Creative Educator
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Illinois, United States
About the store
Taught almost all possible subjects in the Social Studies for high school for the last four years.
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Sharecropping and Tenant Farming Simulation Game
In this lesson, students are divided into sharecroppers and tenant farmers. Each round, they have to choose a crop to plant which is dependent on market forces and the weather. If they choose well, they'll do well even after paying their dues to their landlords and living expenses. But for most, the system will prove to be toil and sweat for not much. Great way to teach a failure of Reconstruction.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Inter
6th - 12th
Social Studies, U.S. History
Political Machine Boss Tweed Learn by Practice
In this lesson, students get to understand how political machines worked by actually becoming one! (There is no better way to learn how crooks work than by being a crook yourself). Divide the class in pairs and tell them that they are the city boss of New York (Boss Tweed) sitting at the top of a political machine. Tell them that they’ll try to be as corrupt as possible in making certain decisions. by Creative Educator
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoD
6th - 12th
Social Studies, U.S. History
McCarthyism, Anti-Communist Frenzy in Fifties Activity
In this activity, students are FBI agents trying to determine who the real communist spies are among a list of seven suspects. It is a great way in teaching the fifties, McCarthyism experientially. Students will have no choice but to accuse people based on circumstantial evidence and then will have an opportunity to reflect on what they did.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
6th - 12th
Social Studies, U.S. History
Ancient China Achievements Hands On Activity
This lesson is a thoroughly experiential and engaging series of activities in which students actually produce some of the achievements of Ancient Chinese Civilization. Students print using a “printing press” made of block stamps, they produce paper, calligraphy and even a compass. They go around workstations in your classroom performing these activities. A worksheet is provided here with all the instructions students and the instructor needs. A sample station in which paper is produced is provid
3rd - 12th
Ancient History, Social Studies, World History
Civil Liberties Application Discussion Questions
This lesson is a great way of teaching civil liberties by engaging students in controversial cases regarding civil liberties. There is always a conflict of interest in practicing a civil liberty which is great for discussions. (For instance, Freedom of speech vs. national security). The worksheet provided has a number of different specific cases in which the application of civil liberties is a bit controversial. Students will take the role of Supreme Court justices (if they haven’t learned it, e
9th - 12th
Civics, Government, U.S. History
Gospel Comparison Jesus Identity
This worksheet may be best used as an introduction to the gospels or to answer the question on why there are four gospels instead of just one. The perspective taken here is that by looking at what each gospel says about the origins of Jesus (if any), we can find out what generally the portrayal of Jesus is for each gospel. In Mark there is no intro because Jesus is seen as a suffering servant. In Matthew, origins are linked to Abraham and David because Jesus is the faithful Israelite or a very J
9th - 12th
Literature, Religion
Scientific Revolution Experiments Lesson
This lesson is a thoroughly experiential hands-on approach to learning as students in a history class actually perform some of the scientific experiments that were done during the Scientific Revolution. Through performing a series of experiments, students realize that the Scientific Revolution was about applying the scientific method rather than relying on ancient sources (i.e. Aristotle). A contrast is made here against scholasticism. Setting up the experiments is rather simple and will not con
6th - 12th
European History, Social Studies, World History
Harlem Renaissance History of Jazz
In this lesson, students will learn a brief history of jazz and the role the Harlem Renaissance played in it by actually immersing themselves in the music. (links to youtube are provided as well). A worksheet is provided in which students have to describe some of the music that is played on the computer. After each song is over, you ask them how they would describe it. Then you give your own “more educated” opinion on it. Basically, you walk the students through the evolution of jazz. Now I real
6th - 12th
Music, Social Studies, U.S. History
Gerrymandering Learning by Practice
In this short lesson, students will try to gerrymander a state given to them by drawing district lines among the population to favor a specific party. (No better way to learn how crooks work than being a crook yourself!). The hypothetical state with different colors representing party lines with a hypothetical answer sheet is provided.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
6th - 12th
Elections - Voting, Government, U.S. History
Weimar Republic Hyperinflation simulation game
This is a thoroughly hands on and experiential activity, game, or simulation in which students play the role of merchants in a German economy during the Weimar Republic and see their prices rise as you the teacher start "printing" a lot of money. Details of the game as well as real statistics on the value of the mark are provided here. It is a great way to teach students the effects of the Treaty of Versailles and how it is that Hitler rose to power.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commo
6th - 12th
Economics , European History, World History
Peloponnesian War Battle Strategies
In this lesson, students get to find out how the war played out on the most part during the Peloponnesian War. When covering wars, I usually don’t like to simply lecture about it but let them come up with strategies to win and defend. In this case, a self-explanatory worksheet guides them through so they can come up with strategies for the Athenian side and also the Spartan side. Then you go over the worksheet and you tell them what really happened. Then the students get to remember the war bett
6th - 12th
Ancient History, European History, World History
Inca Achievements and Challenges
The Inca are known for very special achievements. For example, they built great buildings in earthquake zones that have stood the test of time (better than some of our modern Chilean buildings) without using mortar! They also came up with a system to preserve food using geography as their advantage and even came up with a system of records simply using yarn.
