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Category: Educator Blog

How to Integrate iCivics into the End-of-Year

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

As a high school teacher, the end of the school year is a pivotal time—especially for the seniors in my classroom. Between AP exams, final projects, and wrapping up the last quarter, it’s easy for both students and teachers to feel overwhelmed.

Adding to the pressure, assessments today go beyond rote memorization. Increasingly, end-of-year tests focus on higher-order thinking, requiring students to analyze, argue, and write in more sophisticated ways. On top of that, we educators want to ensure students leave our classrooms equipped with the skills they’ll need in college or next year’s courses.

It’s a lot to juggle. But iCivics offers a simple, effective solution—one that supports students’ learning while easing some of the pressure on teachers.

Gamify Review Sessions

While end-of-year study time is important, it can quickly become monotonous. One of my favorite ways to energize review days is by incorporating iCivics games. In my classroom, I often use Argument Wars, Branches of Power, and Constitutional Compromise to help students revisit key content like court cases, foundational principles, and the structure of government.

These games keep students actively engaged—and they’re more than just fun. Each one provides teachers with real-time data on student comprehension. That data can guide review sessions, helping us target the concepts students need to strengthen before final assessments.

Data-Informed Re-Teaching

Sometimes, the data from review sessions reveals topics that need to be revisited. That’s where the iCivics resource library becomes invaluable. With just a few clicks, you can find full lessons, videos, and activities covering everything from the Constitution to westward expansion to the civil rights movement.

My students especially love the civil rights unit. The engaging videos and interactive lessons help bring the material to life—and they’re a lifesaver when I need to quickly pull together a targeted review lesson based on student performance from the previous day.

Ending the Year with Meaning

The final days of the school year should be more than just a countdown—they should be a chance to reflect, reconnect, and celebrate all that students have accomplished. With iCivics, educators can spend less time scrambling to prepare and more time creating meaningful moments with their students.

Whether you’re reviewing content, identifying areas for reteaching, or planning engaging activities, iCivics provides high-quality resources that meet the moment. At a time when we’re all feeling the pressure, it’s a partner that helps us—and our students—finish strong.

Written by Jessica Mahoney

Jessica Mahoney is a third-year social studies educator who teaches Virginia and U.S. History at Norview High School in Norfolk, Virginia. She is a member of the iCivics Educator Network, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture’s Teacher Advisory Council, and a teacher ambassador for Retro Report. Jessica also serves as an at-large board member of the Maryland Civic Education Coalition, the Legislative and Advocacy Liaison for the Virginia Council for the Social Studies, and an educator consultant for the Center for Civic Education. She is passionate about engaging students in history and civic life through hands-on, inquiry-based learning and advocates for elevating teachers’ and students’ voices in education policy at both the local and national levels.

Through the iCivics Educator Network, the perspectives of teachers across the country contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this diversity of perspectives.

To Our Incredible Teachers: We Appreciate You

Posted on by Sian Park

I have a confession to make: I didn’t want to write this post. What can I possibly say to express the magnitude of my appreciation for you without acknowledging the current moment and thereby wading into the political—something I’m neither supposed to do, nor want to?

But that’s been true for everything I’ve written or recorded for you this year. Every single message has been so hard to compose. I’ve obsessed over every word.

This is not my norm. I rarely struggle to find my words, especially when talking to teachers. You are my people, and I’ve always found it easy and natural to communicate with you. This year is different, not because of you, but because of the extraordinary circumstances in which you find yourself trying to teach for the maintenance of our constitutional democracy.

But here we go…

I appreciate you. All of iCivics appreciates you: our staff, our board (including Justice Sotomayor!), and our donors appreciate you.

And even though she is no longer with us, and I wouldn’t dare to put words in her mouth, I’m certain Justice O’Connor is smiling down upon you with awe and appreciation. We are all so grateful.

As the Chief Education Officer at a nonprofit organization, I necessarily wear a lot of hats. I know you get it. You do too.

You’re not just history or civics teachers. You’re counselors, coaches, club advisors, hallway monitors, test proctors, lunchroom attendants, and sometimes traffic directors. Every day when I drop my daughter off at school, I’m filled with both gratitude and cognitive dissonance when I see teachers with graduate degrees wearing professional clothing while blowing whistles and managing car lines in the south Georgia humidity.

That is insane. No other profession asks so much in the form of “other duties as assigned.”

