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This book by authors Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell is great for grades PreK-2. Social issues addressed include privilege and competitiveness.
Miralva LeFevre

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This is a 9-12 grade appropriate book that describes social class in a fictional way. It is a good read for high school students.

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This book is an excellent example of social and racial class differences in the 1960's. Grade level 9

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Interest Grade Level 11-12 by author Jane Austen. This fictional story details what impact social class had on people in the past. It would be interesting to draw parallels from the novel to today.

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Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts is a great book for students grades K-2. It addresses economic differences, giving, and wants versus needs.
Miralva LeFevre

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This book written by Jacqueline Woodson is geared toward grades K-3. It is about friendship and social barriers that affected people in the past.
Miralva LeFevre

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What the World Needs Now is a podcast created by two teachers, John Monroe and Tom Whisinnand, who interview educators that inspire. In episode 2, Lyn Porter is a K-2 P.E. teacher that goes above and beyond her teaching duty. In order to include a Native American student, Lyn teaches her students about Native American culture. Which in turn spreads throughout the entire school, and all individuals are positively affected.
Miralva LeFevre

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Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena

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Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena

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K-2 grade this book is great. Grandma helps her little one see why some of us may not have all the same worldly luxuries as others but to see the beauties all around us.

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https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/classroom-exercises
This is a great link for teachers to use. This has examples of ideas to use in the classroom to engage students as well as resources and activities.

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teacherspayteachers.com
This is a website that I use all the time for my classroom. It is more of a all around use site that has something for everything, and everyone. There are a lot of free options as well as pay to use as well. It is well worth the investment for teachers. Once you buy something it is yours to use forever.

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This book is for 2-4 graders. Written by Susan Nielsen-Fernlund, this book is about a girl who wants to bring something for show-and-tell but doesn't have very many possessions to choose from because of her unique circumstances.

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This is a non-fiction book that came out in 2003. It was written by Annette Lareau and really dives into what impact social class has on the way that children are raised. This book would be especially helpful for elementary school teachers.

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This book, written by Bell Hooks, is catered more towards high school teachers. It discusses social class, specifically how it is impacted when combined with racism and sexism.

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We won't fix American politics until we talk about class

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We won't fix American politics until we talk about class

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This video is a Tedx talk by Joan C. Williams. We won't fix American politics until we talk about class | Joan C. Williams | TEDxMileHigh - YouTube
This is a great example of a video for teachers and future teachers to watch. Williams discusses how social class treats people in American society, and how people in American Society treat social class.

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Class in the Media: Writing a Television Show

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Class in the Media: Writing a Television Show

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PEOPLE LIKE US: Social Class in America (cnam.com)
Grades 10-12
Learning Objectives:

1. Students will examine messages about class and class-linked behavior in popular media presentations.

2. Students will use primary source material to make observations.

3. Students will use note-taking, journal-keeping, and writing skills to create a television show synopsis.

4. Students will practice thinking skills of analysis and synthesis.

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PEOPLE LIKE US: Social Class in America (cnam.com)
Grades 7-10
Learning Objectives

1. Students will be introduced to the concepts of role, status, and social class in America.

2. They will be able to use various criteria devised by sociologists for determining class ranking and discuss the validity and appropriateness of these criteria.

3. Students will be able to discuss role, status, and social class and apply these terms to their surroundings.

4. Students will practice research, questioning, discussion, and writing skills.

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Interest grade lever 9-12 by Suzanne Collins. This popular book tells a story of social class that is unlike any other. When young kids have to fight to the death in order to gain status. The rich are set up to win and those from poor districts are thrown to the wolves.

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Interest grade level kindergarten-1st by Katie Harnett. This book helps teach young kids about inclusivity and what it's like to be excluded from things based on who you are or where you came from.

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Recommended for secondary teachers. This book is written by Mathew Desmond and details the lives of single mothers, single fathers, and single people living in Milwaukee's poor, rundown inner city. It details what it's like for the children living there when they and their families are faced with evictions, utilities being cut off, and no food. It's a good read for someone who has never been in these situations and is an eye-opener for what a lot of people have to go through.

