8th Grade Social Studies & History Projects

Unlock a powerful, multimedia learning experience with this 18-Day Human Migration & Immigration Unit designed for grades 7 and up. Perfectly suited for middle and high school students, this comprehensive unit takes a deep dive into the complex themes of immigration, refugee experiences, human rights, and resilience, offering a diverse range of engaging activities, discussions, and assessments to enhance your students’ understanding of migration.

Why You’ll Love This Resource:

This unit is packed with dynamic content, carefully curated to foster critical thinking, empathy, and real-world connections to the global immigration experience. Whether you're teaching ELA, Social Studies, or Civics, this resource makes it easy to cover key learning standards while keeping students deeply engaged.

Key Features:

• 18-Day Overview with links: An organized, day-by-day curriculum featuring thought-provoking discussions, debates, and creative projects.
• Multimedia Approach: Engage students with film (A Better Life), poetry (e.g., "Home" by Warsan Shire), art, and political cartoons to explore different perspectives on migration.
• Political Cartoon Capstone Project: Culminate the unit with an original political cartoon that challenges students to think critically and creatively about immigration or refugee issues.
• Full-Length Essay: Scaffolded instruction to help students write a STAAR-aligned ECR Extended Constructed Response informational essay on U.S. immigration changes over time.
• Student-Led Socratic Seminars: Foster meaningful student discussion through Socratic seminars on immigration themes, encouraging students to reflect on resilience and media representation.
• Collaborative Projects: Group activities like creating a one-pager on legal immigration pathways and a debate on immigration rights help students work together to deepen their learning.
• Visual Analysis Activities: Analyze and create political cartoons on immigration, developing students' understanding of how media portrays immigration issues.
• Adaptable for Grades 7-12: Scaffolded activities that can be easily modified to fit your students’ grade level, ensuring accessibility for middle and high school learners.

What’s Included:

• Detailed 18-Day Unit Plan: Complete lesson breakdowns and objectives for each day.
• Engaging Activities: Four Corners debates, circle discussions, Socratic seminars, and peer editing sessions.
• Poetry Analysis: Focus on powerful immigration-themed poems like Warsan Shire’s "Home" to build empathy and understanding.
• Film-Based Learning: Dive deep into the immigrant experience with the film A Better Life, supported by guiding discussion questions.
• Political Cartoon Creation & Analysis: Encourage creativity and visual literacy with a capstone political cartoon project, complete with a rubric, directions, and planning sheets.
• Extended Constructed Response (ECR) Essay Assignment: Guide students through writing a detailed essay on the historical shifts in U.S. immigration policies, helping them gather evidence and structure their argument.

Perfect for:

• English Language Arts (ELA) Teachers: Integrate critical thinking, reading comprehension, and writing skills into your curriculum through immigration-related poetry, essays, and discussions.
• Social Studies & Civics Teachers: This unit aligns with standards related to immigration, human rights, and social justice, making it an ideal choice for interdisciplinary learning.
• Project-Based Learning: Teachers seeking hands-on, creative projects that encourage students to connect real-world issues with classroom content.
• Middle & High School Classrooms: Adaptable for grades 7-12, making it perfect for different learning levels and classroom settings.

Benefits for Your Classroom:

• Standards-Aligned: Fully aligned with ELA, social studies, and civics standards for middle and high school.
• Easy to Implement: Clear, step-by-step instructions and a well-organized unit plan make it easy to integrate into your teaching.
• Creative & Engaging: Helps students develop both analytical and creative skills through a variety of learning activities and projects.
• Fosters Critical Thinking: Encourages deep reflection and discussion on complex issues like immigration policy, human rights, and media portrayal.
• Boosts Empathy: Through multimedia and personal stories, this unit helps students build empathy for people facing migration and displacement.

Bring immigration to life for your students with this engaging, interactive, and thought-provoking 18-Day Human Migration & Immigration Unit. Get your classroom discussing, debating, creating, and writing about one of the most critical global issues of our time!