My job description encapsulates many different things—important things, like academic integrity, impact research, youth engagement, and more. But my number one priority right now is supporting you in any way I can—not because you need my help, but because you need a friggin’ break.

So this is both a letter of appreciation and an invitation to HIT.ME.UP. Not to go to the club, although drinks are on me if we find ourselves in the same city. No, hit me up for what you need. How can I help? How can the team at iCivics make your job easier?

Because appreciation without action is like a terrible hug: hollow, unsatisfying, and oftentimes awkward.

We’re not here for that. We’re here for genuine, authentic appreciation—the kind that feels like a hug from your best friend after months or years apart.

Here’s what we’re doing at iCivics to put our appreciation into action:

  • We are LISTENING. As much as I want to delete all of my accounts, I continue to stay engaged on as many social media sites as possible to understand your daily struggles. The same is true for our marketing, product, and professional Learning teams. We’re also on a listening tour, scheduling 1:1 virtual meetings with educators.
  • We are CREATING. Every day, the award-winning product team at iCivics is researching, writing, revising, and uploading so that you have access to accurate, objective, engaging, and impactful resources.
  • We are ADVOCATING. Our Policy team is tracking bills, calling legislators, convening state-based commissions, and doing everything else in its power to ensure that states propose and pass bills that support civic education and civic educators.
  • We are PLANNING. We have our eyes on Constitution Day in September, NCSS in December, Civic Learning Week in March, and America250 from June 2025 to July 2026. We’re hard at work to make these special occasions and opportunities as meaningful as possible.

With that, I send you my biggest virtual hug—one that feels like a hug from veteran educator and iCivics Educator Network member Shannon Salter from Pennsylvania. Shannon gives the best hugs. They are whole-body, perfectly forceful, and just long enough for you to feel her affection without bystanders starting to wonder if something else is going on or if they should intervene. That’s the kind of hug I’m sending you.

With all of my gratitude,
Emma

P.S. We want to hear from you! Really, how can we help?
Here are some ideas that come to mind, but we are all ears for your specific suggestions:

Written by Emma Humphries

Dr. Emma Humphries, iCivics’ Chief Education Officer, brings extensive classroom experience teaching government, history, and economics, where she discovered the impact of engaging learning tools. With a deep commitment to empowering educators, she continues to champion innovative civic education resources and strategies.

Engaging Multilingual Students with the Help of iCivics

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

Seniors in my Government & Citizenship class engage with the class material in a variety of ways. Some days, they’re deeply analyzing political cartoons, revising bills based on party pressure and Congressional testimony, or organizing evidence to argue for and against impeachment during historic presidential scandals. Other days, they play games! For multilingual students, some of these activities can be especially challenging given the cultural components of understanding symbols in a political cartoon, for example. When there’s the opportunity for English language learners to deepen their learning without the roadblock of Google Translate, it makes such a big difference!

Recently, my students began the week by examining President Nixon’s resignation letter; it’s a single sentence, so every detail matters. I started to see the power that the brief document afforded multilingual students, since they could more easily access the material. Instead of spending a chunk of class time working to translate, they spent class time really addressing the purpose of the activity: WHY those words were there, rather than what the words were. While some of our classes are co-taught with an EL/ML instructor, we all know that there are never enough resources to go around, and unfortunately, our English Language Learners don’t have access to modified assignments that might better support them. If only there were more hours in the day to create these for my seniors!

The success of the Nixon primary source activity challenged me to search for additional ways to honor my English language learners. Thank goodness for iCivics! The iCivics site includes a “Pedagogy Tags” search option, including filters for EL/ML and Spanish lesson plans, games, infographics, and slideshows. The Convene the Council game and associated resources, created alongside the Council on Foreign Relations, enabled students to learn and demonstrate understanding in Spanish without the intermediary of a clunky translation tool. When I pointed out the “Jugar en Español” option, I saw the transformation in two of my Spanish-speaking students in one hour. Their body language changed, scooting their chairs towards their Chromebooks and bending over the screen to select the Spanish option. They built avatars that looked like them, and convened their National Security Council as iCivics shared fictional global crises to which they could respond and delegate.