In this lesson, students will all represent Inca government officials trying to come up to solutions to various challenges, which in turn w
6th - 12th
Social Studies, World History
Bering Strait American Continent Settlement Theories
Through an elaborate worksheet full of archeological evidence, students put themselves in the place of historians or archeologists and try to come up with various theories on how and from where people settled the American continent. Of course, it is very easy to give it away and simply say that people moved through the Bering strait. But for students to be engaged, it is better to put in some mystery in the whole process of investigation. Through it they also learn how to analyze and link eviden
6th - 12th
Native Americans, Social Studies, World History
Leviticus Clean vs Unclean Purity Laws
This lesson helps students visualize and categorize the animals that are considered clean vs. unclean in Leviticus. By doing so they can start to see the rationale behind Leviticus’ categories. Here, the rationale provided by the scholar Mary Douglas is generally followed. She proposed that because of the imperative that blood not be eaten after the flood, creatures that eat other creatures were prohibited. (These creatures have ingested the blood of another creature already). This can be seen w
9th - 12th
Literature, Reading, Religion
CCSS
RL.9-10.2
Bantu Africa Migrations Map Study of Language
Tell students that they will be linguists trying to figure out the direction of migration in Africa by looking at language. They will look at the similarities in language (translations in English are provided) and from that draw arrows on the map on what they think was the direction of movement from place to place. As a matter of principle, language evolves from simple to complex. They should keep that in mind. After they are done, you can draw for them the answer which is the first page or thum
6th - 12th
Geography, Social Studies, World History
Tenochtitlan Aztec Achievements Model
By making a model out of clay of the city of Tenochtitlan, students learn specific achievements of the Aztecs, such as hygiene, chinampas, causeways and aqueducts. Recipe for making modeling clay out of flour is included. (modeling clay is expensive). By Creative Educator
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
6th - 12th
Social Studies, World History
Fall of Napoleon Trafalgar and Russia
Instead of giving it away to the students how Napoleon was defeated in Trafalgar and Russia, make them complete this worksheet in pairs. It is a self-explanatory short worksheet in which students have to come up with strategies to defeat Napoleon. After they are done go over it with them asking what they wrote down and then giving away what really happened. Because students have thought about it first, then they will really be engaged and remember how things really played out. (Bloom’s taxonomy)
6th - 12th
European History, Social Studies, World History
Deuteronomy Numbers Literary Comparison
In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the story of the spies as it is told in Numbers and Deuteronomy. Though very similar in content, both stories have some instructive differences. These differences are exemplary to the entire book of Deuteronomy. It would illustrate a general point about Deuteronomy as a whole. So this lesson could be used as a general introduction to Deuteronomy. The main difference that this activity highlights is that in Deuteronomy the word “you” is added a l
9th - 12th
Literature, Religion
Gospel of Mark Cross Passion Theme
In this lesson, students get to analyze a major theme of Mark’s Gospel: The Cross. In this gospel, Jesus says to his disciples that they must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow him. Here, students get to see how this theme is repeated throughout Mark’s gospel in the passion predictions that Jesus makes. For each occasion, there is a misunderstanding from the disciples and a correction from Jesus. These passion predictions are bracketed by stories of blind men being healed in differe
9th - 12th
Literature, Reading, Religion
CCSS
RL.9-10.2
Paul Epistles Gospel Application in Corinthians
This worksheet provides five different real life situations that students can discuss among themselves in which they have to choose what to do in the light of Paul’s understanding of the Gospel. Obviously the gospel is Jesus’ death and resurrection. But Paul has a certain way of actually applying the gospel to real life situations in Corinthians. Here students are given real life situations to discuss first and then when you go over it, you as the teacher can reveal to them what Paul actually sa
9th - 12th
Religion
CCSS
CCRA.SL.1
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About the store
Experience
Taught almost all possible subjects in the Social Studies for high school for the last four years.
Teaching style
The style of teaching that you mostly see in this store is simply trying to overcome a challenge that most teachers face in the social studies, namely how do you get to the higher levels of learning in Bloom's Taxonomy? This comes naturally when the subjects taught are heavy on skills such as science and math, but not in the social studies, where the subjects are heavy on content. I find that the best way to engage students at the highest levels of Bloom is by giving them a challenge or a crisis (there are many in history). Let them solve it before you lecture on how the crisis was resolved. This can be as simple as a worksheet on how the Senate and military generals tried to resolve a crisis on Rome or as complex as actually engaging in scientific experiments to study the Scientific Revolution. Then the students are engaged in higher level thinking and then they come to anticipate the answer from you. It really works!
Awards & shining teacher moments
Will have a publication on the way.
My own education history
B.A. History, Minor in Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago
M.A.T. from National-Louis University
M.T.S. from Duke Divinity School
Additional biographical information
I have taught a wide variety of subjects in the Social Studies including History, Government, Philosophy, Economics, Psychology, Geography, Bible and even Spanish. I am well experienced in all of these areas.
I am happily married, try to be a committed Christian and live in Illinois.
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