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Gordon S. Wood Alva O. Way University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus, Brown University

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The revolutionary ideas of 1776 and the national framework established in 1787 laid the foundation for America’s story—chapters that continue to shape our nation today. This toolkit gives you everything you need to explore the founding documents and the enduring vision they set in motion.

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American Revolution | Native Knowledge 360

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American Revolution | Native Knowledge 360

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American Revolution | Native Knowledge 360°

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Resources for teaching a people’s history of the American Revolution.

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Teaching the 250th with Historic Places: A Field Guide to Lessons for America’s Semiquincentennial (U.S. National Park Service)

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TCI | K-12 Social Studies | America’s 250th Birthday

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TCI is here to help educators bring history alive through Social Studies lessons, activities, and resources that foster curiosity, build civic understanding, and highlight the voices that shaped our nation.

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Teaching the American Revolution in Today's Society

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Teaching the American Revolution in Today's Society

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Teaching the American Revolution in today’s society: Lessons for the 250th anniversary

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Explore lesson ideas for teaching the American Revolution and how its objectives and conflicts remain relevant in today’s society.

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American Revolution | Elementary Curriculum

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American Revolution | Elementary Curriculum

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American Revolution | Elementary Curriculum | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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American Revolution | Elementary Curriculum | |

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250th Anniversary of the American Revolution

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250th Anniversary of the American Revolution

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The American Revolution | Ken Burns in the Classroom

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The American Revolution | Ken Burns in the Classroom

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The American Revolution | Ken Burns in the Classroom | PBS LearningMedia

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This twelve-hour series examines how thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast united in rebellion, won their independence, and established a republic that still endures. The film follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds, drawing on thousands of images, maps, archival documents, as well as interviews with leading scholars of the Revolutionary era. It offers an expansive, evenhanded look at the virtues and the contradictions in the fight for independence and the birth of the United States.

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Government Information for Children (GIC)

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Government Information for Children (GIC)

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LibGuides: History Day - Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History: Home

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LibGuides: History Day - Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History: Home

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The Gilder Lehrman Institute is proud to offer a customized version of the US citizenship exam for K–12 classrooms and learners of all ages

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The Gilder Lehrman Institute is proud to offer a customized version of the US citizenship exam for K–12 classrooms and learners of all ages

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United States Citizenship Test | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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United States Citizenship Test | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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SMASH students take on courtroom setting in unique PBL opportunity

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Sarah Daunis’ fourth grade class at Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH) traveled to the new Samohi Exploration Building for “Fairy Tales on Trial,” the culmination of a six-week integrated project-based learning unit.

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Course of the American Revolution (3rd-5th)

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Course of the American Revolution (3rd-5th)

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American Revolution, teaching revolutionary history, key events, course of

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How did Americans show courage in their fight for liberty during the American Revolution?

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Explore

In the Explore section of the lesson, students will consider the views of colonists during the lead up to the American Revolution and investigate the values of justice and natural rights in the Declaration of Independence. The Explore section is broken into two parts. The formative assessment in each part builds skills students will need for the final performance assessment.

Explore Part 1: What did colonists think about British rule? (45-60 minutes)

In the first Explore Activity of this unit, students will encounter the stories of real people from the 13 colonies in the lead up to the American Revolution. They will investigate different colonists and describe them and their views of British rule through an around the room activity. Then, they will create a debate outline using prompts and information they have gathered.

Glossary term(s): term(s) that can be used during this part of the lesson for pre-teach opportunities:

Colonist Views Around the Room
Facilitation Note: Students will need a clipboard or other hard surface to write on, a copy of , and writing utensil (or online access and device). Students will move around the room for this activity.
Before class, place Character Cards around the room in places students can access. As they enter the room, post a list of materials they will need and ask them to collect or distribute materials for class to begin.

Work with students to go over Handout B for the activity. Go over each box and detail your expectations for students both in terms of work quality and behavior during the activity.

When students are prepared and ready for independent work, release students to begin moving around the room. You can allow students to move independently or set the class up like stations with timers and move all students at the same time.

Scaffolding Note: The character cards can be printed for students who are unable to move around the room. Students can also be partnered with a peer for the around the room.
Class Discussion Prompts:
When students have completed the activity or time has expired, bring students back to a seat for a debrief and class discussion.

Which Colonial character was most interesting to you?

What do all of these people have in common?

Which colonists seemed very unhappy with British rule?

Which colonists enjoyed or were indifferent to British rule?

Justice is Upholding what is fair and right, respecting the rights and dignity of all. Which colonists would see British rule as injustice, or the opposite of justice?

To finish this activity, conduct a formative assessment to assess student learning in this content and build skills for the summative assessment at the end of the unit. Students will need a piece of paper, writing utensil, and place to write independently.

Formative Assessment: Writing a Debate Outline

To begin, distribute paper or copies of Handout G for students to write with.

Guide students in writing bullet points to outline a debate statement using the formula. If students are older or more independent, set your expectations and see how students do on their own. If students are younger or need more support, it is suggested to walk through each step with them for this first attempt at debate writing.

The topic: Many colonists felt the same way about British rule.
Debate Statement Formula:
Teacher Note: The topic is purposefully vague to allow students to argue either side. Yes, many people did feel the same, or no many people did not. Students will choose the side they feel they can best support.

Introduction: Introduce yourself, the topic and the side you will be arguing for, and your claim

Support Your Idea: Have 2-3 strong and relevant points to support your claim

Rebuttal: Address and state a reason that will counter what the opposing side is claiming

Conclusion: Restate your claim and points and then thank the audience

Scaffolding Note: Sentence stems can be very useful for students in this task.

Give formative assessment feedback to students in freeform comments in a timely manner so they have a check on their understanding and skills as they move on to the next phase of the lesson.

Teacher note: Rebuttal or counterclaim is an advanced skill. Students may need extra support with the concept when writing with the debate formula such as extra checks, or attempts. It can be omitted if needed for your time restraints or student population.

Explore Part 2: How does the Declaration of Independence show the American ideals of Justice and Natural Rights? (30-45 minutes)

In this Explore activity, students will investigate the Declaration of Independence, looking for the American ideals of justice and natural rights. They will work through a primary source activity of the teacher's choice, and then write a debate paragraph and practice their speaking skills.

Glossary term(s): term(s) that can be used during this part of the lesson for pre-teach opportunities:

Grievances

Declaration

Independence

Affirmative

Negative

Primary Source Activity

To begin, read Handout C using a read-aloud style from the teacher support document and/or watch the Lesson Video. These resources give context for what happened between colonial British rule and the decision to declare independence.
True/False Quick Check Questions:
Allow students to ask questions about the reading or video. Then lead students in a quick true or false check for understanding. Students will give a thumbs up for true, and a thumbs down for false. If you want to add difficulty, you have students play with their heads down on their desk, or challenge students to correct the false statements.

The French and Indian War was only between France and the Native American tribes? False

The British government began to tax the colonies because they thought the Americans should share in the cost of protecting themselves. True

The "Intolerable Acts" were a punishment for the Boston Tea Party. True

Taxes were the only reason Americans wanted to declare independence. False

The next part of the lesson has two options. Option 1 is designed for younger learners, or learners who need more support. In this option, students view the Declaration of Independence as art and listen to excerpts read aloud. Option 2 is designed for older learners or learners who need less support. In this option, students read excerpts of the Declaration in groups with a scaffolded organizer. These options can be used separately or together.

Option 1

To begin, display this copy of the Declaration of Independence on the classroom board and distribute copies of Handout D to students. Handout D is a See, Think, Wonder chart to aid students in analyzing and reflecting on what they learn.

First, students view the Declaration as a piece of art and fill in the "See" portion of Handout D. Then, students listen as they read aloud these excerpts from the Declaration of Independence. The teacher excerpts contain pauses and questions for reflection for the students as they fill in the "Think" portion of Handout D. Then allow students 3-5 minutes to complete the "Wonder" portion of Handout D Independently.

If time allows, take a few minutes to share student responses from the activity.

Option 2

To begin, arrange students into groups and distribute Handout E. The worksheet has 3 parts designed to be printed on separate sheets of paper. This way, you can have all groups complete a part, discuss, and then move on. Or, you can give groups all 3 parts and allow them to move through the activity at their own pace.

With your method for completing the handout chosen, make your expectations for work quality and behavior clear to your students and begin.

Because primary sources are particularly difficult for students of this age to grapple with, be sure to be on hand to support them and move around the room frequently.
Discussion Questions:
When students have completed the activity or time has expired, discuss the primary source with your students in a whole group with the discussion questions.

What do you think the Founders are trying to say by capitalizing "In Congress"?

Why is it significant that the document is "unanimous"?

Why does this document include a long list of grievances?

What section do you think is the most important? Why?

Where are natural rights discussed in the document?

Consider the claim "The Declaration of Independence is built on the concept of natural rights". How do the writers support this claim?

How does the idea of justice show up in the Declaration of Independence?

Consider all of the Principles and Virtues. What other principles and virtues do you think apply to the Declaration of Independence?

Formative Assessment: Speaking a Debate Paragraph

To finish this section of the lesson, students will complete a formative assessment in which they write a debate statement in paragraph form, using the same formula as before and then practice reading it aloud. The repetition is purposeful. This formative assessment builds on the previous formative assessment and leads students to build skills to ready them for the summative assessment.

To begin, post or provide each student with a copy of the BRI Elementary Principles and Virtues. Ask students to share any thoughts, questions, or confusions about the document.

Then, introduce the writing topic.

Topic: Of all the principles and virtues, t he ideals of justice and natural rights are the most important part of the Declaration of Independence.

This topic is more complex than the last writing topic to give students the opportunity to expand on their opinion. For instance: Yes, justice and natural rights are the most important part of the Declaration. Or, no they are not, these other principles and virtues are more important. Be sure to emphasize to students that they are not arguing for or against the ideals of the Declaration, but which are most important.
Sentence stems:

Introduction: Introduce yourself, the topic and the side you will be presenting, and your claim
Affirmative is for, Negative is against

Support Your Idea: Have 2-3 strong and relevant points to support your claim

Rebuttal: Address and state a reason that will counter what the opposing side is claiming

Conclusion: Restate your claim and points and then thank the audience with eye contact.

My name is ____________.

When considering the topic _____, I agree/disagree.

My claim is ______.

Others may think _________, but I disagree because ______.

In conclusion, __________. Thank you.

Scaffolding note: You can use similar scaffolds for students from the last formative assessment, pushing students a little closer to independence. The writing formula, sentence stems, and prompts in the Teacher Slide deck can all support your students.

Finally, have students informally share their debate paragraph in small groups with active listening, general presentation behavior (eye contact, gestures, voice projection) and key words ( For example, In my opinion, Consequently, Therefore, Specifically, That is why). The teacher slide deck has an assignment slide to facilitate this activity.

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Causes of the American Revolution, teaching colonial history, taxation without representation, British policies, American independence, revolutionary events

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The ideals of natural rights and justice inspired a revolution for independence in the American colonies. Explore the Declaration of Independence!

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Colonial Era, teaching American history, significance of colonial life, lessons on early settlement, impact on U.S. development

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How did individuals show courage in the Colonial era?

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Wisconsin eighth graders connect Constitution with presidential election

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Students in Chuck Taft’s social studies class at the University School of Milwaukee have pocket-sized Constitutions they carry as reminders that people should understand the Constitution and the Electoral College before choosing the most powerful person on the planet.

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Resources for talking about Montana's Constitution 

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Resources for talking about Montana's Constitution 

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New! The Montana 1972 Constitutional Convention (Designed for grades 11-12) This intensive dive into Montana’s constitutional convention asks students to analyze and compare the preambles of both the 1889 and 1972 Montana Constitutions before exploring how the 1972 constitution came to be, researching some of the major people and events of the 1972 Constitutional Convention, and presenting their findings in a digital “yearbook.” While the full lesson takes eight to eleven 50-minute class periods, parts can be used independently.

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Montana's State Flower: A Lesson in Civic Engagement

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Montana's State Flower: A Lesson in Civic Engagement

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This page has all the materials associated with the lesson plan Hazel Hunkins, Billings Suffragist: A Primary Source Investigation

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The Declaration of Independence and the "merciless Indian Savages"

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The Declaration of Independence and the "merciless Indian Savages"

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Teachers Use Creative Methods to Teach Elections

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Teachers Use Creative Methods to Teach Elections

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How are teachers bringing the presidential election to classrooms? In very different ways.

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Chalkbeat and Headway visited classrooms across the U.S. and found teachers using a variety of approaches to teach the 2024 election, from mock debates to messy conversations.

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Mock Elections in Schools Evolve to Build Trust in Democracy

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Schools use mock elections to help build voting habits early and help students understand the electoral process.

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How are Wisconsin teachers bringing elections into the classroom?

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Teachers are facing decisions on how to talk about elections. In Wisconsin, there are a lot of factors that may influence that decision.

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You, Me, Community | Teach Your Way | PBS LearningMedia

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Use the Teach Your Way calendar and teacher planner to integrate media in creative and developmentally-appropriate ways, all year long!

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The collection offers resources that bring the perspective of the humanities to questions of racial justice, gender equality, the evolution of the American landscape, and America’s place in the world. Many examples come from the debates and documents that form the foundations of American government. Also included are resources that show how Americans have wrestled with these questions in works of literature and art. Each set of resources is accompanied by a series of compelling questions and connections that invite students to reflect on broader themes and issues as they examine their own role in the enduring work of building “a more perfect union.”