I know that these students would have been successful if the game had only been offered in English, but the Spanish option increased their enthusiasm and participation level. In fact, one student finished so much more quickly than usual that he thought he’d done it wrong! As he saw students around him still playing, he assumed that he must have missed something; he was used to being one of the last students to complete an assignment, not because of a lack of understanding but because of translation challenges. When I explained that he’d done a great job and played the game just right, the pride in his face reinforced how powerfully he connected to the activity. The next day (I promise I’m not making this up!), at the end of class, he came up to me to say thank you, giving me a piece of his favorite Colombian candy. It was a powerful moment: getting to access a class activity in an authentic way was so important to this student that he was still thinking about it the next day and felt compelled to show his gratitude.

Convene the Council is just one of hundreds of iCivics options that support multilingual students. I plan to use the “6 Roles of the President” Infographic next, as we deepen understanding of presidential responsibilities beyond our initial foreign policy focus. I hope these resources will help my Spanish-speaking students feel like accessing activities in their native language is part of our class culture rather than something that necessitates a show of gratitude. And it was some great candy!

Written by Megan Thompson

Megan Thompson is in her 20th year teaching social studies. She has worked with iCivics Educator Network, National Constitution Center’s Teacher Advisory Board, and Eastern State Penitentiary’s Justice Education Collaboratory. With the support of a James Madison Fellowship, she earned a master’s in political science and co-created her school’s dual enrollment program. She teaches Crime & Justice, Government, Dual Enrollment Government, and Dual Enrollment World History just outside of Minneapolis, and she leads professional development on the Supreme Court, Foundations of the American Revolution, media literacy resources, and mindfulness in the classroom. Megan’s passion is in developing rigorous and relevant classroom materials that connect the past and the present, and supporting teachers in their implementation.

Through the iCivics Educator Network, the perspectives of teachers across the country contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this diversity of perspectives.

Using DBQuests for Test Preparation

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

Teachers are teaching more than facts in high school history and government classes. If you ask them, most will agree the content is a platform for teaching life skills; cultural awareness, civic engagement, and communication come to mind. Above all, teachers want their students to leave their social science classes with strong critical thinking skills, the ability to analyze events, evaluate sources for reliability (and determine the validity of that source based on its biases), and understand multiple perspectives.

As the focus of our instruction has changed, so has the way we assess the learning of these skills. Teachers are moving away from straight multiple-choice tests (although there is something to be said about the ease of grading A, B, C or D) and focusing on students’ analytical skills demonstrated through essay or free-response prompts. Similar to the long division of old, teachers are looking for students to show what and how they are thinking and, while a “right” answer is appreciated, so is the process by which students arrive at that answer.

We all know practice makes “better” (nothing is perfect). Teachers can not hand students an essay question or send them off to take their AP test without practice answering these types of questions. It would be setting students up for failure. Speaking from experience, though, creating quality practice questions is time consuming, more so if you are not an expert in the topic. How can you find quality sources if your own understanding is rudimentary at best?

This is where iCivics DBQuests come in. DBQuests are a learning tool that uses document-based questions to guide students in primary source analysis. I have used the same ready-to-go DBQuests with middle and high school (Dual Enrollment no less), picking and choosing which supports from the teacher resources were needed for my English Language Learners and Gifted and Talented students as needed with great success thanks to the built-in support. DBQuests guide students through analyzing a primary or secondary source to identify its perspective and usefulness, identify the source type, and analyze it to answer a central question. The Teacher’s Guide includes supports like student printables and glossaries, perfect for your EL/ML students needing that reinforcement.

Students who are being introduced to DBQuests and essay writing will benefit from the guided mode. Guided mode prompts students to identify different parts of the source while thinking critically using that overarching question. More experienced students can be assigned the same activity without the support in freeform mode. This is more similar to what your AP students could expect to see in the FRQs. The true beauty? You can assign the different levels to students based on their individual needs simultaneously without anyone being aware of what level of support they are receiving using iCivics’ LMS. Set up different classes for students (all they would need is your class code) or assign Lesson A and Lesson B in the same class, specifying who does which version. It is up to the teacher.

As teachers, we understand how important it is to meet students where they are, rather than where we want them to be. By using these scaffolds I was able to meet the needs of all of my students (and no one knew they were doing different lessons), which encouraged each of them to stretch their skills. By the end of the year, I have seen significant growth in the reasoning and evaluative skills of all my students.

No prep. Personalized scaffolds. DBQ practice. What reason do you have NOT to use them?

Written by Anne Walker

Anne Walker brings a wide perspective to iCivics, having taught Kindergarten through Dual Enrollment American History and Government over her 20+ years in education. A proud Madison Fellow, she holds master’s degrees in both Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, as well as American History and Government. A member of iCivics’ Steering Committee, she is also proud to have a seat on the National Constitution Center Teacher Advisory Council and RetroReport Teacher Ambassadors. She currently serves on the National Council of Social Studies Board of Directors.

