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Simplified Instruction

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United States - North Carolina

4.8

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Where Middle School ELA and Social Studies Meet!

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MY FEATURED ITEMS

First Week of School Identity Mindmap &...

$3.50

Introduction to Modern World History: Bundled...

$13.50

$10.00

Editable Student Goal Setting Guide for Middle...

$8.50

104 Questions to Help You Grow as a Teacher

$5.75

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Starter Kit for Middle School Newspaper, Part 1 (editable version included!)

By Simplified Instruction

Starting a middle school newspaper was a daunting task; I wasn’t quite sure where to begin! As with anything in teaching, I started by determining my goals, establishing what our writing/publishing procedure would look like, and choosing daily and

Subjects:

Social Studies - History, Writing

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Activities, Outlines, Lesson

CCSS:

W.7.1, W.7.1b, W.7.1e, W.7.2, W.7.2a, W.7.2b, W.7.2f, W.7.3, W.7.3b, W.7.4, W.7.5...

$5.50

Digital Download PDF (0.27 MB)

ADD TO CART

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Nothing But The Truth Novel Study Bundle (editable)

By Simplified Instruction

A Brief Breakdown of the NovelNothing But The Truth is a documentary novel about a high school student, Philip, and an incident that occurs in his English class taught by Miss Narwin, a veteran English teacher. What unfolds is a story about motives,

Subjects:

Government, ELA Test Prep

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Activboard Activities, Lesson

$25.75

$19.00

Bundle

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Moot Court/Mock Trial: "Take me out to the ball game..."

By Simplified Instruction

Project goals:Develop strong argumentative skills, both written and orallyUnderstand the differences between criminal, civil, and appellate casesJudge an argument based on evidence and reasoningAbout the project:There are three different cases

Subjects:

English Language Arts, Social Studies - History, Government

Grades:

8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 11^th

Types:

Activities, Handouts, Simulations

CCSS:

CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.3, CCRA.R.5, CCRA.W.1, CCRA.W.5, CCRA.SL.3, CCRA.SL.4, RH.9-10.1, RH.9-10.2, RH.9-10.3...

$9.50

Digital Download ZIP (2.09 MB)

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Starter Kit for Middle School Newspaper, Part 2 (editable) - Reporter Guides

By Simplified Instruction

About This ResourceThe Middle School Newspaper Starter Kit, Part 2 gives guidance to budding middle school reporters. The reporter guides provide an introduction for each type of reporting (culture & entertainment, sports, student life, etc.), a

Subjects:

Writing

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Activities, Handouts, Graphic Organizers

$4.50

Digital Download ZIP (2.99 MB)

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Personal Finance Monthly Budget Board Game (editable!)

By Simplified Instruction

About This LessonThis board game led to hours of fun as students did some #adulting in class! There were some “but that’s not FAIR!!” comments, along with, “REALLY? I have to pay for that?!”, and, my favorite, “I have to pay this bill EVERY MONTH?!

Subjects:

Math, Social Studies - History, Government

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Activities, Games, Simulations

$5.00

Digital Download ZIP (1.64 MB)

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Create a 28th Amendment Simulation (includes editable version)

By Simplified Instruction

About This Lesson In this lesson, students will get the opportunity to participate in a simulation where they’ll create, then try to pass a Constitutional Amendment. It works best when done after students have learned the process of how Amendments

Subjects:

Social Studies - History, Government

Grades:

8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 11^th

Types:

Activities, Handouts, Simulations

CCSS:

CCRA.SL.3, CCRA.SL.4, RH.9-10.6, RH.9-10.8, WHST.9-10.1, WHST.9-10.1a, WHST.9-10.1e, WHST.9-10.2a

$2.00

Digital Download PDF (1.74 MB)

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World War I: Christmas Truce & Poetry Analysis (including "In Flanders Field")

By Simplified Instruction

About This LessonOne thing I am passionate about is infusing literacy and literary analysis into social studies. There is so much to be learned about a time period, conflict, and culture by reading their literature and primary source documents. This

Subjects:

English Language Arts, U.S. History, World History

Grades:

7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, 12^th

Types:

Activities, Lesson

CCSS:

RL.7.1, RL.7.2, RL.7.3, RL.7.4, RL.7.6, RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.4, RL.8.6, RL.9-10.1...