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Income Levels & Social Class: is it all about cash?

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Income Levels & Social Class: is it all about cash?

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Grades 5-8

Learning Objectives:

1. Apply understanding of graphing and graph interpretation.

2. Apply understanding of percentages and their calculation.

3. Set up a spreadsheet and do calculations using columns.

4. Reason from data.

I enjoyed this lesson plan because even though all of the learning objectives are mathematic based objectives, I like how the teacher tied in social class into a math lesson.

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This activity addresses the following national content standards as outlined by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, accessible at

Income Levels & Social Class: is it all about cash?
By Michele Soussou

Suggested Grade Levels: 5th - 8th grades

Suggested Subject Area: Mathematics

Students will have the opportunity to:
1. Apply understanding of graphing and graph interpretation.

2. Apply understanding of percentages and their calculation.

3. Set up a spreadsheet and do calculations using columns.

4. Reason from data.

http://standardse.nctm.org/1.0/89ces/Table_of_Contents.html:

1. Computers with internet access

2. Computers with spreadsheet software or calculator and graph paper

3. "Mean Income Received by Each Fifth and Top 5% of Families" handout, available at http://www.epinet.org/datazone/01/incfifth.pdf

4. Group Worksheet (available as a download from this site)

Time Needed:
It is suggested that one to two 45 minute class periods be used for the lesson.

1. Have students log onto the Class in America web site at http://www.pbs.org/peoplelikeus/index.html Students should click on "STORIES" and read each story.

2. After they read the stories, encourage the students to discuss what the income levels of each character might be. How would their income levels affect their lifestyles? Here are some questions to generate class discussion on social class and income levels:

Describe the lifestyles and living standards of the 20% of the population with the highest income level in this country. Now describe the stories and living standards for the 20% of the population that has the middle income level.

Is it possible for people of different income levels to be part of the same social class?

If two families have the same income but make very different choices about how to spend their money (such as how much to spend on housing, travel and entertainment, vs. how much to spend on education, etc.) would they be in the same social class?

What do you think the difference in income level is between the richest fifth of Americans and the poorest fifth of Americans?

Do you think that in other countries the 20% of the population with the highest income level has the same lifestyle as the highest social class in America? Do the poorest 20% around the world have similar living standards?

Do you think the same number of people are in each social class in each country? In America, does each social class described in the stories include the same number of people?

Are social classes distinct or do you think there are people who live on the border between classes? What do you think it would be like to live straddling two classes?

Pass out the sheet "Mean Income Received by Each Fifth and Top 5% of Families." This is available at http://www.epinet.org/datazone/01/incfifth.pdf. Here are some questions to encourage discussion: What do the "lowest fifth", "second fifth" and "highest fifth" refer to? What class would we label the lowest fifth? Second fifth? Third fifth? How would you classify the people in the stories? Is the difference in income between the top and bottom fifths what they predicted it would be?

This is a good opportunity to pick up the pace of the lesson, with quicker questions that involve a lot of students. Some of these questions might include: Give a fraction equivalent to 1/5? Another? How do you know they are equivalent fractions? What is 1/5 equal to as a decimal? As a percentage? How do you change fractions into decimals? How do you change decimals into fractions? How would you write 2/5, 3/5, 4/5 and 5/5 as decimals? As a challenge, how about writing 1/4 as a decimal? 20/80? Can you do any of these quickly or in your head? What makes them so easy?

Divide the class into cooperative groups and pass out Group Worksheet (available as a download from this site). Have the students work on it in groups.

Bring the class back together and lead the discussion as the students compare their results. Try to generate discussion on the cost of living and how it varies across years and regions. You might pose the following questions: Why were all of the numbers on the sheet "Mean Income Received by Each Fifth and Top 5% of Families" reported in 1997 dollars? Is $30,000 always worth the same amount? Does a car cost the same today as 10 years ago? A house? A gallon of milk? Are prices the same across the country?