Through the iCivics Educator Network, the perspectives of teachers across the country contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this diversity of perspectives.

Unlocking the Constitution for Multilingual Learners: The Power of Video

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

As we celebrate National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month this April, it’s the perfect time to explore effective strategies for supporting these students, and our Constitution EXPLAINED, or Todo sobre la constitución (in Spanish), video series offers a powerful example of how to do just that.

Videos are a great resource for teaching English and multilingual learners (ELs/MLs) because they provide:

  • Multimodal Input: Videos don’t just present text; they combine audio and visual cues. This is crucial for ELs/MLs, who benefit from seeing concepts illustrated. For example, when explaining the “separation of powers,” visuals show the three branches of government in action. This helps ELs/MLs connect complex legal terms with concrete images, enhancing comprehension and retention. This is especially helpful with the complex vocabulary of social studies. Visuals can help explain the meaning of words like “legislative,” “ratification,” and “compromise.”
Screenshot from The People's Branch episode of the Constitution EXPLAINED visually explaining the terms "political deals," "compromise," and "disagreements."
The People's Branch episode uses visuals to explain the meaning of "political deals," "compromise," and "disagreements."
A screenshot from the El poder del pueblo episode of Todo sobre la constitución that visually explains the terms "negociaciones políticas," "acuerdos," and "desacuerdos."
The Spanish version of the episode, El poder del pueblo, uses the same visuals to explain the meaning of the same terms in Spanish.
  • Authentic Language and Context: These videos use a conversational approach and were designed with students in mind. ELs/MLs see and hear about constitutional concepts in everyday language in a way that builds upon their background knowledge, exposing them to new concepts along with familiar language, thus providing valuable and relatable context.
  • Engaging and Motivating Learning: The short, digestible format of the Constitution EXPLAINED videos keeps MLs engaged. The clear, concise explanations, coupled with visuals, make learning about the Constitution less intimidating and more enjoyable. The call to action questions at the end of each video encourage the students to want to learn more.
  • Listening Comprehension and Language Support:
    • Videos provide valuable listening practice, helping MLs develop their ability to understand spoken English within an academic context.
    • Crucially, the availability of both English and Spanish versions, along with bilingual Teacher Guides, provides essential support. Spanish-speaking MLs can listen in their native language and then reinforce their understanding in English.
    • Subtitles/closed captioning or transcripts can be used to support comprehension, allowing learners to connect spoken and written language.
  • Flexibility and Accessibility: The short video format (2-3 minutes in length) allows for flexible learning. Teachers can assign videos as needed, and MLs can review them at their own pace. This is particularly beneficial for students who need extra time to process information. They can watch the videos multiple times.
  • Extending Learning with Teacher Guides: Our bilingual (English/Spanish) guides are designed for maximum versatility, supporting diverse classroom needs and maximizing and extending learning. The English component benefits all multilingual learners, regardless of their native language, while the Spanish component specifically caters to dual-language programs and Spanish-speaking MLs, ensuring targeted support. The guides include:
    • Content-specific vocabulary: Taken directly from the video scripts, these terms are presented in context, aiding comprehension.
    • Guiding questions: These questions activate prior knowledge and encourage critical thinking, both before and after viewing.
    • Video Viewing Strategies and Instruction Strategies: These provide teachers with tools to support MLs, such as: “Turn and Talk” activities for collaborative learning; Identifying cognates in Spanish and English to build connections; Sentence frames to guide writing and discussion, and more.
Screenshot of the Video Viewing Strategies and Instructional Strategies sections of a lesson plan.

In conclusion, the Constitution EXPLAINED video series harnesses the power of video to make learning about the Constitution accessible and engaging for all students, particularly English and multilingual learners. The combination of multimodal input, language support, and flexible resources creates a rich learning experience that promotes both language acquisition and civic understanding.

Written by Kristen Chapron

Kristen Chapron is Senior Editor of Digital Learning and ELL at iCivics. She worked on the Todo sobre la constitución series and looks forward to creating even more materials for English and multilingual learners.

Emma is Proud of You

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

Man, it’s not easy to be a civics teacher right now. No matter where you teach, things may feel a bit tricky. For some of you, it may feel like a minefield. You may think, “I’m not sure how to do my job.”

