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Social Studies

Teaching at Every Level with Data-Rich Digital Maps

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

If you’ve read my previous posts here on TechNotes, you may be able to guess that I’m a big fan of maps. Not only is geographic literacy a required part of many social studies standards, using maps can also help learners make visual connections with the sometimes abstract thoughts, ideas, and facts that maps can represent, from population to the physical landscape, economic factors or cultural ones. The critical thinking that using maps creates can be a help for any teacher at any level and in any subject, not just geography.

Maps become even richer sources of inspiration, understanding, and analysis when we add data to geography.

Learning Across Subjects

Moreover, subject teachers beyond social studies can make extensive and effective use of maps that include other information, along with physical representation of a place. Science educators in particular can use maps to visualize change over time or understand the science behind the physical world.

As the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) puts it:

Using maps in the classroom invites curiosity, encourages exploration and inspires problem solving. Maps can be used to explore a multitude of topics and can incorporate visual learning, spatial thinking and quantitative skills into a lesson. Read on to explore vivid imagery from maps and learn how our online lessons integrate mapping and help you create innovative lessons.

“Teaching with Maps,” NAGT via https://serc.carleton.edu/k12/maps.html

Of course, understanding maps, along with charts and graphs, is vital for engaged and active participants in society — the kind of people educators hope to create. As Daniel C. Edelson of Esri writes:

Also like reading and basic math, learning to read a map is a foundational skill that is an essential prerequisite for subsequently developing a wide range of knowledge and skills. A brief review of the media that children see in their schools, homes, and communities reveals how frequently maps are used to convey important information and relationships. In the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress in Geography (conducted in 2010), 58 percent of fourth grade teachers reported that they use maps or globes in their instruction at least once a week.

For this reason, a delay in learning to read maps or a lack of proficiency in reading maps can be an obstacle to academic and intellectual progress.

“The Importance of Teaching Children to Read Maps,” Daniel C. Edelson. https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/arcnews/the-importance-of-teaching-children-to-read-maps/

Regarding science education, the Science Education Research Center (SERC) at Carleton College describes maps as way to teach data collection and comparison in science, as evidenced in this activity. They also offer links to useful science and mapping related tools, like customizable maps, maps of geologic information, and much more.

Mapping the Effect

One great advantage of maps is that they can quickly and visually represent complex situations or ideas. With modern technologies, apps, and tools, we can combine the easy-to-digest information of an infographic with a geographic overlay of space: a data-rich map.

Effective geography teaching includes not only the use of maps, but multimedia, project-based learning and more. This kind of focus, especially if paired with a “whole school” approach involving service projects and cross-subject learning, can help build (PDF) good citizenship skills and information literacy, too.

Maps are flexible tools. Students can interact with them in a number of ways and using a number of techniques (PDF) for meaningful instruction. These could include PBL, group discussions, field trips, and more. A 2007 suggests that “interactive maps show promise in making the complexities of the social sciences (especially historical geography) more interesting to students, and easier to visualize and understand, without demanding significant investments by schools,” and found that interactive maps could have a stronger impact than paper maps.

A two-group experiment examined this potential for the 7th Grade Utah Studies curriculum. After completing an exercise to analyze possible historical and geographical causes of settlement patterns in Utah, students using interactive maps showed significantly better improvement between a pretest and posttest than students using paper maps. Although some of the test results were inconclusive and highlighted technological and resource obstacles to the widespread adoption of interactive mapping in the classroom, it has been shown to help students learn social studies in a deeper, more
engaging manner.

Plewe, Brandon & Taylor, Whitney. (2006). The Effectiveness of Interactive Maps in Secondary Historical Geography Education. Cartographic Perspectives. 55. 16-33. 10.14714/CP55.325.

For Elementary Learners

National Geographic’s Map Skills for Elementary Students is a great place to find map-related lessons and activities that develop spatial reasoning, which can help build math skills in young learners.

Spatial thinking is one of the most important skills that students can develop as they learn geography, Earth, and environmental sciences. It also deepens and gives a more complete understanding of history and is linked to success in math and science. Young students also enhance their language skills as they collaborate and communicate about spatial relationships. Students who develop robust spatial thinking skills will be at an advantage in our increasingly global and technological society. 

“Map Skills for Elementary Students,” National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/education/map-skills-elementary-students/

Spatial reasoning is a vital skill for young learners, and geography education, including highly visual maps, can help, especially when thoughtfully assessed. Looking to match maps with your age group? Check out these tips on developmentally appropriate geography from the National Council for the Social Studies.