Go to the web site http://newsengin.com. Look under Free Tools and the Cost of Living Calculator. There are sections titled "Background: How the Cost of Living Calculator Works" and "Details: How The Government Measures Changes in Consumer Prices." These are good background sections. They include the formula that the calculator uses to find the change in prices. Read these before class. There are two calculators. One includes all items and the other includes all items less food and energy. You can also choose whether to look at a U.S. average or a particular city.

Let the students play with the calculators in small groups

Once they have the chance to play with it, explain the background and how the CPI calculator works. You might pose the following questions: Why are there different calculators for different cities? Have the students graph how much $100 in 1950 (or choose another year) in different cities would have as buying power in 1999. Lead a discussion on why the same $100 is worth different amounts in different cities in 1999.

Assessment Recommendation:

1. Students can be evaluated on the accuracy of their responses in the group discussion and on their level of participation in the class discussion.

2. Students can be evaluated on the accuracy of their responses on the Group Worksheet.

Comparison of different regions and states:
1. Log on to http://epinet.org

2. Go to the section titled State & Regional Data. Under Family Earnings and Income Trends there are tables titled "Income Inequality by State" and "Median Income for Four-Person Families".

3. Assign each student or group a different region and have them answer questions about their region:

For income inequality: What does the 6.7 for Maine in 1978-80 mean? Are trends getting better or worse in Maine when it goes to 7.7 in 1988-90?

Ask the students to think about why the income gap is shrinking or growing in their state. What factors could be contributing to the change?

For median income: Have the students explain the difference between median and mean, which was used in the activity sheet. Graph the median incomes by state for 1996. What are some factors that would cause certain states to have high median incomes? Very low median incomes? Is the cost of living the same across the country?

Budgeting extension activity:
1. Divide the class into groups.

2. Assign each group a different size family. For example, one group could represent a family with two parents and two children, another could represent a single parent and child or a single person. Have each group prepare a monthly budget for their family based on a monthly income of $3,714 dollars ($44,568 annually). Each family has the same income level (although it is also possible to assign groups different income levels in addition to different family sizes). Specify which city the students should use as the hometown.

3. Have all the students brainstorm as a group to think up a list of categories that should be included in a budget. Make sure their list includes at least these categories:

Housing - How big a house or apartment? Is it near a good school? Any amenities with the apartment?

Utilities - phone basic service or include call waiting and caller ID? Gas, electricity...

Car - what kind of car? Insurance, gas, maintenance...

Food - groceries and restaurants

Entertainment - travel, movies...

4. Have the students use sources such as the web and newspapers to find realistic prices.

5. Afterwards have each group present their budget to the class. The presentation should include a pie chart to show how the monthly income is split between to budget categories.

6. Discuss how the budget choices change depending on the size of the family and income level. Compare the pie charts for the groups. Is the split between categories similar for each group? For each income level? Students might also work with spreadsheets when building their budgets.

7. Have students research mean incomes in other nations and prepare a chart comparing mean incomes in other countries to the mean income in the United States. In a group discussion, students could brainstorm about why some countries might have a higher or lower mean income than we do i.e. what factors affect the statistics. Explanations might include things like the high population density in certain oil-producing nations, post-colonial under-development, etc.

download the PDF version download the worksheet

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This activity addresses the following national content standards as outlined by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, accessible at Income Levels & Social Class: is it all about cash? By Michele Soussou Suggested Grade Levels: 5th - 8th grades Suggested Subject Area: Mathematics Students will have the opportunity to: Apply understanding of graphing and graph interpretation.

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Targeted for elementary teachers.

This article by Jean Anyon shows teachers the contrasting amounts of school knowledge from two different school districts in New Jersey.

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Social Class and School Knowledge on JSTOR

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Journal Information Curriculum Inquiry is dedicated to the study of educational research, development, evaluation, and theory. This leading international journal brings together influential academics and researchers from a variety of disciplines around the world to provide expert commentary and lively debate.