We recognize that. We get it.

Here’s what I want to say: Yes, you do. You know how to do your job. Moreover, the parents of America want you to do your job. The public overwhelmingly agrees that our country needs K-12 civic education. It’s more than popular. It’s more than bipartisan. Americans from all political stripes think civic education will have a positive impact on strengthening our national common identity. I have receipts. See here and here.

There are lots of ways to be a patriot. For us civics teachers of America, it is by doing our jobs—teaching the knowledge, skills, and dispositions our students deserve and our constitutional democracy requires.

With full appreciation for just how busy you are, I’d like to suggest that this moment calls for even more from us. It calls for us to take our mission to our students’ parents.

When we’re scared or uncertain, it’s only natural to seek shelter and weather the storm. As someone who is extraordinarily afraid of lightning (I grew up in South Florida—the trauma is real), I don’t take this metaphor lightly. But now is not the time to hunker down and hope the tempest soon retreats. We need to put on our <insert your preferred regional term for rainboots> and take our case to parents and even the broader community.

Here are some ideas on how to structure your outreach:

    • Start with the Personal. Share what drew you to the teaching of history and civics. For me, it was a passion for our founding ideals and an enthusiasm for the complexity of our system of government (I’m looking at you, federalism and the Electoral College). I’m always telling folks, “Listen, social studies teachers don’t go into this line of work because we hate America. On the contrary, we love our country, our history, our founding documents, and our system of government, and nothing gives us greater joy than sharing this passion with our students.”
    • Move to the Philosophical: No, I’m not talking Socrates or Kant, but if that’s your jam, you do you. I’m talking about your teaching philosophy. Briefly, here’s mine, which you are welcome to borrow from: I’m not here to tell students what to think. I’m here to help them learn how to think. My job is to bring enthusiasm and knowledge and just enough self-deprecating nerdiness to protect myself from students’ relentless if not clever (and sometimes hilarious) jabs at my civics teacher identity. When students leave my classroom, they will know more, care more, and feel more confident in their ability to think critically about and contribute to their communities. As for this talk of indoctrination, I don’t mean to be trite, but we can hardly get our students to write their names on their assignments. It’s quite a stretch to think we can get them to fundamentally shift their worldview.
    • Highlight the Practical: High-quality civic education has a lot of known benefits, including but not limited to literacy gains, college and career readiness, enhancement of durable skills, and thriving communities. Also…ALSO, it’s a requisite for healthy democratic governance. As Thomas Jefferson wrote in an 1818 letter to William Jarvis, “I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education.” Research shows that education does precisely what Jefferson suggests. Students who receive a high-quality civic education are more likely to vote and discuss current issues and events at home, be confident in speaking publicly and communicating with elected officials, and volunteer and work on community issues.
    • Celebrate the Promise: Thomas Jefferson wasn’t the only President who expressed strong support for civic education as a sustaining pillar of liberty in a constitutional democracy. James Madison posited that civic education and engagement were bulwarks against “crafty and dangerous encroachments on the public liberty.” And George Washington, in his Eighth Annual Address to Congress in 1796, said, “a primary object of such a National Institution should be, the education of our Youth in the science of Government. In a Republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? And what duty, more pressing on its Legislature, than to patronize a plan for communicating it to those, who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the Country?” As a parent myself, I can think of no greater honor than for my children to be grow up to be guardians of liberty in our country.

Lastly, INVITE.THEM.IN. Forgive the all-caps, but I feel strongly about this one. It doesn’t have to be a literal invitation to visit your classroom, although it can be. Rather, it could be as simple as inviting them into your scope and sequence or a particular unit or lesson plan. You’re teaching your state-mandated standards. You have nothing to hide! So make that visible. Visibility promotes transparency, and transparency promotes trust.

Just know that I trust you. I always have.

And if you need a little help to get started on that parental outreach, I’ve got you covered. Here’s a letter template for parents/guardians you can customize for your voice and local context.

We’re also happy to provide a separate letter template for parents/guardians that introduces iCivics and our approach and academic values that you customize and use.

Written by Emma Humphries

Dr. Emma Humphries, iCivics’ Chief Education Officer, brings extensive classroom experience teaching government, history, and economics, where she discovered the impact of engaging learning tools. With a deep commitment to empowering educators, she continues to champion innovative civic education resources and strategies.