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The NEH initiative " A More Perfect Union" supports civics and U.S. history education in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. This Teacher's Guide brings together EDSITEment resources in history, civics, literature, arts, and culture that promote a deeper understanding of American history and culture and that advance civic education and knowledge of the core principles of U.S. government.

Each set of resources is accompanied by a series of compelling questions and connections that invite students to reflect on broader themes and issues and to approach the idea of "a more perfect union" across the humanities.

Guiding Questions

Lesson Plan: The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said (grades 6-8): By examining records of the Constitutional Convention, such as James Madison's extensive notes, students will learn how the Founding Fathers debated, and then resolved, their differences as they drafted the U.S. Constitution.

Lesson Plan: The Constitutional Convention: Four Founding Fathers You May Never Have Met (grades 6-8): Introduce your students to four key, but relatively unknown, contributors to the U.S. Constitution - Oliver Ellsworth, Alexander Hamilton, William Paterson, and Edmund Randolph.

Lesson Plan: Slavery and the American Founding: The "Inconsistency Not to Be Excused" (grades 6-12): John Jay wrote in 1786, "To contend for our own liberty, and to deny that blessing to others, involves an inconsistency not to be excused." This lesson will focus on the views of the founders on slavery as expressed in primary documents from their own time and in their own words.

Lesson Plan: Magna Carta: Cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution (grades 9-12): The Magna Carta served to lay the foundation for subsequent declarations of rights in Great Britain and the United States. In this lesson, students learn about its influence on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Curriculum: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 (grades 9-12): This set of three lessons explores the context for the Constitution and the debates that shaped this foundational document.

Curriculum: The Federalist and Anti-federalist Debates on Diversity and the Extended Republic (grades 9-12): Two lessons track early debates about the size and scope of the U.S. government.

Lesson Plan: The Creation of the Bill of Rights: "Retouching the Canvas" (grades 9-12): Learn about the arguments for and against the Bill of Rights and how it was influenced by Enlightenment-era thought about government and freedom. The lesson plan is accompanied by this Student Activity.

Closer Readings Commentary: Ten Ways to Teach the U.S. Constitution: This commentary provides a range of ways to approach the Constitution and the ways different people and groups have engaged with, critiqued, and interpreted the Constitution over time.

Teacher's Guide: Commemorating Constitution Day: This robust collection of resources includes lessons about the framers, the debates informing the creating of the Constitution, educational games, and Spanish-language learning materials.

Compelling Questions & Connections

What tensions, conflicts, and uncertainties did the founders confront as they drafted the Constitution? How did they approach these challenges? What has been the impact of their decisions over time?

Who was included in the union as conceived by the Constitution and Bill of Rights? What forms of exclusion appear in these documents?

How can artistic renderings of this moment in history, like the painting that opens this Teacher's Guide, shape our understanding of these documents and the processes that led to their creation and ratification?

The Media Resource Picturing America: Washington & Selma places Emmanuel Leutze's iconic painting in conversation with James Karales's photograph of the Selma-to-Montgomery march for voting rights. How does this juxtaposition complicate triumphalist narratives of freedom from England?

Explore questions of historical memory through art with the Media Resource Picturing America: Paul Revere.

Compelling Questions & Connections

"Tradition" is often associated with positive and celebratory moments, but tradition can also enshrine practices and representations that are harmful. The Media Resource Picturing America: Blackhawk & Catlin invites students to think about common-"traditional"-representations of Native Americans and what narratives of Native American life and culture they perpetuate.

What other precedents and traditions originated around the time of the founding? Do you think they are important to preserve? Why or why not?

Curriculum: A House Dividing: The Growing Crisis of Sectionalism in Antebellum America (grades 9-12): I n this unit, students will trace the development of sectionalism in the United States as it was driven by the growing dependence upon, and defense of, black slavery in the southern states.

Student Activity: Frederick Douglass's, "What To the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" (grades 6-12):Students are guided through a careful reading of Douglass's speech, in which he both praises the founders and their principles, and condemns the continued existence of slavery.

Curriculum: Abraham Lincoln on the American Union: "A Word Fitly Spoken" (grades 9-12): This lesson explores Lincoln's evolving political thought on questions of freedom, slavery, and the American union, from 1861-1865.

Curriculum: The Battle Over Reconstruction (grades 9-12): Though the North won the Civil War, what this meant for the future of the union was not clear. Conflicts over the meaning of the union-who belonged, on what terms, and how those terms were enforced-continued long after the end of the war (indeed, these conflicts continue today).

Teacher's Guide: The Reconstruction Era: This set of resources frames a unit of study addressing the Reconstruction and its aftermath.

Media Resource: BackStory: How Reconstruction Transformed the Constitution: This media resource is based on an interview with historian Eric Foner, who discusses the Reconstruction amendments (the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments) and the need to revisit the common narrative of Reconstruction as a "failure."

To what extent did the Civil War and Reconstruction represent "a second founding," to use the words of Civil War historian Eric Foner?

Why has Reconstruction often been portrayed as a failure? To what extent do you agree or disagree with this assessment?

Compelling Questions & Connections

What Constitutional debates surfaced as the United States government expanded social program? As the Supreme Court declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional?

How have social movements and legislative change related to each other over the course of the twentieth century? Some movements to consider include:

The labor movement

The suffrage movement

The Progressive movement

The civil rights movement

The Chicano movement

The anti-war movement

The feminist movement

What have been some of the connections between the political and intellectual history of the United States and the rest of the world?

The Media Resource W.E.B. DuBois Papers invites an exploration of the relationship between civil rights in the U.S.and Pan-Africanism abroad, while also introducing Black intellectual history through primary sources.

The Curriculum Woodrow Wilson and Foreign Policy offers a series of four lessons addressing the origins and legacy of Wilsonianism, one of the most influential approaches to foreign policy, with reverberations felt to this day.

Compelling Questions & Connections

What civic values are portrayed by the authors of these works of literature and poetry?

Do you think that literature is an effective way to express and reflect on civic ideals? Why or why not?

Compelling Questions & Connections

Can fiction communicate truth? How?

Why might fiction be an important vehicle for telling certain histories?

How can art and literature serve as social commentary?

What do literary representations of historical or current events add to our understanding of them?

The Judicial Branch The Legislative Branch The Executive Branch Compelling Questions & Connections

What is the purpose of government?

How is the U.S. government structured? How does this relate to its purpose? To the way the government functions?

How does the government interact with the people it governs, and vice versa? Think about resident non-citizens, asylum seekers, incarcerated people, and residents of U.S. territories.

What are different forms of civic engagement? To whom are these forms of engagement available?

Compelling Questions & Connections

Which of the debates and issues raised in these episodes of BackStory continue to resonate today? What do you know now about their historical roots?

How does understanding the history of landmark legislation and the way it was passed affect your understanding of the legislation and its impacts, intended and otherwise?

There is often a disjuncture between what the law says and what takes place in practice. Can you think of any examples of such a disjuncture between law and practice? If legal measures have been taken to correct for it, to what extent have they been successful?

Another disconnect often surfaces between the values popularly associated with the United States and the reality experienced by many of the country's residents. Can you think of examples of this disconnect? Why might they persist?

Arts & Culture of America

Media Resource: Jazz Ambassadors: The United States tried to leverage African American jazz musicians to bolster its international image during the Cold War, but the artists were unafraid to speak honestly about the inequalities faced by African Americans in their country.
Compelling Questions & Connections

How have different artists represented parts of the experiences of Black Americans?

What cultural, social, and institutional contexts contributed to the production of these works of art and music?

Explore other dimensions of African American and Black American arts with these EDSITEment resources:

Compelling Questions & Connections

How does the growth of suburbs in the second half of the twentieth century connect to larger themes in U.S. history?

The Media Resource Thurgood Marshall Before the Court includes activities and questions addressing the lasting effects of residential segregation, in which suburbanization plays a major role.

Compelling Questions & Connections

What tensions do you notice in the human-nature relationship as portrayed in these works of art?

What is the role of technology in this relationship? The Media Resource BackStory: Man vs. the Machine - Technophobia and American Society provides additional discussion on the place of technology and technophobia in U.S. history.

How are the transformations wrought by humans on the landscape been represented by artists over time? What aspects of these transformations are not visible in these works of art? The Lesson Plan The Impact of the Transcontinental Railroad (grades 6-8) provides one example of a major infrastructure project and its effects.

EDSITEment has a range of resources for exploring local landscapes and the forces that have shaped them: the Media Resource Exploring Local History with Clio and the Teacher's Guide Investigating Local History are good places to start.

Picturing America: Pottery and Baskets: Learn about the art of indigenous peoples of North America and how knowledge of technique and craftsmanship is passed from one generation to the next for hundreds and thousands of years.

Picturing America: Saint-Gaudens & Homer: The Civil War was a devastating conflict. Hundreds of thousands of people died, and those veterans that survived the war faced the prospect of returning to "normal life." Augustus Saint-Gauden's "Shaw Memorial" and Winslow Homer's "The Veteran in a New Field" represent two artists' attempts to grapple with the aftermath of the war.

Picturing America: "The Sources of Country Music" and "The County Election": Study Thomas Hart Benton's "The Sources of Country Music" and George Bingham's "The County Election," analyzing their representation of American democracy and public life.

Picturing America: Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother": Dorothea Lange's photograph of a migrant woman in Nipomo, California has become one of the most iconic and easily-recognizable images of the Great Depression. Learn more about the photograph, and Lange's other work, with this video from Picturing America.

Picturing America: Washington & Selma: This video connects the founding of the United States to the fight for Civil Rights through the work of Emmanuel Leutze and James Karales.

Compelling Questions & Connections

Which works of art do you recognize? Which are unfamiliar?

How does each work of art connect to and/or complicate the theme of "a more perfect union"?

What do you notice about the artists who created the works of art in the Picturing America series? Who is represented and how?

Who is represented, and how, in these works of art?

As students think about the meanings of "a more perfect union" and their relationship to it, exploring the local landscape and its connection to broader themes in U.S. history and culture can be a way for students to feel a deeper connection to place. The NEH-funded project Clio provides a way for students to explore what's around them, and contribute their own knowledge and research.

The National Mall is one of the most symbolically-loaded places in the national imaginary, and an important reflection of the dynamics of inclusion and exclusion that have shaped the United States for centuries. The NEH-funded project Histories of the National Mall allows students to explore the Mall, reflecting on those traces of history that have been permanently commemorated there, as well as those events, processes, and people that are not visible parts of the landscape.

Compelling Questions & Connections

What landmarks, monuments, or other historic locations are there in your community? Are they marked?

Select a person, event, or place that you would like to commemorate. How would you do so? Why?

In 2016, filmmaker Ken Burns discussed the importance of the humanities to civil discourse, mutual understanding, and civic responsibility. In a society like ours, "beset by discontinuity and disagreement," Burns believes that history can become "a table around which all of us can have a civil discourse and try to evoke those 'better angels of our nature.'"

In 2011, historian Drew Gilpin Faust spoke about the ways the Civil War has been commemorated and its legacies contested for over a century, with these debates about the interpretation of the war "mirroring our contemporary debates about national purposes."

Compelling Questions & Connections

According to Burns and Faust, what is the importance of history in the present?

What connection does Burns make between the humanities and civic responsibility?

According to Faust, how are war and the humanities entwined?

Learn more about Ken Burns's work with A Teacher's Guide to the Films of Ken Burns.

Slave Voyages tracks the movements of enslaved people from Africa to destinations across the Atlantic World. It provides a visual way to contextualize the economies of U.S. slavery and can help students reflect on different ways of representing enslaved people and their experiences.

Freedom on the Move is a database of tens of thousands of advertisements for fugitive slaves. Intended to control the movement of enslaved people, these advertisements also provide an important source of information about enslaved people and their attempts to secure their freedom. Users can search advertisements, contribute advertisements they find, and help transcribe entries. Use of the database requires the creation of a free account.

Visualizing Emancipation tracks "emancipation events" to illustrate both the patterns and complexity in the collapse of Southern slavery. In addition to a geographic representation of these events, the project links to the primary source documents that recorded them.

Compelling Questions & Connections

What kinds of primary sources document the lives of enslaved people?

What challenges do these sources pose?

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The NEH initiative " A More Perfect Union" supports civics and U.S. history education in preparation for the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. This Teacher's Guide brings together EDSITEment resources in history, civics, literature, arts, and culture that promote a deeper understanding of American history and culture and that advance civic education and knowledge of the core principles of U.S.

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This page has all the materials associated with the lesson plan Hazel Hunkins, Billings Suffragist: A Primary Source Investigation

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Voting and elections are an essential part of democracy. Keep up with election news, study the history and process of elections, learn about voting rights, and engage in classroom debates with these videos, activities, and lesson plans. Encourage your students to think critically about local and national issues and create media voicing their perspectives and advocating for change.

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Students are confused about how to evaluate online information. We all are. The COR curriculum, created by Stanford History Education Group (SHEG)  provides free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world. Level middle to high school.

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Free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.

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We educators have a particularly unusual, perhaps unique, challenge on our hands this year-how to teach about this fall's elections, especially given that the Republican presidential nominee is a convicted felon and the likely Democratic nominee is a late replacement for the sitting president, who just stepped down on Sunday from running for reelection. And the backdrop is fraught with pitch-high tension.

