Shaped Blog

Mayan Pyramids vs. Egyptian Pyramids Lesson Plan Idea

Looking to include ELA instruction in your social studies classroom? This Mayan pyramids vs. Egyptian pyramids lesson plan idea has students discuss the similarities and differences between the two types of structures through writing an essay.

Shaped Staff

August 5, 2021

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Free Teaching Resources: Fun Classroom Activities and Lesson Plan Ideas

Find free teaching resources. Explore fun classroom activities, lessons plans, downloadables, and videos for Grade K–12 kids to keep learning and growing at grade level.

Shaped Staff

June 16, 2021

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5 Ways to Teach Controversial Issues in Class

Use these five approaches to address and teach controversial issues in your classroom consisting of students with diverse backgrounds and beliefs.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

February 17, 2021

6 Presidents' Day Bulletin Board Ideas for Teachers

Check out these six Presidents' Day bulletin board ideas created by teachers to get your students learning about American presidents.

Alicia Ivory
Shaped Editor

January 20, 2021

Teaching Impeachment in the Classroom: Q&A With Emma Humphries of iCivics

Dr. Emma Humphries, Chief Education Officer at iCivics, shares how she believes educators can carefully and thoughtfully approach teaching impeachment in K–12 classrooms.

Geraldine Stevens
Social Studies Content Expert

January 8, 2021

How to Teach a Contested Election and Prioritize Students' Emotional Health

Chris Dier provides five ideas for educators to explore the election with students while ensuring their social and emotional health.

Chris Dier
2020 Louisiana State Teacher of the Year

January 7, 2021

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8 Black History Month Writing Prompts

Introduce students to Black innovators with these Black History Month writing prompts and guide them into a particular type of text, such as personal narrative, informative, or persuasive.

Perry Hollins
Fourth-Grade Teacher, Evanston/Skokie School District, Illinois

December 22, 2020

7 Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies and Instructional Practices

Implement these culturally responsive teaching strategies and instruction practices in the classroom to help students feel included, validated, valued, and safe.

Dr. Tyrone C. Howard
Professor, UCLA; Senior Fellow, The Center for Model Schools; HMH Learning Sciences & Research Advisory Board

November 19, 2020

Don't Just Teach About Cultures—Teach Culturally. Here's the Difference

Teaching culturally means that the educator acts as a guide for students and is actively learning alongside them in their understanding of the content.

David J. O’Connor
American Indian Studies Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

October 30, 2020

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Overwhelmed by News: Helping Students See the Bigger Picture

In an era of information overload, follow these tips to help your students prepare for reading and analyzing the news.

Erik Palmer
Program Consultant, Into Reading and Into Literature

October 28, 2020

Quiz: How Well Do You Know U.S. Presidential Elections?

How much do you know about the U.S. presidency? Test your knowledge with this quiz, and learn some information about electing a U.S. president along the way!

Shaped Staff

October 15, 2020

Election 2020 Classroom Activity: How Can Debates Influence an Election?

Students will observe one of the debates in the 2020 presidential election and evaluate the content and performance of the Democratic and Republican nominees.

Glenn Greenberg
Shaped Contributor

September 29, 2020

Election 2020 Classroom Activity: How Do You Become an Informed Voter?

Students will use their research skills to learn about the Democratic and Republican nominees in the presidential election, and where they stand on key issues.

Glenn Greenberg
Shaped Contributor

September 22, 2020