Among my favorite activities to do in all of my social studies classes are interactive notebook pages! I have used them successfully for years in Civics, World, and US History (you can download some free pages using the green download button to the right). 

History Alive was one of the early leaders in promoting the use of Interactive Notebooks in social studies classes. Now, they have grown to become a staple of many teachers' middle and high school classrooms. And for good reason - they work! 

Interactive Notebooks and journals are an amazing tool to help students engage with your history content and make better connections with the material. There's also lots of different ways they can be used based on your teaching style and your students' needs/ability levels. 

Some teachers like to use them as guided notes with their PowerPoints. Students cut and paste the pages into their journals and as you progress through the content in the presentation,...

If you are a middle school social studies teacher, I have a TON of awesome worksheets and resources to use in your classroom! No matter if it's US History, World History, or Civics, our site is your "go-to" for engaging 21st Century activities! 

As I'm sure you know, middle school students need a variety of activities to keep them engaged. You can't rely on doing the same thing every day and expect students to stay interested. That's not to say that worksheets aren't effective, however. They are a great way to introduce primary sources, promote reading and writing, and gauge student understanding.

Our curricula include a variety of activities, so each day is a little different, even while you keep students on a routine to manage their behavior. For example, one day they might be going through a primary or secondary source in groups, the next day in mixed pairs, or individually.

All of our worksheets for our lessons are clear, with easy-to-follow directions and engaging...

One of the biggest topics in US History that you'll be covering is the Civil War. In my American History curriculum, I spend at least 10 block classes on it which comes out to about a month. 

Before we get into the battles of the war, students create an interactive timeline of the events leading up to secession. These include John Brown's raid, the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin, Dred Scott Decision, and other key events.

Students read about each and decide if it pleased Northerners or Southerners and then place it above or below the timeline based on their analysis of it: 

Next, we'll spend several classes looking at the major Civil War Battles, especially Ft. Sumter, Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, Sherman's March, and Appomattox. Students create a Civil War timeline of battles and events in their notebooks and also an annotated map of the war with notes about the key battles and events.  

The annotated map features a 2-page spread in their notebooks with...

Do you use a textbook in your US history classes? If so, I have a TON of amazing resources that will work perfectly with your textbook but are far more interactive, rigorous, and engaging than any supplemental resources you may currently have. 

In 10+ years teaching American History, I created my own lesson plans and activities that engaged my students, had them critically analyze history, and were creative so they were never bored with regular textbook materials.

These resources are amazing for 8th grade United States History but also work well from 7th grade to 10th grade or 11th grade as well. 

Now, you can use ALL of these amazing resources in your American History classes! I have organized all of them perfectly into lesson plans and units for the entire school year in US History. You can download a PDF of free activities here and test them out for yourself!

The resources in our complete US History curriculum include: 

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Do you use the textbook World History Patterns of Interaction in your history classes? If so, I have a TON of amazing resources that work perfectly with it that are WAY more engaging and interactive that the ones you may have received with it (if you even received any supplemental resources!).

Patterns of Interaction is one of the most common and well-reviewed books for World History classes and I used it for years with my students. The worksheets and resources that come with it though are sorely lacking.

In my 10 years teaching World History, I created my own resources that engaged my students, had them critically analyze history, and provided them with a variety of activities so they were never bored with traditional textbook activities.

Now, you can use ALL of these amazing resources in your World History classes! I have organized all of them perfectly into lesson plans and units for the entire school year in World History. You can download some free activities here...

This awesome lesson on the holiday Juneteenth is an excellent resource to use in your classroom! It's perfect for a Civil War or Reconstruction unit, to help students better understand the African-American Holiday, or to use during Black History Month!  

The download features a detailed lesson plan, links to videos on Juneteenth, a worksheet, and both primary and secondary sources. The primary sources include excerpts from interviews with former slaves, historical images of Emancipation Day and Juneteeth celebrations, and James Weldon Johnson's famous Black National Anthem.

In the lesson, students craft an essential question then gather evidence to support an answer to it. This can be done through a station rotation, in cooperative learning groups, or individually, or online with the included Google Docs version. Finally, there's also suggested food and drink options for a Juneteenth celebration! 

You can download this lesson here OR you can join Students of...

This awesome lesson plan on Feudalism and life in Europe's Middle Ages is super engaging and fun while also getting your students into primary and secondary source readings! 

The download includes a detailed lesson plan with video links, reading, answer key, and editable Google Drive rubric!

In the lesson,  students work in pairs with a worksheet to move through 12 primary source analysis stations. Each station features an illuminated manuscript from the Middle Ages that depicts life during a month of the year. This helps them gain perspective on what life was like for serfs and vassals during the age of feudalism in Europe. 

Following this,  students create their own meme images using a Google template that illustrates life in medieval Europe. Instructions, examples and a rubric are all included for you! 

This is an awesome lesson for middle and high school students alike. It can also be downloaded on TpT as part of my Europe's Middle...