Infographic Upgrades

For those able to subscribe to a service that provides many different information-dense maps, the Data Atlas of the World may be a good choice. The maps included on this site are built in Adobe Illustrator with data imported from Microsoft Excel. The maps and visualizations are produced by Carrie Osgood, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated visual data journalist and professor.

maps

By combining maps with data, students can visualize multiple ideas at once, including things across space and time. You can check out some free samples to get a sense of whether these tools are right for your students. If you’re interested in subscribing, yearly, monthly, and weekly options are available. Educators looking to design their in-person learning environment can also purchase posters of the Data Atlas of the World maps.

Going Further with Visme

Beyond just maps, the free online platform Visme includes timelines, graphic design elements, videos, and more. Notably, its automatic map generator is easy to use and includes a number of templates. Available as a limited free version or a more robust paid version, Visme includes stock imagery, animations, data visualization templates, and many other graphical gewgaws to enhance geography lessons.

Besides maps, a number of presentation tools are also available. Here’s how one high school biology teacher uses Visme, or how an instructional technologist uses it to build interactive courses.

Unearthing More Possibilities

For educators looking to build their professional learning on the subject, several professional, corporate, and nonprofit organizations offer resources for teaching with maps. Check out the list below.

Phoenix7777Own work / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

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constitution day
Social Studies

Online Resources for Constitution Day

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

Though it was not to take effect until ratification by the states, the United States Constitution — the foundational document of the modern U.S. government — was signed by delegates of the Constitutional Congress on September 17, 1787. Traditionally, the unofficial holiday called Citizenship Day was celebrated on that day each year. In 2004, it became a federal observance: Constitution Day.

Educators looking to build learning about this important cultural, historical, and legal document have a number of resources at their disposal, even while teaching remotely.

Center of It All

The National Constitution Center has a number of online events to mark the occasion and help people build an understanding of the document, including live and interactive events for teachers and students. 

Some events of interest might include:

  • Virtual Kids Town Hall with Supreme Court Justice Justice Neil Gorsuch (Register/Watch on YouTube)
  • A live reading of the preamble (Register)
  • Liberty Medal ceremony with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Watch)

Beyond events to commemorate the occasion, the Center offers a number of helpful tools for understanding the “supreme law of the land” all year long. 

  • The Interactive Constitution lets learners explore the document with links and useful explanations for each article and amendment. 
  • Classroom Exchanges help students make peer-to-peer connections while discussing civic issues.
  • The Center’s extensive video series highlights some of the people and ideas that shaped the Constitution, as well as the various parts of the document.
  • Lesson plans for various grade levels and aligned with popular standards are also available. 

Dig Into the Archives

The Library of Congress and National Archives also host a number of resources that can help you teach the Constitution in flexible, digital ways, whether on September 17 or anytime. 

Constitution Day Toolkit

The Civics Renewal Network, a large coalition of nonprofits and similar organizations, offers a Constitution Day Toolkit for educators, complete with interactive biographies of the framers, lessons, games, and documentary resources for exploring multiple aspects of this influential piece of American history.

More Interactive Social Studies Resources from TCEA

Photo:  wynpnt (pixabay.com)

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social studies
Social Studies

The Big List of Remote Learning Social Studies Resources

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

Earlier this week, we took a look a several places educators can find engaging STEM and STEAM resources designed for remote learning. In this post, we’ll delve into some useful compilations, ideas, and sites dedicated to teaching social studies subjects like history, economics, geography, government, sociology, and more.

Best Practices

In Education Week, educators Mike Kaechele, Lynette Yorgason, and Jennifer Hitchcock share their tips and experience with project-based learning (PBL), remote teaching in general, and the tools and techniques they use.

Departmental Communications

Education agencies across the U.S. have worked to compile accessible resources for teachers and student facing massive shifts in education and everyday life. In Delaware, the Department of Education has put together a list of interactive resources, along with “Grab and Go” packets for teachers. You can also explore social studies professional learning opportunities as organized by the Maine Department of Education.

Ten Top Treasure Troves

The Edvocate has put together a list of 10 timely social studies sites for remote learning and teaching. This list notably links to large repositories of links or activities.

