Not Your Average BACK TO SCHOOL

Sometimes, you've just got to shake things up! This Back to School pack is filled with topics that are ....not your average back to school topics! Throughout this resource, you will teach civics, history, science, geography, and sociology! We hope you enjoy this unit as much as we do!

The topics that we cover include:

Sociology: Why do we have rules? Rules are important to keep every student safe and ensure that learning is happening each day at school. This is a great lesson to start the school year with and establish class rules as well as why they are so necessary for your classroom. Tip: Allow students to help create the class rules.

History: What was school like in the United States 200 years ago? There were a few fun differences, but one serious and unfair difference was segregation. Black students were legally not able to attend school. Even when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that schools could be segregated, this was unfair to every Black family in America. The schools were separate, but they were not equal at all.

Geography: Students that have only lived in one area often find it interesting to learn what kids in other parts of the world are up to. How similar or different are elementary schools in Jamaica compared to schools in the United States? Find out in this lesson!

Economics: How do people in some parts of the world sell or buy their items at a reasonable price? They haggle! Invite students to draw and/or write about how they could haggle to get school supplies from a street vendor.

Project Based Learning: Your students will get the experience of setting up a marketplace, creating items, and buying & selling items from and to their classmates through haggling!

Make SOCIAL STUDIES important again!

LaNesha Tabb & Naomi O’Brien