Resources for Educators
**+ Grades K-2 **
Kindergarten Many Roles in Living, Learning, and Working Together
Emerging America - History's Mysteries - Historical Inquiry for Elementary Classrooms - Kindergarten unit includes What is the difference between then and now? Where do people work? How is work different now than in the past?
Grade 1 Leadership, Cooperation, Unity, and Diversity
Discovering Justice - Virtual Mock Trial Units In these virtual mock trial units for grades 1-5, students learn about the Judicial System and strengthen skills from across content areas (close reading, evidence based argumentation, speaking and listening etc.), and apply them as they engage in a mock trial.
Emerging America - History's Mysteries - Historical Inquiry for Elementary Classrooms - First grade units include What does it mean to belong to a group? What is a citizen? How do groups make decisions? What makes a good leader? What made people think George Washington would be a good president? Do good leaders always do good things?
Grade 2 Global Geography: Places and Peoples, Cultures and Resources
Topic: Community
PBS Sesame Street, Youtube Video - What’s the word on the street? RESPECT!
Mrs. Clark’s Reading Corner, YouTube Video - Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip With Kindergarten
Discussion:
What does it mean to be a member of a community?
Why is community important?
What does it mean to be a good citizen
PBS Learning Media -Arthur, All About Community
Topic: Civic Engagement and Government
Kid Citizen - Students explore Congress and civic engagement through interactive activities that make use of primary sources and connect what they find with their daily lives
Topic: Geography
Clarendon Learning - Learn (or review study) about oceans of the world
Discussion:
How much of our world is ocean water?
How many oceans are there in the world? What are they called?
What is a trench?
Print this map and label the world’s oceans and continents!
Multiple Topics/Instructional Strategies
Emerging America - accessible teacher-created lesson plans on Disability History, Immigration History, and other topics created through the Accessing Inquiry program.
Discovering Justice - K-5 literacy based curriculum. Teachers may adapt lessons for online learning by supplementing trade books with video recordings of read alouds. See here here for grade 1 remote topics. See here for grade 2 remote topics.
Discovering Justice - Virtual Mock Trial Units - In these virtual mock trial units for grades 1-5, students learn about the Judicial System and strengthen skills from across content areas (close reading, evidence based argumentation, speaking and listening etc.), and apply them as they engage in a mock trial.
**+ Grades 3-5 **
Grade 3 Massachusetts, Home to Many Different People
Grade 4 North American Geography and Peoples
Grade 5 United States History to the Civil War and the Modern Civil Rights Movement
Topic: American Revolution
Liberty's Kids -Youtube video series created by student reporters covering the events of the Revolutionary War
Massachusetts Historical Society - Johnny Tremain and the Members of the Long-Room Club: Learn about Boston in the 1770s and using primary sources, discover what really happened at the Boston Tea Party. This series of lessons centers on the characters in Esther Forbes's novel Johnny Tremain, comparing them to members of the Long Room Club, the actual group on which Forbes's Boston Observers were based.
Massachusetts Historical Society - The Adams Family of Massachusetts: A Legacy of Justice in Action: Learn how to use primary sources as you discover John Adams’s philosophy of justice by unraveling the events leading up to the Boston Massacre, and explore the life of John Quincy Adams and his work against slavery.
Massachusetts Historical Society - Abigail's War: The American Revolution through the Eyes of Abigail Adams: This activity book, based on letters exchanged between John and Abigail Adams, promotes writing and mathematical skills at the same time as it helps students relate to the world of the American Revolution.
Topic: Local Government / Civic Participation
iCivics game Cast Your Vote and Extension Pack lessons, on local elections; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
iCivics game Responsibility Launcher and Extension Pack lessons, on civic duties and responsibilities
iCivics WebQuest Civic Heroism, on civic duties and acts of civic courage; students conduct their own research using questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Kids’ Zone, various activities listed below:
Topic: Immigration and Citizenship
iCivics game Immigration Nation and Extension Pack lessons, on immigration and citizenship; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
Topic: Civic Action / Civics Projects
iCivics game Activate and Extension Pack lessons, on civic action in the local community
iCivics WebQuest Who Represents Me?, investigate who represents you at the local, state and federal level; students conduct their own research using the questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided.
Topic: The Bill of Rights / Amendments to the Constitution
iCivics game Do I Have a Right? and Extension Pack lessons and other resources, on the Bill of Rights and other amendments
Topic: Geography
Interactive Map Quiz GamesL
Topic: News and Media Literacy
Newsomatic - free daily newspaper for kids, translated into Spanish and French, includes voiceover as well as writing and drawing activities
Newsela -provides current and differentiated content in multiple subject areas. Currently offering free access to all of their resources to individual teachers.