Today's post is the first in a series where teachers share their plans.

'Co-Create Agreements'
Lindsay Lyons is an educational justice coach who helps schools and districts co-create feminist, anti-racist curricula, discussion opportunities, and policies that challenge, affirm, and inspire all students. A former New York City public school teacher, she holds a Ph.D. in leadership and change and is the founder of the blog and podcast, Time for Teachership 1. Co-create baseline assumptions and agreements :
During the 2016 election, I taught in a school for students who had recently immigrated to the U.S. Teaching about the events and rhetoric related to that election was emotional. I learned a lot. I've learned a lot since. Here are three big ideas I'm coaching teachers to plan for as they prepare to teach the 2024 presidential election.
2. Thoughtfully design the prompt and format
Baseline assumptions: Before you create agreements, co-create "baseline assumptions" (from Justin Dolcimascolo-Garrett and Katie Cubano) that set "agreed-on values, beliefs, and non-negotiables" and boundaries around what is not up for debate. In their book, Cubano and Beth Pandolpho explain that agreements are about how we discuss, and assumptions are what we talk about. They share examples of assumptions such as, "All humans have a right to food, water, and shelter" and prompts for developing baseline assumptions in this free PDF.

Discussion agreements: Next, invite students to share specific agreements for discussions. An example agreement might be: "When we disagree, we will engage with curiosity" or more specifically, "When we disagree with a comment, we will ask: "What do you mean by that?" Glenn Singleton's Four Agreements of Courageous Conversations is a good starting point for thinking about what's possible. Remember to include an agreement on what to do if someone breaks an agreement. To reach consensus, I use a Fist to Five protocol.

Select specific content. Diana Hess and Paula McAvoy tell us to select issues for which you have tension between competing good values. Policy questions are great because they require a foundation of evidence and allow students to grapple with underlying values and analyze costs and benefits within the larger question of "How should we live together?"

When beginning a new topic, circles invite students to share relevant personal stories before deliberating policy. Hess says this helps students develop the capacity for caring how others are affected and bridges intellectual and emotional engagement.

Next, students can discuss via writing (e.g., on Padlet) or movement (e.g., Four Corners or Human Barometer in which they take a position, discuss their reasons as a group, and share out, inviting others to change positions).

Once students have learned about a topic for a while, I use student-led Socratic seminars.

3. Build Discussion Capacity
Phrase the question. I like open-ended creation questions that invite students to envision more equitable futures and "say something new." Matthew R. Kay claims this is the best intrinsic motivator. Try a question frame like: What's the formula for ...? or What would it look like if ...?

Polarization: attack and defend mode

Silence and denial: avoidance of political discussions

Intellectualization: sharing information without the heart involved

Choose a format. Depending on your goal for the discussion and your students' communication styles, this will vary. Kay tells us not to try to solve the world's problems in one conversation and instead "thread" conversations through multiple texts and units.

Diagnose challenges. If conversations are not generative, Cherie Bridges Patrick says one of three things may be happening:

Offer feedback on what's important. Pandolhpo and Cubano suggest that instead of asking for students' opinions and assessing rhetoric, we help students reach mutual understanding, identify values that underlie others' opinions, and be able to take a both/and stance both can be true at the same time). After each discussion, I'd invite students to complete a survey on the degree to which they feel "heard" or valued, connected to classmates, and able to identify the values they and others hold. Then, we'd examine the data and determine next steps together.

Practice. Students and staff are better able to talk about political topics if they practice year-round. Continue to have regular opportunities for discussions of justice, belonging, healing, and values throughout the year for all stakeholders.

I'll continue to learn from the educators who are bravely supporting students' civic engagement; please share your successes and challenges! Thank you for your love of students and dedication to healing in community.

The Basics
'Engage With the Democratic Process'
A Letter to a (Local) Politician Issues That Matter to Students
Sarah Cooper teaches 8th grade U.S. history and civics and is the associate head of school at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, Calif. She speaks at conferences about pedagogy, AI and more and is the author of two books, Creating Citizens: Teaching Civics and Current Events in the History Classroom (Routledge) and Making History Mine (Stenhouse):

In my 8th grade U.S. history and civics classes, we'll spend extra time during our fall Constitution unit on election year nuts and bolts, such as the electoral college, powers of the president, and checks and balances. I really like the readable, visual style of Scholastic's short paperback text How America Works, as well as the companion website, with activities on topics such as why voting matters and how Washington functions.

But it's in students' weekly choices of current events that their classmates and I will learn what issues matter most to them, which is how students will start to care about politics as a whole, now and as they grow up. Some middle schoolers (like some adults) hang on every move a candidate or Congress makes, but the majority gravitate toward the more indirect impacts of political decisions: health care, space flight, stories of people doing good in the world.

We learn a lot about current events and, through that, find connections, ponder ideas and decisions, and in general have lots of room for creativity.

I love the independence you receive when coming to class. You are able to pick topics of your choice for current events presentations and truly are able to explore your interests.

The current events we do in each class have shifted my view on our world completely, and I finally see now what we need to do, to improve our world.

In an anonymous May survey, I ask students to describe our history and civics class to next year's 8th graders. The most recent responses about current events reminded me to keep connecting present to past and back again. I also need to pay attention to these middle schoolers' opinions as they grow up in a world that often feels too complex for even their parents and grandparents to fully understand.

Here are a few quotes I want to take as teaching guidance for this election cycle and beyond:

With the last comment, I was sorry that the responses were anonymous, because I wanted to ask the student what exactly we need to do! I guess that's all the more incentive to keep listening to these young adolescents in a time in which civil, personal dialogue means more than ever.
Erica Silva, Ed.D., leads professional development with schools and districts across the country to advance educational equity. She is also an adjunct assistant professor and former elementary/middle school teacher and instructional coach. Follow her work @doctorasilva on X/IG:

Teaching How to Be 'Engaged Citizens'

Every election, whether a local, state, or national election, offers an opportunity to teach our students how to be engaged citizens and understand the central tenets of our democracy.

In addition, focusing on teaching students to think critically about facts vs. opinions is an important skill students need, particularly in this era of misinformation and AI. School communities might create school elections where students can practice voting on issues important to them at school, such as for student council representatives. In order for the next generation to conceptualize the function of democracy, we must provide them with opportunities to engage with the democratic process to understand their important role as future voters.

In this era of polarization, how do you plan to teach about the 2024 presidential election? Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 12 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list here.
Thanks to Lindsay, Sarah, and Erica for contributing their thoughts!

Today's post answered this question:

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Strategies for Teaching the 2024 Election (Hold on to Your Hat) (Opinion)

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Even before entering into the content, craft agreements with students on the boundaries of what's up-and what's not up-for debate.

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Annenberg Learner develops and distributes multimedia resources for teaching and learning in a range of subjects, including civics and government. Video components are enhanced with websites that include online texts, guides and extensive background information. For teachers, the website offers free professional development workshops and courses as well as the opportunity to earn graduate education credit. Level: Kindergarten through high school.

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The Bill of Rights Institute provides a trove of online educational resources for teachers, students and parents. Teachers will find lesson plans, founding documents, resources for teaching with current events, and professional development opportunities. For students, resources include essay contests, AP prep webinars, and Think the Vote, in which students participate in online discussions on current events. The Constitutional Academy is a summer program for high school students. Level: Elementary through high school.

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Educating for Self-Governance. Established in September 1999, the Bill of Rights Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that works to engage, educate, and empower individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society.

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At the Mount Vernon website, teachers will find lesson plans for all grade levels; primary sources related to Washington and Mount Vernon; resources for teaching the Constitution; online student quizzes; and distance-learning videos. Among many resources, students will find a digital encyclopedia about Washington and can play a variety of quiz-based games to test knowledge learned on the site. Mount Vernon also offers professional development opportunities. The Fred W. Smith National Library provides research about George Washington, Colonial America and the Revolutionary Era. Level: elementary through high school.

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Mount Vernon is dedicated to teaching people around the world about the life and legacies of George Washington. Our educational resources are designed to support further exploration into Washington's world both in and out of the classroom.

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The educational component of the U.S. Government Printing Office’s service, called GPO Access, provides the official online version of legislative and regulatory information. This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers.

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The Center for Civic Education is an independent, nonprofit organization based in California. A network of program coordinators throughout the United States and more than 70 other countries administers a range of curricular, teacher-training and community-based programs. Level: Elementary, middle and high school.

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The Choices Program gives educators information on how to explore history and current events with their students to help them become active citizens and future decision makers. Choices “Teaching with the News” series offers free lessons to connect the classroom to headlines in the news. Other curriculum available for purchase. Choices curriculum materials are in alignment with the Core Competencies of the American Historical Association; the Habits of Mind of the National Council For History Education; and the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. Level 8-12 grade.

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Perspectives from history. Choices for today.

NOTE: The Choices Program offices are closed until January 4. Any orders placed over the holiday break will be shipped during the first week in January. Happy Holidays!

NEW UNIT: One of the primary legacies of racial slavery is the white supremacy and anti-black racism that remain to this day. Racial Slavery in the Americas: Resistance, Freedom, and Legacies provides the opportunity for students to consider how the past shapes the present on these fundamental issues.

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Your curricula changed the way my students think about the world. They can see their country in France's peasants and the enslaved people of Saint Domingue. They can understand Black people's plights in the language of Emilioano Zapata. They have the tools to navigate the complexities of this moment. - Savannah, Connecticut

This is an amazing [digital] platform you have. I can't believe how intuitive and user friendly it is. The fact that you have a "student view" is priceless... My students always comment at the end of the year how the Choices units we have done are their favorite.- Charlie, Washington

The digital format works well. I am able to have my students read informative material without having to copy readings that could be lost, but I have the option to print if students prefer paper. I am able to control what students see. The option to unselect material is great if I am only using parts of a unit.- Betsy, Rhode Island

I have been able to easily assign Choices readings, and since the study guides open in Google Docs, it has been a seamless transition to use the online Choices resources. Many, many thanks for providing the e-access for us!- Pam, New Hampshire

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Javascript must be enabled for the correct page display Skip to Content Perspectives from history. Choices for today. NOTE: The Choices Program offices are closed until January 4. Any orders placed over the holiday break will be shipped during the first week in January. Happy Holidays!

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Civics 101 is a podcast about the basics of our government and how our democracy works from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR). Civics 101 is excited to announce that its team of teachers (known as The Cabinet) has created lesson plans aligned to state standards to pair with the episodes. Level: 5-12 grade.

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What's the difference between the House and the Senate? How do landmark Supreme Court decisions affect our lives? What does the 2nd Amendment really say? Civics 101 is the podcast about how our democracy works...or is supposed to work, anyway. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts (it's free!)
Check out our latest episode:

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Civics 101 is a podcast about the basics of our government and how our democracy works from New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR).

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Teachers can find an array of free, standards-aligned online classroom resources at this one-stop website for teaching civics education and history. The resources cover all grade levels and are searchable by subject, resource type, teaching strategy, standards and organization. The material features the best of the nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations in the Civics Renewal Network. Level: Kindergarten through high school.

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CIVICS RENEWAL NETWORK - A Republic, If We Can Teach It

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Developed by the Comparative Constitutions Project, the website contains the constitution of nearly every independent state in the world. It allows the user to search by country and by topic and to download PDFs of the constitutions. Level: middle and high school.

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Check out Constitute to read, search, and compare the world's constitutions!

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This project, also known as ConSource, offers K-12 lesson plans and guides to constitutional themes; a three-and-a-half hour “crash course” that explores the Constitution; a U.S. Constitution for Kids; and a Constitutional Index. With the Harlan Institute, ConSource sponsors the Virtual Supreme Court Competition for high school students. Level: upper elementary, middle and high school.

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ConSource - The Constitutional Sources Project

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The free online library of constitutional history source materials.

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The National Constitution Center’s framework for learning integrates three main components: Historical Foundations through Storytelling; Constitutional Interpretation Skills; and Civil Dialogue and Reflection. This approach provides a strong foundation in the Founding stories and judicial interpretations of the Constitution; teaches learners of all ages to separate their political views from their constitutional views—asking not what the government should do, but what it constitutionally may do. Constitution 101 is a 15-unit asynchronous, semester-long curriculum that provides students with a basic understanding of the Constitution’s text, history, structure, and case law. Drawing on primary source documents from our new, curated online Founders’ Library—containing over 170 historical texts and over 70 landmark Supreme Court cases selected by leading experts of different perspectives—students will study the historical and philosophical foundations of America’s founding principles from a range of diverse voices The curriculum guides students to think like constitutional lawyers—cultivating the skills necessary to analyze all sides of constitutional questions. Each module includes detailed materials for classroom educators, as well as opportunities for guided discovery and practice and tools to check for understanding. Level: high school.

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Constitution 101 Curriculum | Constitution Center

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Constitution 101 is a 15-unit asynchronous, semester-long curriculum that provides students with a basic understanding of the Constitution’s text, history, structure, and caselaw.

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The Core Knowledge Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Charlottesville, Virginia, and founded in 1986 by E. D. Hirsch, Jr., professor emeritus at the University of Virginia and author of many acclaimed books on education. The Core Knowledge curriculum covers language arts, science, music, visual arts, and geography and history. Materials are free for download. Level: preschool through grade 8.