Watch and Learn

Mr. and Mrs. Social Studies is a YouTube channel dedicated to sharing ideas and strategies for social studies teaching. Check out their video on distance learning to get inspired to create exciting new ways to teach social studies topics.

Public Resources

PBS Learning Media has a vast array of videos, interactive lessons and pages, lesson plans, and audio/video resources that can be organized and filtered by topic, grade level, and type.

Using Common Sense

Common Sense Education, a nonprofit dedicated to vetting educational materials, offers a collection of the top 10 social studies tools for elementary learners, as well as 44 different social studies apps and websites.

Take a Field Trip

A virtual field trip can be a great way to explore history and society, as well as integrate other humanities subjects like art into social studies education. Check out our collections of virtual field trips in TCEA’s home state of Texas and around the world.

More Interactive Social Studies Resources from TCEA

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

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Independence Day
Social Studies

Digital Resources for Independence Day

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

In the U.S., July 4 marks Independence Day, a holiday that celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration signaled a turning point in the movement to win political independence from Great Britain, and the eventual formation of the United States of America.

Of course, every student in the U.S. learns about Independence Day, even if the holiday falls during the traditional summer break. For educators looking to share digital resources about the holiday, its history, and its legacy, here are some great places to start. Share your other resources in the comments!

The Digital Declaration of Independence

One of the most impressive digital resources on the subject is the Digital Declaration of Independence. This interactive presentation by David McClure using Neatline Labs combines maps, the Declaration document, and art to create an information-rich way to explore the document, its history, its signatories, and the historical context of both the Declaration and the people who in it pledged their “lives fortunes and [their] sacred honor.”

july 4

This is an experimental edition of the Declaration of Independence that combines a high-resolution scan of the 1823 facsimile with a full-text transcription of the text, an annotated version of John Trumbull’s 1819 painting of the signing of the document, and an interactive map that plots the signers’ hometowns on a Mapbox base layer.

David McClure, “The Digital Declaration of Independence”

The page allows users to explore by clicking the text to automatically find relevant parts of the painting or map — or vice-versa, selecting parts of the map or painting and seeing related passages of the document highlighted.

The Library of Congress

The Library’s “Creating the Declaration of Independence” combines an overview of the document’s main ideas and meaning alongside an interactive analysis of primary sources, as students explore drafts of the document, what was cut, what was added, and why. For some advice on using the presentation, check out this article at TeachingHistory.org.

For younger learners, the LOC’s Declaration of Independence differentiated learning activity (PDF), originally published in Teaching with Primary Sources Quarterly, is designed for elementary students.

Teaching History

TeachingHistory.org, from the National History Education Clearinghouse, has also published a useful question-and-answer article regarding teaching students about the Declaration.

How might I teach the Declaration of Independence to high school students who are visual and verbal learners? 

“Teaching the Declaration without Overwhelming Students,” TeachingHistory.org

Audio/Visual Resources

Part of understanding the Declaration and, in turn, the Independence Day holiday, is understanding it as more than just text on a page. In this regard, A/V resources can help, especially when students possess various learning styles and preferences.

Those looking for a game to play around the theme, check out BrainPOP’s “Time Zone X: Declaration of Independence.”

Check out videos like TED-Ed’s “What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence,” Khan Academy’s overview video “The Declaration of Independence,” or get some context on the history of the holiday with Crash Course’s “History of the 4th of July: Crash Course US History Special.”

Related Topics and Resources

Check out these posts with ideas for exploring U.S. history and government:

Photo: National Park Service

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notable women
AndroidGoogle Tips and TricksSocial Studies

Celebrate Notable Women with Google’s AR App

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“When women succeed, America succeeds,” asserts one Congresswoman. Women have worked to build America. But as President Jimmy Carter has said, “their contributions went unnoticed.”

Congress selected March, 1987 as the first official Women’s History Month. National Women’s History Month celebrates women so vital to the building of America. Their achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love are on proud display in March. This is true during 2020 since this year marks 100 years since the 19th Amendment (1920) granted some women the vote. To celebrate, some teachers have chosen to dress up as famous historical women. Others have staged women’s marches at school. Raising awareness of the contributions women have made is front and center.

notable women

Source: Maya Angelou as portrayed with Notable Women app

In this blog entry, we’ll explore a new technology tool, Google’s Creative Labs’ Notable Women app, that can make celebrating this and other historic events more fun.

Have access to Alexa? Learn about a different trailblazing woman every day in March for Women’s History Month. Ask “Alexa, who inspires you?”

