It's a critical time to engage in classroom discussions about democracy—what it is, what threatens it today, and how we can protect it.

If our students are to become engaged citizens, they must learn to ask questions about accuracy, credibility and bias, and to reflect on their own biases.

American women have engaged in activism since the founding of our nation and continue to do so in record numbers today. Using resources from the New-York Historical Society’s Women & the American Story (WAMS) curriculum, explore the many ways women of diverse backgrounds advocated for themselves and others throughout American history – from the American Revolution through the fight over the Equal Rights Amendment. This session will be interactive and include ample opportunities to engage with curriculum materials, collaborate with colleagues, and engage with exciting primary sources that…

The controversy over a proposed census question on citizenship status can launch an engaging classroom lesson on the U.S. constitutional requirement to count every resident.

The American Civil Liberties Union recently hosted a live online video training on student free speech rights given by ACLU attorneys. The video is now online here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6ghXMtooV8 and the graphics from the session are here:https://www.aclu.org/other/students-know-your-rights-presentation The training covered various ways that the First Amendment protects students’ rights to express their views. It also included what schools can and can’t do when it comes to disciplining students for various actions, like posting on social media, walkouts, and wearing clothing with…

In this article, the authors share how children’s literature can be used to center the contributions of Asian Americans to the ongoing work of civil rights activism while disrupting harmful/racist stereotypes about Asian Americans.

Teaching resource and background articles on teaching about gun violence from NCSS, members, colleagues, and news outlets: Out of Range: An Interview with Mark Tushnet on the Second Amendment (Looking at the Law) Social Education (Sept. 2007) Tracking Congress: Issues, Interests, and Democracy in Action Social Education (Jan./Feb. 2018) The Atlantic, “Gun Control from Around the World: A Primer.” Overview of the social science and public policies globally (Jan. 12, 2016). The Atlantic, "The Parkland Students Aren't Going Away." The relevance of race in the history of the issue (Feb. 24,…

A close examination of the Constitution’s Article V could launch a fascinating classroom debate on whether a constitutional convention today could break our legislative logjams. 

The National Archives has several programs to help teach about the Constitution, including an online archive for accessing and downloading countless primary documents, and also virtual classroom visits from an Archives educator.