Learning the early history of U.S. government is often confusing for middle school students. In this article, the author describes the use of the book We the People and the President to give seventh-grade students a deeper understanding of government

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. 

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…

What does the C3 Framework look like in a fifth grade classroom? This five-minute video produced by Social Studies School Service provides a snapshot of high quality C3 social studies instruction designed to prepare students for active and engaged citizenship. The accompanying lesson plan, handouts, and summative assessment rubric developed by Rebecca Valbuena, Board Member of California Council for the Social Studies and Michelle Herczog, President of National Council for the Social Studies provides step-by-step directions and tools to transform a traditional lesson about the fundamental…

(Posted September, 2016) = NCSS Members-only resource For Secondary/High School from Social Education Teaching in the Time of Trump Socialism in the United States: Hidden in Plain Sight (Not so) Unprecedented: Media Analysis of the 2016 Presidential Race and Its Historical Precedents Memorandum about the First Nixon-Kennedy Debate  Media Construction of Presidential Campaigns Political Polling Past and Present   For Middle Level from Middle Level Learning Making Choices: An Explanation of Political Preferences Using…

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…

Resources from the NCSS Publications Archive to support your continuing instruction. Teaching Controversial IssuesHow Do Teachers' Political Views Influence Teaching about Controversial Issues?Should Schools Teach Students to Vote? YES! Electoral CollegeDemystifying the Electoral College: 12 Frequently Asked QuestionsTeaching about the Electoral College Supreme CourtIdentifying and Teaching against Misconceptions: Six Common Mistakes about the Supreme CourtSelecting Supreme Court Justices: A Dialogue (Looking at the Law) Polling…

The Center on Representative Government at Indiana University has launched "Engaging Congress," an interactive game that uses primary-source documents to explore the workings of American government and the challenges it faces in contemporary society. The app-based game is available to middle school and high school government, history, language arts and social studies programs as a fun tool for teaching the basic tenets of representative government, using documents and materials from the Library of Congress and other sources.The game features five thematic stories: "Fair Is Not Always Equal,"…

In Pursuit of Equity: Book Banning and Censorship Book bans in schools and libraries are on the rise. Last school year, more than 850 individual titles were impacted by censorship efforts of local groups and state decision-makers. How can educators and students navigate censorship in their communities? NCHE and NCSS united for a fourth virtual Equity Summit in October 2023 in support of our history and social studies educators and students, with a focus on book-banning and censorship. These are the session recordings from the Summit. 

Justice engaged youth face a multitude of barriers when trying to re enter their schools and classrooms after being incarcerated. Social Studies teachers and their classrooms are uniquely situated to help prevent justice engaged youth from going back to jail. This talk addresses how social studies teachers can become trusted and positive youth influences to these students. In addition, teaching hard histories and valuing lived experiences through storytelling can change the lives of justice engaged youth forever. It connects them to their past, grounds them in their present and allows them to…