Looking for fun and engaging social studies activities for your upper elementary classroom? In this video, I’m sharing 4 creative and easy-to-implement social studies lessons designed for grades 3-5. These hands-on activities make history, geography, government, and culture come alive for your students while keeping planning stress-free for you!

What You'll Learn

• 4 ready-to-use activities perfect for social studies centers or whole-group lessons
• Ideas that build critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills
• Ways to integrate history and geography with engaging projects
• Low-prep activities that work with any social studies curriculum

Whether you’re teaching 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade, these activities will help you create meaningful and interactive lessons that your students will love.

Resources Mentioned:

Daily Passage Review Bundle

Guided Notes Texas History

Guided Notes Upper Elementary

Project Bundle

All Learning Stations

Guided Curriculum

Blog Post - Episode 109

Let's Connect!

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Mentioned in this episode:

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Looking for fun, engaging, and low-prep ideas for your reading block? In this video, I’m sharing 5 ELA reading stations and literacy center activities perfect for grades 3–5. These stations are designed to build reading comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, and writing skills - all while keeping students actively engaged!

📚 What You’ll Learn:

✔️ How to set up 5 easy reading stations

✔️ Literacy center activities that save you time

✔️ Differentiation tips for upper elementary classrooms

✔️ Strategies to keep students motivated and on task

Whether you’re a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade teacher, these ideas will help you run effective and fun literacy centers that support every reader in your classroom.

Resources Mentioned:

Reading Response Menu Bundle

Writing Response Menu Bundle

Grammar and Vocabulary Task Card Bundle

Internet WebQuest Bundle

Academic Vocabulary Word of the Week - Grade 3, Grade 4, Grade 5

Blog Post - Episode 108

Let's Connect!

Listen/watch on Youtube

Shop TPT Resources

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Website

Join the Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Looking for engaging, low-prep social studies-themed stations that work for your upper elementary classroom? In this episode of The Social Studies Teacher Podcast, I’m sharing 7 flexible station ideas that can fit into your ELA block, dedicated social studies time, or even a fun Social Studies Friday rotation!

📚 Whether you teach 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade and only have 30 minutes (if you're lucky!), these stations will help you reinforce reading skills like main idea, summarizing, and inferencing - all while covering key social studies topics.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

✔️ Daily Social Studies Passages

✔️ Task Cards

✔️ Primary Source Analysis

✔️ WebQuests

✔️ Journals & Writing Reflections

✔️ Digital Interactive Tools

✔️ Small Group Station Ideas

💡 You’ll also learn how to differentiate with ease, incorporate these into your existing rotations, and why you don’t need to launch all 7 stations at once.

Mentioned in the episode:

🔗 Smart & Simple Social Studies Membership (with built-in station activities!)

🔗 Episode 107 Blog Post

🔗 Related post: 5 Literacy ELA Centers

Let's Connect!

Listen/watch on Youtube

Shop TPT Resources

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Website

Join the Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!

🎉 Plan the First 10 Days of Social Studies with Me! 🎉

In today’s episode, we’re planning out the first 10 days of your social studies block together. Whether you teach 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade, this episode is packed with low-prep, engaging activities to help you start the year strong.

I’ll walk you through:

✔️ How to build classroom community from Day 1

✔️ Tips for setting up interactive notebooks

✔️ When (and how!) to introduce warmups and guided lessons

✔️ How to gradually build routines for a smooth year ahead

✔️ Examples of what I used to do in my own upper elementary classroom

Even if you have 20 or 30 minutes for social studies, you’ll find helpful ideas you can tweak to fit your schedule and grade level.

Related Blog Posts

🔗 Fun SS Activities for the 1st Week of School

🔗 Fun SS Activities for the 2nd Week of School

🔗 How to Set Up Interactive Notebooks

Mentioned Resources:

🛒 Back-to-School Social Studies Activities

🛒 Interactive SS Notebook Covers

🛒 Daily Social Studies Warmups + Guided Curriculum

Download the free back to school guide for Texas Teachers!

Mentioned in this episode:

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Feeling overwhelmed trying to fit social studies into your school year? In this episode, I’ll walk you through how to map out a yearlong pacing plan for upper elementary social studies - whether you teach geography, history, government, economics, or culture.

I’ll break it down quarter by quarter and show you how to plan realistically and effectively, even with limited time in your schedule.

📚 Perfect for 3rd–5th grade teachers who want:

• A clear social studies pacing guide
• Tips for balancing standards across the year
• Real solutions that work in real classrooms

Links and Resources

Episode 105 - Blog Post

✅ Want a done-for-you pacing guide and resources? Check out my Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum: https://thesouthernteach.com/social-studies-curriculum/

Mentioned in this episode:

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!

Social studies often gets pushed to the back burner in elementary classrooms. But why? In this episode, I’m breaking down the two biggest challenges upper elementary social studies teachers face and sharing real solutions you can use starting tomorrow.

