Karissa is an award-winning writer, seasoned editor, and former educator with a passion for storytelling and marketing. When not searching for the perfect word or phrase, she's busy trying (unsuccessfully) to convince people that plaid is a color.
At 6’4″, President Abraham Lincoln was a very tall man, even by today’s standards. He chose to stand out even more by wearing a top hat. As biographer Harold Holzer explained in a 2013 Smithsonian Magazine article, even if his clothes were a bit worn — as they sometimes were — when Lincoln gave a…
Are you celebrating the 100 Day? Depending on when schools start in the fall, the 100th day of school falls somewhere between late January and mid-February. Wherever you are, this celebration is fun for kids, parents, and teachers. And while most 100 Day activities center on math, there are many reading, writing, and social studies…
Without the bravery, labor, and successes of many, many African Americans, our nation would not be where it is today. Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement ensured the voting rights of all citizens, and paved the way for the human rights and equality measures taken in the years since. While Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar…
Rosa Parks stood up for her belief that all humans have equal rights, and her experience during the Civil Rights Movement is a powerful example of quiet courage and respect. As you teach about Parks during Black History Month or during a unit on the Civil Rights Movement, students can feel inspired by her words…
In 1955 Montgomery, Alabama, an African American woman found a seat in the “Colored Section” of the city bus. A few stops down, the bus driver told her to make room for white passengers and move further back. The woman refused and was arrested. This story brings to mind Rosa Parks and her quiet defiance…
Holocaust education is the story of people. Each number, statistic, chart, or list depicts an individual — someone’s son or daughter. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, those who teach about the Holocaust must “seek to honestly and accurately investigate a history in which millions of people were dehumanized, brutalized and killed while…
The systemic murder of an ethnic group or people does not begin overnight. It is a long process that relies on categorizing a group of people according to stereotypical traits, while other people remain silent. The Holocaust of the Jews by the Nazi Party of Germany in the 1930s and 40s was carried out this…
If you’re an Oklahoma educator, you may be wondering, what the 2020 Studies Weekly Oklahoma Social Studies State Adoption means to you. Bottom line, it means you are getting the most customized, updated, and standards-aligned content you could possibly have. Those of you who have been using our 2013 state-adopted Social Studies curriculum will be…
Cathlina Marston is a fourth grade teacher in Glendora, California. A veteran teacher of 30 years, Marston has been using Studies Weekly in her classroom for the last 15 years. In 2016, Marston won the California Elementary Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award! Award Nomination Requirements Nominees for this award must be able…
November is famously the month for football, turkey, and the kick-off to holiday shopping. But November is also Native American Heritage Month. And many educators today are becoming more culturally responsive in their teaching and changing the way they address Native American, or American Indian, history. They also are changing the way they teach about…