Topic: Slavery, the Legacy of the Civil War, and the Struggle for Civil Rights for All
Massachusetts Historical Society - Creative Collaborators and Communicators: Abolitionists and Their Propaganda: Evaluate various types of antislavery propaganda (including images, artifacts, letters, speeches, poems, and other published works) to become familiar with the techniques that abolitionists used to share their messages.
Massachusetts Historical Society - African Americans and Citizenship in the Civil War: Explain the types of persuasive appeals made to Irish, African American, and female volunteers to support the military effort by analyzing the symbols and texts in broadsides to infer the motivations of each group for joining the war.
Massachusetts Historical Society - To Arms! Civil War Recruiting in Massachusetts: This primary source set allows students to investigate recruiting broadsides and images from the early years of the Civil War.
Massachusetts Historical Society - Descriptive Writing through Civil War Letters and Landscapes: Examine how soldiers communicate their experiences in the war to loved ones at home.
Massachusetts Historical Society - Massachusetts Ecosystem and the Civil War: Explore the impact of the ecosystems in which Civil War era forts were constructed as well as the human face of the war.
Multiple Topics
Discovering Justice - K-5 literacy based curriculum. Teachers may adapt lessons for online learning by supplementing trade books with video recordings of read alouds.
Discovering Justice - Grade 4 supplementary lessons for at home/online learning, lessons covering geography, regions, and indigenous people.
We the People / Project Citizen - elementary school lesson plans
**+ Grades 6-7 **
Grade 6 World Geography and Ancient Civilizations I
Grade 7 World Geography and Ancient Civilization II
Topic: World History
PBS Learning Media - a range of grades, videos and interactive lessons on topics in world and U.S. history
Topic: Current Global Issues
Model UN for Remote Learning UNAGB MUN Modules - current global issues (2-4 week program, daily lessons)
Topic: International Relations
iCivics game - Crisis of Nations and Extension Pack lessons and other resources, on international relations
Model UN for Remote Learning UNAGB MUN Modules, current global issues (2-4 week program, daily lessons)
Topic: Migration
Re-imagining Migration - Resources to learn about migration at home
Re-imagining Migration - Addressing anti-Chinese bigotry related to COVID-19
Topic: News and Media Literacy
News Literacy Project, provides tools to address misinformation about the current health crisis as well as free access to Checkology, an online platform to help students develop media literacy skills
iCivics game - NewsFeed Defenders and Extension Pack lessons; take on the role of curating a social media site to learn media literacy
Newsela provides current and differentiated content in multiple subject areas. Currently offering free access to all of their resources to individual teachers.
CNN 10 (formerly CNN Student News) - news of the day in 10 minutes
**+ Grades 8 **
Grade 8 United States and Massachusetts Government and Civic Life
Topic: History of the Constitution
iCivics game Race to Ratify and Extension Pack lessons and other resources, play a role in the debate over ratification of the Constitution
Democratic Knowledge Project - Portrait of a Tyrant, a six-episode online adventure game (in pilot version) co-developed by the Democratic Knowledge Project and Amplify, Inc. for students to learn about the Declaration of Independence, its historical context, and contemporary relevance. Provide feedback. More information.
Topic: Federalism
Library of Congress Worksheets:
What is the definition of federalism?
Why is federalism an important civic concept to understand?
To what extent has the definition of federalism changed throughout history?
Khan Academy Video
Topic: Bill of Rights / Amendments to the Constitution
iCivics game Do I Have a Right? and Extension Pack lessons, on the Bill of Rights and other amendments; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
Reimagining Migration - Wong Kim Ark a Chinese American, who was detained after returning to the US from a trip to China, used the 14th amendment to win the right of birthright citizenship.
Topic: Elections
iCivics game Win the White House and Extension Pack lessons; run your own presidential campaign; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
iCivics game Cast Your Vote, and Extension Pack lessons, on local elections; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
Generation Citizen - Election Resources This curated set of election-related lesson plans and resources helps educators and caregivers learn and teach about the history of our democracy, voting rights, election fundamentals, political representation, voter registration, poll workers, and debates.
Democratic Knowledge Project Election 2020 Provides lessons and other resources to teach concepts about elections beyond 2020.