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At the Core Knowledge Foundation, we strive to provide excellent service to each person who calls or emails us with questions about our instructional materials and/or to purchase these materials. The months of July, August, and September are especially busy for us. If you are ready to order materials, we strongly encourage you to do so through our Core Knowledge Store. And, if you are placing an order with a Purchase Order (PO) for a school, please be sure to attach your PO to the order.

Thank you for your patience!

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Core Knowledge Foundation | Building knowledge and community

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We are a nonprofit working for educational excellence and equity built on strong foundations of shared knowledge. Explore our approach and free resources.

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Named for Everett Dirksen, who served in the U.S. House and Senate, the site promotes civics engagement by providing a better understanding of Congress and its members. Extensive information covers modern and historical information, the legislative process, the current Congress’ activities, and lawmakers’ duties. Congress for Kids helps elementary school students understand government, the Constitution and voting, and includes an online learning module Democracy Kids. The site provides an extensive number of lesson plans, an interactive Congressional Timeline; webquests; online textbooks; an online civics/government course called Congress in the Classroom; and interactive activities for younger students. Level: Elementary through high school.

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The Dirksen Congressional Center promotes research and scholarship to advance the public understanding of the U.S. Congress. Named for Everett McKinley Dirksen (1896-1969) and located in his hometown of Pekin, Illinois, The Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Dirksen served in the U.S. House from 1933-1949, the U.S. Senate from 1951-1969, and as Minority Leader of the Senate from 1959 until his death in September 1969.

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The Dirksen Congressional Center promotes research and scholarship to advance the public understanding of the U.S. Congress. Named for Everett McKinley Dirksen (1896-1969) and located in his hometown of Pekin, Illinois, The Center is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. Dirksen served in the U.S. House from 1933-1949, the U.S.

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The Florida Joint Center for Citizenship Institute is a partnership between the Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government at the University of Central Florida and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida. FJCC works in partnership with Florida teachers, social studies district coordinators and national partners to develop and distribute K-12 curriculum resources. Civics360 is a student learning tool for middle school civics that includes videos, readings in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, as well as short and extended practice assessments that help students and teachers understand student progress. Resources are free and available for download. Level: Kindergarten through 12th grade.

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K-12 Curricular Resources

FJCC works in partnership with Florida teachers, social studies district coordinators and national partners to develop and distribute K-12 curriculum resources to support effective civics instruction and improved civic learning. All of our resources are free and available for download on our website.

Civics360

In spring 2017, FJCC launched Civics360, a student learning tool for middle school civics. The site builds on the first civics review site developed in partnership with Escambia County Schools. Civics360 includes videos, readings in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole, as well as short and extended practice assessments that help students and teachers understand student progress.

Professional Development

FJCC delivers self-pacing face-to-face, online and webinar based professional development to educators throughout Florida and beyond. Professional development programs are available on a wide range of civics education topics, including content, pedagogy and assessment.

Civic Engagement

We believe in the power of knowledgeable and actively engaged citizens. Through mock elections, school based service learning and community problem solving programs we work with national partners to provide teachers and students with hands-on experiences to develop important skills for citizenship..

Civic Literacy Resources

In partnership with the Lou Frey Institute, our Civics in Real Life series and Civics in Real Time podcast offer ways for teachers and students to engage with current trends and issues related to civics and government.

Digital Election Platform

In partnership with Kids Vote USA, our free digital election platform hosts mock elections during gubernatorial and presidential election cycles. It can also be used to support all school based elections, from student government to the homecoming court.

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K-12 Curricular Resources FJCC works in partnership with Florida teachers, social studies district coordinators and national partners to develop and distribute K-12 curriculum resources to support effective civics instruction and improved civic learning. All of our resources are free and available for download on our website.

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An initiative of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, this site features online lessons covering the three branches of government and interactive games that cover citizenship and participation, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, separation of powers, budgeting, and the executive, judicial and legislative branches. Online discussion forums allow teachers and students to give feedback on various topics. Teacher resources include curricula that complement the games, webquests, lessons and activities. Level: Middle and high school.

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As the nation mourns the passing of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, we remember her not only for her seminal work with the Court, but also as the founder of a movement to revitalize civic education.

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As the nation mourns the passing of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, we remember her not only for her seminal work with the Court, but also as the founder of a movement to revitalize civic education.

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Indiana University Center on Representative Government

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Indiana University Center on Representative Government

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The Center on Representative Government covers all aspects of the legislative branch and civic involvement. Interactive learning activities are aimed at the general public as well as students. Level: Middle and high school

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The Center is a nonpartisan educational institution that strives to help citizens understand how to be effective in bringing their concerns and requests to their elected officials, so that actions taken by the government will more truly reflect the “consent of the governed.”

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Teaching Civic Ideals using Primary Sources

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Teaching Civic Ideals using Primary Sources

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Teaching Civic Ideals Using Primary Sources: Cherokee Removal and Federalism | Teaching with the Library

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Primary sources related to Cherokee removal offer a rich and complex story detailing how the systems of federalism and separation of powers failed to protect Cherokee treaty rights.

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Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development (Upper Elementary-High School)

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Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development (Upper Elementary-High School)

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The Innovation Center explores the link between civic activism and youth development. Its Youth Leadership for Development Initiative has already generated important new research, training, and tools on the link between civic engagement and activism as an effective youth development strategy. Level: upper elementary through high school.

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In 1999 the Ford Foundation funded 12 organizations and the Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development to engage in a three-year learning collaborative called the Youth Leadership Development Initiative (YLDI). The initiative centered on building the capacity of participating community based organizations and culling lessons about civic activism as a youth development approach. This three-year initiative constitutes an important landmark for the youth development field, in that it directs much needed attention to engaging marginalized youth in community change efforts, and offers the promise of substantially shaping youth policy and practice. Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) was selected, in July 2001, to conduct a multi-level evaluation of YLDI. This executive summary presents an overview of the findings, lessons, and recommendations that are detailed in the main body of our final evaluation report. Our evaluation methods included two rounds of multi-day site visits to each YLDI site to gather interview and observational data from program staff and youth. We also conducted extensive reviews of initiative and program level documents (e.g. program descriptions, annual reports, budget data). Quantitative analysis involved two waves of youth surveys

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Innovation Center for Youth and Community Development: Extending the Reach of Youth Development Through Civic Activism - Research Results from the Youth Leadership for Development Initiative

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In 1999 the Ford Foundation funded 12 organizations and the Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development to engage in a three-year learning collaborative called the Youth Leadership Development Initiative (YLDI). The initiative centered on building the capacity of participating community based organizations and culling lessons about civic activism as a youth development approach.

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The ABOTA Foundation provides free civics and law-related education resources and programs to teachers and students. The mission of the ABOTA Foundation is to support the purposes of the American Board of Trial Advocates to preserve the constitutional vision of equal justice for all Americans and preserve our civil justice system for future generations. Lesson plan topics include media literacy; civic participation in the justice system; the Constitution; federal and state courts; judicial independence; Magna Carta; trial by jury; and separation of powers. ABOTA also offers the James Otis Lecture Series on the Constitution and Teachers Law School, a crash course in the law and legal system for middle and high school educators. Level: Middle and high school

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Celebrate Bill of Rights Day with a lawyer and/or judge read out loud to your students! Our lawyers and judges will join your classroom virtually with our specially crafted Read Aloud Sessions to narrate our selected works of children's literature.

The sessions last 30-45 minutes and are ideal for grades 2-5. These engaging sessions will wrap up with discussion questions.

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Celebrate Bill of Rights Day with a lawyer and/or judge read out loud to your students! Our lawyers and judges will join your classroom virtually with our specially crafted Read Aloud Sessions to narrate our selected works of children's literature. The sessions last 30-45 minutes and are ideal for grades 2-5.

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Facing History & Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate.Facing History's approach builds an ethical and engaged civic identity in young people that empowers them to actively and thoughtfully participate in a democratic society. If you are just beginning your journey with Facing History, these resources will provide you with an introduction to key concepts, strategies, and tools to incorporate our pedagogy into your practice. Level: elementary through high school.

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Facing History's approach builds an ethical and engaged civic identity in young people that empowers them to actively and thoughtfully participate in a democratic society.

Our work supports an essential goal of American public education: preparing students for life in a democracy.

1. 1

Begin in learner-centered classrooms that value students' identities.

2. 2

Confront bias & develop a sense of the common good, while fostering civil discourse across differences.

3. 3

Engage with the complexities of history across every academic discipline.

4. 4

Introduce current events and controversial issues.

5. 5

Nurture students' voice and agency through both reflection and action.

A Proven Impact

Facing History significantly increases:

students' tolerance for others with different political views

their capacity for civil discourse

their belief that they can make a difference

Facing History students score higher than peers on a civic responsibility index. Facing History alumni are more civically involved than peers: more likely to vote, to participate in a civic or community group, and to discuss current events.
Learn More About Our Impact

Regional Civics Initiatives

See how Facing History's resources meet the newly revised MA History and Social Science Framework.

Learn about our partnership with the Chicago Public Schools.

Learn how Facing History's resources meet the California History-Social Science Framework.

Learn how Facing History's resources are used in the New York Department of Education's Civics for All curriculum.

Resources for Civic Education

Explore these featured resources to support civic education in your classroom.

Make a 100% tax-deductible donation today and you'll help us reach even more teachers and students around the world, giving them the tools to fight back against hatred and bigotry.

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Facing History's approach builds an ethical and engaged civic identity in young people that empowers them to actively and thoughtfully participate in a democratic society.

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Gilder Lerhman Institute of American History

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Gilder Lerhman Institute of American History

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The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization devoted to the improvement of history education. The Institute has developed an array of programs for schools, teachers, and students that now operate in all fifty states, including a website that features more than 60,000 unique historical documents. They also partner with the producers of Hamilton and the Miranda family to bring the history and the musical to Title I schools across the country. Level: Middle and high school.

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Spring 2024 Registration Is Open

K-12 educators can earn their graduate degree in this affordable, online, accredited program. It's easy to apply and become an enrolled student.

Upcoming Spring Semester Dates

Applications End: Thursday, January 25, 2024

Courses Start: Thursday, February 8, 2024

Course Registration Ends: Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Begin the application process now to join us this spring!

Study with world-renowned scholars, connect with other teachers from across the United States, and reinvigorate your enthusiasm for teaching history! Whatever your budget and interests, the Gilder Lehrman Institute has a professional development opportunity for you next summer.

Online Options: 10 Teacher Seminars

In-person Options: 12 options in 7 locations across 5 states

Historical Holiday Resources

Explore the history of Thanksgiving, from its origins through its evolution into a recognized federal holiday with essays, videos, lesson plans, and more.

Warfare in Early America

Join Professor Timothy Shannon of Gettysburg College to explore the evolution of warfare in North America from the earliest contact between Native Americans and Europeans through the early nineteenth century.

Regular Price: $39.99

Affiliate Price: $29.99

Competition and Lottery Now Open

The Hamilton Education Program Online is a free program that helps students in grades 6-12 see the relevance of the founding era by using primary sources to create a performance piece following the model used by Lin-Manuel Miranda to create the musical Hamilton.

Students in the program will have the chance to submit their performance piece and be selected to see a performance of Hamilton in New York City.

Congratulations, Bruce Henderson

Bruce Henderson has been awarded the Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize for Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in World War II. An event celebrating the winner and the shortlisted authors will take place on Monday, December 4. Attend in person or via the livestream.

Issue No. 68: "The Role of Spain in the American Revolution" (Fall 2023)

Explore the often-neglected story of Spain's crucial role in the American Revolutionary War with six essays by historians and additional Gilder Lehrman resources.

Learn with the Gilder Lehrman Institute

MA in American History

Our master's degree program gives K-12 educators an affordable way to earn a graduate degree while working full time.

Self-Paced Courses

Explore American history from your own home, in your own time, and at your own pace! Educators can obtain professional development credit.

History U

These self-paced courses in American history are taught by the nation's top historians and are completely free for high school students.

Upcoming Events

NYC-area students and teachers: Join us at Trinity School for a special book talk on Frederick Douglass.

Join us to honor the winner of the 2022 Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize, Bruce Henderson.

Q&A session for prospective students to learn about the Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman master's degree program

Upcoming Deadlines

Affiliate Schools, libraries, and other sites can host this exhibition for free in January and February.

Enter your EduHam Online creative piece for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC to see a performance of Hamilton.

Publishers, agents, critics, and authors may submit or nominate books published in 2023.

Book Breaks

Every Sunday at 2:00 pm ET (11:00 am PT) on Zoom

Join us for our weekly interview series in which historians discuss their acclaimed books followed by a Q&A with the at-home audience. A Book Breaks subscription includes access to the weekly live programs and our ever-expanding archive, featuring 150+ episodes.

Book Breaks is completely free for all students, K-12 educators, and college professors. Others can purchase a one-year subscription for $25.

Log In Subscribe

Upcoming Episodes

Stacy Schiff

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

Theresa Runstedtler, American University

Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA

Mark Whitaker

Saying It Loud: 1966-The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement

Our Historical Documents

In 1991, Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman embarked on a mission to create one of the most important repositories of historical American documents in the country. Today, the Gilder Lehrman Collection contains 85,000+ items documenting the political, social, and economic history of the United States.

History Now

The Online Journal of the Gilder Lehrman Institute

History Now features essays by the nation's leading historians and provides the latest in American history scholarship for teachers, students, and general readers.