Are you looking for engaging activities to support your students in learning about the LGBTQ community? Then download this Bundle LGBTQ Pride Month Activities and Bulletin Board Set! This complete bundle is all you need to support students in deepening their understanding of the LGBTQ community. It comes with a Choice Board, 3 Trivia Games, and 41 various bulletin board posters. Posters include the various Pride flags, historical quotes, and definitions of terms you and your students should know.

➟ CHOICE BOARD

Students can write poems, create a collage, or even draft their own laws. There are 8 unique activities for students to choose from. Great for differentiating instruction and various learning styles!

➟ 3 TRIVIA GAMES

These 3 no prep TRIVIA Games include questions on LGBTQ history, people, places, and events, allowing students to deepen their understanding of this often-overlooked community. A handout of questions is included to use as seat work or as homework.

➟ 17 8.5 X 11 POSTERS with DEFINITIONS

Definitions include: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, LGBTQIA+, pansexual, two-spirit (2S), cisgender, coming out, transitioning, non-binary, and gender identity.

➟ PRIDE FLAGS

This bulletin board poster set comes with 12 unique posters perfect for honoring LGBTQ History Month, Pride Month, or celebrating the diversity of your classroom community!

➟ 17 POSTERS with QUOTES

These 12 unique quotes are perfect for celebrating LGBT+ History Month or Pride Month. Each 8.5 X 11 poster comes with one of three patterns. Use them to decorate your classroom, door, or bulletin board!

✔ Use these products for:

• LGBTQ History Month
• Pride Month
• US History
• To support an ELA novel based on a person from the LGBTQ community
• Health Class

✔How this resource HELPS YOU:

• Students will learn a lot about the LGBTQ community
• A variety of activities to choose from
• It fosters classroom community
• NO PREP
• One huge bulletin board or 3 separate boards

✔ This product contains:

• Choice Board with 8 unique activities
• Grading rubric
• 50 trivia questions
• Instructions
• A handout of the 18 terms
• 12 8.5 X 11 posters with quotes
• 17 8.5 X 11 posters with definitions
• 12 8.5 X 11 Pride Flags
• Terms of Use

✈️ Click here to follow A World to Explore Store and be the first to know about brand-new games and activities!

❤ Other Resources You'll LOVE:

LGBTQ Historical Timeline Bulletin Board

LGBTQIA QUOTES Bulletin Board Middle-High-School

LGBT 18-DEFINITIONS-Rainbow-Bulletin-Board

LGBTQIA DEFINITIONS-of-Terms Handout

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BUNDLE 41 LGBT Pride Flags Quotes and Definitions Bulletin Board Wall Décor

12 LGBT Pride Flags Bulletin Board

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BUNDLE LGBTQ Bulletin Board Choice Board 3 Trivia Activities

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BUNDLE 2 LGBTQ WEBQUESTS Available Resources & History/People

Engage your middle and high school students with this 18-Day Multimedia Thematic Unit on Disabilities in Schools and Society! Designed for Grades 6 and up, this comprehensive unit explores both visible and invisible disabilities through a variety of media, hands-on projects, and critical assessments. Perfect for ELA, social studies, or humanities classes, this unit provides students with opportunities to develop empathy, research skills, and a deeper understanding of accessibility and inclusivity.

This unit integrates multimedia resources, including documentaries, political cartoons, TED Talks, and informational texts. Students will build critical thinking skills as they analyze real-world challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, assess their school’s ADA compliance, and create projects to promote inclusivity.

What’s Included:

• Pacing Plan for 18 days of engaging, standards-aligned instruction.
• A range of activities including debates, Socratic seminars, evidence-mining, and reflective writing.
• Viewing guides and discussion prompts for multimedia content such as The Miracle Worker and the Zion Clark documentary.
• Informational text analysis with strategies for gathering evidence.
• Projects like the Walk in My Shoes research project, school ADA evaluation, and political cartoon analysis to encourage creative thinking and real-world application.
• Assessment rubrics and graphic organizers to support student learning.