How to Teach Critical Thinking in the Digital Age

Posted on by Sophie Gordon

With information at our fingertips like never before, the sharing of misinformation happens faster than you think. In fact, by the time you see that post or check the credibility of the information, it has been shared hundreds of times, has thousands of likes, and everyone already has an opinion.

As educators, we know to question the credibility of what we see and share online; we’ve learned and honed those skills and put them into practice constantly. But most students don’t have those skills yet, or they haven’t practiced those skills enough for them to become second nature. And because our students have grown up in the digital era, the speed at which they receive and share information is often more important than the credibility of the information itself.

The problem isn’t just misinformation or disinformation. In reality, we are missing something very important: students’ curiosity and desire to know.

Educators have a unique opportunity to foster that curiosity and critical thinking in ways that help students develop a positive and ethical relationship with media and information. Imagine a future where the desire to have credible information sparks a change in the information that is shared. Imagine a future where misinformation isn’t leading the narrative, dividing society, and preventing people from receiving the help that they need. Now don’t just imagine it; join us in making that future a possibility.

How, might you ask? It starts with teaching students media literacy and information literacy. This includes teaching the critical thinking skills students need to:

  • verify the information they encounter,
  • assess the credibility of sources,
  • identify biases in the media,
  • understand how they influence what is shared and how it is shared, and
  • evaluate the use of advertising techniques to grab their attention.

This is an opportunity for educators to foster a culture where students feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and are respectful of others’ opinions. By developing students’ media and digital literacy skills, they learn what is happening in the world around them. And being able to acknowledge, trust, and share that information is how they feel able to participate. The classroom gives students a safe place that encourages their exploration and provides them with opportunities to engage with information, digital tools, and online resources.

We recognized the need for resources that foster learning opportunities and environments. We partnered with the digital literacy experts at Digital Inquiry Group to create Civic Digital Literacy, a collection of nonpartisan, evidence-based, classroom-ready resources that prepares students to skillfully verify the various pieces of information they encounter online. From understanding the value of conserving their attention to investigating the purpose of interest groups, these lessons and videos encourage students to apply digital literacy skills to real-world situations. Use these lesson plans and videos to give students regular opportunities to practice these important critical thinking skills. We even have professional development videos to help teachers understand and teach the key pillars of digital literacy.

My personal favorites are the resources focused on artificial intelligence. Before teaching the topic, familiarize yourself with some of the impacts that AI can have on civic life by watching our professional development video, What Students Need to Know About AI, featuring Sam Wineburg, co-founder of the Digital Inquiry Group.

From there, introduce students to the topic of AI and elections with the video, How Artificial Intelligence Could Influence Elections. It explores how AI could influence elections and comes with a teacher’s guide that includes discussion questions, lots of ideas, links to other lessons, and resources for teachers. It also includes worksheets for guided and independent practice that encourage students to think deeply about the benefits and concerns that the use of AI could pose.

With the foundation set, venture into the lesson, Artificially Speaking: AI Chatbot Claims. Here, students practice lateral reading to investigate claims produced by AI chatbots. We all know that chatbots are pretty impressive, but are they really as smart as they seem? Have students investigate how and where they use chatbots.

Or, use each resource independently or with other amazing iCivics lessons. Each resource is designed to support and complement your needs. Society will give us inquisitive students curious about the world. By equipping them with digital literacy skills, they’re empowered to become informed and engaged citizens, ready to navigate the complex landscape of the digital age and contribute to a thriving democracy.

Written by Emeka Barclay

Emeka Barclay is a Curriculum Associate at iCivics where she helps create and cultivate curricular materials for educators and students. Prior to joining the iCivics team, Emeka taught secondary language arts and social sciences and worked as a technology and learning coach in Alabama. She then relocated to Florida where she was a dean of students. When not helping save the world, Emeka enjoys exploring the sites with her family and friends, searching for the perfect sip of coffee and nibble of cheese, and supporting public libraries.

iCivics to release a Civic Virtue Collection for K-2 Classrooms 

Posted on by Michelle Shen

Building Classroom Culture through Civics

The beginning of the school year is all about building community and establishing routines. Creating a culture of learning—based on inquiry, perseverance, and generosity—is the pathway to a successful school year! 

Every student enters the classroom with different strengths and needs, and every student wants to learn, grow, and be a part of a community. That doesn’t mean building a strong classroom culture is easy. What if you could build community norms and teach civics at the same time? What if you could help students not just follow the rules but understand why we have rules at all? 

iCivics has your back! We are excited to release four new units about civic virtue as part of the Private i History Detectives curriculum. This collection of twelve new lessons will help you teach early elementary students about civic virtue while building that essential classroom culture. 

