Blog - Page 12 of 16

iCivics featured in New PBS Documentary Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union

Posted on January 5, 2022February 14, 2025 by icivics

iCivics Executive Director Louise Dubé is featured in a new PBS documentary, Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union, discussing the role of civic education in engaging and fostering an informed citizenry.

iCivics’ Educator Network member and middle school civics teacher Mary Ellen Wessels’ students at Gate City Charter School in Nashua, New Hampshire, are also featured in the segment exploring the need for and impact of preparing all young Americans for informed citizenry from an early age. Wessels and her students show how iCivics’ nonpartisan games and lessons are used to educate millions of students in classrooms across the country in a fun, engaging, and impactful way.

The documentary reflects on the historical context of the democratic system, progress and threats to democracy at home and abroad, and lessons learned from our nation’s origin to the present day. It also highlights the Civics Secures Democracy Act, currently supported by a bipartisan alliance of Congressional leaders to invest $1 billion in civics and history education, ensuring more and better civic learning for all students in the United States.

In her closing remarks in the documentary, Louise emphasizes:

Civic education is the bedrock for a strong economy. Civic education is a national imperative because it’s so deeply related to national security issues. There are serious consequences to our nation and we need to change that right now.

Now is the time to seize this unique momentum and affect real and lasting change for future generations. Our investment in our students and their in-depth understanding of civics is an essential path forward for our country.

Preserving Democracy: Pursuing a More Perfect Union premieres on January 6, 2022 on local PBS affiliates. (Check local listings for air times.) You can also see an excerpt of the segment on civic education on last weekend’s episode of PBS NewsHour (beginning at 11:39) below.

For educators looking for resources on facilitating classroom conversations, visit: Teaching About January 6, 2021: Resources for Classroom Conversations Surrounding the Capitol Siege.

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.

Unity & GSV Venture Select iCivics Among Top 5 Winners of EdTech Creator Challenge

Posted on November 18, 2021February 14, 2025 by icivics

Today, iCivics was named one of the Top 5 winners of the Unity and GSV Ventures EdTech Creator Challenge, and one of the Challenge’s overall top 30 projects.

The EdTech Creator Challenge celebrates creators who are leveraging 3D-powering immersive learning platforms and tools to advance the technical skills of the next generation and educational solutions to increase access to high-quality learning experiences.

iCivics was selected as a top 5 winner by a team of more than 60 internal and external judges, who reviewed and rated 250 submissions based on the following criteria:

People: Is the team inclusive, and what populations are supported by this organization?
Product: Does this address a critical need and use real-time 3D technology in a unique way?
Potential: What is the traction and impact to date, and does this have global potential?
Predictability: What are the near-term milestones (financial and other), and are they achievable?
Purpose: What is the organization’s mission and what are the impact goals?

“We are thrilled to receive this honor,” said iCivics Executive Director Louise Dubé. “We remain committed to offering educators and students across the nation the kind of high-quality civic education necessary for the sustained strength of our constitutional democracy.”

Along with each of the Top 5 winners, iCivics will receive $100,000 in funding from Unity and $10,000 worth of cloud computing credits from Amazon Web Services EdStart. Learn more about iCivics and the other winners that are empowering creators to change the landscape of education and support all learners.

Unity is the world’s leading platform for creating and operating real-time 3D (RT3D) content. Creators, ranging from game developers to artists, architects, automotive designers, filmmakers, and others, use Unity to make their imaginations come to life. We believe creators are changemakers.

iCivics currently utilizes Unity’s powerful and flexible platform to develop its award-winning games.

GSV Ventures is the leading edtech investment firm, funding $7+ trillion in the education technology sector across “Pre-K to Gray.” With GSV and the EdTech Creator Challenge, we will empower creators to change the landscape of education to support all learners in expanding their professional and income-earning opportunities by accelerating the critical work of EdTech creators using Unity.

30 Students from Across the Country Join iCivics Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship

Posted on November 12, 2021February 14, 2025 by icivics

Now in its third year, national youth fellowship has engaged students from across the country to build civic leadership skills and explore how civic education can become more relevant to all youth in the United States

CAMBRIDGE, MA — Thirty talented high school students from across the country recently formed the newest cohort of the iCivics Equity in Civics Youth Fellowship (ECYF). The fellows are selected on a competitive basis and must be nominated by a teacher to be considered.

