One of the 8th grade standards in ELA asks students to analyze point of view (of characters) in text, and in Social Studies to identify the differences between renewable and non-renewable natural resources.
Again, I found literature - specifically Dr. Seuss - to be excellent for both these objectives. It's fun, wonderfully visual, and a simple Google search pulls up multiple videos of the book.
The students understand both concepts relatively quickly: the different POVs of the characters, and the differences between renewable and non-renewable natural resources.
I bought 7-8 copies of the book (plentiful in used book stores) and students read one copy in groups of 4-5. We then enjoyed watching a short animated version on YouTube. There's even a reading over Dr. Dre rap beats that will keep them listening! We discussed it, then students answered the questions.
I used it as an intro to both ELA & SS units. Although there are 25 questions, they blaze through them!
There's also an excellent Lorax economics project for elementary, middle school and high school grade levels available through The Stock Market Game. This is subscription only content, so I won't post it here, but the rates were reasonable for teachers. My students enjoyed it immensely and were able to tie it to their prior knowledge of this text.
Common Core Standards for Social Studies include S5.C1.PO 1-3 & 5, and for ELA, 8.RL.6.
