Free Lesson Plans: Understanding the Refugee Experience

Ms. Rita Ulrich, a Fulbright-Hays fellow, traveled to Bulgaria and Greece in 2017 to better understand the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe.  She recently contributed her lessons – detailed text appropriate for the middle or high school classroom, complete with creative activities and guided reading questions.  It’s everything you need to humanize this unfolding human tragedy for your students.

  • Refugees and Human Rights in Bulgaria (Free online text suited for middle or high school classroom use, guided reading questions, and suggested activities): What are refugees, why are they in European countries like Bulgaria, and how is the United Nations involved?
  • The Psychology of a Refugee Crisis (Free online text suited for middle or high school classroom use, guided reading questions, and suggested activities): What psychological dangers do refugees face throughout their journey and during their time searching for safety and a new home?

There are also plenty of free lessons featuring other nations currently in the news.

Learn how you can submit your own work to Openendedsocialstudies.org.

What is Openendedsocialstudies.org?

Open Ended Social Studies collects and presents original and dynamic classroom materials focusing on parts of the world neglected by traditional world history textbooks in the United States.  The middle and high school lessons hosted here aim to foster critical and historical thinking, greater cultural awareness, and a sense of wonder about the world and our place in it. Open Ended Social Studies is free, always growing, and collaborative – please check back and contribute often.

Browse all of the free texts, activities, and lesson plans – all of the chapters missing from your conventional textbook.

Check out the library of travel writing and photography from previous adventures in the field.

Uxmal: Thrice Built City of the Maya

Check out this new Openendedsocialstudies documentary short, shot on location at Uxmal, a Maya ruin in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.  This tour of the city is a great introduction to Maya culture and can be enjoyed by the casual viewer, the history buff, or in the classroom, in conjunction with our brand new (and totally free) unit on the ancient Maya.

The Maya: Illuminated Offspring of the Makers

Continue reading “The Maya: Illuminated Offspring of the Makers”

The Basics of Ancient Maya Civilization

This lesson was reported from:
Adapted in part from open sources.

Continue reading “The Basics of Ancient Maya Civilization”

The Psychology of a Refugee Crisis

What psychological dangers do refugees face throughout their journey and during their time searching for safety and a new home?
Continue reading “The Psychology of a Refugee Crisis”

Refugees and Human Rights in Bulgaria

What are refugees, why are they in European countries like Bulgaria, and how is the United Nations involved? Continue reading “Refugees and Human Rights in Bulgaria”

The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters is a traditional name for the three main agricultural crops of various Native American groups in North America. They are winter squashmaize (corn), and climbing beans.

This lesson was reported from:
Adapted in part from open sources.

Continue reading “The Three Sisters”

The Yucatan: An Upcoming Open Ended Social Studies Expedition

In late November, Openendedsocialstudies.org founder Thomas Kenning will undertake a research expedition to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.  This trip will form the basis of a new set of lessons covering the Maya civilization, furthering our mission of presenting original and dynamic classroom materials focusing on parts of the world neglected by traditional world history textbooks in the United States.

Continue reading “The Yucatan: An Upcoming Open Ended Social Studies Expedition”