Free Hybrid Learning Curriculum for High School Social Studies
High school teacher resources that engage students & inspire problem solving.
Poptential™ is a family of free high school social studies courses that pair pop culture media with digital storytelling for effective hybrid learning. Increase classroom engagement with quizzes, lesson plans, bell ringers and more. Poptential™ is the evolution of Certell’s popular hybrid learning curriculum used by more than 100,000 teachers in 50 states. Available for high school American history, high school world history, government and economics.
About the Curriculum
Bursting with pop culture digital media.
Every Poptential™ course includes reading assignments, video clips and audio excerpts that are digestible and instructive–and chock-full of pop culture. Taken from sitcoms, movies, animations, cartoons, late night shows and other sources, each digital clip has been specifically chosen to help students better understand and retain a specific concept.
Built for dynamic learning.
Poptential™ courses are designed so students can do the reading and consume the multimedia at home, then come to class ready for discussion.
The value of this hybrid learning method? Our digital tools can convey skills and knowledge, giving teachers the bandwidth to provide context, wisdom and motivation.
Standards based and developed by teachers.
You heard us right! Poptential™ is:
- Standards based
- Developed by teachers
- Free for educators, including home schools
- Compatible with classroom apps
- Set to school calendars
Teachers using Poptential™ report:
Increased effectiveness in the classroom (90%)
Increased student engagement (71%)
All you need, all in one place.
Poptential™ courses include everything a social studies instructor needs to teach a subject, including lessons, e-books, bell ringers, quizzes and tests.
All content is available for free via our digital platform, which allows students to access lessons even in poor bandwidth environments. The platform also gives educators real-time analytics on student learning to help teachers refine lessons and better understand the progress of individual students.
Does Poptential™ include Critical Race Theory?
Teachers like Poptential™ because it is free from bias. Virtually every module of our World and American History curriculum includes topic-relevant mini-lessons on race, social organization (class) and other issues pertinent to that module’s topic. We believe this is the appropriate way to assure that our content addresses important and controversial subjects without becoming partisan or ideological.
How It Works
Sign up for free. It’s easy!
Simply click “Teacher Login” in the upper right corner of this website. You can either create a free account or sign in if you already have an account.
Search the dashboard for the e-book that suits you.
Sign in to your free account to access all content on our digital platform. Within the e-book library, simply select the subject and version you desire.
Share the student edition with your classroom.
The last step is as easy as the first. Next to the e-book of your choice, use the “Share With Students” button to generate a personalized digital link.
Subjects Available
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Best Primary & Secondary Tools for Back to School
T&L’s judges recognized Poptential™ as one of the best tools for back to school.
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Poptential™ Teacher-Base Sees 70% Growth in 2021
Certell, Inc., a nonprofit online curriculum developer, announced that the number of teachers using its Poptential™ social studies curriculum packages grew by 70% in 2021, a sign that teachers are looking for ways to infuse lessons with popular culture and digital storytelling to reach digital native students.
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2021 NAEE Curriculum Bronze Award
Certell wins 2021 NAEE Curriculum Bronze Award for Economart from the National Association of Economic Educators
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EdTech Awards 2022 Finalists
A very big congratulations to all The EdTech Awards 2022 finalists! Poptential™ was a Finalist for Best Curriculum and Instruction Solution.
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Poptential™ Teacher-Base Sees Growth of 70% in 2021
Certell, Inc., a nonprofit online curriculum developer, announced that the number of teachers using its Poptential™ social studies curriculum packages grew by 70% in 2021, a sign that teachers are looking for ways to infuse lessons with popular culture and digital storytelling to reach digital native students.
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Digital storytelling: Lessen student anxiety, aid SEL
As the pandemic enters year three, more schools are returning to in-person teaching and making masks optional. However, teachers are finding that getting back to normal is anything but normal. Student anxiety, behavior issues, and learning problems are swelling. That’s why we’re hearing so much about social and emotional learning.
When asked what they like most, teachers using Poptential™ said:
Ease of use
Lack of bias in content
Videos that stimulate class discussion
An overall support of critical thinking skill development
Our mission is to foster a generation of independent thinkers.
We believe the solution to our fractured society is to create avid lifelong learners who can process information thoughtfully. To succeed, we cannot teach the digital generation with analog methods. Our goal is to help educators teach students how to think–not what to think. The content is designed to give students a sensible, informed foundation so they can problem-solve and engage constructively with others.