$5.50

Digital Download ZIP (1.44 MB)

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Nothing But The Truth: Activity Pack (editable)

By Simplified Instruction

From creating character sociograms to exploring media bias, I know your students will have as much fun as mine! These activities are jam-packed with relevant information and skills students need to navigate information rich times like ours. What’s

Subjects:

Government, ELA Test Prep

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Unit Plans, Activities

CCSS:

RL.7.1, RL.7.2, RL.7.3, RL.7.4, RL.7.5, RL.7.6, RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.4, RL.8.5...

$8.00

Digital Download ZIP (0.91 MB)

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The Yalta Conference: Analyzing Motives and Outcomes (editable)

By Simplified Instruction

After teaching this lesson, students had a much firmer grasp on why the Cold War happened. This lesson requires students to analyze nine agreements made in the Yalta Conference, then synthesize how each country’s motives would make them feel about

Subjects:

Social Studies - History, World History

Grades:

7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th

Types:

Activities, Handouts, Lesson

CCSS:

RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.6, RH.9-10.3

$2.50

Digital Download ZIP (0.32 MB)

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Digital Interactive Notebook Template - for ELA and Social Studies

By Simplified Instruction

About This ResourceThank you so much for purchasing this lesson! If you’re worried about: Keeping students organized while learning digitally or from a distanceHaving to create a full digital interactive notebook up front for a unitNot having the

Subjects:

English Language Arts, Social Studies - History

Grades:

5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, Homeschool, Staff

Types:

Internet Activities, Interactive Notebooks

$6.75

Digital Download ZIP (4.39 MB)

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World War I Trench Warfare History Lab (editable)

By Simplified Instruction

About This LessonIn this activity, students will analyze a variety of primary sources that reveal what life was like in the trenches of World War I. When they’re done, they will create their own diagram of the trenches and label the various items in

Subjects:

U.S. History, European History, World History

Grades:

7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th

Types:

Activities, DBQs, Lesson

CCSS:

RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.3, RH.6-8.7, RH.9-10.1, RH.9-10.3, RH.9-10.9

$3.00

Digital Download ZIP (3.71 MB)

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Perspectives and Point of View for any Novel Study or Unit (editable!)

By Simplified Instruction

How do our perspectives influence our reactions to people and events? How does the point of view a text is told from impact our understanding of the events, setting, and other characters? This versatile set of lessons guides students through an

Subjects:

Creative Writing, ELA Test Prep

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Activities, Graphic Organizers, Lesson

CCSS:

RL.6.5, RL.6.6, RL.7.5, RL.7.6, RL.8.5, RL.8.6, RL.9-10.5

$5.00

Digital Download ZIP (5.12 MB)

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Introduction to Modern World History: Bundled Mini-Unit!

By Simplified Instruction

These activities are a great way to start off the year with your social studies class!Start by getting to know your students and helping them get to know each other with this identity mind map and classmate interview activity. It will get students

Subjects:

World History, Other (Social Studies - History)

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Activities, Handouts, Lesson

$13.50

$10.00

Bundle

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Nothing But The Truth: Intro Activities, Assessments, & Ch. Analysis (editable)

By Simplified Instruction

Subjects:

English Language Arts, Government

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Activities, Assessment

CCSS:

RL.7.1, RL.7.2, RL.7.3, RL.7.4, RL.7.5, RL.7.6, RL.8.1, RL.8.2, RL.8.3, RL.8.4, RL.8.5...

$8.00

Digital Download ZIP (1.19 MB)

ADD TO CART

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Writing a Newspaper Article Based on a Literature or Nonfiction Text (editable!)

By Simplified Instruction

Are you looking for a great activity that will help students dig into a text at a deeper level, while also working on writing and communication skills? This is a great activity that will wrap up a novel study, the study of a text set, or all the

Subjects:

English Language Arts

Grades:

7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th

Types:

Activities, Outlines, Lesson

CCSS:

RL.7.1, RL.7.3, RL.7.4, RL.7.6, RL.8.3, RL.8.4, RL.8.6, W.7.2b, L.7.5, L.7.5c, L.8.5...