Now in its third year, the program works with students to research and explore how civic education can become more equitable for all students. Fellows utilize their own lived experiences to become ambassadors for better civic education and to shed light on how civic education can include student voices from every background.

The program, which is funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, is part of a broader initiative to explore equity in civic education. Throughout the course of the 2021-22 school year, fellows will engage virtually in group discussions with their peers, as well as in workshops and lectures with experts in the field and in projects designed to strengthen listening and collaborative skills—all centered around ensuring that civic education is available and relevant to all students in the United States.

“I am very excited for the ways in which this amazing group of students will lend their unique voices to the conversation surrounding equitable civic education through this Fellowship,” iCivics Youth Fellowship Community Lead Michael Reyes said. “They will all be learning from each other and engaging their ideas through various activities throughout the year. Most importantly, I look forward to seeing the ways these Fellows will take their experiences into lifelong civic engagement.”

iCivics is proud to announce this year’s Equity in Civics Youth Fellows:

Joshua Adegoke, 11th Grader, Challenge Early College High School, Texas
Joshua Anderson, 10th Grader, Leominster Center for Excellence, Massachusetts
Marley Best, 12th Grader, Redbank Valley High School, Pennsylvania
Georgia Bullard, 10th Grader, Sequim High School, Washington
Jasper Chavarria, 10th Grader, Junction City High School, Kansas
Elena Correa, 11th Grader, Central High School, Nebraska
Jemieka Findlay, 12th Grader, Bronx Collaborative High School, New York
Alani Sanchez-Flores, 11th Grader, Normal West Community High School, Illinois
Tasneem Ghadiali, 10th Grader, Lexington High School, Massachusetts
Stella Haag, 9th Grader, Sandpoint Highschool, Idaho
Tianna Hunt, 12th Grader, City Neighbors High School, Maryland
Howard Jongkyu, Kim 9th Grader, Conestoga High School, Pennsylvania
Brendan Kaminski, 10th Grader, Baldwin High School, New York
Kimtee Kundu, 12th Grader, Bravo Medical Magnet High School, California
Darren McQueen, 12th Grader, Christopher Columbus High School, Florida
Dieudonne Mfaume, 12th Grader, Lindbergh High School, Missouri
Diamond Moore, 11th Grader, Jones Senior High School, North Carolina
Surya Panyam, 10th Grader, Jesuit High School, Oregon
Tiffany Peck, 12th Grader, Alameda High School, Colorado
Pedro Pena, Jr., 12th Grade, Anne Community High School, Illinois
Sarah Rivera Rivera, 11th Grader, South County Highschool, Virginia
Rowan Jackson Sanborn, 9th Grader, Orono High School, Maine
Sophia Schmidt, 12th Grader, Ocean Springs High School, Mississippi
Milan Shah, 9th Grader, Westview High School, California
Sean Shelbrock, 12th Grader, Hill McCloy High School, Michigan
Amylia Tra,10th Grader, Collingswood High School, New Jersey
Leo Veatch, 11th Grader, Agate High School, Colorado
Ishta Wabaunsee, 11th Grader, Seaman High School, Kansas
Joy Washington, 11th Grader, Florida Virtual School, Florida
Elfin Wiriyan, 11th Grader, James Madison Memorial High School, Wisconsin

5 iCivics Election Day Activities

Posted on November 2, 2021February 14, 2025 by Luke O'Connor

Happy Election Day! Today, important local elections will be held around the country. These races and ballot measures are a great way to introduce students to voting, explore how the process works, and talk about the impact casting a ballot can have right in their local communities. If you’re searching for fun Election Day activities for your class, look no further! Check out some of our top resources.

1. Cast Your Vote Game

Cast Your Vote demonstrates the value of becoming an informed voter. In this game, students will research candidates, identify issues important to them, and then participate in a simulated local election.

The Extension Pack explains concepts and vocabulary that may be new to students and turns many parts of the game into teachable moments. The game offers English language learner (ELL) support and a pre/post-game assessment quiz, which will help you gain insight into what students learned during gameplay.