History Now is completely free for all K-12 students and teachers. Others can purchase a one-year subscription for $25.

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"Their Full Measure"

Veterans Legacy Program: Online Exhibition

Gilder Lehrman is proud to announce the launch of this new online exhibition introducing viewers to nineteen men and women who served during six conflicts in American history.

News

Our News

Stay up to date with all the work that we do to combat historical illiteracy and invigorate the study of the past.
See Our News

Newsletter

Catch up on the highlights from our work with students, teachers, researchers, and the general public.
Read Newsletter

Press Releases

See all official press releases for our important events, significant programs, and special initiatives.
View Press Releases

NYC-area students and teachers: Join us at Trinity School for a special book talk on Frederick Douglass.

Join us to honor the winner of the 2022 Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize, Bruce Henderson.

Q&A session for prospective students to learn about the Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman master's degree program

Affiliate Schools, libraries, and other sites can host this exhibition for free in January and February.

Enter your EduHam Online creative piece for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC to see a performance of Hamilton.

Publishers, agents, critics, and authors may submit or nominate books published in 2023.

Stacy Schiff

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

Theresa Runstedtler, American University

Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA

Mark Whitaker

Saying It Loud: 1966-The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement

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Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |

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Founded in 1824, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a provider of education and information about America’s history for the people of Philadelphia and beyond. Its collection of manuscripts, graphics, and ephemera encompass more than 350 years of U.S. history, from the stories of its 17th-century settlers to those of its most recent immigrants. Students can find help with homework or research projects. Teachers can find unit plans with primary sources from HSP. Learn about Digital History Projects and other online tools as well as professional development opportunities. Level: Middle and high school

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Historical Society of Pennsylvania | Teachers, Students, Researchers, Genealogy

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Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia’s Library of American History, is a source of books, manuscripts, and images for Educators, Students, Researchers, and Genealogists

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James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation

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James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation

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The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation offers $24,000 James Madison Graduate Fellowships to individuals desiring to become outstanding teachers of the American Constitution at the secondary school level. Fellowship applicants compete only against other applicants from the states of their legal residence. The James Madison Fellows have created lesson plans on the Constitution that are available on the website. Level: high school.

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The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 for the purpose of improving teaching about the United States Constitution in secondary schools.

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America’s Library provides classroom materials from a vast array of primary sources — documents, photos, objects — about events and significant figures in U.S. history. Two sections are particularly relevant for educators: America’s Library from America’s Library and a page of resources for teachers.  Lesson plans on American history are supplemented with primary sources from the Library of Congress collection. Class starters include Today in History and American Memory Timeline. Interactive learning activities are available for younger children. Several professional development programs for teachers are offered. Level: elementary through high school.

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The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching.

Getting Started with Primary Sources

Explore short videos on using resources and teaching strategies for using primary sources in the classroom.

Teaching with the Library of Congress Blog

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About This Program | Teachers | Programs | Library of Congress

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The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching.

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The National Archive Teacher Resources include civic education and history primary and secondary sources, lesson plans, and professional development workshops and activities. Level: elementary through high school.

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Civics for All of US Civics for All of US is the new education initiative from the National Archives that promotes civic literacy and engagement. DocsTeach Teach with documents using our online tool. Explore primary sources. Discover fun and engaging teaching activities. Create your own online or print activities for your students!

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National Conference of State Legislatures

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National Conference of State Legislatures

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This page provides resources and information not only for teachers, students and parents but for legislators and legislative staff who are interested in supporting and fostering civics education among their constituencies. Included are specific resources provided through state legislatures, some aimed directly at children and students and also a view array of resources from organizations committed to bolstering the civic education of the American populace in general. Level: elementary through high school.

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Materials and Resources from Civics Education Organizations

There are an abundance of private organizations developing state of the art civics education materials and programs for students, teachers and parents. From civics knowledge competitions, page online games and lesson plans these organizations cover all the civics bases.

The ABOTA Foundation provides free civics and law-related education resources and programs to teachers and students. The mission of the ABOTA Foundation is to support the purposes of the American Board of Trial Advocates to preserve the constitutional vision of equal justice for all Americans and preserve our civil justice system for future generations. Resources: free. Level: Middle and high school

For teachers and students, the American Bar Association offers a resource guide on how to organize a Civics and Law Academy, which engages middle and high school students in learning about law and society. The ABA accepts submissions for lessons and practices from local, state, and national law-related and civic education programs for its free resource guide. Most material is free. Level: Middle and high school

All In Together encourages, equips, educates, and empowers voting-age women to participate fully in America's civic and political life.

Annenberg Learner develops and distributes multimedia resources for teaching and learning. Video components are enhanced with websites that include online texts, guides and extensive background information. For teachers, the website offers free professional development workshops and courses as well as the opportunity to earn graduate education credit. Resources are free online and available for purchase on DVD. Level: Kindergarten through 12th grade

Annenberg Classroom provides a free comprehensive multimedia curriculum for teaching the Constitution. Classroom resources include a library of over 60 videos, interactive games, lesson plans, critical thinking lesson plans, timelines, and the Annenberg Guide to the Constitution: What It Says, What It Means. Level: Middle and high school.

The Ashbrook Center, an independent center at Ashland University, provides a historical documents library, Exhibits on America's Founding, web-based lesson plans, and podcasts. Its "50 Core Documents That Tell America's Story" lists the essential documents that are a starting point for students and teachers to "think more deeply about what it means to be an American." Grade level: Middle and high school. Resources: Primarily free.

A resource on teaching civics in action to K-12 students developed by the EdD graduate program at Baylor University.

The Bill of Rights Institute provides a trove of online educational resources for teachers and students as well as constitutional seminars around the country for teachers and the Constitutional Academy, a summer program for high school students. Students can play interactive games, watch videos or get help writing a paper. Resources for teachers include free lesson plans in e-newsletters and webinars. Materials on the website are free. The Bill of Rights Institute also has an online bookstore with many resources for purchase. Level: High school, middle school and elementary school. Highlights include: interactive Founding Documents; Constitutional Resources; Bill of Rights in the News; Americapedia.

The goal of this coalition of 40 organizations is to improve civics education in schools. Among its many resources, Civic Learning Online provides free, public materials for educators. Lesson plans and practices for all grade levels, professional development and related resources, and whole school or district models are available online at the website. The Civic Learning Database may searched by grade, state and civic learning approach (i.e., Instruction in History, Government, Law or Democracy, Guided Discussions of Issues and Current Events).

The Center for Action Civics, the professional development branch of Mikva Challenge, provides the tools and strategies needed to engage young people in high quality Action Civics programming and experiential learning. The center's website includes a database of free lesson plans and resources on a variety of civic education-related topics; Mikva's Action Civics curricula for purchase; examples of Action Civics projects; and more. Level: Middle and high school.

The Center for Civic Education is an independent, nonprofit organization based in California. A network of program coordinators throughout the United States and more than 70 other countries administers a range of curricular, teacher-training and community-based programs. Some materials free; other material available for purchase. Level: Elementary, middle and high school. Highlights include:

We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution: An instructional program on the history and principles of American constitutional democracy for all grade levels. The program is based on curricular materials developed by the Center for Civic Education. A simulated congressional hearing is the culminating activity.

We the People: Project Citizen: This program for middle, secondary, and post-secondary students, youth organizations, and adult groups is designed to develop interest in public policy as well as the ability to participate in state and local government.

Resource Center: For high school students: links to biographies, historical documents, images and firsthand accounts of historical events. For teachers: free professional development opportunities, free lesson plans, classroom activities.

Podcasts: Users can subscribe to four different podcasts, 60-Second Civics and quiz, Talking Civics, Conversations on Civics and Education for Democracy. Also a series of podcasts supplement text of We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution.

Civic Action Project: A practicum for high school students in civics and government in which they integrate the content of a government class with hands-on learning about public policy in the real world.

Teachers can find an array of free, standards-aligned online classroom resources at this new one-stop website for teaching civics education. The material features the best of 26 organizations in the Civics Renewal Network. All grade levels.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation operates the world's largest living history museum in Williamsburg, Virginia-the restored
18th-century capital of Britain's largest, wealthiest, and most populous outpost of empire in the New World. Here we interpret the origins of the idea of America, conceived decades before the American Revolution. The Colonial Williamsburg story of a revolutionary city tells how diverse peoples, having different and sometimes conflicting ambitions, evolved into a society that valued liberty and equality. Americans cherish these values as a birthright, even when their promise remains unfulfilled. The Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation's web site offers a wealth of fully vetted online resources covering a wide range of early American history topics in various reference categories.

Developed by the Comparative Constitutions Project, the website contains the constitution of nearly every independent state in the world, as of September 2013. It allows the user to search by country and by topic. The website is free. Level: Middle and high school

The CRF is a nonpartisan, nonprofit community-based organization that focuses on law and government and civic participation by young people. Its site pulls together resources for curriculum and professional development. Its outreach programs include a Mock Trial competition and other academic competitions and Courtroom to Classroom outreach. Free lesson plans are available on U.S. history, world history and government. Some materials are free; others available for purchase. Level: Primarily for middle and high school, but also some material for younger students

Companion websites include:

Educating About Immigration: An information clearinghouse on topics of U.S. immigration, its history and current controversies.

Civic Action Project: A practicum for high school students in civics and government in which they integrate the content of a government class with hands-on learning about public policy in the real world.

Judges, Courts and the Law: Activities, games and stories instruct students on the courts' role in our government.

CFR Blog: This site features discussion and information for all social studies educators.

Constitutional Sources Project
This project, also known as ConSource, is a free online library of constitutional history. ConSource contains an educational program called Primary Sources, in which educators share lesson plans that use primary source documents. Level: Upper elementary, middle and high schools

Created by the State of California's judicial branch and the Constitutional Rights Foundation, this site uses animated story videos and quizzes to teach students about Big Ideas, such as due process, free expression and checks and balances; the Third Branch, what courts and judges do; Landmark Cases related to the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments. A teacher's guide is provided. The site is free. Level: Middle and high school

The cable channel's site features a wealth of audio and video clips, both current and historical, related to government, history, other civics topics, and news abroad. Teacher registration is required to access free forums, lesson plans and Constitution Clips. Links to other C-SPAN resources for educators include: American History TV, American Presidents, Politics, Economic Stimulus, Presidential Libraries, Radio Specials, the Capitol, the Supreme Court, the White House and U.S. Economy. Each of these sites features extensive resources on the topic. Tutorials explain how teachers can use C-SPAN resources. Congressional Chronicle follows lawmakers and bills on a daily basis. A daily compilation of news about education is featured as well. All resources are free.

The site also contains TV and radio programs that feature, among other resources, recordings of past presidents and oral history interviews with presidents; Supreme Court oral arguments in landmark cases and videos of justices; and interactive Supreme Court timeline. The resources are free. Level: Middle and high school

Named for Everett Dirksen, who served in the U.S. House and Senate, the site promotes civics engagement by providing a better understanding of Congress and its members. Extensive information covers modern and historical information, the legislative process, the current Congress' activities, and lawmakers' duties. Congress for Kids helps elementary school students understand government, the Constitution and voting, and includes an online learning module Democracy Kids. The site provides an extensive number of lesson plans, an interactive Congressional Timeline; webquests; online textbooks; an online civics/government course called Congress in the Classroom; and interactive activities for younger students. Level: Elementary, middle and high school

is a national program engaging undergraduates at colleges and universities in state-level legislative change by learning to work with legislators, staffers, and community organizations to advance policy. It is becoming a major voice in addressing challenges to American democracy by engaging young people around the country in civic activism built on knowledge, cooperation, justice and integrity. Students learn through direct engagement in this work, traveling to the state capital, meeting with and lobbying legislators, strategizing with advocacy organizations and creating outreach materials to advance their chosen issues. ENACT has launched new programs in 29 colleges and universities located in or near state capitals, and is building a national online network of students, faculty, activists and legislators.

Founded in 1949 by E.F. Hutton, Don Belding, Kenneth Wells, and General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Freedoms Foundation is located on 72-acres in the heart of Valley Forge. We are a national educational non-profit welcoming thousands of people a year to participate in programs to encourage engaged, responsible citizenship based on the Bill of Responsibilities we created in 1985.We promote the ideals and principles of our free society and encourage all Americans to embrace their rights and responsibilities, and contribute to the common good. By recognizing good citizenship through our awards programs and inspiring leaders through our education programs, we cultivate civic responsibility in all, strengthening and bolstering our democracy for future generations. Also offer programs for graduate teachers.

At the Mount Vernon website, teachers will find lesson plans for all grade levels, videos of people from Washington's life and DVDs of distance-learning broadcasts. Students will find a digital encyclopedia about Washington and key facts about the first president. The Fred W. Smith National Library provides research about George Washington, Colonial America and the Revolutionary Era. Level: All grades. Resources: Free

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization devoted to the improvement of history education. The Institute has developed an array of programs for schools, teachers, and students that now operate in all fifty states, including a website that features more than 60,000 unique historical documents. Grade level: Middle and high school. Resources: Free

Founded in 1824, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) is a provider of education and information about America's history for the people of Philadelphia and beyond. Its collection of manuscripts, graphics, and ephemera encompass more than 350 years of America's history-from the stories of its 17th-century settlers to those of its most recent immigrants. Grade level: Middle and high school. Resources: Free.

