Help Our Fellows Learn About the State of Civic Education

Posted on March 17, 2022February 14, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

How do you define “civics” or “civic education”? The Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship is calling on all students across the country to help answer this question and provide insight into the current state of civic education.

The Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship launched the #CivicsForUS Listening Tour as an online survey open to all students in 6th grade through college. This anonymous survey will help our Youth Fellows learn more about what their peers across the country are experiencing regarding civic education. Fellows will use this data to continue highlighting the need for civic education that is equitable and relevant to all students in the United States.

“The Listening Tour will allow us to gather insight regarding the state of civic education in our country. We will be more informed on the similarities and differences within our communities and inspired with a sense of problem-solving as we strive to examine ways to make civics education equitable.” -Sophie Schmidt, Equity in Civics Youth Fellow from Mississippi.

Our Youth Fellows have been busy sharing this nationwide survey with their communities. So far, we have collected more than 300 responses from students across 29 states, Washington D.C, and Puerto Rico. However, we need your help to reach as many students as possible. The survey takes about 5 minutes to complete and will be open until April 15, 2022

As a former social studies teacher, I would encourage other educators to share this survey with their students. This survey will allow students to lend their unique voices to the conversation surrounding high-quality, equitable civic education. Our youth are important stakeholders in their civic education, and their experiences can help organizations like iCivics see what matters to students.

Whether you have your students complete the survey as a bellringer or encourage them to complete it outside of class, you will help our Youth Fellows learn more about the state of civic education across the nation and take the best steps toward achieving an equitable education.

Written by Michael Reyes

Born in Miami, Florida, Michael has nearly three years of teaching experience in his hometown. At iCivics, Michael manages the Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship and the Youth As Civics Experts Network. He supports our Youth Fellows in finding and using their voices towards their civic passion, a similar experience he went through in high school.

New Curriculum Unit: The Legal Reference Library

Posted on March 9, 2022February 14, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

Sometimes the textbook definition isn’t enough. Our new Legal Reference Library consists of eight mini-lessons that provide students with a deep understanding of important laws, rights, and legal concepts in a flash.

How well do your students understand the USA Patriot Act of 2001, the Equal Protection Clause, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965? Do these important legal concepts even get a paragraph in your textbook? We won’t be surprised if your answer is no. And yet, these laws — along with many others — are critical for understanding what our rights are. Our Legal Reference Library will help your students explore why these laws or legal concepts were created and how they are used today.

Part infographic and part written text, these mini-lessons present difficult concepts in a digestible way and provide the foundation for informed classroom discussions. Each lesson consists of a one-page reading and a page of activities to reinforce the concepts learned. You can use the mini-lessons to:

Expand on concepts introduced in student textbooks.
Enhance an existing lesson or compliment the study of a Supreme Court case from our Landmark Library.
Use it as a stand-alone lesson or assign it as homework.
Prompt rich, informed discussions about current events.

Dive into the Legal Reference Library and discover new ways to get students engaged in learning about their rights.

Teaching About the Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Using Convene the Council to Bring Foreign Policy to Life

Posted on February 28, 2022February 14, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

How do you teach students about what is happening in Ukraine?

If you are like many teachers, your students are asking for help in making sense of what is in the news. One of the best things we can do for our students is to meet this moment and offer some insight into processes, demystify complicated concepts, and cultivate their civic-mindedness. But how many of us are foreign policy experts? With the right resources, you don’t have to be!

iCivics just launched the perfect tool to help! Created in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations, Convene the Council is a new game that engages players in the basics of foreign policymaking. Playing as President of the United States, students face global challenges, consult with the National Security Council, and make tough foreign policy decisions. The goals of the game, as well as the goals of U.S. foreign policy, are to skillfully balance the safety, prosperity, and values of the United States within its global context. As president, do you address a crisis with sanctions or diplomacy? Foreign aid or military engagement? These questions have very clear and present connections to the past, present and future.

And—unlike real life—results are immediate. Players see outcomes and impacts of their choices as they make them. The game allows students to evaluate the effectiveness of their decisions, adapt as needed, and learn from the process.

