroom version!

The lesson includes 11 1-page articles which students can read to learn about key events in the space race. Students use these to create newspaper pages which they can then present and use to create a human timeline and interactive notebook page timeline!

The events include: Sputnik, the famous Soviet dog Laika , voyages of John Glenn, Yuri Gagarin, Neil Armstrong, Voyager, launching of the Hubble Telescope, & more!

This can be differentiated in your classes by having students work in pairs, groups, or individually.

The new Google Classroom version features a "drag and drop" timeline of events and links to dozens of online sources for students to read about the events of the Space Race!  If you're in a paperless classroom or just want to integrate more digital resources, this is a great digital learning activity for the Cold War!

You can download this Space Race Timeline and Activity set here!

Thanks for checking it out!

World History 2 SOL Review Materials

This awesome World History 2 SOL review packet is by far the best way to get your students prepared for a final exam! It includes a complete 19 page packet and 37 slide PowerPoint presentation on a complete year of material.

The 19 pages each cover a unit of World History:

1. World Empires at 1500
2. The Renaissance
3. The Reformation
4. The Age of Exploration
5. Absolute Monarchs
6. The Enlightenment
7. Revolutions in Science & Society
8. Latin American Revolutions
9. Nationalism
10. The Industrial Revolutions
11. Imperialism
12. World War I
13. The Inter-War Period
14. World War II
15. Genocides
16. The Cold War
17. Independence Movements
18. The Modern World
19. World Religions

Each page is filled with fantastic graphic organizers, visuals, and outlines to help students understand key information. All information is based on state and Common Core Standards and focused on helping students focus on essential topics.

When completed, this packet makes for a perfect study guide for World History. Every single vocabulary term, important figure, and event from the year is included! I guarantee your students will have a greater comprehension of the entire curriculum.

I begin reviewing with this packet and PowerPoint about 2 weeks before our SOL and cover a few pages a day and my students always do amazing on the SOL test!

Thank you for looking!

You can download this awesome World 2 SOL review packet here!

Boxer Rebellion in China Activity

This lesson plan on the Boxer Rebellion features engaging primary sources, videos, and a reading activity all in one download!

This is a fantastic resource for covering Imperialism and gives an excellent overview of the China's 1899-1901 Boxer Rebellion.

All of the following are included with this lesson plan:

• Thorough directions on how to present the lesson
• Bellringer to get started
• Reading activity on the Boxers
• Primary Source poem 
• Eight primary source cartoons on the Boxer Rebellion 
• Printable worksheet for individuals or groups
• Links to videos for the lesson

This also includes a Google Drive digital version of the lesson plan! If you've gone paperless or want to integrate more technology, you can use the included digital version through Google Classroom!

You can download this for your classroom today by clicking here.

Thanks so much for checking it out!

PS: You can get this great resource PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching activities for World or American History through a simple monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org!

Joining the site gives you immediate access to every engaging resource — each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!

World Religions Lessons for Middle & High School

This fantastic download on the major World Religions features engaging activities on each religion for an entire unit!

Your download features 6 folders stocked full of resources on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, plus Chinese philosophies of Legalism, Confucianism, and Daoism!

Inside each of the individual folders are reading worksheets, PowerPoints, interactive notebook activities, worksheets, projects, & a lot more!

In this one download, you get close to 60 teaching resources!

Everything you need is there, including an overview PowerPoint on all of the religions, multiple resources on each religion, reading materials, review worksheets, PowerPoints with guided notes pages, a review game, this 40-question editable unit test with answer key and more!

Plus, you also get a cooperative learning research project on World Religions, this PowerPoint on the Founding & Growth of Christianity, this gigantic Islamic Civilizations Unit Bundle, and much, much more!

All of the resources are numbered by day throughout and a unit guide provides suggestions on how to implement all of the resources with your students!

You can download this amazing unit of activities right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

PS: As a reminder, you can get this resource PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching activities for World or American History through a simple monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org! Joining gives you immediate access to every engaging resource — each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!

The Real History of Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is one of the most misunderstood holidays in America. The first week in May, every Mexican restaurant starts promoting specials and many people assume that it is Mexico's independence day. I found that none of my students knew anything about the real history of the holiday and wanted to change that! I created this resource to do just that.

The holiday actually commemorates a victory at the 1862 Battle of Puebla. This was a massive and unexpected victory for the Mexican army against a much larger French force. In Mexico, the holiday is primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla,where it is known as El Día de la Batalla de Puebla.

This fantastic Common Core-aligned reading is excellent for a quick lesson on the history of Cinco de Mayo! The one page article explains the history of Cinco de Mayo, its meaning, and how it is celebrated today.

Following the 1 page article is a set of reading analysis questions to gauge student understanding and allow them to share an opinion on why the holiday has become so popular in the United States. An answer key for this is included for your convenience.

Thanks so much for stopping by to check it out!

PS: As a reminder, you can get this resource PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching activities for World or American History through a simple monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org! Joining gives you immediate access to every engaging resource — each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!

Ancient Rome Lesson Bundle - Almost 50 Activities to Teach about Rome

This fantastic bundle on Ancient Rome includes over 40 amazing teaching resources to create engaging and rigorous lessons on Ancient Rome.

From the founding of Rome through the Republic, Roman Empire, and finally Rome’s decline & fall — the lessons are all here planned out for you!