An initiative of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, this site features online lessons covering the three branches of government and interactive games that cover citizenship and participation, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, separation of powers, budgeting, and the executive, judicial and legislative branches. Online discussion forums allow teachers and students to give feedback on various topics. Teacher resources include curricula that complement the games, webquests, lessons and activities. Resources are free. Level: Middle and high school

The center and its site cover all aspects of the legislative branch and civic involvement. Interactive learning activities are aimed at the general public as well as schools. The online material is free; books available for purchase. Level: Middle and high school.
Highlights include:

Interactive Learning Modules: These activities teach students about topics such as How a Member Decides to Vote, The Impact of Congress, The Importance of Civic Participation, The Dynamic Legislative Process, The Many Roles of a Member of Congress, and Federal Budget Allocation.

Virtual Congress: This is a fully functional online replica of Congress in which students become lawmakers and propose ideas for legislation, discussing them in-world with other students, and working in realistic 3-D locations that include the House and Senate chambers.

Facts of Congress: For middle school students, 60-second videos all about Congress and how students can participate.

The online materials are free; books available for purchase. Level: Middle and high school

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation offers $24,000 James Madison Graduate Fellowships to individuals desiring to become outstanding teachers of the American Constitution at the secondary school level. Fellowship applicants compete only against other applicants from the states of their legal residence. The James Madison Fellows have created lesson plans on the Constitution available on the website. Resources: Free

"America's Library" provides classroom materials from a vast array of primary sources - documents, photos, objects - about events and significant figures in U.S. history. Two sections are particularly relevant for educators: America's Story from America's Library and for Teachers. The resources are free online, and some material is downloadable. Lesson plans on American history are supplemented with primary sources from the Library of Congress collection. Class starters include Today in History and American Memory Timeline. Interactive learning activities are available for younger children. Several professional development programs for teachers are offered. The content is free. Level: Elementary, middle and high school.

The National Archives and the Center for Civic Education partnered to create Docs Teach, a series of lesson plans that use primary sources to teach about different periods of U.S. history and the Constitution. It also provides numerous links to state and regional primary sources and presidential libraries as well as professional development for teachers. The material is free. Level: Middle and high school.

The National Center for State Courts is an independent, nonprofit court improvement organization founded at the recommendation of Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. The center has created a series of graphic novels has been developed to educate the public and students about how the courts work and their role in a democratic society. The three novels created address Internet piracy, stolen identify and jury duty. The novels are downloadable online or available for purchase with accompanying lesson plans. Level: Middle and high school

The National Constitution Center site addresses topics related to the Constitution as well as civic participation and responsibility, and the executive branch. Printed materials include lesson plans. Online resources are interactive games, videos, webcasts, primary and secondary sources, Constitution Fast Facts, biographies of Constitutional Convention delegates, and an interactive Constitution guide. The Exchange is a public forum for high school students to discuss important current events issues. For teachers, it offers professional development programs. Resources are free. Level: Elementary, middle and high school

The organization's EDSITEment project provides comprehensive lesson plans on American history, social studies and civics, government and society, among others. Its Introduction to Advanced Placement U.S. History Lessons contains scholar-reviewed website and primary sources; lesson plans focused on the Document Based Questions in the AP exam; and lesson plans based on active learning, mastery of content and engaging the student. Resources are free. Level: Kindergarten through 12th grade.

National History Day makes history come alive for students by engaging them in the discovery of the historical, cultural and social experiences of the past. Through hands-on experiences and presentations, today's kids are better able to inform the present and shape the future. NHD inspires children through exciting competitions and transforms teaching through project-based curriculum and instruction. Grade level: Middle and high school. Resources: Free

The goal of this website is to make the complex federal budget process easier to understand and more accessible so individuals can
better understand how their tax dollars are spent and how they can participate in the budget process. For teachers and students, Federal Budget 101 provides a plain English guide to the federal budget process. The Educator Toolkit offers activities for middle school, high school and college learners. A Federal Budget Timeline shows major milestones of the federal budget process. Level: middle and high school. Resources: Free and for purchase

The New York Times' content, current and historical, is the basis for teacher and student resources on this site. The Teaching Topics page is a living index page of links to resources on frequently taught subjects. For each topic, collected resources include lesson plans, related articles, multimedia, themed crosswords and archival material. Lesson plans cover numerous topics, including social studies, current events, civics and American history. The site also provides a daily news quiz, Word of the Day, Student Crossword, Today in History, and more. An online forum invites students to post their opinions on issues in the news. Resources are free. Level: Middle and high school

This organization's website contains a Digital Classroom, which offers video lessons and viewing guides, primary sources, standards-aligned content, and integrated activities that support media literacy, critical thinking skills and civic engagement. Teaching modules explore the First Amendment and the Civil Rights Movement and Decision 2012, which examines the intersections of elections and the news media through the lenses of history, media literacy and civics. Level: Middle and high school

Lesson and activities that teach about the legislative branch are offered at the Office of the Clerk's Kids in the House. Resources are free. Level: Preschool to high school

This PBS site uses current events as the basis for educational content revolving around news categories such as health, science, U.S. and history. Lesson plans based on current events contain videos, audio and photo essays; a forum for students to post essays, articles or comments on issues in the news. The material is free. Level: High school

A free, online multimedia database of the U.S. Supreme Court, Oyez.org and its mobile apps offer plain-English case summaries, decision information, opinions, and transcript-synchronized audio for every recorded case in Supreme Court history. The transcript-synchronized audio allows users to hear what it's like to be present at the Court for arguments or opinion announcements, and to catch the subtleties and emotion unavailable simply from reading the transcript. Users can also clip and download segments of audio or entire arguments as MP3s. Oyez engages a non-legal audience, primarily students, with the judicial branch to promote public understanding in a historical and contemporary context. Resources are free. Level: middle and high school.

The National Archives offers a list of links to the presidential libraries that have resources for students and teachers. The material is free. Level: All grades

The Public Broadcasting Systems' site for teachers covers all subject areas, including civics participation, community, the three branches of government, politics, economics, current events, the courts and history. Lesson plans are free, with some material downloadable. Videos and audio recordings supplement lesson plans; interactive activities for younger children are available in the Democracy Project. Teachers have access to discussion forums, online professional developments courses, and an archive of webinars. Most of the content is free; teacher courses available for purchase. Level: Preschool, elementary, middle and high school

Civics 101, a free public service of PCN, is an online educational tool to help Pennsylvania students understand how our state government works. This tool is intended to supplement classroom learning, but can also be a useful tool in the home. Programs include interviews with elected officials, tours of the state capitol and Governor's residence, and so much more. In addition, an interactive video game is available to keep children interested and engaged. A Continuing Education section provides adults with a deeper level of study through talks on related topics. The site is accompanied by a Teacher's Guide, which provides ideas for ways Civics 101 resources may be used in the classroom.

Teachers share their learning materials for all grade levels. The resources can be downloaded for free. An online forum lets teachers
exchange ideas and advice and share best practices. Share My Lesson also provides a resource bank for the Common Core State Standards, which has advice and guides for teachers. Level: All grades. Resources: Free

Street Law and the Supreme Court Historical Society partnered to create Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court, which explores 17 key cases. In-depth information about each case, related activities that involve interactive teaching strategies and external resources are provided. A Resource Library has compiled hundreds of teaching activities, case summaries, mock trials and articles. The material is free. Level: Middle and high school

The Monticello Digital Classroom, launched in 2017, combines content from the prior classroom archive with materials from the Sea of Liberty website. The Digital Classroom includes lesson plans, articles, and multimedia content for use by teachers, students and scholars of all levels. All materials are cross-referenced, searchable and available for download.

This government site focuses on Court Literacy, featuring free, downloadable in-depth resources to help students understand how the courts work, key amendments to the Constitution, federal court basics and fast facts, legal concepts, legal landmarks and Supreme Court cases. Classrooms to Courtrooms provides real-life teen-related scenarios to stage in-class or in-court simulations of trials with accompanying scripts. You Be the Supreme Court features comprehensive material for a class to simulate Supreme Court deliberations. Sections on the First, Fourth and Sixth Amendment gives teacher a variety of formats to present to a class, including Oxford-style debate or a Supreme Court case conference. Homework Help is a set of links to related websites. Videos and podcasts are also provided. Material is free. Level: Middle and high school

This comprehensive site includes Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids, which features information about all aspects of government, citizenship, elections and voting. It also provides links to kids' sites for most government agencies. Activities include print games, interactive games and activities; information pages; links to other government agencies' curriculum; and a glossary. Content is free. Level: Elementary, middle and high school

This site focuses on literary-based curricula for instruction of U.S. history, civics, social studies and language arts. Resources include lesson plans, video seminars, and primary resources. Content is primarily free. Level: Middle and high school

The University of Virginia Center for Politics' Youth Leadership Initiative has created three interactive simulations. E-Congress, a free, interactive, national online simulation lets students play the part of a member of the House. They research issues, write legislation, debate bills in committee and work to move their bill to the House floor. Students use innovative technology to interact with their legislators and to connect with their peers around the country. Mock Election is conducted each fall by the Youth Leadership Initiative for students around the nation using electronic ballots designed for each student's home district. A More Perfect Union simulates an actual campaign for Senate. The site also provides teacher-developed lesson plans and a service-learning program called Democracy Corps. Level: Middle and high school

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Resources and information not only for teachers, students and parents but for legislators and legislative staff who are interested in supporting and fostering civics education among their constituencies.

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The organization’s EDSITEment project provides comprehensive lesson plans on American history, social studies and civics, government and society, among others. Its Introduction to Advanced Placement U.S. History Lessons contains scholar-reviewed website and primary sources; lesson plans focused on the Document Based Questions in the AP exam; and lesson plans based on active learning, mastery of content and engaging the student. Under Student Resources are interactive activities collected from around the web that can be used to support related lesson plans or as standalone activities in the classroom. Level: Kindergarten through 12th grade.

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How does popular culture engage history? In this lesson plan, students will examine The Searchers, one of the most widely acclaimed Western movies of all time, to explore interpretations of race, gender, and family-both in the time period depicted by the film and the time period in which the film was produced.

This lesson plan uses A. A. Lamb's painting Emancipation Proclamation and resources from BlackPast to explore the successes and shortcomings of the Emancipation Proclamation and the Reconstruction amendments, as well as the roles played by Black people in securing their own freedom.

Use Aaron Douglas's mural Into Bondage to introduce the stories of famous Harlem Renaissance figures, including Langston Hughes, and to explore the history and importance of Juneteenth, a holiday celebrating the end of Black enslavement in the United States.

Kerry James Marshall's painting Voyager, depicting two partially obscured Black figures standing aboard a ship, refers to an actual ship, Wanderer, which was among the last slave ships in the United States, illegally transporting more than 400 individuals from West Africa to Georgia in 1858-even though the importation of enslaved people had been banned in 1808. Use the painting as an entry point to discuss the Transatlantic slave trade and introduce students to the NEH-funded database Slave Voyages project.

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How does popular culture engage history? In this lesson plan, students will examine The Searchers, one of the most widely acclaimed Western movies of all time, to explore interpretations of race, gender, and family-both in the time period depicted by the film and the time period in which the film was produced.

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The National Constitution Center site provides classroom resources related to the Constitution as well as civic participation and responsibility, and the executive branch. Online resources include interactive games, videos, webcasts, primary and secondary sources, Constitution Fast Facts, biographies of Constitutional Convention delegates, and the Interactive Constitution guide. Level: Elementary through high school.

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Civic Holiday

Juneteenth

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending slavery in the United States. Visitors can commemorate this historic event with special tours of the Center's exhibit, Civil War and Reconstruction: The Battle for Freedom and Equality or additional programs highlighting freedom fighters from the Reconstruction era like Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, and more.

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The National Constitution Center serves as America's leading platform for constitutional education and debate.

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The National Center for State Courts is an independent, nonprofit court improvement organization founded at the recommendation of Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. The center has created a series of graphic novels called Justice Case Files to educate the public and students about how the courts work and their role in a democratic society. The six graphic novels created address Internet piracy, stolen identity, jury duty, cyberbullying, immigration and the three branches of government. The novels can be downloaded at no charge. Level: Middle and high school.

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Since 2000, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has held more than 650 traveling oral arguments across the state, including 20 sessions in early 2023. The court, which includes 15 judges who represent five Appeals Court districts, hits the road to hold proceedings in a variety of settings including schools, retirement homes, conference centers, and more.

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The goal of this website is to make the complex federal budget process easier to understand and more accessible so individuals can better understand how their tax dollars are spent and how they can participate in the budget process. For teachers and students, Federal Budget 101 provides a plain English guide to the federal budget process. The Educator Toolkit offers activities for middle school, high school and college learners. A Federal Budget Timeline shows major milestones of the federal budget process. Level: Middle and high school.

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Fighting for a U.S. federal budget that prioritizes peace, economic security and shared prosperity

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National Priorities Project (NPP) at the Institute for Policy Studies seeks to prioritize peace, shared prosperity, and economic security for all in our nation's decision making. We are the people's guide to the federal budget. In 2014, NPP was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of our pioneering work to track federal spending on the military and promote a U.S.

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The NewseumED website contains free learning tools on media literacy and First Amendment rights. Find lesson plans, primary sources, activities and more. Get ideas for teaching the latest news topics and trends. Connect with other educators in the EDCommunity. Explore the EDCollections on topics such as media literacy, women’s rights, the First Amendment and the Civil Rights Movement, and Decoding Elections. Level: Middle and high school.