A great place to start is the Game Guide, which provides insights and tips for playing the game. It’s great for all educators, non-gamers and gamers alike. In addition to a walk-through of the game, the guide offers discussion questions and extension activities.

For a deeper and more comprehensive teaching tool, check out the game’s Extension Pack, which offers everything needed to build your perfect “game sandwich,” from introducing the topic to engaging with the game and reinforcing the learning after the game has ended. (And if you need differentiated lessons or multilingual/English language learner supports, there is a vocabulary worksheet and modifications for the game and lessons already prepared for you.)

A customizable slide deck introduces students to important foreign policy concepts, guides them to debrief their game experiences, and helps you assess what they’ve learned. The Extension Pack also comes with activities that are both printable and available in Kami so students can have guided practice through the activities and discussion.

The learning doesn’t have to stop after the game. Here are some ideas from the Extension Pack and beyond to engage students with what’s happening in the world around them today:

Have students research a modern foreign policy challenge or read a short article on what is happening in Ukraine, for instance. (Also a great way to practice those news literacy skills!)
Create a formative assessment in which students apply their game experience to explain some of the foreign policy choices of the current administration in the United States, given the recent actions of Russia. (Think podcast, comic strip, game mock-up!)
Ask students to replay the game and note which challenges they faced, then see if they can connect it to a similar situation in U.S. foreign policy history. (Spoiler alert: Each one has a real-world twin! But we will never tell. It’s Top Secret.)

But wait, there’s more! The NSC Department Guide is a great reference for players and, like the game, is available in Spanish. We also offer an NSC-focused timeline activity that helps students see real events in our nation’s history and which foreign policy tools were put to use.

To further deepen your students’ foreign policy knowledge, you can also check out materials such as World101 and Model Diplomacy from our partners at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Engaging students in games, activities, high-level assessment, and civil discussion not only connects to state standards, but also brings students to this powerful intersection of learning and application, showing them why school matters and how what is learned will be important as an adult.

Written by Carrie Ray-Hill and Amanda Setters

Carrie Ray-Hill is the Senior Director of Digital Learning and oversees the conceptualization and development of iCivics’ educational resources, with a particular concern for teacher usability. She is responsible for maintaining a consistent focus on iCivics’ educational mission. Prior to joining the iCivics team, Carrie taught middle and high school social studies and language arts in St. Louis and Washington, DC. In addition to seeking out the finest of cheeses, Carrie spends her spare time watching British panel shows, making cookies for the office, and killing zombies.

Amanda Setters is a Curriculum Associate at iCivics. She is responsible for creating and revising curricular materials for teachers and students. Prior to joining the iCivics team, Amanda taught middle and high school social studies in Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to reading and spending time with her family, Amanda enjoys learning from her favorite historians.

Preparing for AP Tests with iCivics

Posted on February 16, 2022February 14, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

As a former Advanced Placement History teacher, I can confidently say that one of the most essential skills for our students is comprehensive source analysis. The College Board AP History (U.S., World, European) exams in May require students to analyze sources for both the multiple choice and writing portions of the exam. In addition to being able to summarize a document, students in AP courses need to “HIPP” the document to analyze things like historical context, intended audience, point of view, and purpose. And iCivics is here to help make sure all students have the preparation to meet that rigorous demand!

Check out the highlighted resources below:

DBQuests

A great tool for the younger grades as well as the start of the AP year is the iCivics collection of DBQuests. DBQuests are already prepared with a big question and walk students through source analysis and summary skills. By starting with a review of the author and audience, the students practice those analysis skills in a structured way. If a student makes a mistake, the DBQuest redirects them to try again until they get it right. That in-the-moment formative feedback is a fantastic tool to support student mastery.

After analyzing the source, the DBQuest has students pull evidence from the document to answer comprehension questions using a drag-and-drop tool. After students select textual evidence to answer the questions, that evidence is presented and students use the textual evidence to summarize the main ideas. By scaffolding students through the analysis and summary of these primary and secondary source excerpts, teachers can foster development of this important skill using a ready-made and high-quality resource!