Topic: Branches of Government / Checks and Balances
iCivics game Branches of Power and Extension Pack lessons, to learn about all three branches of government; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
iCivics game Executive Command and Extension Pack lessons; take on the role of President
iCivics WebQuest Three Branches: Laws in Action, follow a law from start to finish; students conduct their own research using the questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided.
iCivics WebQuest Three Branches: Checks and Balances; students conduct their own research using the questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided.
iCivics WebQuest Being President, the role and responsibilities of the President; students conduct their own research using the questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided.
Topic: Global Citizenship
Model UN for Remote Learning UNAGB MUN Modules - current global issues (2-4 week program, daily lessons)
Topic: News and Media Literacy
News Literacy Project - provides tools to address misinformation about the current health crisis as well as free access to Checkology, an online platform to help students develop media literacy skills
iCivics game NewsFeed Defenders and Extension Pack lessons and other resources; take on the role of curating a social media site to learn media literacy
YouthLearn Media Literacy Toolbox offers an array of activities, handouts, and curricular resources to support media literacy education. These include a media literacy activity, photo zoom and media mashup hands-on activities, news literacy prompts, and a media gallery of student work for inspiration. Most of these can be easily adapted for remote learning.
Facing History and Ourselves -“Where Do We Get Our News and Why Does It Matter?”, “How to Read the News Like a Fact Checker”, and News Literacy in a Digital Age include lessons with a number of videos and other materials
New England First Amendment Coalition Experts and journalists available for classroom presentations.
Topic: Current Events
Facing History and Ourselves - Teaching with Current Events provides resources and teaching ideas for a wide range of current events topics, including Coronavirus. This lesson on the common good includes slides.
Newsela - provides current and differentiated content in multiple subject areas. Currently offering free access to all of their resources to individual teachers.
CNN 10 (formerly CNN Student News) - news of the day in 10 minutes
Educators 4SC - compilations of resources, including lesson plans, on teaching major current events and topics
Generation Citizen - Talking About Cens-US: Learn how to engage students in the 2020 Census in a culturally responsive way
Topic: Massachusetts State and Local Government / Civic Participation
iCivics game Cast Your Vote and Extension Pack lessons, on local elections; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
iCivics game Responsibility Launcher and Extension Pack lessons, on civic duties and responsibilities
iCivics WebQuest Civic Heroism, on civic duties and acts of civic courage; students conduct their own research using questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided.
iCivics WebQuest Who Represents Me?, investigate who represents you at the local, state and federal level; students conduct their own research using the questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided.
iCivics lesson plan on Comparing Constitutions
iCivics lesson plan on Local Government in Massachusetts
Topic: Civics Projects / Action Civics
Democratic Knowledge Project - Digital Civics Action Student Workbook What can you do to make change during #COVID19 outbreak?
Democratic Knowledge Project - “Persuasive Writing at Home” packet adapted from Unit 5 that may be printed or shared electronically.
Democratic Knowledge Project - Read Changemaker biographies from history and write your own biography, as studied in Unit 1 that students can complete at home.
Facing History and Ourselves - From Reflection to Action: A Choosing to Participate Toolkit, readings and activities designed to support student-led civic action projects at middle and high school levels
Generation Citizen - Democracy Doesn’t Pause, lesson plans and family activities to create change in the community
Generation Citizen -Take Action: Lobby a Legislator: If you're leading a virtual classroom, we have developed a lesson you can teach to connect this moment to civic action for your students. As your students engage in their reflections about everything happening around them through this lesson, please encourage them to post their thoughts and experiences using the hashtags in the plan, and be sure to @generationcitizen on Instagram and @gencitizen on Twitter, in order to connect with other young people sharing their voice across the country.
Generation Citizen - Family Activity: Encourage families and students to post their experience and reflections on Instagram and Twitter!
Generation Citizen - Beyond the Ballot: Provides strategies for teachers and parents to take civic action in the community. A 2-lesson curriculum draws students’ attention to their local governments, systems and services, students will gain appreciation for the potential power of their actions at the local level. Students work together to choose an issue in their community they feel needs to be solved, and then seek out a local elected official to address it.
Generation Citizen - Kick Start Action Civics Bring the classroom to life for your students by learning how to teach Action Civics through this online course.
CIRCLE Data Tool offers a unique way to explore the relationships between voting and other forms of civic participation, and some of the conditions that shape such engagement. It features more than 40 unique indicators and includes data at the national, state, congressional district, and county levels. The classroom companion illustrates examples for teachers from many disciplines to use the data in inquiries and other projects.
Constitutional Rights Foundation - Civic Action Projects Student Discussions. Students can discuss issues with other student leaders from across the U.S.
iCivics Resources for the Six Stages of Civics Projects Resources for the Six Stages of Civics Projects
Students 4SC: online writing course and internship hybrid on current events
Reimagining Migration - Somos Mas Americanos: Music and Civic Action This lesson explores the music of Los Tigres del Notre to explore how music can shape the way we think about ourselves, our civic identities, our histories.
