Busy Bee Social Studies

This award-winning documentary is great to use in a psychology or sociology class about the debate between nature and nurture! It can also be used in a class that examines the impact of parenting styles on development or unethical studies in psychology. In 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth. But their quest to find out why turns into a bizarre and sinister mystery. They discover they are part of a larger

This is my favorite project to use in sociology class and students LOVE it. At the end of the year, with a class full of seniors, it really comes at the perfect time. Included in this project are specific guidelines connecting their high school experiences to major concepts in sociology: culture, social institutions, self-concept, theoretical perspectives, socialization, symbolic interaction, groups, to name a few. Students are asked to create a "time capsule" in the format that works best for

This is a great activity when you introducing crime, deviance, and social control to a class. A google presentation is given that highlights 6 cases. Students have a handout that goes with the presentation (teacher lecture notes are provided) where they can define key words mentioned. Key words examples are: recidivism, incarceration, white collar crime, rehabilitation, etc. 6 high interest cases will be presented by the teacher and students will have to guess the sentence. Some cases incl

This interactive activity asks students to challenge common assumptions on poverty. Students will be assigned a partner. Each pair will be given two signs: one that says “myth” and one that says “fact.” The included student handout lists seven statements that are common assumptions about poverty. The teacher will present the included google presentation one slide at a time. After students have about one minute to discuss their opinions and evidence found on why they believe each statement

The story of the F227 Crash is one that will keep students' attention!! It is a great way to kick off a sociology class because the article deals with concepts and vocab such as culture, deviance, socialization and stratification. This activity includes a chart for analysis and a set of reflection questions. Key included. Activity goes with the article: "Eating Your Friends is the Hardest: The Survivors of the F-227" by James Henslin. Google doc link is included for teachers to edit the f

This exam is 95 multiple choice questions. It includes the following topics: Introduction to Sociology, Research Methods, Theoretical Perspectives, Culture, Deviance, Socialization, Race, Urbanization, and Gender. Included with this test is a key for easy grading and also a review sheet with all terms to help students prepare for their exam. This exam is designed to take approximately 1 hour. I've uploaded it as a Microsoft Word file so you can edit the document as you please. Many of the

C. Wright Mill's concept of sociological imagination can be a difficult one for students to comprehend. In this activity, students are presented with 7 different photographs of images that force them to think about how history can shape biography, or how biography can shape history. For example, there is an image of students from the Cold War era hiding under desks for "duck and cover." Students are forced to think about how the larger event of the Cold War could impact an individual's thinki

In this google presentation game, the teacher will present 5 scenarios to students. With a partner, students are asked to choose the best advice to give Toussaint L'Ouverture during the midst of the Haitian Revolution out of three options. Students are asked to explain their reasoning. Then, after each of the options are presented students will be assigned points for their selection. The students with the LOWEST score will win - I don't tell them that the game is played like golf until the e

This is a great in-class activity for students when covering genocide - would also work well as a sub plan! It addresses the term genocide and covers the Armenian genocide, Rwandan genocide, Cambodian genocide, and the Holocaust. There are 18 questions and a key to help for easy-grading. This activity can be done in 50 minutes. Students need headphones to complete and computer/internet access. My suggestion is to make sure if you are requiring it to be completed at school, that your school

This is the final exam that I use for my American Government class. There are 114 questions that include: 20 True or False, 70 Multiple Choice, 10 Matching, 10 Fill in the Blank, 4 Mapping. This test is a Microsoft Word document so that teachers can edit it to their liking. The units covered include: voting, elections, political parties, principles of government, the Constitution, presidency, congress, interest groups, and the media. This test can be completed in approximately one hour. T

In this activity, students have 6 case studies of American serial killers to analyze. They will have to summarize the deviant acts and then apply the deviance theories of strain, control, differential association, or labeling to their actions. They will have to justify their responses. This is a great cooperative learning activity (6 groups each assigned a serial killer) or a jigsaw activity (each person gets one killer and then shares with a small group). Students find this topic fascinatin

This is a 18 question multiple choice movie guide with 1 short answer. A key on Africa's Great Civilizations Series, Episode 3 is provided for easy grading. This episode is excellent to use in classes to educate students on the advanced empires that emerged in North and West Africa. This documentary highlights civilizations in North and West Africa such as Morocco, Mali, Ghana, and Nigeria. It focuses extensively on the influence of trade in addition to the cultural exchange that took place bet

This webquest is a great activity while examining socialization in a sociology class. Students are asked to take online political quizzes, personality tests, and even select songs they like to listen to and evaluate the agents of socialization (institutions that could possibly influence their views/personalities). It also will look at how social media and music can influence their view of the world. They will be asked to examine some clips available on youtube. This activity is perfect for E

This movie guide is 25 multiple choice questions for Part I of the documentary. I've included a teacher key for easy grading! It is perfect for a World History course or an American History class. This documentary aired in 2017, so it is updated for our students! Here is a synopsis of the documentary from PBS: Drawing on unpublished diaries, memoirs and letters, The Great War tells the rich and complex story of World War I through the voices of nurses, journalists, aviators and the American t

This documentary shows the influence of social media on the development of one's self-concept. It emphasizes how teens are largely impacted by instagram and how it can lead to a positive and a negative self-evaluation (looking-glass self). It also addresses the ideal vs. real culture dilemma. This documentary was eye-opening as I myself was not aware how much instagram impacts teens' daily lives. The movie guide consists of 14 discussion/reflection questions and has an extra credit challenge

This lesson plan and student handouts include: * Learning objectives * Teacher instructions * 3 readings to use for a jigsaw learning activity on Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism (note: there is no reading for Buddhism) * 20 statements to be sorted into the correct philosophy * Student chart * Student handout with quotes from each of the philosophies * Teacher key for the sorting activity In this lesson, students are asked to examine the quotes on the journal prompt page and select t

This movie is a true story about Chris Gardner, a man who struggles with homelessness and poverty. It is a story of a commitment to family and hard work. The movie highlights the challenges of social mobility in American society. It is excellent to use in a sociology class when dealing with issues of homelessness, race, and social class. There are 10 multiple choice questions and 5 discussion questions. An easy-to-grade teacher key is also included. Positive feedback is appreciated!

Eugene Brown was released after years of being in prison. This movie explores the challenges he faces as an ex-con, African-American male in a low-income community. He uses chess as a tool to help students in the school he works to stay out of trouble. This movie is based on a true story and is excellent to use when covering units on social class, race, social mobility, and service in one's community. 12 multiple choice questions are included along with a teacher's key and one larger reflect

In this bundle, 4 multiple choice movie guides are included that go with the Africa's Great Civilizations series for episodes 1, 3, 4, and 6. I selected these episodes as this is what I use in my world history course. I hope you find them useful. Keys are included! Episode 1: Origins (Egypt, Kush) Episode 3: Empires of Gold (Mali, Ghana) Episode 4: Cities (Ethiopia, Nigeria) Episode 6: Clash of Civilizations (Zulu, South Africa, Ethiopia, Imperialism)

In this activity you can either do in person or remotely. It is a great introduction activity for sociology where I usually have students read their role aloud and try to fit on a lifeboat (a large piece of butcher paper taped on the floor). Then, I have students take on the role of sociologists taking notes on the conversation students on the lifeboat are having on why they should be saved. This allows students to use the theoretical perspectives: functionalism, conflict, and symbolic inter