See Kimothy Joy’s watercolor portraits of mighty women and get copies.

Resources for Teachers

Ready to teach National Women’s History month? You’re not too late, even if International Women’s History day is March 8, 2020. You have the entire month of March to celebrate the achievements of historic women. President Jimmy Carter said:

I urge libraries, schools, and community organizations to focus their observances on the leaders who struggled for equality– Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul. Understanding the true history of our country will help us to comprehend the need for full equality under the law for all our people. (Source: National Womens History Alliance)

The American Library Association shares their resources for this month online. They include:

notable women

Looking for lesson plans, posters, primary sources, and more? Look no further than the National Women’s History Museum website. They offer a searchable database of lesson plans, biographies, posters, and other resources. You can search via topic, theme, or resource type. Also, be sure to check out Scholastic magazine’s online articles on women’s history.

The National Education Agency also has resources organized for you. You can find them linked below:

AR/VR App: Google’s Notable Women

Want to engage students with AR/VR? You can use this Android and iOS app, Notable Women. What it does is allow you to point your smartphone or tablet at a dollar bill. The app will then replace the face of George Washington with a notable woman. Here are some of the women that may appear. You can check the website for more.

notable women

The result is startling and works even on “digital dollars,” so it’s perfect for students to use. Here’s one example (showing Sacagawea) I took with my Android phone:

notable women

Using the app is easy and students shouldn’t have any problems with it. Give it a try as part of your station rotation. Let us not forget the words of President Ronald Reagan:

“As leaders in public affairs, American women not only worked to secure their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity but also were principal advocates in the abolitionist, temperance, mental health reform, industrial labor and social reform movements, as well as the modern civil rights movement. Their dedication and commitment heightened awareness of our society’s needs and accelerated our common efforts to meet those needs.”

Stay connected with others who are sharing about Women’s History Month. Follow the hashtag #womenshistorymonth on Twitter.

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texas history
Social Studies

Free Digital Resources for Texas History

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

Texas history is rich with narrative, with heroic scenes fit for oil paintings, and with grand changes that illustrate the trajectory of the communities and nations of which Texas has been a part. And that narrative is always being built, always changing and adding detail. Each generation of students in Texas must reckon with that history, understand it, and take it into their lives as a tool for understanding the present.

Historical Context

Of course, the history of Texas, like the state itself, is big, and has many iterations and facets. Something called the “Texas mystique” was coined by landmark Texas historian T.R. Fehrenbach in his 1968 book, Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans. In his summation of Texas history, there is an intangible mystique to the place, informed by its history and “created by the chemistry of the frontier in the crucible of history and forged into an enduring state of heart and mind.” He concludes: “This may not be an entirely rational state . . .”

Later historians, like Robert A. Calvert and Walter L. Buenger, countered and built upon Fehrenbach and the traditional school of the state’s history at which Fehrenbach was the center. They moved beyond what they defined as the traditionalists and the revisionists to explore the ways in which cultures not only have developed in Texas but how they’ve interacted. This historical lens was articulated in their 1991 book Texas Through Time and a follow up 20 years later, Beyond Texas Through Time.

So, Texas history is not any one thing. It’s many things. How can you and your students gain insights into this complicated past? Digital resources can help, so let’s dive in. 

Diving Into the Past

March 2 is traditionally commemorated as Texas Independence Day here in TCEA’s home state, and the week around it has been formally recognized by the state legislature as Texas History Week. Moreover, Region 13, the educational service center that covers our home city of Austin, celebrates Texas History Month throughout March. 

Join in the excitement of exploring the state’s complex and meaningful history all month, regardless of grade level or subject. The history of the Lone Star State has intersections with the lives of every Texas student, and can be used to meet a number of learning goals, from state standards like the TEKS for Social Studies to more elusive concepts — for example, how can a simulation of Texas settlement help develop social-emotional learning, cooperation, and peer learning in and out of the classroom? 

Region 13 Texas History Resources

Texas’ Region 13 lists a number of downloads that you can put to use in your classroom right away. Check out the Texas Revolution task board that allows students to choose activities centering around the historic event, learn about Texas independence events across the state, find useful links, and more. 

Texas State Historical Association Resources

Founded in 1897, the Texas State History Association (TSHA) has a number of online resources connecting the history of the state to the present. Test students’ knowledge with the Texas History Challenge, or get daily tidbits of important happenings with Texas Day by Day, which shares daily historic events to your inbox.