Whether you’re struggling with limited time, lack of resources, or just feeling unsure where to start, you’re not alone - and there are solutions. If you want to teach engaging, standards-aligned social studies without the overwhelm, this video is for you.

🎯 What You’ll Learn:

• The top 2 challenges upper elementary teachers face with social studies
• Why these issues are so common across schools
• Simple, actionable ways to bring social studies back into your weekly routine

OG Blog Post

Famous People in History

Teaching Literary Nonfiction

Check out the Guided Curriculum

Learn more about the Membership

School Subscriptions for Texas Teachers

Mentioned in this episode:

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!

Fonts might seem like a small detail, but in the classroom, they can make a big impact. Whether you’re designing anchor charts, worksheets, slideshows, or decor, the right font can boost readability, student engagement, and your overall classroom vibe. In this episode, I’m sharing my go-to fonts from Google Fonts, Microsoft Office, Canva, and TPT - plus tips on how to use them effectively and where to find the best teacher-friendly options for your next project (or next school year!).

Episode Highlights:

• My favorite Google Fonts
• My GO-TO font available through Microsoft Office
• Canva fonts that are perfect for classroom visuals
• Where to find cute and clear fonts on TPT
• Tips for choosing fonts that work with your content - not against it

If you’ve ever found yourself down a rabbit hole searching for the perfect font… this one’s for you!

Resources and Links

Blog Post - Episode 103

https://ladybugsteacherfiles.com/how-to-find-new-google-fonts-fast/

https://thesouthernteach.com/blog/font-pairing-tips/

KG Fonts

AG Fonts

KA Fonts

Let's Connect!

Listen/watch on Youtube

Shop TPT Resources

Instagram

Website

Join the Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!

One of my absolute favorite ways to bring history to life is through historical fiction - and yep, it just so happens to be my favorite genre! In today’s episode, I’m sharing how you can use historical fiction to help your upper elementary students connect with the past in a meaningful, memorable way. From book recs to tips for incorporating these stories into your social studies block, you’ll walk away with fresh ideas for making history feel real.

Episode Highlights:

• Why historical fiction is a powerful tool for teaching history
• My top historical fiction recommendations for upper elementary
• Creative ways to integrate literature into your social studies lessons

Books open doors - and in this case, they just might open a window into the past for your students.

Resources and Links

Blog Post - Episode 102

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/historical-fiction-picture-books

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/5th-grade-historical-fiction

https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/genre/historical-fiction.html?p=1&n=20

Let's Connect!

Listen/watch on Youtube

Shop TPT Resources

Instagram

Website

Join the Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!

The last week of school is here, and let’s be honest - it’s wild, unpredictable, and full of energy. In this episode, I’m sharing five simple, low-prep social studies activities that are perfect for those short, chaotic time blocks. These ideas will help you wrap up the year with purpose and keep your students engaged while still reinforcing key social studies skills. Whether you're trying to fill 10 minutes or plan a whole class period, these activities are fun, meaningful, and easy to implement.

Episode Highlights:

• “Where Do You Live?”
• Classroom Timeline Capsule
• Historical Figures Headbands
• Create a Summer Road Trip Plan
• Interview a Classmate or Family Member

You don’t need a lot of time or energy to make the end of the year special - just hit play and grab an idea or two to finish strong!

Resources and Links

Blog Post - Episode 101

https://thesouthernteach.com/blog/jeopardy-fun-social-studies-activity/

Let's Connect!

Listen/watch on Youtube

Shop TPT Resources

Instagram

Website

Join the Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Welcome to the 100th episode of The Social Studies Teacher Podcast! 🎉

I truly can’t believe we’ve made it to triple digits. I’m beyond grateful for this community of amazing educators, and I thought it’d be fun to celebrate by taking a trip back in time.

In this episode, we’re looking at 100 years of social studies - what’s changed since 1925, and what surprisingly hasn’t. From old-school textbooks to the way geography and history were taught, we’re diving into the past to better understand the present (and maybe even spark a few ideas for the future).

Episode Highlights:

• A peek at what social studies textbooks looked like in 1925
• How geography and world history were originally taught
• The progress we’ve made in social studies education
• What still needs to change for our students today

Thanks for being part of this milestone moment - here’s to 100 more episodes of making social studies simple, engaging, and fun!

Resources and Links

Blog Post - Episode 100

Let's Connect!

Listen/watch on Youtube

Shop TPT Resources

Instagram

Website

Join the Facebook Group

Mentioned in this episode:

Grab the Back to School Social Studies Pack!

Get your upper elementary students excited to start the school year using these low-prep back to school social studies getting to know you worksheets! With 20 pages of engaging activities targeting geography, history, and classroom community building, it makes a great back to school resource for the first week or first month of school!

Learn more about the Back to School Social Studies Resource

Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

Learn more about the Smart and Simple Social Studies Guided Curriculum!