DBQuests are assigned using an iCivics teacher account and are Google Classroom and Clever compatible. The teacher materials also have printed copies of the documents, as well as enrichment and scaffolding activities, so teachers can differentiate to meet the needs of every student in their classroom. Using this ready-made resource will help free up your plan time, empower and engage your students, and can allow you to work in the role of facilitator. Coach and circulate the class to review student progress and provide formative feedback as students are engaged in the work.

Exploring Primary Sources

Another great resource to use when preparing for AP tests is iCivics’ Exploring Primary Sources mini-site. You’ll find even more tools and activities to help students practice working with sources, as well as some professional development for yourself.

In addition to our DBQuests, teachers can discover partner resources like Eagle Eye Citizen, KidCitizen, and Journalism in Action (and more!). Eagle Eye Citizen gets students practicing sequencing, contextualization, and close reading, while KidCitizen’s videos engage students with primary source photographs and develop their critical literacy skills. Journalism in Action is an interactive learning tool that helps middle and high school students examine the role of a free press in different moments in history using historical primary sources. We all share the support of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Program.

Be sure to use these iCivics resources to help you reduce your planning and delivery work, so you can spend your classroom time facilitating high-quality source work and enjoy a fresh cup of coffee!

Written by Amanda Setters

Amanda Setters is a Curriculum Associate at iCivics. She is responsible for creating and revising curricular materials for teachers and students. Prior to joining the iCivics team, Amanda taught middle and high school social studies in Cincinnati, Ohio. In addition to reading and spending time with her family, Amanda enjoys learning from her favorite historians.

iCivics partners with Teacher Created Materials on new book, Teaching Civics Today

Posted on February 4, 2022February 14, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

Developed in partnership with Teacher Created Materials, Teaching Civics Today: The iCivics Approach to Classroom Innovation and Student Engagement is a professional resource that shows teachers how to bring civics into their social studies classrooms in an engaging, meaningful way.

“We don’t teach civics like we used to, and thank goodness for that! Our students now benefit from a renaissance in civics instruction – an innovative revitalization of the frameworks, methods, and materials we use to prepare students for their critical role in our constitutional democracy,” said Emma Humphries, Chief Education Officer of iCivics. “All of this and more is succinctly captured in Teaching Civics Today.”

This book, written by John Larmer, explores key civics topics and provides teaching strategies that build content knowledge, develop 21st century skills, and engage students in practice and action. The book:

Explains why civic education is important
Supports teachers by outlining best practices for civics instruction
Helps teachers integrate literacy and civics
Includes useful implementation tools such as project and lesson examples

Whether used with the exciting iCivics Readers or by itself, this resource is the perfect tool to help teachers develop tomorrow’s leaders today by guiding students to understand the value of civic engagement.

2 New Infographics on Congressional Leadership

Posted on December 14, 2021February 27, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

A picture is worth a thousand words which is why our infographics are so popular with students. Our newest set of Leadership & The Agenda infographics shows how party leaders shape the congressional agenda in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

These two infographics pair perfectly with our Congressional Leadership mini-lesson or can be used as a stand-alone lesson with the help of our downloadable Teacher’s Guide. The guide includes base knowledge, emphasizes visual literacy skills, and provides conversation starters and activities for students.

Looking for More Infographics to Spark Conversation?

We have a whole library of them! From how a bill becomes a law to ranked-choice voting and the roles of the president, our downloadable and printable infographics provide visually appealing, graphically concise, and substantive overviews of key civic concepts.

Find Support, Collaboration, and Inspiration with the iCivics Educator Network

Posted on December 13, 2021February 14, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

What a crazy time it is to be a teacher! The COVID-19 pandemic has created such uncertainty and much of what I thought I knew about teaching and learning has been upended. While trying to figure out how to handle this new environment, I’ve come to realize that my need for support, collaboration, and inspiration is greater than ever. I’ve found all that and more in the iCivics Educator Network.

