Participants will learn strategies for teaching students to think critically about technologies from the printing press to ChatGPT. The session will include five “technoskeptical” questions you can use in your classroom and other resources from the Civics of Technology project. The session will provide critical ways to help students think about how technology affects citizenship and democracy. During this session, participants will learn about how to encourage students to practice “technoskeptical” thinking to encourage them to make decisions about the role of technology in our lives and…

Gain tools for cultivating an environment for student agency through teaching and student government using lessons learned from the presenter's classroom experiences. They will gain best practices and walk away with activities for student agency applicable to the civics classroom. This webinar is appropriate for middle and high school civics educators, and instructors interested in learning more about creating opportunities for student agency and civic engagement. All Times Eastern This webinar is part of a series hosted in partnership with the iCivics, Service, and Leadership (iCSL)…

In this two-part series, teachers will be provided with the tools to promote digital literacy and analyze public policy. Join Allison Norrie, high school social studies teacher for the Fairfield Public Schools, and Stephen Armstrong, past president of the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies and current education consultant for Connecticut’s Department of Education as they share strategies and resources for educators to aid in teaching and monitoring election cycles leading up to and including the upcoming presidential elections of 2024.   Presentation Slides

Today the grandchildren of Vietnam War veterans are attending middle and high schools throughout America, sitting side-by-side with the children of those who served more recently in Desert Storm and the Iraq War. But how much do they really know about these conflicts and the sacrifices their dads, moms and grandparents proudly made? Joining with social studies departments throughout the Country, the Veterans National Education Program (V-NEP) is teaching the lessons of these wars in the classroom. During the 2018-2019 school year, V-NEP will provide teachers with a free, collection of video…

In this evidence-based webinar, answer the questions "How and why were the “Black” and “White” “races” developed? and "How and why was anti-Black Racism developed? Using primary sources, visual diagrams, and historian quotes, trace the historical evolution of the social construction of race--through laws--during the Colonial era. Review historical evidence suggesting that racism did not lead to slavery; rather, slavery lead to racism. Discuss the narrative of racism as the myth of Black racial inferiority that white elites/slave owners created (“the story we tell”) to both uphold slavery,…

In this webinar, we will introduce participants to argument mapping - a research-backed method students can use to organize and evaluate claims using reasoning and evidence. Participants will see how argument mapping can help teachers facilitate discussions around controversial issues, such as whether communities should defund the police or abolish ICE. How We Argue Webinar Series Educators often want to discuss current issues and empower students to engage as active citizens. Yet, when discussing controversial topics, some students rely on unsubstantiated…

Examine how the realities of COVID-19 can usher students into new ways of connecting with the past. Using the C3 as a guide, participants will engage in inquiry based activities using primary sources from the Library of Congress to promote historical empathy, and spur students towards action.

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…

How can classroom teachers prepare for classroom discussions going into next school year on teaching about the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade? NCSS presents Member Chat, a new series on breaking issues. In partnership with the American Historical Association (AHA) and the Center for Civic Education, this NCSS Member Chat shares the perspectives of a professional historian, methods professor, and Constitutional scholar to help us understand and discuss the historic and pedagogic implications of this major Supreme Court action.