Shaped

A community-driven blog supporting educators, building lifelong learners,
and shaping the future of education.* 

Latest Posts

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Listen to a podcast on the objectives of civic education, the role of schools in teaching civics, and how to remain non-partisan while creating informed future voters. Featuring Sylvia Acevedo (CEO, Girl Scouts) and Dr. Emma Humphries (Chief Education Officer, iCivics).

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

Tinker V Des Moines Lesson Plan

Use this Tinker v. Des Moines lesson plan to teach your students about the debate surrounding Freedom of Speech in public school settings.

Shaped Staff

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Fun middle school and high school election day activities can help engage students in politics. Start with these classroom voting activities to teach the election process.

Tim Phillips
Social Science Teacher, Township School District 214, Illinois

Charlemagne Middle Ages Activities

Use these downloadable resources to teach students about Charlemagne and the Early Middle Ages.

Shaped Staff

Drug Test In High School Athletics

Use this resource to teach a Supreme Court case surrounding drug testing in K–12 schools and the Fourth Amendment.

Shaped Staff

Ancient Greece Lesson Plan

Known for its architecture, democratic system of government, and impact on science and the arts, ancient Greece is an important topic often covered in middle and high school social studies.

Shaped Staff

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In an EdSurge article, Stephen Noonoo explores HMH's reboot of Carmen Sandiego, which includes a Netflix series, Google Earth games, and a new series of paperbacks.

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The Miranda v. Arizona ruling stated that a detained criminal suspect has the right to an attorney and against self-incrimination.

Shaped Staff

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Teaching with primary source documents makes history come alive. Learn how and why to use primary resources of history in the social studies classroom for grades 5-12.

Susan Steinway
Archivist, HMH

Blue and orange map of the world

Download these Code of Hammurabi activity and lesson plan resources to teach students the context surrounding the creation of the code of laws.

Shaped Staff

Pledge Of Allegiance In Schools

Use these downloadables as social studies resources to teach your class about the Supreme Court case West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette.

Shaped Staff

July Civic Engagement Final

Learn how one school developed a yearlong opportunity where students research community issues, evolving into direct action to help solve those problems.

Tim Phillips
Social Science Teacher, Township School District 214, Illinois

Podcast: SEL in the Face of Natural Disaster with Garrett Jackson on Teachers in America

Garrett Jackson, a special education teacher in Saipan, CNMI, talks about teaching in isolation, supporting students after a natural disaster, and using edtech in occupational therapy.

Onalee Smith
Shaped Contributor

June Prioritizing Content 3

The author argues in support of teaching students how to think in terms of science and social studies with reading and writing as the tools they hone as they learn.

Heidi Cruz
Shaped Contributor

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Middle school teacher Rachel Swartz shares her ideas for including the Carmen Sandiego character into classroom activities.

Rachel Swartz
Sixth Grade Teacher, Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy (MS/HS 141), Bronx, New York

Students pledging allegiance to American flag

Explore flag day activities for elementary students to teach your class about the symbolism behind flags and the various themes they may represent.

Shaped Staff

May Memorial Day 7

Use these Memorial Day classroom activities for elementary and middle school students to honor those who sacrificed for their country.

Jordan Friedman
Former Shaped Editor

April Asian Pacific American Heritage Mock Trial 2 Edit

Educators can use historical documents and other primary sources when teaching students about history in the form of a classroom debate.

Tim Phillips
Social Science Teacher, Township School District 214, Illinois

*The views expressed in our blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.