Aligned Standards:

This interdisciplinary unit is aligned with Common Core ELA Standards (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) and encourages cross-curricular learning with a focus on disabilities, social studies, and media literacy. It promotes research, empathy, and accessibility discussions through engaging multimedia and project-based learning.

Why You'll Love This Unit:

• Interactive and Student-Centered: Students actively engage with real-world issues around disability awareness and inclusivity through meaningful activities.
• Multimedia Integration: TED Talks, articles, films, and political cartoons create a dynamic and engaging learning experience.
• Project-Based Learning: Includes hands-on projects like the Walk in My Shoes disability research project, allowing students to take ownership of their learning.
• Critical Thinking and Reflection: Encourages students to reflect on how disabilities affect individuals’ lives and how society can become more inclusive.

Who It’s For:

• Middle and high school teachers (Grades 6-9) looking for an engaging, interdisciplinary unit addressing disabilities and inclusivity.
• Educators seeking a Common Core-aligned unit that integrates multimedia, research, and project-based learning.

Perfect for:

• ELA, social studies, and humanities classrooms.
• Teachers seeking units that focus on empathy, accessibility, and real-world issues.
• Maternity leave or long-term sub plans, with a pacing guide and ready-to-use materials.

This 18-Day Multimedia Unit helps students understand the challenges and strengths of individuals with disabilities while improving essential academic skills. Get ready for insightful discussions, creative projects, and meaningful reflections that resonate with your students’ real-world experiences. Download now and bring relevant, standards-aligned learning to your classroom!

Do you want to engage and motivate your students to learn about Hispanic culture and famous Hispanics? Do you want to celebrate diversity and have students practice their research skills? Then download this Bundle Hispanic Heritage Month Activities, Research Project, and Bulletin Board Set. This is all you need to celebrate this month!

WebQuest

This comprehensive research project allows students to explore the history, culture, people, and more of Hispanics living in our country. This research activity is perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month, small group instruction, substitute plans, homework, and more!

You'll receive the activity in print and digital formats when you purchase this scavenger hunt resource. The research questions provided allow for scaffolded instruction that can be completed individually, in pairs, or in small groups. You can even use this lesson as a fun team-building or gamified activity. Your students are guaranteed to learn more about winter holidays with this high-quality, no-prep resource!

***Updated in 2024 with new links***

Choice Board

Students will deepen their understanding of the achievements of Hispanic people in this activity that supports student voice and choice! Perfect for use in a Spanish classroom or when celebrating Hispanic culture, students can choose between 8 unique activities. Students can write poems, create a mini-mural or cartoon, or select from various other creative projects to demonstrate their learning. Great for differentiating instruction and various learning styles, there is something for everyone with this choice board.

Trivia Games

These three engaging trivia games are perfect as an individual or team-building activity. Use it as an engaging opener, attention-getter, a brain break, or build right into your lesson plans!

This no-prep resource comes with 35+ multiple-choice questions and instructions for three different games. Games can be played while moving around the classroom or sitting in seats or on the floor.

• A handout is included for quiet seatwork, homework, or emergency sub plans!

Bulletin Board

These 10 inspirational quotes and proverbs posters are perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month! Use for classroom décor, bulletin boards, or door decorations. Proverbs are from Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and other countries. These sayings will surely resonate with your students. No prep! Just print and hang!

➟ Quotes included in this set:

• “At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” ~Frida Kahlo, artist
• “I know who I am and who I may be, if I choose.” ~Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, writer
• "There is nothing harder than the softness of indifference." ~Juan Montalvo, author
• And many more!

Flags - Bulletin Board

Flags in this resource: Andorra*, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ecuador, Gibraltar*, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Peru, Spain, the Philippines*, Uruguay, Venezuela

*Andorra, Gibraltar, and the Philippines do not have Spanish as an official language but it is widely spoken.

