Social Studies
December 4 - December 10, 2013

Find the latest educational resources from Iowa Public Television.

Life on the Ice

Grades: 9-13+

In this video from the NSF and DRI, learn about WAIS Divide, an ice core project on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), and hear from the people involved about the hard work and light-hearted fun that typifies day-to-day life in the WAIS Divide camp. Research scientist Brian Bencivengo, science coordinator Heidi Roop, and doctoral candidate Gifford Wong describe their experiences living on the frozen continent and the importance of the work they do. They are part of a team of 30 to 40 women and men collecting an ice core that they hope will help improve our understanding of past, present, and future climate conditions.

Ida B. Wells: A Lifetime of Activism

Grade Range: 9-12

As a young woman growing up during Reconstruction, Ida B. Wells experienced Jim Crow segregation when she was barred from travel on a train in the whites-only section. It was not until she observed the growing practice of violence toward African Americans that she began her crusade to stop lynching. This video shows Wells grow from school teacher to journalist to founding member of the NAACP.

Gullah Music: Secret Code
Grade Range: 3-5

Students will understand that music and material culture became a mode of covert communication between slaves. Aunt Pearlie Sue is our guide as students uncover hidden messages in the work songs enslaved Africans sang in the fields. And, some believe that the patterns sewn into quilts were designed as directions for navigating the Underground Railroad.

Wish You Were Here: Postcards from 1962
Grade Range: 4-12

This interactive map from the 1962 Seattle World's Fair curriculum challenges students to use postcards as primary sources for piecing together the story of the World's Fair and who visited it. Who came to the fair? Where did they come from? What impressed them the most? By examining the map and the texts of the postcards, student will assemble their own understanding of this historic event.

1962 World's Fair Curriculum
Grade Range: 4-12

This comprehensive curriculum uses the 1962 World's Fair to invite students to explore life in the early 1960s, from pop culture, music and gender issues to the focus on science and technology brought on by the Cold War and the Space Race. Students also examine the culture of the Northwest in the mid 20th century and examine the wins and losses that come with large civic projects. Ten units feature numerous lessons and activities, primary sources, maps and more. The entire project is aligned to various standards in social studies and geography.

Looking for Lincoln Throughout His Life

Grade Range: 1-3

In this interdisciplinary lesson, students gather different facts about Lincoln through a variety of hands-on activities. In the Introductory Activity, students match vocabulary words with pictures to piece together a timeline of Abraham Lincoln's life. In the Learning Activities, students gather various facts about the life of Lincoln. Students learn about Abraham Lincoln's work as a lawyer on the prairie and also gain insight into Lincoln through objects and artifacts of his life. Students then select classroom objects that best tell a story about them and/or their class. In the Culminating Activity, students reflect upon the life of Lincoln, revisit the timeline of Lincoln's life and create their own personal timelines.

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