Reimagining Migration - Quinceaneras at the Capitol is a lesson exploring the strategic civic choices made by 15, 15 year olds who sought to bring attention to what they saw as anti-immigrant legislation in Texas.
Reimagining Migration - When does poetry become civic action? This mini unit exploring Emma Lazarus's The New Colossus ends with a call to action for young people to write their own civic poetry.
Multiple Topics/Instructional Strategies
Education Development Center’s Zoom In! -a research-based online tool, offers 18 free US History units that build students’ literacy skills by helping them develop arguments on important social questions. Students delve into compelling human conflicts throughout history, and argue with evidence about what the past means and why it matters.
We the People / Project Citizen - middle school lesson plans
Emerging America’s Accessible Lessons incorporate Disability History into 8th Grade Civics.
Reimagining Migration - Thinking Routines promote Civic Action in a World on the Move. These routines are designed to help young people reflect on a repertoire of civic engagement tools to take informed and compassionate action to create more welcoming, inclusive, and sustainable communities.
Reimagining Migration - Re-Imagining Migration Student Civic Inquiries These easy to implement inquiries lessons and resources can be used to promote civic knowledge, understanding, and dispositions.
Reimagining Migration - Joe Maddon and the Hazelton Integration Project How a white baseball manager built support for immigrants in a community that had seemingly forgotten its immigrant roots.
**+ High School **
United States History I and II, the Colonial Period to the Present, Electives
Topic: Origins of the American Revolution and the Constitution
Massachusetts Historical Society - From Tea to Shining Sea: The Boston Tea Party: Investigate primary source documents to discern the different economic, political, and social factors that created the tension leading up to the Boston Tea Party.
Massachusetts Historical Society - Siege of Boston: Examine primary sources in order to better understand daily life for civilians and soldiers during the Siege of Boston, 19 April 1775—17 March 1776.
Topic: History of the Constitution and the Early Republic
iCivics game Race to Ratify and Extension Pack lessons, play a role in the debate over ratification of the Constitution
Democratic Knowledge Project - Portrait of a Tyrant, a six-episode online adventure game (in pilot version) co-developed by the Democratic Knowledge Project and Amplify, Inc. for students to learn about the Declaration of Independence, its historical context, and contemporary relevance. Provide feedback. More information.
Topic: Social, Political, and Religious Change
Massachusetts Historical Society - Abigail Adams, the Writer: “My pen is always freer than my tongue": Explore Abigail Adams's correspondence and diaries to learn about the historical, cultural, and ethical role of women in early America.
Massachusetts Historical Society - The Role of Massachusetts Women in Abolition and Suffrage Movements: Explore the evolving role of Massachusetts women in the abolition and suffrage movements through a variety of primary source materials.
Topic: The Bill of Rights / Amendments to the Constitution
iCivics game Do I Have a Right? and Extension Pack lessons, on the Bill of Rights and other amendments; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
Topic: Elections
iCivics game Win the White House and Extension Pack lessons; run your own presidential campaign; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
iCivics game Cast Your Vote, and Extension Pack lessons, on local elections; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
League of Women Voters of Massachusetts - Teen Voting Rights Challenge student video contest, open to all Massachusetts high school students: Create a 30-second video giving your opinion on the question “ Should 16-year-olds have the right to vote?”
#HistoriansGuideto2020 - Collection of resources on the 2020 national election. Curated by the Washington Post, includes student-view.
Topic: Branches of Government / Checks and Balances
iCivics game Branches of Power and Extension Pack lessons, to learn about all three branches of government; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
iCivics game Executive Command and Extension Pack lessons; take on the role of President
iCivics WebQuest Three Branches: Laws in Action, follow a law from start to finish; students conduct their own research using the questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided
iCivics WebQuest Three Branches: Checks and Balances; students conduct their own research using the questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided.
iCivics WebQuest Being President, the role and responsibilities of the President; students conduct their own research using the questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided
Topic: Local Government / Civic Participation
iCivics game Cast Your Vote and Extension Pack lessons, on local elections; includes Spanish version and supports for English Language Learners
iCivics game Responsibility Launcher and Extension Pack lessons, on civic duties and responsibilities
iCivics WebQuest Civic Heroism, on civic duties and acts of civic courage; students conduct their own research using questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided
iCivics WebQuest Who Represents Me?, investigate who represents you at the local, state and federal level; students conduct their own research using the questions, pre-vetted websites and guiding tools provided.