2. Voting Rights Lesson Plan

Even though your students may not be old enough to vote, they still can have major influence on elections. From registering voters to contacting elected officials, young people have many opportunities to participate in this democratic process. This resource guide – designed to be used independently – gives students tools, ideas, and guidance for engaging in elections outside the ballot box.

4. The Spectrum of State Election Laws Infographic

The rules for voting can vary greatly from one state to another. Keeping track of the differences can be difficult, but this interactive infographic lays out the various options and allows students to pinpoint which laws apply to their state. From registration to IDs to recounts, this infographic truly covers the election law spectrum.

5. Got Ballot? Lesson Plan

One of the best ways for students to understand how voting works is to see a ballot themselves! This lesson takes students to the voting booth and explains what they could see on a ballot. From referendums to recalls, students will get a better understanding of how voters have the opportunity to initiate change in state and local government.

These just scratch the surface of iCivics’ options for Election Day activities. Check out our Election Headquarters and Politics and Public Policy curriculum unit for more!

Department of Defense and National Defense Education Program Move to Prioritize Civic Education With $2 Million Grant to iCivics

Posted on November 1, 2021February 14, 2025 by icivics

The grant will fund the Civics, Service and Leadership program, designed to teach K–12 and JROTC students the foundational knowledge and skills needed to be engaged civic participants in a diverse United States.

Washington, DC — The Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Defense Education Program (NDEP) have awarded $2 million to iCivics, the country’s largest civic education provider, to build content and curriculum to teach civics to K–12 and Junior ROTC students.

The grant will fund the development of iCivics’ Civics, Service and Leadership (CSL) program, a two-year pilot through which iCivics will build upon and refine its existing award-winning curricula to meet the specific needs of students in the military’s K–12 education system. It is the first grant awarded under the Enhanced Civic Education grant program developed by the DoD.

The initiative has the potential to ultimately reach the more than 60,000 students and 8,000 teachers—as well as the JROTC programs that operate in more than 1,700 public and private high schools, military outposts, and correctional centers throughout the United States and overseas.

The iCivics CSL program includes the development of new resources for elementary, middle and high school students, the creation of professional development for teachers designed specifically for NDEP, as well as the development of a technology portal for participating teachers and instructors. iCivics will also create a volunteer manual for military service members and families. All of the content will be aligned to state standards and benchmarks. iCivics will work with partners in this endeavor, including Blue Star Families, Makematic, National Council for the Social Studies, and a number of professional development providers.

Section 234 of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act requires the Department of Defense to implement a pilot program on enhanced civic education in collaboration with the DoDEA and/or JROTC. Enhanced Civics Education awardees will receive $4 million over two years to prepare the next generation to better understand the U.S. Government and their role as citizens in civic engagement.

This includes an expansion of the DoDEA and JROTC civic education programs, working to get military-affiliated youth more civically engaged and teaching critical civic knowledge and skills, such as voting, public service, collaboration, compromise, and media literacy. The DoD also awarded a civic education grant to the Education Development Center.

“iCivics couldn’t be more honored to be entrusted with this important work. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the military community and families for whom civic duty is already a central component of everyday life,” said iCivics Executive Director Louise Dubé. “We are thankful for the opportunity this partnership with the Department of Defense and National Defense Education Program presents for iCivics to play its part in ensuring the highest quality civic education possible for these students tied in such a unique and meaningful way to the civic life of our country through their DoDEA or JROTC education.”

In iCivics, the DoD has found a partner that is trusted by schools across the country. Founded in 2009 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics has more than 300 digital educational resources used by more than 145,000 teachers and 9 million students annually. iCivics resources, which teach the fundamentals of American constitutional democracy by engaging students in a first-person perspective of civic life, are nonpartisan and free to use at www.icivics.org.

“Our military families and young people interested in serving in the armed forces deserve the best possible civic education, which will ensure a full understanding of the constitutional democracy service members pledge to protect,” said Rep. Jake Auchincloss (MA-04). “In Congress, we recognized the importance of K-12 civic learning by funding a Department of Defense grant to create a civic education program for the Department of Defense Education Activity. iCivics is the national leader in providing students the tools needed to learn the fundamentals of engaged citizenship, and I am proud to champion iCivics for this program.”

Education Resources

Using the Resources