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Newseum ED is provided as a free educational resource and contains copyrighted material. Registration is required for full access. Signing up is simple and free.

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The New York Times’ content, current and historical, is the basis for teacher and student resources on this site. The Teaching Topics page is a living index page of links to resources on frequently taught subjects. For each topic, collected resources include lesson plans, related articles, multimedia, themed crosswords and archival material. Lesson plans cover numerous topics, including social studies, current events, civics and American history. The site also provides a daily news quiz, Word of the Day, Student Crossword, Today in History, and more. An online forum invites students to post their opinions on issues in the news. Resources are free. Level: Middle and high school.

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Teach and learn with The Times: Resources for bringing the world into your classroom

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Online NewHour Extra: For Students and Teachers

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Online NewHour Extra: For Students and Teachers

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This PBS site uses current events as the basis for educational content revolving around news categories such as health, science, U.S. and history. Lesson plans based on current events contain videos, audio and photo essays; a forum for students to post essays, articles or comments on issues in the news. Level: High school.

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Current events ready to go for students grades 6-12! Lessons based on the PBS NewsHour with focus on civics, social studies, ELA, science, art, and media literacy.

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A free, online multimedia database of the U.S. Supreme Court, Oyez.org and its mobile apps offer plain-English case summaries, decision information, opinions, and transcript-synchronized audio for every recorded case in Supreme Court history. The transcript-synchronized audio allows users to hear what it’s like to be present at the Court for arguments or opinion announcements, and to catch the subtleties and emotion unavailable simply from reading the transcript. Users can also clip and download segments of audio or entire arguments as MP3s. Oyez engages a non-legal audience, primarily students, with the judicial branch to promote public understanding in a historical and contemporary context. Level: Middle and high school.

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This PBS site for teachers covers all subject areas, including civics participation, community, the three branches of government, politics, economics, current events, the courts and history. Lesson plans are free, with some material downloadable. Videos and audio recordings supplement lesson plans; interactive activities for younger children are available in the Democracy Project. Teachers have access to discussion forums, online professional developments courses, and an archive of webinars. Level: elementary through high school.

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Social Studies Activities And Lessons | PBS LearningMedia

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Discover thousands of social studies activities, lessons, and interactive resources for all grades, all aligned to state and national standards.

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The National Archives offers a list of links to the presidential libraries that have free online resources for students and teachers.

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Presidential Libraries

The Presidential Libraries offer education-related pages on their web sites.

For Kids

Hoover Library

Roosevelt Library

Truman Library

Eisenhower Library

Kennedy Library

Johnson Library

Nixon Library

Ford Library

Carter Library

Reagan Library

Bush Library

Clinton Library

For Educators

Hoover Library

Roosevelt Library

Truman Library

Eisenhower Library

Kennedy Library

Johnson Library

Nixon Library

Ford Library

Carter Library

Reagan Library

Bush Library

Clinton Library

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The Presidential Libraries offer education-related pages on their web sites.

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The award-winning ProCon.org website promotes critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting the pro and con arguments to controversial issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way. Examples of issues addressed on this site include the presidential election, defunding the police, medical marijuana, gun control, homework, the electoral college, and illegal immigration. ProCon.org is a part of the The Britannica® Group of companies.

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ProCon.org - Pros and Cons of 100+ Topics

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Explore both sides of debated issues. Presented in a non-partisan format with supporting background information, statistics, and resources.

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Teachers share their learning materials covering a range of subjects for all grade levels. The resources may be downloaded for free. An online forum lets teachers exchange ideas and advice and share best practices. Share My Lesson also provides a resource bank for the Common Core State Standards, which has advice and guides for teachers. Level: Elementary through high school

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Created and maintained by the American Federation of Teachers, Share My Lesson is a community of teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, higher education faculty, and parents and caregivers who contribute content, collaborate, and stay up to date on the issues that matter to students and educators everywhere.

Sign up to receive our newsletter.

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Share My Lesson | Free Lesson Plans & Teacher Resources

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Share My Lesson is a community of teachers, paraprofessionals and school-related personnel, specialized instructional support personnel, higher education faculty, and parents and caregivers who contribute content, collaborate, and stay up to date on the issues that matter to students and educators everywhere.

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Street Law and the Supreme Court Historical Society partnered to create Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court. In-depth information about each case, related activities that involve interactive teaching strategies and external resources are provided. SCOTUS in the Classroom is a project in which Street Law selects the most classroom-relevant, student-friendly cases argued at the Supreme Court. Teachers receive support to conduct moot courts based on each case. A Resource Library has compiled hundreds of teaching activities, case summaries, mock trials and articles. Street Law also offers a Supreme Court Summer Institute for teachers. Level: middle and high school.

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Advancing Civic and Law-Related Education to Empower all People to Positively Transform Their World

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The Ashbrook Center’s TeachingAmericanHistory.org includes a historical documents library, Exhibits on America’s Founding, web-based lesson plans, and podcasts. Its American History Toolkits are topically focused collections made up of resources from the site and organized to provide easy access to a variety of materials for teachers. Its 50 Core Documents That Tell America’s Story lists the essential documents that are a starting point for students and teachers to “think more deeply about what it means to be an American.” The website also contains Core Documents Collections on topics such as the Cold War and Documents and Debate. Numerous opportunities for professional development are available. Level: middle and high school.

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Born with a hearing disability and mistakenly placed in the special ed track, Amy Livingston never expected to find a vocation in teaching. Now she teaches young citizens that they all are part of America's story.

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Teaching American History is a free resource that brings together primary documents, continuing education, and community for American history teachers.

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Teach Democracy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit community-based organization that focuses on law and government and civic participation by young people. Its site pulls together resources for curriculum and professional development. Its outreach programs include a mock trial competition and Cops & Kids program. Lesson plans are available on U.S. history, world history and government. Civics on Call provides resources for teaching about current events. Its Civic Action Project is a real-world project-based learning model for civics and government courses. Level: Primarily middle and high school, but also material for younger students.

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Teach Democracy is a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization. Teach Democracy seeks to instill in our nation's youth a deeper understanding of citizenship through values expressed in our Constitution and its Bill of Rights and to educate young people to become active and responsible participants in our society.

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Teachingcivics.org supports educators with an ever-growing repository of current, professionally vetted, and unbiased civics, law-related education, and government lesson plans and materials. These lessons include materials developed by Learning Law and Democracy Foundation and lessons written by others, vetted with links to their sources. Level: Elementary through high school.

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We know that teaching elections might not be top on your list. Not to worry. Our Super Civics teacher team has created quick grade-level lessons Read More

NEW! SUPER CIVICS CHALLENGES New Distance Learning Activities for elementary students Civic learning activities that engage elementary students in exploring social studies in their homes Read More

Take the voluntary Minnesota Civic Education Survey 2019. You won't get a grade but you will see how you match up and what you might do Read More

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We know that teaching elections might not be top on your list. Not to worry. Our Super Civics teacher team has created quick grade-level lessons Read More NEW! SUPER CIVICS CHALLENGES New Distance Learning Activities for elementary students Civic learning activities that engage elementary students in exploring social studies in their homes Read More Take the voluntary Minnesota Civic Education Survey 2019.

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The Monticello Digital Classroom, launched in 2017, combines content from the prior classroom archive with materials from the Sea of Liberty website. The Digital Classroom includes lesson plans, articles, and multimedia content for use by teachers, students and scholars of all levels. All materials are cross-referenced, searchable and available for download. Level: Middle and high school.

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The Monticello Classroom | Teaching Resources about Thomas Jefferson & Monticello

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Teaching Resources about Thomas Jefferson & Monticello

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This site focuses on literature-based curricula for instruction of U.S. history, civics, social studies and language arts. Resources include lesson plans, video seminars, and primary resources. Level: Middle and high school.

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The Youth Leadership Initiative, based at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, has created three interactive simulations. E-Congress, a free, interactive, national online simulation lets students play the part of a member of the House. They research issues, write legislation, debate bills in committee and work to move their bill to the House floor. Students use innovative technology to interact with their legislators and to connect with their peers around the country. Mock Election is conducted each fall by the Youth Leadership Initiative for students around the nation using electronic ballots designed for each student’s home district. A More Perfect Union simulates an actual campaign for Senate. The site also provides teacher-developed lesson plans and a service-learning program called Democracy Corps. Level: elementary through high school.

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More Resources for You and Your Students

Sometimes the hardest part of teaching is finding credible resources for your students. The Youth Leadership Initiative is proud to recommend the following resources for use with your civics program. Each of the organizations listed below is dedicated to providing FREE civics education materials to supplement your classroom activities.

The Center for Politics, a nonpartisan unit of the University of Virginia, seeks to promote the value of politics and the importance of civic engagement. Government works better when politics works better, and politics works better when citizens are informed and involved participants. Learn More: www.centerforpolitics.org

A comprehensive website run by the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball features detailed and frequently updated analysis for elections across the country. The Crystal Ball keeps tabs on presidential elections, along with every Senate and gubernatorial race, as well as the tightest campaigns for the House. The Crystal Ball is a free public service meant to appeal to political junkies and interested voters alike.

Feel connected to your elected officials by using Project Vote Smart. Project Vote Smart is your resource to start making changes in your town, state, and nation. Use their links to find your representatives in national and state government , to learn tools for effectively communicating with them, to read about the issues currently facing Congress, and much, much more. Learn More: http://www.vote-smart.org

Related Civics Links Homeland security? The death penalty? Immigration? Education? At YLI we believe that young Americans do care about the issues facing their generation and their nation. We also know that it is often hard to know what to do to make a difference. Learn More

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Sometimes the hardest part of teaching is finding credible resources for your students. The Youth Leadership Initiative is proud to recommend the following resources for use with your civics program. Each of the organizations listed below is dedicated to providing FREE civics education materials to supplement your classroom activities.

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This government site focuses on court literacy, featuring free, downloadable in-depth resources to help students understand how the courts work, key amendments to the Constitution, federal court basics and fast facts, legal concepts, legal landmarks and Supreme Court cases. Classrooms to Courtrooms provides real-life teen-related scenarios to stage in-class or in-court simulations of trials with accompanying scripts. You Be the Supreme Court features comprehensive material for a class to simulate Supreme Court deliberations. Sections on the First, Fourth and Sixth Amendment gives teachers a variety of formats to present to a class, including Oxford-style debate or a Supreme Court case conference. Homework Help is a set of links to related websites. Videos and podcasts are also provided. Level: Middle and high school.

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Main content

Get informed. Get involved. Get inspired. Find realistic simulations and memorable, interactive approaches to court basics that include comparing federal and state courts.

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Main content Get informed. Get involved. Get inspired. Find realistic simulations and memorable, interactive approaches to court basics that include comparing federal and state courts.

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As part of the nation's central bank, the Atlanta Fed plays an important role in monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and the operation of a nationwide payments system.

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The Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics sponsors the Annenberg Classroom website. Annenberg Classroom’s free resources include 65 videos on constitutional concepts and Supreme Court cases, as well as games, lessons, plans, timelines, downloadable books, a glossary, and a Constitution guide. Level: middle through high school.

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Why is all this free?

AnnenbergClassroom.org is a project of the Leonore Annenberg Institute for Civics, a nonprofit, nonpartisan program of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.

Our founder, Leonore Annenberg, believed that engaged and well-informed citizens are vital to making our government work at the local, state and federal levels. AnnenbergClassroom.org strives to help develop citizens who demand and support a functioning democracy, realizing Mrs. Annenberg's vision of generations who will go out and fulfill their civic calling.

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Annenberg Classroom's free resources include over 65 videos on constitutional concepts and Supreme Court cases as well as games, lesson plans, timelines, downloadable books, a glossary, and a Constitution guide.

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Montana's State Flower: A Lesson in Civic Engagement

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Montana's State Flower: A Lesson in Civic Engagement

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For teachers and students, the American Bar Association’s Division of Public Education offers lesson plans for K-12. Topics include civic engagement, the Constitution, due process, human rights, and much more. The Dialogue program provides lawyers, judges and teachers with resources to engage students and community members in discussions of fundamental American legal principles and civic traditions. Its Civics and Law Academy engages middle and high school students in learning about law and society. Level: Elementary through high school

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Law Matters is the Division's monthly electronic newsletter. Each issue reports on developments, ideas, programs, events, and resources in the field of law-related education (LRE).

Contribute to

Law Matters

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Law Matters is the Division's monthly electronic newsletter. Each issue reports on developments, ideas, programs, events, and resources in the field of law-related education (LRE). Contribute to Law Matters

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New Masters Program for Teaching K-12 Civics

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New Masters Program for Teaching K-12 Civics

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Utah Valley University promotes K-12 civic education with new master’s program

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Utah Valley University’s new program in constitutional government, civics and law offers two tracks — one for current or prospective K-12 teachers and another for research.

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Mister Rogers Showed Me How to Teach Civics (Opinion)

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Learning civics can begin in kindergarten with the simple understanding that we are all part of a community. Here’s what that looks like.

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Why Should Delaware Care?
Civics education can equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to become more informed and engaged citizens. Delaware does require students to be taught civics education, but some educators go beyond the standard requirements.