• Country Names are in both Spanish and English

This product contains:

• 1 choice board with a grading rubric
• List of 55+ well-known Hispanic people
• 10 quotes on bordered paper
• Flags of the 24 Spanish-speaking countries and territories
• 3 fun trivia games with 65 questions - includes a handout of the questions
• WebQuest
• Instructions and Answer Keys
• Terms of Use

✈️ Click here to follow A World to Explore Store and be the first to know about brand-new games and activities!

❤ Other Resources You'll LOVE:

• Hispanic Heritage Month Activity A Research WebQuest
• Hispanic Heritage Month Bulletin Board FLAGS of SPANISH Countries
• Hispanic Heritage Month Activity - Cesar Chavez Day WebQuest

Students are eager to engage in conversation and learning around their identities! This engaging social identity unit explores the 8 Big Social Identities—gender, race, age, religion, orientation, ability, ethnicity, and class—through a blend of activities, texts, videos, music, and projects. Perfect for middle and early high school students, this unit is low prep for teachers, offering print-and-go materials that ensure a seamless teaching experience.

What’s Included:

• 19-Day Unit of 60-Minute Lessons: Each day is planned with detailed agendas and objectives.
• Engaging Slides: Visually appealing and informative slides for each lesson to enhance learning and retention.
• Texts, Videos, Movies, and Music: A variety of multimedia resources to engage students and deepen their understanding.
• Interactive Activities and Projects: Hands-on learning through discourse, writing, reading, annotating, research, data collection, data analysis, presentation building, and peer feedback.

Daily Activities Overview:

Day 1: Understanding Social Identity

• Activities: Do Now prompt, "Cross the Line" activity, discussion, reflection writing.

Day 2: The Big 8 Social Identities

• Activities: Do Now prompt, fill in the Social Wheel, group discussion, reflection writing.

Day 3: Power, Privilege, and Marginalization

• Activities: Do Now prompt, discussion on power and privilege, activity on social identity axis, Turn & Talk, reflection writing.

Day 4: Cultural Heritage and Identity

• Activities: Do Now prompt, whole group reading ("Fish Cheeks" by Amy Tan), independent evidence mining, closing discussion.

Day 5: Family Traditions and Social Identity

• Activities: Do Now prompt, whole group reading ("Taco Head"), independent evidence mining, closing discussion.

Day 6: Seminar Preparation

• Activities: Do Now prompt, review evidence mined from readings, seminar setup, discuss seminar norms.

Day 7: Media Representation and Identity

• Activities: Do Now prompt, watch video and read lyrics, independent evidence mining, group discussion.

Day 8: Cultural Pride and Daily Life

• Activities: Do Now prompt, watch video and read lyrics, independent evidence mining, group discussion.

Day 9: Traditional Music and Identity

• Activities: Do Now prompt, review evidence mined from activities, student-led seminar, reflection.

Day 10: Film Connection - "Wonder"

• Activities: Do Now prompt, introduce film and its connection to social identity, film viewing (Part 1), discussion.

Day 11: Continuation of "Wonder"

• Activities: Do Now prompt, preview questions, film viewing (Part 2), discussion.

Day 12: Conclusion of "Wonder"

• Activities: Do Now prompt, preview questions, film viewing (Part 3), discussion.

Day 13: Seminar on "Wonder"

• Activities: Do Now prompt, seminar setup, student-led seminar, reflection.

Day 14: Personal Narrative Writing

• Activities: Do Now prompt, read example narratives, brainstorm, partner sharing, begin writing introduction and body paragraph.

Day 15: Continue Personal Narrative Writing

• Activities: Do Now prompt, review narrative structure, continue writing narrative essay.

Day 16: Peer Feedback on Narratives

• Activities: Do Now prompt, peer feedback, revise essays based on feedback.

Day 17: Identity Mask Project

• Activities: Do Now prompt, introduce identity mask project, sketch ideas, gather materials.

Day 18: Continue Identity Mask Project

• Activities: Do Now prompt, continue crafting masks, wrap up.

Day 19: Finalize Identity Mask Project

• Activities: Do Now prompt, finish crafting and decorating masks, present masks and share reflections.