What is civic virtue and how does it connect to happy students?

Over two thousand years ago, ancient thinkers, like Aristotle from Greece and Cicero from Rome, wrote about the need for people to think about their community and practice civic virtue. Members of any successful community need to practice self-control and think about their neighbors. A successful republic requires virtuous citizens. These ancient thinkers wrote about individual virtues like generosity, moderation, perseverance, courage, and justice. They believed that practicing virtue throughout one’s life would help a person achieve happiness. Aristotle said, “For one swallow does not make it summer, nor does one fine day; and so too one day, or a short time, does not make a man blessed and happy.” Happiness requires practicing virtue throughout one’s life—It’s a life-long quest. He even had a word for this kind of happiness—eudaimonia!  

When the United States became a country in the 18th century, the Founders also believed that a successful republic required civic virtue. They read ancient thinkers like Cicero and thought about how to promote civic virtue in America. They knew education would be key to creating virtuous citizens and that practicing civic virtue would help create a successful republic and make people happy! 

Everyone, ages five to one hundred, can think of a time when being generous made them feel good or when persevering through a difficult task brought them satisfaction. Learning about civic virtue can not only help teachers build classroom culture but also encourage good citizenship, and make happy students! 

What does it look like to learn about civic virtue with young learners?

In the new collection of Civic Virtue units, the Private i History Detectives Team helps students understand that practicing civic virtue can help them learn, grow, and be happy! Students learn why we have rules, how they connect to civic virtue, and that our country is based on these virtues! 

In the introductory unit, students learn that classroom rules, like working hard, thinking before you act, sharing and helping others, and speaking up, help us practice civic virtue at school, in our lives, and in our communities. Students are introduced to how Benjamin Franklin practiced civic virtue throughout his life and how key figures in the founding generation like Mercy Otis Warren, George Washington, John Adams, and Phillis Wheatley learned to practice virtue.

After an introduction to civic virtue, teachers can explore units that focus on individual virtues like generosity, perseverance, and civic-mindedness. Students will begin each individual virtue unit with a lesson that explores what that virtue means in their own lives and the key behaviors necessary for practicing it. In the following two lessons that complete each unit, students will examine historical stories that illustrate civic virtue in action. Students will engage in full participation tasks by holding up their Civic Virtue Signs as they recognize examples of civic virtue in historical narratives and primary sources.   

Let’s explore an example!

In the unit “How Can Generosity Help Me Be a Good Citizen?”, students will begin by learning that generosity can include being kind and giving time, money, or things to others. They will explore these virtuous behaviors by acting out school-based scenarios that model generosity, like asking another student to play at recess. Through exploring generous behaviors, students will learn why it is important to be generous. 

Students will then make a Generosity Civic Virtue Sign to hold up and show during the next lessons! 

In lesson 2, students explore the question, “How Did Children Use Generosity to Help During the World Wars?” By analyzing primary sources such as posters, photographs, and letters, students will uncover how children used generosity to help the U.S. during the World Wars. They will listen to heart-warming stories, make observations,  and find relevant evidence as history detectives. 

In Lesson 3, students explore the question, “How Did Generosity Help Bring the Statue of Liberty to New York City?”  They will learn about why France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States and how a newspaper publisher and over 100,000 people used generosity to ensure the special gift made it to New York City. While exploring primary sources and listening to the story, students will use their history detective skills and the Civic Virtue Sign to find examples of generosity throughout the lesson while they answer the mystery question.

In each of the units in the Civic Virtues Collection, students learn about amazing civic virtue champions and practice the virtues in their own lives and in the classroom. Teachers can mix in additional civic virtue champions through picture books. The versatile collection has room for ELA, math, health, and science integration. Generosity, perseverance, and civic-mindedness are the first three virtues released in this new Civic Virtues Collection with future units to come!  

Begin exploring now!

Private i History Detectives was created by Laurie Risler and Kelley Brown who continue to work with iCivics on the development of new resources.

Laurie Risler is an instructor in the Education Department at Westfield State University where she has been teaching since 2012. Prior to working with pre-service teachers, Laurie was an elementary school teacher and special educator. Laurie loves working with teachers and leading professional development.

