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…

Using a modified ethnographic approach, this presentation takes social studies inquiry to another level of engagement by creating opportunities for students to connect the past directly to their lives. This next level of student engagement is created by introducing the participant to the methods for using anthropological concepts within a unit of study that explores connections in culture and social changes as they occurred in the past and how these same concepts are being affected in the present. The presentation is based on the Inquiry Design Model framework by creating a subset of…

This webinar will introduce middle school social studies educators to several frameworks drawn from history and the social sciences, such as settler colonialism, physical and cultural genocide, and human rights, for teaching about the mass violence perpetrated against Indigenous peoples in the United States in the nineteenth century. Through the use of primary source documents, participants will learn about the 1862 U.S.-Dakota War and its aftermath, as a case study for teaching and learning about specific examples, as well as the broader history, of such mass violence. In addition,…

Geo-Inquiry is an exciting new integrated, project-based process that connects students to real-world questions, National Geographic explorers and components of civic action. Created in collaboration with the Buck Institute, The Center for Civic Education and ESRI these sessions will introduce participants to strategies that develop the critical thinking skills needed to: ask questions, collect information, use GIS to visualize data, create a compelling story using photography and videography tips, and ultimately become advocates for change in their local community. 

Children’s literature can play a powerful role in young children’s lives to learn, inspire and transform. The images and words convey a compelling story and message that has the potential to leave lasting impressions. In recent years, there’s been an explosion of children’s books that go beyond social and emotional learning. Books for young children about historical topics like enslavement, the Holocaust, Japanese-American internment, voting rights, segregation, and genocide are presenting them with both sensitivity and insight. When it comes to current event topics there are many excellent…

Whether you’re looking for innovative resources to start the new school year with ease and excitement, or to enhance your U.S. History lessons anytime throughout the year, we’ve got you covered. These resources are designed to be easy to use, easy to navigate, and easy to integrate into your existing lesson plans. The new U.S. History Collection on PBS LearningMedia features interactive lessons and interactive maps, timelines, and images designed to engage students in the content with different forms of media that center students in the learning process. As with all resources in the U.S.…

National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and National Council for History Education (NCHE) are proud to present a two-part professional learning series on teaching inquiry about race and democracy through the use of primary sources in K-12 social studies and history classrooms.  Each part of this program previews a chapter from NCSS’ forthcoming online methods texts, Inquiry and Teaching with Primary Sources to Prepare Students for College, Career, and Civic Life, and features a panel discussion with the chapter’s author and a history scholar, moderated by NCSS and NCHE leaders. …

Using Material Culture to Teach Inclusive U.S. History; Empower Students to be Keepers of their own History Through Artifacts “Archives are the factories and laboratories of the historian. . . they are the warehouses from which we acquire the materials to build the history we write.” But what of the histories not captured in traditional archives? Historian Tiya Miles calls this the “conundrum of the archives–the way that written records have favored those with the means to document their lives. Such archives have skewed toward power, meaning white and male, and have largely…

Brianne Pitts