Some important concepts and strategies can help social studies educators teach civics in an inclusive manner when not all students in the classroom are formal citizens.

Learning about world religions (as opposed to teaching religious beliefs) as part of social studies can provide a space for students and teachers to have conversations about religious diversity in a respectful, balanced manner. In this article, the authors discuss reading stories and discussing religious diversity as a vehicle to open conversations about religion and diversity, and use the book Lailah’s Lunchbox to provide an example of content and questions teachers can use in their classroom. 

This article models how to teach civic dispositions using popular trade books that do not have an obvious connection to critical themes (e.g., power, privilege, identity). In doing so, the authors show how to create opportunities to teach civic dispositions within a school environment that may forbid some books as “too controversial” or that might accept lessons that gradually introduce students (and their parents) to a topic that may be controversial.  While focusing on the read aloud as an opportunity for civic learning, the authors describe how the pedagogical frameworks of critical…

Students with disabilities face distinct challenges in social studies, including complex ideas, extensive vocabulary, and a need for broad background knowledge. Since 2006, Emerging America has guided social studies teachers with strategies and tools for inclusion, grounded in inquiry-based use of primary sources

A social studies teacher and a mathematics educator created the featured U.S. history lesson on the three branches of government to help students better interpret evidence presented in graphs.

Incorporating poetry into the social studies curriculum can help students develop reading and writing skills while building their content knowledge.

One way to facilitate productive classroom discussions about racism and unequal power structures is to engage students in developing the discussion guidelines. This demonstrates respect for students’ needs and a willingness to share power.  

This article draws on my reflections from a year-long study in a first-grade classroom in a Midwestern public elementary school during which the author read and discussed a total of fourteen Asian American picture books with the class. In this article, she discusses the children’s interactions with Asian American stories and provides suggestions for using children’s literature to teach about Asian American history and culture.

The authors argue that with the continued marginalization of social stud- ies in the elementary classroom, integration has become a popular and effective method for the inclusion of social studies content in the daily curriculum. Using controversial issues, they highlight a model for this integration with a focus on children’s literature.