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission

The state archives serve as the repository of government information and historical materials in public trust. Use their resources to explore the major figures of state history in bite-sized chunks with Giants of Texas History. Pick up powerful images and primary sources in the Texas Treasures online exhibit. You can also find a reading list organized by age, and even help students explore their genealogy. 

The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

The official state history museum’s “Discover” page includes a wealth of interactive, multimedia resources to, well, discover. Step into the shoes of fellow Texans with the Texas Story Project (words), Texas Story Podcast (sounds), and Texas Through Your Lens (photos). You can also check out their interactive state map, timeline, artifact gallery, and more.  

The Alamo

Have your students dive into this lesson on William B. Travis’s famous Alamo letter from the Texas General Land Office. They’ll be sure to always remember this battlefield. If you teach 4th or 7th grade, the learning team at the Alamo has provided teacher guides, worksheets, and activities that you can find here. Relevant TEKS references can be found in both lessons.

Bonus Social Studies Resources

Napkin PD: A PBL Approach to Texas History

Experiencing Early American History with Interactive Resources

Using Google Earth to Follow the Trail of Lewis and Clark

The 50 States Digital Breakout

Bringing Geography to Life with Interactive Maps

Exploring Civil Rights History with Digital Resources

Digital Resources for MLK Day

unsplash-logoPhoto: Matthew T Rader
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Social Studies

Presidents’ Day Resources for Every Classroom

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

The third Monday in February is celebrated each year across the U.S. in commemoration of the birth of George Washington. Sometimes called Washington’s Birthday, the holiday often memorializes Abraham Lincoln as well who was also born in February. Whether you call it Presidents’ Day, Washington’s Birthday, or Washington and Lincoln Day, the third week of February gives us the opportunity to examine the lives, times, and works of the men who have occupied the nation’s top executive role.

Educators across the PreK–16 spectrum can use the presidency as a catalyst for learning, whether about history and civics or other subjects. Below, we’ve collected some useful resources for teachers hoping to include Presidents’ Day in their lessons.

Starting with Goodbye

Besides being the first commander-in-chief, first president, and an alleged cherry-tree-chopper, Washington has long been remembered for leaving the country’s top post after two terms, resulting in a peaceful transition of power to his successor, John Adams. His so-called farewell address, in which he announced his intention to not stand for re-election and in which he cautioned against foreign entanglements and partisan politics, has justifiably become one of the most-read primary sources of Washington’s life.

In his book, Washington’s Farewell: The Founding Father’s Warning to Future Generations, author John Avlon describes the farewell address as an act of trust between the president and the nation:

This was Washington’s final revolutionary act: an open letter to the American people, not formally delivered in front of legislators, but published in a newspaper on September 19, 1796.

From Washington’s Farewell: The Founding Father’s Warning to Future Generations

You can use the end of Washington’s career as a starting point to understand not only his impact, but the world in which he lived, which he shaped, and which shapes us (students included) today.

Mount Vernon, Washington’s Virginia home, is now a historic site and museum, and has produced a variety of resources for students and educators.

Resources

For elementary-grade and middle school teachers: Explore “A Birthday Celebration for George Washington,” a lesson plan all about the first president centered on his birthday. Students can choose the Party Planning Committee or Parade Committee to help organize a celebration.

For high school teachers: Check out “Breaking and Mending the Two-Term Precedent,” a complete lesson plan on Washington’s decision to step down after two terms, and eventually, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s decision to break with precedent and run for a now-unconstitutional third term.

Washington and Lincoln

While the holiday gives us an occasion to study any and all of the presidents, special consideration is often given to Washington, who served at the outset of the nation, and Lincoln, who saw it through the Civil War, since both men were born this month.

Indeed, both are often considered for the top two spots as “greatest president,” although, of course, others, especially formative presidents like Thomas Jefferson, take center stage on Presidents’ Day. Historians polled by the Siena College Research Institute’s Presidential Ranking Survey often keep Washington and Lincoln in the top spots among a few others.

The top five – George Washington, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson – have been the top five, jockeying for position, over all 37 years (of the survey). There is certainly collective agreement on that.

Don Levy, director of the Siena College Research Institute, to Reuters

Resources

These pages include lesson plans, background resources, activities, games, quizzes, video, and audio. The National Education Association has compiled and created lessons on these landmark leaders, organized by grade level, which include resources on Washington and Lincoln.