I’ve been teaching ESOL and bilingual social studies in middle and high schools for more than two decades, but the past three school years have been unlike any in my experience. My students are among the most vulnerable to the economic, physical, and educational effects of this pandemic. As I approached the beginning of last school year, I felt such trepidation about going back into the classroom in-person. I worried about how safety protocols and hybrid scheduling would affect my ability to engage with my students and to share my love of all things government.

Fortunately, as a member of the iCivics Educator Network, I was able to connect with peers around the country and learn how they planned to deal with the same concerns. There was such camaraderie as we bounced ideas around and shared resources. During my five years in the Educator Network, I’ve always appreciated the passion and expertise of my fellow members, but now I more fully realize the exceptional nature of this group. Going back into the classroom was still scary, but thanks to this wonderful network, I felt more empowered to continue the work I love under trying circumstances.

Members of the iCivics Educator Network enjoy many more benefits than the wonderful collegiality. We have opportunities to beta test new iCivics resources, learn about the latest features and updates, and access amazing educational opportunities for ourselves and our students. I hope you’ll join us and share your own passions and expertise. We’d love to have you!

Written by Ada Bélanger

Ada teaches ESOL and US history/government in Bedford, New York. She has been a member of the iCivics Educator Network since 2016. She accidentally stumbled across iCivics during an Internet search several years ago, and today iCivics features prominently in her classroom.

4 Ways to Build Classroom Community Through Feedback Using Kami & iCivics

Posted on December 10, 2021February 14, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

A strong classroom community is vital for empowering students and making them feel valued. Creating such an environment should foster kindness, responsibility, compassion, empathy, and more. Though there are many ways to build toward a strong classroom community—including through family involvement, identity, and predictability—feedback is one aspect that is often overlooked.

Feedback is an important component for building classroom community because it is what students rely on to understand and reflect on their actions. Decisions are based on this feedback and impact how students will operate in the future. Students need adequate feedback about their work in order to improve. Therefore, a method for providing feedback needs to give teachers plenty of options for communicating with students. Fortunately, iCivics and Kami have you covered!

Kami allows teachers to markup, discuss, and provide feedback on iCivics lessons using Kami’s text, comment, and media tools.

Here are four ways to use iCivics and Kami to provide feedback to students:

1. Utilize the comment tools

Kami’s comment tools allow teachers to respond directly to a specific spot in students’ work. This flexibility means that teachers can pinpoint targeted areas for improvement and praise. Kami’s comment tools also allow for teacher and student reply. Why not try using the comment tool to ask a scaffolded question that will help students rethink something they answered incorrectly? Then allow students to try again by replying to your comment! Rather than seeing feedback as failure, students will see it as an opportunity for growth and repeated practice.

2. Give praise with correction

Some students will respond well to corrective feedback, while others will struggle with it. One way to balance this is by offering praise along with corrective feedback. Studies show that praise boosts student confidence and motivates them to complete or stick with challenging tasks. Kami’s media tools allow teachers to add stickers to student work indicating “great effort”, “excellent work”, and “good idea.” You can follow up the visual appeal and excitement of a sticker with a more specific explanation of what the student did well with Kami’s comment tool.

3. Use student exemplars with the class

Using a projector or smartboard, share student exemplars with the class. Kami’s markup tools like the text highlighter and the drawing or shapes tool let you emphasize for students what to focus on. We recommend sharing a range of student exemplars at varying performance levels and discussing them with students. When students see and have opportunities to discuss examples of real student work, they gain a better idea of what success looks like at different levels.

4. Offer real-time feedback on assignments

As students think through their own ideas and grapple with an assignment, circulate around the room to monitor students’ progress. Take note of what students seem to be struggling with and what they are getting right. With students’ permission, select a sample to project on the whiteboard to model and discuss with the class. Use Kami’s annotation tools to draw students’ attention to important pieces of evidence or keywords that underscore the concept you are teaching. If you need to provide this feedback virtually, Kami allows teachers to make comments in real-time on iCivics lessons and provide students with the opportunity to improve their work as they continue to complete the assignment.