All of the following engaging resources are included in this bundle:

• Julius Caesar and the End of the Roman Republic PowerPoint Lesson
• Julius Caesar Obituary & Shakespeare Analysis Worksheet
• Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire PowerPoint Lesson
• Reasons for the Fall of the Roman Empire Sorting Activity
• The Founding & Growth of Christianity in the Roman Empire
• Roman Vocabulary Worksheet — Ancient Rome Review
• Justinian’s Code Primary Source Analysis
• Byzantine Emperor Justinian Campaign Poster
• Good and Bad Roman Emperors Magic Portrait PowerPoint
• Ancient Rome Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle
• Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius Story and Common Core Worksheet
• Roman Gods Reading, Worksheet, and Interactive Notebook Page
• Byzantine Empire and Constantinople PowerPoint
• Roman Republic Google Drive Interactive Notebook
• Roman Empire Google Drive Interactive Notebook
• Ancient Rome Interactive Notebook Set

PLUS: in this download you also get two PowerPoints on Early Rome, worksheets on Nero persecuting Christians, everyday Romans, the Twelve Tables, a study guide, primary source document analysis projects, guided note pages for each PowerPoint, review games, and 2 different versions of an editable Unit Test both with answer keys!

Plus every resource is neatly organized by day along with a unit guide that explains exactly how to implement every lesson.

Your entire 3 weeks will be completely planned out for you! This is an excellent time saver and includes many wonderful teaching materials. Be sure to click on each of the links above for more info on the included resources!

You can download this entire set of amazing resources to use right away but clicking here!

If you are looking for even more great resources for teaching Ancient History, you can download this unit PLUS 3 more as part of the World History MEGA Bundle #1 — Prehistory to Ancient Rome!

Thanks for looking!

Please “Like” my page on Facebook for updates, giveaways, links and more! Thanks!

Interactive Notebook Pages for ALL of World History!

This one download features 15 complete sets of engaging interactive notebook pages for ALL of World History! This one bundle covers prehistory and early humans through the end of the Cold War!

This one download combines both the its companion, the World History 1 and World History 2 Interactive Notebook Bundles, to give you all 182 pages of graphic organizers, creative foldables, timelines, and more!

These are incredible resources for getting students engaged and active in their learning and allowing them to be creative with their notes.

All of the following sets of Interactive Notebook pages are included in this bundle (click on each of the links for a detailed preview!):

• Prehistory & Early Man
• Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
• Ancient China and the Indus River Valley
• Ancient Greece
• Ancient Rome
• Islamic Civilizations
• The Middle Ages
• The Renaissance & Reformation
• The Age of Exploration
• Absolute Monarchs and the Enlightenment
• The French Revolution and Nationalism
• The Industrial Revolution
• Imperialism and World War 1
• World War 2 and the Cold War

By purchasing this massive bundle, you get all of the above units — that’s close to 200 pages of interactive activities. You’ll save countless time planning and save money on buying individual resources throughout the year as you need them.

These are amazing resources sure to help your students enjoy learning about ALL of World History while gaining a better understanding of important concepts, events, and people.

A similar resource to this is also available for all of American History through Interactive Notebook Pages here.

Thank you so much for looking!

PS: As a reminder, you can get all these notebook sets PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching activities for World or American History through a simple monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org! Joining gives you immediate access to every engaging resource — each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!

World War II Lessons and Activities Unit Plan Set

This World War 2 Unit Plan includes over 50 awesome lessons and classroom activities in one easy download!

In one clearly-organized folder you will receive 10 PowerPoints, 8 student projects and cooperative learning activities, 10 reading resources and worksheets, review games and materials, a unit test with answer key, and more! There's over 50 resources in all!

Imagine having 3+ full weeks to a month completely planned out, FULL of visually-engaging, interactive activities for each day!

All of the following awesome teaching materials are INCLUDED with this one simple download:

• Rise of Dictators Pop Up Figures Lesson Plan

• Battles and Events of World War II PowerPoint Lesson

• Battles of World War II Radio Show Project

• WWII Nazi Nuremberg Trial Simulation Lesson Plan

• Countries of World War II Idea Web

• Analyzing Adolf Hitler’s Speeches Worksheet

• The American Homefront During World War II

• Hiroshima and Nagasaki 2x Atomic Bomb Survivor Worksheet

• Turning Point Battles in World War II Worksheet

• Charles Lindbergh US Isolationism and World War II Speech Worksheet

• Japanese Internment Camps Primary Source Reading & Worksheet

• The Holocaust: Background Through Liberation PowerPoint

• The Double V — African-Americans’ Experiences During World War II Lesson

• World War II Mexican-American Story — The Pied Piper of Saipan

• The Four Chaplains of the SS Dorchester Worksheet

• War Crimes Trials PowerPoint Presentation

• World War II Interactive Notebook Pages

• World War II Task Cards

• Allied Leaders of World War 2 Pop Up Figures Lesson Plan

• World War 2 Google Drive Interactive Notebook

You will also receive all of the great resources in this World War II Teaching Resource Bundle included as well!

PLUS even more great resources not available online, including a mapping the war PowerPoint, Jeopardy-style review game, and test and answer key! Also included is a simple directions page explaining pacing and the best way to use all of the resources over about 12 class periods.

Please download the free preview here for a more in depth look at all of the included resources. You can also click on all the links above for more about each specific resource.  

Priced individually, all of these resources would be over $60, so this bundled lesson plan set is a fantastic deal! 

Thanks so much for checking it out!

PS: As a reminder, you can get this resource PLUS over 500 more amazing teaching activities for World or American History through a simple monthly subscription to my site StudentsofHistory.org! Joining gives you immediate access to every engaging resource - each highly reviewed by thousands of teachers across the world! Save yourself time, energy, and sanity by joining today!