Elementary teachers understand the importance of building a strong literacy foundation at the early grades and may feel tempted to reduce or eliminate social studies instruction in favor of additional instruction in reading and writing. As we are building skills for literacy, we recognize that background knowledge is one of the strongest indicators for success with reading comprehension. A strong social studies curriculum at the elementary level not only provides opportunities for students to apply their literacy skills to a variety of texts but is critical for building a knowledge base that…

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. 

An earlier article (by W. Toledo and others) in Social Studies and the Young Learner examined how young students engaged with locally-relevant civics curriculum focused on civic perspective-taking, a process wherein students examine multiple perspectives on public issues and form their own stances on these issues using fact-based reasons with a consideration for the public good. Here, the authors present additional key skills in civic thinking and important strategies for teachers hoping to engage young students in civic perspective-taking.

A number of education theorists propose that promoting civic engagement in classrooms is essential to supporting children in learning how to participate in shaping decisions that affect their lives. Müge Olğun Baytaş and Stephanie Schroeder examine civic education with younger students and note that early childhood and elementary educators can take a leading role in fostering civic engagement and agency with even the youngest of children. The authors share an approach where children’s literature can be used to introduce young children to the concept of citizenship as active civic and…

Young People are Talking about Politics, Whether or Not They're in our Classrooms: Why We Need to Help Students Navigate the 2020 Elections and Beyond, and How to Do So This webinar is intended to help K-12 educators consider the ways that they can engage students in inquiry and preparation to participate in the 2020 presidential election this November and civic life in the future—without starting from scratch or going it alone. Educators will be introduced to the work of the 17 nonprofit members of Teaching for Democracy Alliance (TFDA) and over 150 resources curated by the…

For a pre-kindergarten (preK) class, designing a 3-D map of a newly constructed playground offered authentic opportunities to participate, deliberate, and solve an authentic problem. Responding to the compelling question—“How do we build community spaces that are welcoming to, representative of, and sustaining for all community members?”—the class was able to reimagine the purpose of a neighborhood park with the help of scaffolded inquiry. Through active deliberation (e.g., voting what items to include in the park) and participation (e.g., surveying classmates and families about what they…

The following articles have been selected from our three main journals for K-12 teachers: Social Education, Middle Level Learning, and Social Studies and the Young Learner. These articles are grouped by topic for easy reference. Also included are recent current event responses that address racism and call for human rights education. NCSS Current Events Responses (2020)Teaching about Race and Racism in the ClassroomThe African American Struggle for Civil RightsSlavery and Its LegacyRacism and Discrimination against Black, Indigenous, and People of ColorHuman Rights EducationMiddle Level…

This presentation highlights a freely available digital game designed to foster young children's engaging inquiry with primary sources. KidCitizen is part of the Congress, Civic Participation, and Primary Sources Project. It is funded by a grant from the Library of Congress. The presenters will introduce KidCitizen and discuss how the models of learning showcased in the KidCitizen templates may be leveraged by teachers to support disciplined inquiry in primary grade instruction. Participants will discuss strategies for engaging their students in the games, and take part in a mini-lesson based…

The authors highlight two first-grade teachers who teach in New York City. Using a read-aloud, they explore differences between equity and equality and then engage children in a real-world scenario that engages concepts of fairness when allocating resources to disparate groups of people. 

The authors provide the reader an opportunity to see how second-grade children can use a twelfth-century painting as historical evidence to identify transportation modes, economic activities, and cultural features of Bianjing, an ancient Chinese city. They compare Bianjing with their community using modern mapping technology. Through this approach, art, history, geography, economics, technology, and civics are integrated into an engaging inquiry lesson.