Even More Resources

Check out the links below to find even more tools to honor Presidents’ Day in your classroom, school, or district.

unsplash-logoTobi Oluremi
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Social Studies

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Fliphunt

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

A fliphunt is a type of activity, designed by Kathi Kersznowski, that creates a scavenger hunt using the Flipgrid app. It is a fun way of having your students get out of their seats, participate in the learning, and demonstrate their understanding and application.

fliphunt task list
Screenshot by author

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Fliphunt

Use this fliphunt to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrate what he stood for. For each response, use the Task Title hashtag as the title of your video. For each task, students have up to 90 seconds to share their responses.

Go to Fliphunt

More MLK Day Resources

Digital Resources for MLK Day

Teaching and Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

MLK Jr. Digital Breakout

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Digital BreakoutSocial Studies

MLK Jr. Digital Breakout

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Every third Monday in January is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a commemoration of the life of the civil rights leader on the occasion of his birthday. Signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986, today it is a federal holiday celebrating the enduring power of the civil rights movement and one of its most prominent voices.

If you are looking for a supplemental activity to add to your exploration of this national celebration, try the MLK Digital Breakout.

Engage Your Students with a Digital Breakout

Digital breakouts are an interactive way for students to explore a variety of topics. The process involves using knowledge and reasoning to solve a series of clues that “unlock” digital locks, just as you might with a physical breakout box.

Screenshot of the digital breakout by author.

With this MLK-themed breakout, students can learn about Dr. King’s family and early life, his influences, and the achievements he gained over the course of his celebrated career. Give it a try yourself. You can find our MLK Breakout here.

If you have questions, please reach out to me.

More MLK Day Resources

Digital Resources for MLK Day

Teaching and Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Fliphunt

More Digital Breakouts

Featured image designed by TCEA.

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Social Studies

Digital Resources for MLK Day

by Peggy Reimers and Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Peggy Reimers and Dr. Bruce Ellis

The third Monday in January is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a commemoration of the life of the civil rights leader on the occasion of his birthday. Signed into law in 1983 and first observed in 1986, today it is a federal holiday celebrating the enduring power of the civil rights movement and one of its most prominent voices.

For those looking to integrate this national celebration into the classroom, there are a number of great digital resources available. Let’s explore a few.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Fliphunt

A fliphunt is a type of activity, designed by Kathi Kersznowski, that creates a scavenger hunt using the Flipgrid app. It is a fun way of having your students get out of their seats, participate in the learning, and demonstrate their understanding and application.

Use this fliphunt to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. and celebrate what he stood for. For each response, use the Task Title hashtag as the title of your video. For each task, students have up to 90 seconds to share your response.

An Engaging Digital Breakout

Digital breakouts are an interactive way for students to explore any number of topics. The process involves using knowledge and reasoning to solve a series of clues that “unlock” digital locks, just as you might with a physical breakout box.

With this MLK-themed breakout, students can learn about Dr. King’s family and early life, his influences, and the achievements he gained over the course of his celebrated career. Give it a try yourself. You can find our MLK Breakout here.

A Day of Service

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the day of service that celebrates the civil rights leader’s life and legacy. The Corporation for National and Community Service has been charged to lead this national day of service. All Americans are encouraged to volunteer and spend the day improving their communities. The motto for MLK Day is “a day on, not a day off.”

If you are planning a classroom, campus, or district project to better your school or community, register your project here. 

Primary Lesson Plans from Scholastic

Explore Scholastic’s How Do You Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This page has several real teachers sharing their favorite ways to honor the life and legacy of the civil rights leader. Geared for first, second, and third-grade students, the page includes craft projects, reading suggestions, posters and printables, and suggestions from other educators.

Free Printable Resources

Old-school printables are still valuable, and the internet provides endless opportunities to develop, share, and find handouts, worksheets, and other printables you may find useful in the classroom. Check out studenthandouts.com for free printable activities: biographic outline, crossword puzzle, geography map, word search, and more for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 

MLK Videos 

Looking for videos to show to your class? Check out these listed below.

The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by 88 brains

Martin Luther King Jr. by BrainPOP

martin luther king

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Biography for Kids by Educational Videos for Students

Looking for More?

Check out our list digital resources for teaching and learning about the U.S. civil rights movement here.

unsplash-logoPhoto: Brian Kraus
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