Using Kami’s tools with iCivics assignments will allow teachers to give students the formative feedback they need to build confidence, resilience, and a classroom culture of learning. Try using Kami with iCivics today!

iCivics & History’s Mysteries Partner to Expand Innovative History and Civics Curriculum for Grades K-5

Posted on December 6, 2021February 14, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

iCivics acquired History’s Mysteries’ elementary curriculum, and will continue to work in partnership with the creators to further develop the product, making it available to K-5 students nationwide.

iCivics is partnering with History’s Mysteries to integrate its K-5 learning offerings into the iCivics suite of educational materials. This marks a significant investment for iCivics in elementary civic education, which has historically been underserved by the field.

The partnership with History’s Mysteries will allow iCivics to address this fieldwide deficit, and provide a full library of learning materials for every grade level K-12, giving elementary educators an accessible way to engage younger learners in history and civics during the most foundational years of their education.

Founded in 2009, iCivics reaches more than 145,000 teachers and 9 million students annually through free, nonpartisan games and interactive lesson plans that teach the fundamentals of civic education by putting students at the center of learning.

Similarly, History’s Mysteries places young learners in grades K-5 in the center of the action by challenging them to act as history detectives. Its curriculum asks students a “Big Question” such as “What does it mean to be a citizen?” and then guides them through a discussion with teachers in which students use primary sources such as images, videos and texts to form conclusions.

Over the next few years, iCivics will expand History’s Mysteries’ K-5 content and make materials easier for teachers to use by aligning the content to standards in all 50 states. As part of the partnership, History’s Mysteries will be rebranded as Private “i”: History Detectives. The new, upgraded History’s Mysteries content will be available at iCivics.org in time for the 2022-2023 school year.

Of the partnership, Kelley Brown and Laurie Risler, who created History’s Mysteries, said, “History’s Mysteries originated from educators asking for accessible primary sources, inquiry-based learning, and engaging materials. We developed a foundation of historical mysteries that will undoubtedly grow and improve with such an incredibly respected and knowledgeable organization. iCivics’ long track record of creating quality, balanced, and engaging materials for learners makes me so excited for the future of our partnership and the new Private “i” History Detectives in elementary classrooms all across the country.”

“iCivics has wanted to expand into elementary curriculum for quite some time. The building blocks of lifelong civic learning can and should be laid in the earliest grades. We’re incredibly excited about History’s Mysteries and what it will bring to our youngest learners,” iCivics Director of Curriculum and Content Taylor Davis said. “We already know that K-5 students are eager to learn more about civics. What better way to do that than by building on young students’ natural curiosity and asking them to take on the role of history detectives in search of civic knowledge and skills through the close-reading of primary sources and critical thinking.”

This collaboration grew out of the Library of Congress’s Teaching With Primary Sources (TPS) initiative, which provides grants for organizations to build materials and tools that teach key concepts using the Library’s digitized primary sources and other online resources. iCivics and History’s Mysteries are both grantee organizations and members of the TPS Consortium.

Ethel Payne: First Lady of the Black Press

Do students see their communities and the issues they care about covered in the news? More inclusive coverage of national and world events is due in part to Ethel Payne, the second Black woman to become a member of the White House Press Corps. In her position, she asked leaders tough questions and wrote hard-hitting news stories. Her persistence brought civil rights issues to a national audience and put Black people’s experiences on the front page.

Patsy Mink: Changing the Rules

Does your school have a women’s soccer team? And do your students aspire to careers in law, science, or engineering, regardless of their gender? Patsy Mink helped make that possible as the co-author of Title IX, the landmark legislation that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal money. Mink was the first woman of color elected to Congress and in her 24 years as a Representative battled inequality by changing the laws.

Rachel Carson’s Fight for the Environment

The United Nations Climate Change Conference starts this weekend in Glasgow, Scotland. Many of the issues world leaders will be discussing and taking action on were first brought to light in Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking book, Silent Spring.

Looking for more lessons about how women have impacted history? Our suffrage resources will help you teach about the importance of voting and how women have had to fight for their right to vote.

Education Resources

Using the Resources

Author: Luke O'Connor