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Interest Grade Level 7-12

By S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders follows the life of a 14 year old boy named Ponyboy Curtis who believes there are two groups of people in the world: socs and greasers. Socs are people who have money, power, and who can get away with things because they are fortunate in life. A greaser is just the opposite and constantly lives on the outside of society and has to watch their back.

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In this podcast Angela Dye hosts and discusses Social Class and the many different aspects that encompass it. A few of the points she specifically discuses are how social class is an issue of property, power, and prestige.

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Empowerment Starts Here is a podcast that explores power, social change and disrupting the margins. ... Show More

In this episode, the host talks about property, power and prestige as conditions of social class; about class inconsistency and class stratification; and about the consequences of a social class system. To access detailed notes for this episode along with a list of the resources mentioned, click here.

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Empowerment Starts Here is a podcast that explores power, social change and disrupting the margins. ... Show More In this episode, the host talks about property, power and prestige as conditions of social class; about class inconsistency and class stratification; and about the consequences of a social class system.

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The Crash Course Sociology Series has a lot of exceptional information about sociology and the impacts that it has on people in daily life (including education). Linked below, is the video The Impacts of Social Class, which explains social class and its implications. The Crash Course videos explain things in a way that students will understand, making it very productive when trying to teach students.
The Impacts of Social Class: Crash Course Sociology #25 - YouTube

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Breaking Class Barriers Through Education

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Breaking Class Barriers Through Education

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This is a TEDx talk by Richard Curran in which he discusses how helpful and lasting the effects of going to university can be for individuals. The problem he discusses is how not everyone gets an equal opportunity to go to university and many low-income families never get the chance to send themselves or their kids to university.

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Breaking class barriers through education | Richard Curran | TEDxDCU

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PBS Learning Media is a great site for students and teachers alike. You can find resources for multiple subjects which can be filtered by grade level and resource type such as videos, lesson plans, interactive lessons, ect.

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PBS LearningMedia | Teaching Resources For Students And Teachers

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Inspire your students with thousands of free teaching resources including videos, lesson plans, and games aligned to state and national standards.

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GW Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement 

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GW Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement 

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https://diversity.gwu.edu/resources-social-class This website has lots of great information regarding social class, bias, microaggressions and more.

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Resources on Social Class | Diversity & Inclusion | The George Washington University

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On this page you will find resources on social class. If you have additional resources that you would like to submit for consideration for this page please email diverse@gwu.edu. [video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xMCWr0O3Hs width:560 height:315 align:center lightbox_title:Income and Wealth Ine…

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Written by Shannon Olsen. This book is geared for elementary aged students and teaches and celebrates inclusion and support in the classroom. This book teaches children that their classroom is a safe place for them to be and express themselves and that it's okay to make mistakes. It also teaches about the importance of being a friend to everyone.

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Tale of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation  

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Tale of Two Americas: Stories of Inequality in a Divided Nation  

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Written by John Freeman. This book would be recommended for secondary teachers. This book details what it's like to live in a divided nation. It is a collection of 36 essays, poems and short stories that focuses on the inequalities that many Americans face. It discusses hunger, homelessness, racism, and mistreatment of immigrants.

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Behavior Management Social Stories-Habits of a Happy Class

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Behavior Management Social Stories-Habits of a Happy Class

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teacherspayteachers.com
This website has a variety of lesson plans to choose from. This specific lesson plan is designed for prek-2nd grade students. This lesson plan is designed to teach kids habits that are hurtful and helpful in the classroom. It includes two printable stories that will double as posters for setting students and classroom goals.

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m_LzqxmbX-95QiFZFQD6bMgh8p8m-wW_JjlU0JrCyks/edit?usp=sharing

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APS (Association for Psychological Science)

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APS (Association for Psychological Science)

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On this website you can find lots of information about people and the different kinds of circumstances that could affect their brain. The link I have below is specific to Social Class as Culture and what the mental implications for that are. As a future teacher, this website would be super useful if I had questions about what my students' backgrounds might mean.
Social Class in the U.S. | Boundless Sociology (lumenlearning.com)