How to Incorporate Columbus Day in Your Middle School Social Studies Classroom Without Derailing Your Curriculum
As a middle school social studies teacher, it can be hard to strike a balance between sticking to your curriculum map and honoring key moments or holidays like Columbus Day. If you’ve ever thought, “I should do something for this,” only to realize it’s the morning of—you’re not alone. The key to making space for these moments is planning ahead and keeping it efficient and purposeful.
Here’s how to teach about Columbus Day without losing momentum in your curriculum:
Tip 1: Make It a One-Day Lesson (Unless It Aligns With Your Unit)
If Columbus Day doesn’t naturally fit into your scope and sequence, don’t force a weeklong detour. Keep it to one day. However, if you’re teaching 7th grade like me and already covering the Columbian Exchange, Columbus Day becomes the perfect launchpad into a deeper mini-unit.
Quick lesson? Use a structured inquiry or short primary source activity. Mini-unit? Dive into Columbus’s voyages, European motivations for exploration, and the resulting impacts on the world.
Tip 2: Connect It to Your Current Curriculum
No matter what grade you teach, Columbus Day can be reframed to fit the arc of your content:
6th Grade:
When I taught 6th grade, we were studying the geography of the Eastern Hemisphere in October. I used Columbus Day to talk about the regions European explorers came from, what resources they had, and what motivated their expansion abroad.7th Grade:
This year, I’m teaching 7th grade, and it’s a seamless connection to our European Exploration unit. Students get the full picture of Columbus’s impact—good, bad, and complex—through historical inquiry and discussion.8th Grade:
With 8th graders, I shift from history to historical memory. Why do we still celebrate Columbus Day? What are the controversies around it? This age group is ready for critical conversations about institutions, legacies, and representation.
Tip 3: Keep Content Age-Appropriate
Be thoughtful about the materials and the way you guide conversation. Middle schoolers are mature enough to engage in real conversations—but it’s our job to scaffold that learning.
Use guided questions, graphic organizers, and primary sources that balance truth with age-appropriate framing.
Tip 4: Respect Their Background Knowledge (But Don’t Assume Accuracy)
Most students have heard of Columbus, but their understanding is often elementary—or based on biased narratives they’ve inherited from adults or cartoons.
Your job? Add complexity. Help them see history from multiple perspectives. Acknowledge their prior knowledge but challenge them to dig deeper.
Tip 5: Don’t Just Repeat Last Year’s Lesson
Students will notice—and they’ll call you out! Especially if you taught them the year before. If you taught 6th grade last year and you’re in 7th this year (like me), don’t reuse the exact same Columbus Day lesson.
Instead, build on what they already know and raise the bar. Introduce new sources. Spark new questions. Show them that history is not static—it evolves with perspective and reflection.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to skip Columbus Day, and you don’t have to derail your pacing guide. You just have to plan smart and teach intentionally.
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