12 months membership to the WSCSS. Your 12 month membership helps sponsor our newsletter, blog, facebook page,and ever growing collection of history links and resources for Washington State teachers! Thank You for your donation!
Your Social Studies department just got a whole lot bigger! The WSCSS has partnered with OSPI to build a statewide Professional Learning Community (PLC) for Social Studies teachers.
Share your blue ribbon lessons with teachers from across Washington! If you are looking for some new ideas for your classroom, download some lesson plans developed by the OSPI Social Studies Cadre and teachers from across the state.
If you cant attend one of our three annual conferences, that doesn't mean you can't contribute to the Social Studies in Washington. Consider sponsoring our Lesson Plans database with a yearly membership to the WSCSS!
Upload a Lesson
If you are already a member of the WSCSS by attending one of our conferences, you can still help our PLC grow by uploading one of your favorite lessons! When you send your lesson to WSCSSlessons@gmail.com to be uploaded, be sure to specify:
what folder you would like it submitted to
the essential question your lesson addresses
the focus dimension (civics, history, economics, geography) of your lesson
As thanks for uploading your complete lesson, we'll e-mail you a coupon code good for $5 off your next WSCSS conference registration. Happy lesson planning!
An invitation from the Washington State Council for the Social Studies
Most of us have listened to TED Talks. Now you are invited to create one of your own. WSCSS is collaborating with TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) to provide a Masterclass to social studies teachers in Washington State. During the 2018-19 and 2019-2020 school year WSCSS is offering free of charge the 11-lesson TED Masterclass that prepares teachers to present and publish their best ideas in TED-style talks. Together we can identify, develop, and share our ideas with colleagues in Washington state and around the world.
What is the TED Masterclass?
TED Masterclass is a course that guides you and your colleagues through the process of developing, presenting, and recording your ideas in the form of your very own TED-style talk.
How does it work?
The TED Masterclass course consists of 4 sections and 11 lessons. Each lesson takes about an hour to complete. You can progress through the course at your own pace. However, taking it with a partner is recommended because it provides the added opportunity for collaboration and feedback.
What happens to my talk at the end of the course?
You will be able to share your talk on WSCSS Lesson Plan webpage and/or OSPI Social Studies Commons webpage. Some of our TED-style talks may be featured on TED.com.
Have more questions?
If you are interested in participating or would like to discuss this opportunity in more detail, please contact Carol Coe at carolcoek12@gmail.com.
Not finding what you are looking for?
Check out some great lessons from the following organizations:
Facing the Future offers engaging, standards-aligned, interdisciplinary K-12 resources on global issues and sustainability. Activity-based lesson plans and action ideas on topics such as climate change, poverty, and equity are available to download for free
Foundation for Teaching Economics — excellent lesson plans as well as some wonderful places to go to get training. Don’t miss out on going to one of their training sessions all over America. FTE pays for almost everything for you to go to one of them.
The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Washington has a grant program whereby teacher can receive funds to help them develop lesson plans, visit historical sites, or do other things for their classes. Here are the lessons developed by their teachers
World Affairs Council in Seattle. Free materials, including resource packets and CBA-aligned curriculum materials. If you click on Global Classroom, and then look for CBA units, resource packets, etc.
K-12 STUDY CANADA is a primary gateway for learning about Canada. Access a wealth of free resources, including curricula aligned to Washington State EALRs, teacher resource guides, classroom loan-kits and more.
Action-Ed Inc. Educational . A simulation that turns classrooms into countries and students into citizens. You can contact Regan Ross by email or at his web site.
Tom Ladenburg has 68 excellent, and FREE, high school U.S. History lesson chapters that can be used as soon as you print them out. These lessons have assignments at the end of each one. These lesson chapters are inteded and have been extensively used in high school U.S. History classes. He will send you 5 pdf lessons at a time. All you have to do is email him. Here is the list of lessons that he currently has available.
Washington State History Museum Lesson Plans The WSHM has a great collection of lesson plans and project relating to Washington state. Materials are listed by content and grade level and many feature collections and exhibits that are housed at the museum.
Visit the NCSS Resources and Lesson Plan pages for a complete listing of their resources.
Social Studies Resources from PBS Find resources for your classroom by selecting a grade range and topic and then searching their collections.
Search WebQuests Search the WebQuest listings for activities related to any social studies topic
Stanford History Education Group has a great series of US and World history lessons, focusing on primary source documentation. Sign up for free to access their full collection of lessons