Examining the spotlighted stories about children of World Trade Center first responders can launch an engaging classroom lesson about September 11 and its continuing impact.  

“Why are people marching?” Given today’s level of activism, this is a plausible question many students may have. Although only some students voice the questions, it is very likely that many more have pondered why people are protesting after seeing reports of events such as the Women’s March (equality for women), March for Our Lives (about gun control), Black Lives Matter (for racial justice), Janitors March (for fair pay), and Keep Families Together (demanding the Trump administration reunite immigrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border). As elementary teachers, our subsequent…

Studying the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18, can springboard into important classroom lessons on federalism, republicanism, and checks and balances.

The College, Career, and Civil Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards guides teachers to initiate complex inquiries by sparking students' disciplinary literacy and critical analysis of rich sources. With effective scaffolding and engaging content, elementary students can explore and contextualize complex historical topics. In this article, the authors present the findings of a fourth grade study in which students examined primary sources and trade books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, and issues that affected the African American community. They…

Get ready for the new school year with these back-to-school resources from Social Education, Middle Level Learning, and Social Studies and the Young Learner