Three Lines in a Circle: The Exciting Life of the Peace Symbol by Michael G. Long; illustrated by Carlos Vélez (Louisville, KY: Flyaway Books, 2021) This picture book history of the peace symbol can help expand elementary students’ understanding of peace and introduce them to historical peace movements.  

Even before the first U.S. death from the mysterious, new coronavirus, Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett and Dr. Barney Graham were in a race against the clock. In 2020, they were research team members at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) Vaccine Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

For nearly 50 years, the National Council for the Social Studies has presented the Carter G. Woodson Book Award to texts that accurately and sensitively depict the experience of one or more historically marginalized racial/ethnic groups in the United States. The award originated in 1974, named to honor distinguished scholar Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, the Harvard-trained historian whose scholarship and dedication to making Black History known and visible led to the eventual creation of Black History Month. Texts must be non-fiction, published and set in the United States, written for…

When teachers create lessons that include historical sources, it’s important to pay attention to source choice and source attribution. 

The latest Septima Clark Book Award recipients shine a light on the stories of Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet; Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman in Congress; and numerous female athletes who shattered stereotypes.

This year’s Carter G. Woodson book picks include stories about Black heroes of the Old West, groundbreaking journalist Ethel Payne, and William Still, the “Father of the Underground Railroad.” 

The Educating for American Democracy initiative introduces an inquiry framework, or roadmap, organized around themes and questions to advance excellence in civic and history education. 

Recent research shows that growing students’ knowledge of the world through social studies has a greater impact on literacy than increasing English language arts instruction time. 

An inquiry approach to studying the 1940s Mendez racial segregation case can counter a narrative that centers the triumph of heroes and instead prompt students to explore larger issues related to colorism, racism, and language segregation.

Reading A Song for the Unsung with elementary students can provide an excellent entry point into an engaging lesson on the civil rights movement.