Teach Social Studies Without a Textbook
Do you need a way to teach social studies to your students so that their eyes don’t glaze over with boredom? Are you looking for innovative ways to teach social studies without a textbook? Do you need a fresh approach to the way you teach social studies?
If your answer was yes to any of the above questions, then I have a few suggestions for you!
As social studies teachers, we know there is a fine line between entertaining and boring students with social studies lessons. We love all the history and details that go into our lessons, that’s why we became social studies teachers. However, sometimes getting students to love our lessons as much as we do requires a bit of an uphill climb.
How can I teach social studies without a textbook?
I know some people reading this will be shocked that we can veer off the tried and true textbook path to teaching social studies. I promise that life will go on and our students will learn social studies! There are many different options nowadays that allow textbooks to take a backseat. There are videos, games, novels, and live-action recreations, as well as many print and digital resources available to you.Videos to Help You Teach Social Studies
There are many videos available for you to teach social studies. Before heading down rabbit trails on YouTube, though, check with your school. They will be able to tell you which videos you are allowed to share in class, and they probably already have a few videos approved for your social studies lesson. If not, start googling your topic and see what videos are available.To get you started, I’ll share a couple of my favorite creators. Homeschool Pop has lots of great videos about a plethora of social studies topics. You may also want to check out Kids Academy for some fun and educational videos!
Games to Teach Social Studies
While you will find a huge amount of social studies games on the internet, I have my favorites of those as well. If you are able to get a subscription for your students, you can’t go wrong with IXL.com for personalized learning and fun. If you’re like me and your budget is tight, I would recommend this free sight for educational games at education.com. There you can sift through by grade and subject to find some great games to help you teach social studies.
I also have a great selection of social studies games available for you and your classroom that I have painstakingly created for teachers just like you. Follow this link to find all the games available for you on ThinkTankTeacher.com!
You can also learn how to create your own Social Studies games like my Mystery Match Activity with my free training! Check it out below!
Read Novels to Teach Social Studies
I know, reading is close to learning from a textbook, but it’s not quite! There are many great social studies novels out there that will grab students’ attention and pull them into a new world, place, or time to explore and learn without realizing they are learning.
My favorite novels to teach social studies in the classroom are the Who Was book series.
Go to whowasbookseries.com to explore the books that will teach your students all about social studies in a fun and engaging way.
Books for all ages and all learners will pull your students into learning about social studies without ever opening a textbook.
Live-Action Recreations to Teach Social Studies
This one is so much fun, although it can be a bit of work to get started. You can create your own play or live-action recreation for your class, or you can find one that will work for your needs. A great place to start your search is ReadAloudPlays.com. From American History plays to civil rights plays to holiday plays and classic plays, you will find something that suits your class and lessons!
Print and Digital Resources Available to Teach Social Studies Without a Textbook
Of course, there are a plethora of resources available to you to teach social studies without a textbook online in the form of print and digital resources. If you head to my Think Tank Teacher shop, you will find so many social studies subjects it’ll make your head spin. Simply type the subject you’re looking for into the search bar and get excited to look through all the exciting resources available to you.
Some of my favorite ways to teach social studies without a textbook are through escape rooms. Students need to read and learn a little bit about the topic in order to solve the riddles and puzzles to escape the room. They will be having so much fun, they won’t realize they’re actually learning important information! My favorites include Greek Mythology Escape Rooms and American History Escape Rooms. Take some time to look, though, you will find what you need, and if you don’t, please let me know! I would love to make sure that you have what you need for your classroom!
Teach Social Studies Without a Textbook
It turns out there are many different ways you can teach social studies without a textbook. From videos to games and plays to novels and print and digital resources, you have lots of ideas to choose from. Instead of getting eye-rolls when the textbooks are brought out, look forward to excitement as you introduce these new ways of learning about social studies in your classroom.
If you’re looking for even better deals on access to the hundreds of products available in the Think Tank Teacher shop, become a member today by clicking here!
