Catalyst Cards - Social Studies

Classroom Catalysts

Vitalize. Energize. Catalyze.

Kick off the class period with unique activities that spark students' interest. Adapted from comprehensive Center for Learning lesson plans, Classroom Catalysts foster creative and critical thought and develop universal skills key to students' future success. These activities can be used as they are or adapted to fit other subject areas, and all of the lessons from which they have been drawn can be downloaded for free below.

Check out our current English & Language Arts cards.

Economics, Book 1

Catalyze students' ability to evaluate the consequences of a decision.

Have students consider their activities from the prior evening. Ask them what activities they engaged in and what they had to give up in order to engage in that activity. List responses on the board and identify the lost opportunities of each activity. Then discuss what those choices say about group attitudes and values.

Card excerpt from Lesson 2.

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Psychology

Catalyze students’ ability to see practical applications of psychological principles.

Ask students if they identify with the statement on the opposite side of this card. Explain that sometimes a special code word can act as a reminder and jog one’s memory. For example, use HOMES to remember the five Great Lakes (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior). Have students create and share their own code words that correlate to pieces of information they find especially challenging to remember.

Card excerpt from Lesson 7.

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U.S. Government, Book 1

Catalyze students’ ability to combine critical concepts to form conclusions.

Divide students into small groups to discuss the following court case:

A shipping clerk is dismissed from his job after a short probationary period. He believes that he lost his job because he has a physical handicap. He sues his employer, charging that he has been denied property without due process of law.

Have each group determine a probable decision by applying principles of due process and then present its analysis to the class. Have the rest of the class evaluate the constitutionality of each group’s decision.

Card excerpt from Lesson 15.

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World History, Book 3

Catalyze students’ ability to evaluate core beliefs in the context of social and political issues.

Write the term ideology on the board, and lead a classroom discussion about its meaning. Next, have students suggest specific examples of ideologies, identifying ones that are essentially political and/or economic. Assign small groups ideologies to research, including determining the key thinkers, core beliefs, and inherent values for each ideology. Allow time for groups to present their findings to the class.

Card excerpt from Lesson 32.

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