Key Features:

• Low Prep for Teachers: Print-and-go materials make it easy to implement the unit with minimal preparation.
• Engaging Multimedia Resources: Texts, videos, movies, and music provide diverse perspectives and deepen understanding.
• Explores the 8 Big Social Identities: Gender, race, age, religion, orientation, ability, ethnicity, and class.
• Interactive and Reflective Activities: Encourages critical thinking, self-reflection, and peer collaboration.

Bring social identity to life in your classroom with this dynamic and interactive unit. Equip your students with the knowledge and skills to understand and appreciate the diverse identities that shape our world. Purchase now and make a meaningful impact on your students' understanding of social identity!

Do you want to engage and motivate your students to learn about Hispanic history and culture? Do you want an inclusive classroom that celebrates diversity? Then download this Bundle Hispanic Heritage Month Activities and Bulletin Board Set. This is all you need to celebrate this heritage month!

Choice Board

Students will deepen their understanding of the achievements of Hispanic people in this activity that supports student voice and choice! Perfect for use in a Spanish classroom or when celebrating Hispanic culture, students can choose between 8 unique activities. Students can write poems, create a mini-mural or cartoon, or select from various other creative projects to demonstrate their learning. Great for differentiating instruction and various learning styles, there is something for everyone with this choice board.

Trivia Games

These three engaging trivia games are perfect as an individual or team-building activity. Use it as an engaging opener, attention-getter, a brain break, or build right into your lesson plans!

This no-prep resource comes with 35+ multiple-choice questions and instructions for three different games. Games can be played while moving around the classroom or sitting in seats or on the floor.

• A handout is included for quiet seatwork, homework, or emergency sub plans!

Bulletin Board

These 10 inspirational quotes and proverbs posters are perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month! Use for classroom décor, bulletin boards, or door decorations. Proverbs are from Mexico, Cuba, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and other countries. These sayings will surely resonate with your students. No prep! Just print and hang!

➟ Quotes included in this set:

• “At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” ~Frida Kahlo, artist
• “I know who I am and who I may be, if I choose.” ~Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, writer
• "There is nothing harder than the softness of indifference." ~Juan Montalvo, author
• And many more!

Flags - Bulletin Board

Flags in this resource: Andorra*, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ecuador, Gibraltar*, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Peru, Spain, the Philippines*, Uruguay, Venezuela

*Andorra, Gibraltar, and the Philippines do not have Spanish as an official language but it is widely spoken.

• Country Names are in both Spanish and English

This product contains:

• Instructions, grading rubric, answer key
• 1 Choice Board
• List of 55+ well-known Hispanic people
• 15 8.5 X 11 posters with quotes
• 8.5 X 11 flag posters of the 24 Spanish-speaking countries/territories of the world
• Trivia Games
• Terms of Use

✈️ Click here to follow A World to Explore Store and be the first to know about brand-new games and activities!

❤ Other Resources You'll LOVE:

• Hispanic Heritage Month Activity A Research WebQuest
• Hispanic Heritage Month Bulletin Board FLAGS of SPANISH Countries
• Hispanic Heritage Month Activity - Cesar Chavez Day WebQuest

Explore themes of equity, disabilities, and resilience with this dynamic resource bundle designed for grades 5-8!

1. 18-Day Disabilities & Equity Unit (Grades 6+): This comprehensive unit includes engaging projects, thought-provoking essays, rigorous assessments, and Socratic seminars to help students explore visible and invisible disabilities, equity in schools, and societal challenges. Perfect for deepening understanding and fostering empathy in your classroom.
2. Out of My Mind Movie Guide and Activities (Grades 5+): Dive deeper into Sharon Draper’s Out of My Mind with this movie guide and activity pack! Students will analyze characters, themes, and key scenes while practicing critical thinking and reflection skills.

This bundle is ideal for educators looking to combine standards-aligned instruction with meaningful, real-world themes. Save time and inspire your students with these ready-to-use resources!