In Nathan Moser's 10th grade social studies class, students don't have to be afraid to voice their opinions on pressing issues like minimum wage, student debt or climate change. Instead, his students protest those issues right outside of their school.

More than 90% of students at the Freire Charter School Wilmington are students of color, and Moser understands that police arrival may have a negative connotation for some students. However, he enjoys showing them his interaction with police when legally protesting.

"I'm the first one to talk, they're not allowed to talk to the public unless I'm there. When they see the interaction that I have with the police, they can join me and realize they're allowed to do these things, they're legally supposed to be doing these things," Moser said. "They're getting congratulations for it. It's kind of eye-opening for some of them who have only had negative interactions, and now we're seeing the positive side of that."

Moser's social studies class doesn't revolve around a standard curriculum and Scantron tests; he describes his lessons as "activities that people talk [about] and say, 'Oh, I wish they taught this in school.'"

Students participate in different interactive lessons throughout the school year, like roleplaying different forms of government, tracking the stock market with fake money and looking at how to pay rent and split bills with their classmates acting as roommates, among other activities.

Moser designs his "Power & Money" course to be something students can take with them in the future, rather than focusing on tests. Those efforts recently earned him the Governor's Award for Excellence in Civics Education, and he sees the award as a form of validation that he made the correct decisions when planning the class lessons.

Delaware is one of many states that requires its districts and charters to teach social studies standards covering civics, economics, geography and history. There are different "Civic Anchor Standards" for the state's students, with complexity standards increasing with each grade cluster.

The standard for ninth through 12th grade students is to analyze the structure and purpose of different forms of government around the world, understand the dynamic process of how the American government functions and understand that citizens are individually responsible for staying informed about public policy issues.

Other local organizations like the League of Women Voters of Delaware also hold multiple events to get young people engaged with democracy, like working with Girl Scouts for their civic badges or helping students register to vote at the University of Delaware, said Jill Itzkowitz, who is in charge of the League's voting and elections committee and the Vote411 candidate survey tool.

Nearly 70% of adults in the United States say it's very important to vote in elections to be a good member of society - yet many sit out Election Day. About 66% of eligible voters cast their ballots in the 2020 presidential election, but only 46% of voters turned out for the 2022 midterm elections.

When people are civically involved at a younger age, it helps them get more comfortable with the process of voting and to understand the importance of voting, Itzkowitz said.

She added that it's important to teach students about civic education, especially with the upcoming presidential election, because "there's differences in these candidates, and that things like climate change, or the environment, or the woman's right to choose are on the line."

When the teacher then makes that lived connection between what they're learning and doing in the classroom and how it actually works outside of the classroom, that's true civic education.
donna phillips, center for civic EDUCATION

Studies have shown that civics education can equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to become more informed and engaged citizens.

Not everyone will see themselves when they read "We the people" in the preamble of the U.S. Constitution, but it's important for students to understand they rightfully have an active place, said Donna Phillips, the president and CEO of the Center for Civic Education, a national nonprofit that works to advance education about the U.S. Constitution.

"When the teacher then makes that lived connection between what they're learning and doing in the classroom and how it actually works outside of the classroom, that's true civic education," Phillips said. "That's when the knowledge sinks in."

Phillips pointed toward the Miami-Dade County (Fla.) School District for its work with the Center for Civic Education's Project Citizen, which aims to provide a first-hand approach to learning about the country's government system and how to monitor and influence it.

Many students propose a bill either at the school, community or state level, and some ideas from their proposed public policies are taken up by local lawmakers, Phillips said.

Moser's students write letters to representatives in all levels of government, starting with the city council. Students write about different topics that affect them and invite their city council members to come and discuss those issues.

Students also learn about the three branches of government and how to get involved while writing their letters, Moser said. The section ends with an email or video sent to students' senators or representatives in Congress. Their efforts to have their voices heard have been successful, with city council members coming to Moser's class multiple times to discuss the issues with students.

Phillips, a former educator of 20 years, also noted that teaching social studies is challenging because there's often controversy over what can be taught.

Many states have imposed restrictions on teaching topics like race and gender, and Texas suppressed students' interactions with elected officials in class projects. Milford School District's board of education recently indefinitely tabled its policy that would propose new standards for controversial and sensitive issues, including expressions of political beliefs.

Moser hasn't received pushback from parents or colleagues for the way he teaches his class, but has questioned himself if he's doing the right thing for his students after deciding to have students show mastery through projects and presentations instead of tests.

"I grew up just seeing Scantron tests after Scantron tests and that's what I was used to," Moser said. "I made the conscious choice to say, 'I don't want to do my class like this,' that maybe it's just me saying those things to myself, saying 'I'm doing something different than the way I was brought up. Is this correct? Or am I doing them a disservice?'"

Some teachers, like Moser, may feel doubt about going against the standard format of teaching a lesson and giving a test. But having that interactive learning experience gives students more of an investment in their community than they'd get from a textbook, Phillips said.

"When students are working on something and identifying a way to make things better, it gives them an investment in their community in a way that just sitting in a classroom and learning about things from a book or a movie or a test just [doesn't]," Phillips said.

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How a Wilmington charter teacher personalizes civics for students

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Freire Charter School of Wilmington teacher Nathan Moser has modernized civics education for his students by making them a part of lessons.

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How can civics education prepare young voters?

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How can civics education prepare young voters?

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Events like Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement have boosted Generation Z's political awareness, but more needs to be done to engage the state's youngest voters.

A month before Hawaii's primary election, 18-year-old Misty Cruden is starting to feel nervous. She wants to elect local leaders who take climate change seriously and care about high-quality education for all students, but she's also worried about the outcome of the presidential race in November.

"So many things are on the line at this point," said Cruden, a student at the University of Hawaii Hilo and a member of the Hawaii State Youth Commission. "Getting older, I know the decisions we make now are really going to affect us."

Young people are a growing portion of the electorate, with more than 8 million members of Generation Z eligible to vote for the first time in the 2024 elections. But voter turnout among young people tends to be low.

Approximately 30% of Hawaii residents ages 18 to 24 participated in the 2022 election, compared to 60% of voters who were 65 or older.

It's important for young people to participate in elections, not only to voice their opinions but also to develop good voting habits, said Colin Moore, an associate professor of political science at the University of Hawaii Manoa. If people begin voting from an early age, they're more likely to continue the practice throughout their lives, he added.

Some Hawaii schools have encouraged their students to preregister to vote and participate in mock elections, but opportunities around civic engagement vary across the state. Challenges like registering to vote for the first time or casting ballots from out-of-state can deter young people from participating in elections at the same rate as older voters.

Marli Mason, who also serves on the youth commission, said she's excited to vote for the first time but is worried about the logistics. Mason will move from the Big Island to Massachusetts to attend college in the fall, but she's unsure how she'll participate in Hawaii's elections from the mainland.

It's also hard for youth to feel engaged when candidates often cater to the priorities of older, more consistent voters, Moore said. At the same time, young adults may lack the basic knowledge of how to register to vote or cast their ballots for the first time.

"Everything is pushing against high levels of youth participation," Moore said.

More Information Needed

As a first-time voter, Anela Martinez said she would like more readily accessible information about the elections. Schools don't hold regular discussions on voter registration or candidate platforms, and students may lack the motivation to seek out these materials on their own, said Martinez, who recently graduated from Punahou School.

Teachers try to include civic education in their classes, but initiatives around voter registration and lessons on the elections aren't always a high priority, Moore said. The Hawaii Department of Education requires all high school students to take a semester-long course on democracy and government.

Despite the required course, it still feels taboo to talk about politics or elections in schools, said Kiana Rodriguez, a recent graduate from Waianae High School. While her classes taught her the basics of American government, Rodriguez said, she didn't feel prepared to engage in local politics until she participated in extracurriculars like the Hawaii State Student Council.

Major national and worldwide events, like the Covid-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, may have boosted young people's political awareness and involvement, said David Ball, program coordinator at Punahou's Davis Democracy Initiative. The program promotes civic education and engagement in public and private schools.

Through social media, Ball said, students can watch political movements and protests evolve across the globe. Compared to past generations of students, Ball believes more young people today understand how issues like reproductive rights or climate change directly impact their lives.

"I think they feel they're living in consequential times," Ball said.

But Camron Hurt, program manager at Common Cause Hawaii, said candidates also need to do a better job of engaging young voters. Politicians often target the priorities of older citizens, who consistently turn out to vote, and place less emphasis on debates like the legalization of marijuana that are important to young people, he added.

Shanoa Quanan, a student at UH Hilo, said she plans on voting for the first time this year and tends to lean toward the Democratic Party. But, Quanan added, she feels that most candidates don't emphasize issues like affordable housing or the rising cost of living as much as she'd like.

Other young people in Hawaii said their top priorities include reproductive rights, climate change and access to high-quality education.

Rocklin Youngstrom, a student at Liberty University and the chair of Hawaii Young Republicans, said she's looking for candidates who have clear plans to reduce the state's homeless population and lower taxes to address Hawaii's cost of living. While the Democratic Party largely dominates Hawaii politics, Young said she still encourages members of Young Republicans to vote and advocate for change.

"We're not getting the results we want," Youngstrom said.

A Push For More Engagement

While schools play an important role in creating informed citizens, it's also difficult to engage teens when they're not old enough to vote, Ball said.

For example, while Punahou's graduating class has over 400 students, only 20 seniors may be old enough to vote during an election year, Ball said. Some students move to other states for college and face the additional challenge of voting from the mainland, he added.

"You miss the timing," Ball said.

School-based programs like Kids Voting Hawaii can help students develop civic engagement skills before they turn 18, Ball said. The initiative allows students to vote for local and national candidates on a mock ballot during election years.

Hawaii is also one of 18 states allowing teens to preregister to vote starting at age 16. Once preregistered voters turn 18, they will automatically receive a ballot in the mail during election years, said Hawaii Chief Elections Officer Scott Nago.

Last year, Nago said, the Office of Elections partnered with 34 public and private schools to help students preregister and learn more about voting. Hawaii currently has over 1,500 preregistered voters.

Organizations like the League of Women Voters and Hawaii State Youth Commission have also ramped up outreach at local schools to raise awareness around the preregistration process. But, Moore said, some students are still unsure how to register to vote or fill out a ballot, especially if their schools don't place a heavy emphasis on civic education.

To promote greater civic engagement among young people, legislators introduced a bill this year that would have allowed students to use their University of Hawaii IDs to register to vote. The bill also proposed making all 10 UH campuses in-person voting centers.

The bill failed to pass, with county officials raising concerns about the cost of running and staffing additional voting centers. Other testifiers raised concerns that allowing students to vote with their university IDs could result in fraud, since out-of-state and international students receive the same cards.

But, Hurt said, he thought the bill was a step in the right direction. Not all students have the money to purchase state IDs, he said, and all counties could benefit from more in-person polling stations.

"Voting takes the bare minimum, but it seems like another task for a young adult," Hurt said.

Marissa Matsushige, who graduated from Kauai High School last year, said she first understood the importance of voting after the 2016 elections. Since then, Matsushige said, she's tried to stay informed about elections, but it's hard to balance her responsibilities at school with following politics at the local and national level.

"Politics, especially as a student when I'm in school, it's not the thing that takes up brain space," Matsushige said. "I just think that there's not enough awareness."
Civil Beat's education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.

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Young Voters Want To Make Themselves Heard In Hawaii - But They Don't Always Know How

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Events like Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement have boosted Generation Z's political awareness, but more needs to be done to engage the state's youngest voters.

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FactCheck.org is a “nonpartisan, nonprofit ‘consumer advocate’ for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.” Its staff monitors factual accuracy in American politics, looking at what’s being said in TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and the like. The website has three main outlets for its work: Articles, the FactCheck Wire (for shorter items or ones of less national interest) and Ask FactCheck (in which the group’s staff members answer questions sent in by readers, often about chain e-mails on political subjects). The group debunks myths, falsehoods and exaggerations by politicians and outside groups involved in election campaigns and public policy debates.

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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

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The Remedial Herstory Project is home to a free online textbook paired with primary source materials and free lesson plans for educators to bring diverse, juicy women’s history to life in the…

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IN DEVELOPMENT IN 2024. Democracy depends on informed citizens who have the knowledge and skills to engage in their government. Empower your student citizens with this collection that teaches civic knowledge and understanding through applied examples from U.S. history and skills such as analyzing civic engagement and engaging in civil discourse. Focusing on multiple perspectives and diverse stories, these resources enable all students to see themselves as civic actors and prepare them to engage in civic political life.

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Civics and Government Resources for Grades 6-12 | PBS LearningMedia

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The Civics Collection covers topics taught in middle and high school, including as part of history and civics and government curricula. Find video and interactive resources covering real-life civics topics and skills. Students will learn how historical and present-day U.S. citizens have engaged with our democracy.

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The cable channel’s site features a wealth of audio and video clips, both current and historical, related to government, history, and current events. Teacher registration is required to access free forums, lesson plans, Bell Ringers, and Constitution Clips.

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Civil Discourse Toolkit for Middle School Teachers: Tools & Resources

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Facing History & Oursevles Civics Education

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Facing History & Oursevles Civics Education

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Our civic education approach develops the civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary for students to become engaged and ethical participants in democracy.

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The Civics Center | Empowering the Youth Vote in America

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High School & Voting - Info and Resources for Educators

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Discover the importance of high school in voting and free resources for educators to engage students and administrators in civics, government and voting.