$3.50

Digital Download PDF (0.33 MB)

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Creating a Newspaper Article For Any Social Studies Unit (editable!)

By Simplified Instruction

It's so hard to cover everything in history...something always gets left out. This is a great opportunity for students to dive deeper into a topic, person, or event that interests them, and it's great for incorporating writing into the social

Subjects:

Creative Writing, Social Studies - History, Government

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Activities, Handouts, Lesson

CCSS:

RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.3, RH.6-8.5, WHST.6-8.4

$3.00

Digital Download PDF (0.24 MB)

ADD TO CART

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Editable Student Goal Setting Guide for Middle & High - Print and Digital

By Simplified Instruction

Why Use a Student Goal Setting Guide? Throughout my years in the classroom, I have noticed an alarming trend: students are not taking ownership over their education or decisions that impact their futures. With the advent of social media, YouTube,

Subjects:

School Counseling, Character Education, For All Subjects

Grades:

7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 11^th, 12^th

Types:

Workbooks, Activities, Lesson

$8.50

Digital Download ZIP (6.32 MB)

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World War II Events Research Activity (editable!)

By Simplified Instruction

About This Lesson:In this lesson, students will get an overview of the key events of World War II, then get the opportunity to select which event they’d like to dive into and learn more about (we all know they loooove choice ;)). Students will use

Subjects:

Social Studies - History, U.S. History, World History

Grades:

7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th, 11^th

Types:

Research, Activities

$5.00

Digital Download ZIP (5.13 MB)

ADD TO CART

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Driving Directions Around the World: Geography Intro w/distance learning version

By Simplified Instruction

UPDATE: I have included a digital version of this lesson optimized for distance learning/instruction!--------ABOUT THIS LESSONWhether teaching middle school or high school, I have always been surprised by how little my students know about geography!

Subjects:

Social Studies - History, World History

Grades:

5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th

Types:

PowerPoint Presentations, Activities, Handouts

$3.00

Digital Download ZIP (2.82 MB)

ADD TO CART

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First Week of School Identity Mindmap & Interview w/ Distance Learning version!

By Simplified Instruction

UPDATE: I have now updated this product to include a distance learning version perfect for those schools/districts that will be starting off the school year learning and teaching virtually!--------In this lesson, students will get to know their

Subjects:

English Language Arts, Social Studies - History

Grades:

6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th

Types:

Activities

CCSS:

SL.8.1, SL.8.1a, CCRA.SL.1, CCRA.SL.2, CCRA.L.3, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.5

$3.50

Digital Download ZIP (8.43 MB)

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TEACHING EXPERIENCE

I first started teaching as a long term sub...I was on a cart and taught classes on two different floors. Every day I went home with a pit in my stomach because I had no idea what I was going to teach each day. The following school year I got a full time position teaching middle school social studies. My new job also came with an incredible team of teachers to share and collaborate with. With the mentorship of more seasoned teachers, my instruction slowly improved each year. I went from relying on powerpoints and notes to embracing more activity, project, and discussion based learning. My focus in planning shifted from "what am I doing tomorrow?!!!" to "let's start with the big picture, then make the plan more detailed week by week." My assessments became more intentional and varied instead of last minute tests thrown together at 10pm the day before. Growing as a teacher takes time, collaboration, access to strong educators, and, most of all, patience with yourself. I am so appreciative of those who have played a role in my teaching career, and I'm excited to share my learning and instructional practices with all of you!

MY TEACHING STYLE

student-centered

HONORS/AWARDS/SHINING TEACHER MOMENT

Social Studies Department Chair, Team Leader, Chromebook Pilot Team, Professional Learning Community Facilitor

MY OWN EDUCATIONAL HISTORY

Bachelor of History, Social Studies Secondary Education; Master of Education Leadership; ELA grades 6-9; Social Studies 7-12.

ADDITIONAL BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Yet to be added