Kelley Brown is an instructional coach and government teacher at Easthampton High School in Easthampton, Massachusetts where she has been teaching since 2001. Kelley’s love for teaching civics and government has helped to build a successful We the People program at the high school where her team has continued success, including a national championship in 2020!

Cast Your Vote and Growing Informed Voters 

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As a middle school civics teacher, not only do I need to teach the importance of voting like my high school colleagues, but I have to do it four or more years before the students will even be eligible to register. This makes holding their interest more difficult. I have also found that while students understand the importance of making informed decisions, they do not know how to find information about the candidates in order to make those decisions. The solution?  I have students take part in the actual research, comparison, and election processes through an in-depth mock election project that kicks off with the iCivics game, Cast Your Vote.

Cast Your Vote is one of the more challenging games offered as part of the We the People program because of the amount of analysis required of students regarding candidates, including their stances on issues and voting history. Students must also identify red flags related to misinformation or bias.

In the game, the player has four simulated weeks to attend town halls, research candidates through digital news sources and campaign literature, and decide their own personal stance on issues to find the candidate who best matches. At the end of the game, students not only get a score based on voting for a candidate who best matches their decided-upon stance on issues but also on the amount of facts and red flags identified.

Once we’ve played the game in class, students are ready to try out the same skills with the real upcoming elections. I assign one race to each period, and each student gets a graphic organizer that documents the candidates’ stances or plans for at least five issues affecting our government.

After a few days of at-home research and a quick grade based on completed research, students are then put in pairs or small groups to choose one of the issues and create an informational poster contrasting the candidates on that issue. Our hallway quickly fills with research-based, unbiased comparisons using the candidates’ own stances and comments. The staff and visiting adults in the building love to comment about how helpful this research is for their own voting preparation.

Finally, it’s time for our mock election. After students have had a few days to look over other classmates’ work and see a sample ballot, I publish their mock election ballot taken from screenshots of the real sample ballots from my local election office. Students are warned to follow the directions of the ballot just like at a real polling location and, during a period, are given privacy in booths to take their ballot and vote. I have even begun buying stickers for the students who choose to participate, which is almost 100%.

During the project, the students comment that the amount of work often surprises them, and they now not only understand the importance of voting more but feel like they are better prepared than many of the adults in their households with whom they talk about the project a lot.

Erin-Merill-Headshot

Written by Erin Merrill

Erin Merrill is an award-winning educator in her 19th year of teaching middle school social studies and her 10th year as Department Chair and Middle School lead at Pennington Traditional School in Prince William County, VA. She is passionate about making her students aware and engaged in the current events around them, and thankfully, Civics provides the perfect platform for this.

Through the iCivics Educator Network, the perspectives of teachers across the country contribute to the public conversation about civic education in the United States. Each contributor represents their own opinion. We welcome this diversity of perspectives.

Civic Engagement for a Global World

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Fostering global competency in students is essential in today’s interconnected world. This is why iCivics has teamed up with Global Cities to host a two-part workshop series that explores new ways to connect local civic engagement to global topics and impacts while elevating your existing teaching curriculum. Stipends are available to participating teachers upon completion of at least one workshop. 

This workshop series, which takes place Oct. 7 and 8, equips you with the tools and strategies to foster your students’ capacity to advocate for and contribute to local, regional, or global improvement.

Register for the Workshop Series

Learn more about each workshop:

Workshop 1: Advance Your Curriculum with the Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes

October 7, 2024 7:00 p.m. ET

This workshop focuses on using the landmark Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes to integrate global competency into curriculum and instruction. The Codebook allows educators to determine how well students are demonstrating global learning in any program or classroom.

Workshop 2: Explore Inclusive Problem-Solving Using Community Surveys

October 8, 2024 7:00 p.m. ET

Join us for a second workshop to explore how to teach attitudes and skills for inclusive problem-solving using community surveys. You will walk away from this workshop with the tools to actively engage your students with their communities.

By taking advantage of this learning opportunity, you’ll earn a small stipend for your professional development. Participants who attend one workshop will receive $25; participants who join both workshops in the series will receive an additional $50; and all participants, up to the registration limit and with preference given to those who attend both workshops, will be eligible to participate in a follow-up focus group on December 12 or December 17 from 7–8 p.m. ET for an additional $100. (The total stipend could be $175.)

For more information about Global Cities, visit their website.
For more information about Global Cities research, view the Codebook for Global Student Learning Outcomes.
To sign up for the workshop series, visit the registration page.