Episode 104

Why Teachers Skip Social Studies

Published on: 9th June, 2025

Social studies often gets pushed to the back burner in elementary classrooms. But why? In this episode, I’m breaking down the two biggest challenges upper elementary social studies teachers face and sharing real solutions you can use starting tomorrow.

Whether you’re struggling with limited time, lack of resources, or just feeling unsure where to start, you’re not alone - and there are solutions. If you want to teach engaging, standards-aligned social studies without the overwhelm, this video is for you.

🎯 What You’ll Learn:

  • The top 2 challenges upper elementary teachers face with social studies
  • Why these issues are so common across schools
  • Simple, actionable ways to bring social studies back into your weekly routine

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5 Social Studies Guided Notes

Get guided notes covering 5 common social studies topics that are low-prep and easy to use as reference guides, anchor charts, and more!

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Social Studies Guided Curriculum

Easy-to-follow lesson plans and activities for social studies - just print and teach! The complete bundles for Communities, Texas History, and U.S. History are available. Click the link to learn more!

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About the Podcast

The Social Studies Teacher Podcast
Social Studies Strategies, Tips, and Ideas for Upper Elementary Teachers
Are you an upper elementary educator looking for simple strategies that will help make teaching social studies easy and fun? This podcast is perfect for 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade teachers and parents who want to maximize their time and bring social studies to life in their classrooms!

Your host, Kirsten of The Southern Teach, is a mom and educator with over a decade of experience teaching in the classroom. She is all about simple and actionable strategies that result in wins, big or small.

Each week, she'll share a variety of tips on integrating social studies with other subjects, teaching accurate and culturally-relevant social studies topics, lesson and resource ideas, and more! Listen in for ways to make teaching social studies manageable, fun, and best of all - rewarding for both you and your kids!