Social Studies / History
A collection of lessons and activities from Inspired Teaching to foster authentically engaging learning with students and deepen teachers' understanding of their role in the classroom.
Whether you teach early childhood or calculus, these award-winning lessons and activities—informed by 30 years of work with thousands of educators—authentically engage, spark curiosity, build community, and support academic success in your classroom. The self-led teacher assessment tools challenge you to shift your role from deliverer of information to Instigator of Thought, providing small steps with big payoff for reinvigorating your practice and rediscovering your why.
Looping
The deceptively simple practice of “looping” – listening to understand, not just to respond, helps us get curious about other people’s perspectives and experiences – a critical skill for all members of a society.
Creating a Class Constitution
Engaging students in creating a class constitution has the double benefit of co-creating a classroom community and learning about the rights and responsibilities at the core of democracy.
The Art of Discipline
This activity invites students to redefine the concept of Discipline. In this redefinition, discipline is curiosity driven by focus and self-motivation – not compliance driven by punishment.
3 Review Games
As students prepare for summative assessments games can be a fun and engaging way to review key concepts and help students practice showing what they know.
Word-At-A-Time Stories
Working with a partner or as a whole class students construct a narrative “one word at a time.” The challenge is to create something cohesive while depending on the creative input of each individual.
Random Walk: Movement and Learning Combined!
This activity challenges students to think about concepts collaboratively in a physical way and completely without words.
Escape Rooms
Simplified versions of these popular games can be made for the classroom to foster inquiry, teamwork, and a high level of engagement.
Making Re-Solutions
This activity encourages students to consider what problems might benefit from re-solving.
Student-Led Museum Tour
In this activity, students share their observations after studying a piece of art. This simple process develops emerging expertise and builds mutual respect through sharing what they have learned.
4 Ways to Connect Warm-Ups to Content
It’s great when you can connect your class opener to content and there are lots of quick and simple ways to do that.
Building Sensory Awareness
All of our senses are working all the time and these activities heighten our awareness of that fact.
Finding the Zone of Proximal Development
This activity helps students to become aware of their zones of proximal development, those spaces that push them to stretch beyond what they already know and can do toward what might be possible.
