Contemporary social studies instruction should focus on objectives and concepts from many disciplines at all skill levels. In this lesson, fourth and fifth grade students successfully practiced intellectual skills while analyzing primary and secondary sources that documented the life of Belle Case La Follette. The students showed they were capable of a rigorous study of the accomplishments and tribulations of a significant historical figure.

Teaching about the civil rights movement in the elementary grades has, in many schools, focused exclusively on the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Many students are well versed in the content of King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, and they know well that Rosa did not give up her seat on the bus. While these moments and heroes of the movement are essential in the study of this era in history, the study of more obscure and lesser known people and events is a great way to deepen our students’ understanding of the sacrifices that so many thousands of ordinary people made in the…

In this article, we offer resources and activities that highlight Patsy Mink's congressional achieve- ments and experiences, and push young students to think about the institution of Congress with a gendered lens.