Topic: Global Citizenship
Model UN for Remote Learning - UNAGB MUN Modules - current global issues (2-4 week program, daily lessons)
Topic: The Civil War and Reconstruction: Causes and Consequences
Massachusetts Historical Society - Soldiers’ Experiences of the Civil War: Learn about the nature of African American and Irish American recruitment in the Civil War; the wartime experiences of individuals from Massachusetts; and the role of George’s Island as a training facility and prisoner camp during the war.
Topic: Reconstruction
Facing History and Ourselves -The Reconstruction Era and the Fragility of Democracy, a collection of videos, lessons and primary sources
Topic: Race and Membership
Topic: Civil Rights Movement
Facing History and Ourselves - Streaming access to Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement with accompanying lessons
Topic: Immigration / Migration
Re-imagining Migration - Resources for about migration at home
Re-imagining Migration - Addressing anti-Chinese bigotry related to COVID-19
Topic: News and Media Literacy
News Literacy Project, provides tools to address misinformation about the current health crisis as well as free access to Checkology, an online platform to help students develop media literacy skills
Facing History and Ourselves - “Where Do We Get Our News and Why Does It Matter?”, “How to Read the News Like a Fact Checker”, News Literacy in a Digital Age includes lessons with a number of videos and other materials
Facing History and Ourselves - News Literacy in a Digital Age
iCivics game - NewsFeed Defenders and Extension Pack lessons and other resources; take on the role of curating a social media site to learn media literacy
Topic: Current Events
Facing History and Ourselves - Teaching with Current Events, resources and teaching ideas for a wide range of current events topics, including Coronavirus; COVID-19 - How Can We Make Choices that Promote the Common Good includes slides
Newsela provides current and differentiated content in multiple subject areas; currently offering free access to all of their resources to individual teachers.
CNN 10 (formerly CNN Student News) - news of the day in 10 minutes
Topic: Common Good
Facing History and Ourselves - Readings with Connection Questions; Exploring our Universe of Obligation (with handout); “Walking with the Wind” by Rep. John Lewis; Who We Are, Or Could Be, in Times of Crisis; Lesson about Coronavirus: Protect Yourself and Stand Against Racism (includes links to many resources)
Topic: AP Courses
iCivics, through Study Edge offers curated and tested AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam resources for free. The study course features over 100 videos and accompanying study guides that break down all of the essential content, making it more accessible for all learners. All of the content can be used at home. Email iCivics@studyedge.com now to gain free access via a custom code that will be sent to you within two business days and be valid until Aug. 31, 2020.
Topic: Civics Projects / Action Civics
Facing History and Ourselves - From Reflection to Action: A Choosing to Participate Toolkit, with readings and activities designed to support student-led civic action projects at middle and high school levels
Generation Citizen - Democracy Doesn’t Pause, lesson plans and family activities to create change in the community
Generation Citizen - Take Action: Lobby a Legislator: If you're leading a virtual classroom, we have developed a lesson you can teach to connect this moment to civic action. As your students engage in their reflections about everything happening around them through this lesson, please encourage them to post their thoughts and experiences using the hashtags in the plan, and be sure to @generationcitizen on Instagram and @gencitizen on Twitter, in order to connect with other young people sharing their voice across the country.
Generation Citizen - Family Activity: If you're providing families with materials for distance learning, we have developed an activity that students and their families can engage with. Encourage families and students to post their experience and reflections on Instagram and Twitter!
Generation Citizen - Beyond the Ballot: Provides strategies for teachers and parents to take civic action in the community. A 2-lesson curriculum draws students’ attention to their local governments, systems and services, students gain appreciation for the potential power of their actions at the local level. Students will work together to choose an issue in their community, and then seek out a local elected official to address it.
Generation Citizen - Government Guide lesson: Students work to create a government guide with relevant information for their state, county, and municipal government.
CIRCLE Data Tool offers a unique way to explore the relationships between voting and other forms of civic participation, and some of the conditions that shape such engagement. It features more than 40 unique indicators and includes data at the national, state, congressional district, and county levels. The classroom companion illustrates examples for teachers from many disciplines to use the data in inquiries and other projects.
Education Development Center Law & Justice Program includes innovative curriculum and research-based professional development, designed to empower students to think critically, develop solutions, and take civic action. Many of the curriculum activities can be adapted for distance learning. Students can explore COVID-19 legislation using the project and activities in Foundations in Law, Unit 2: The Legal System in Action. And Foundations in Criminal Justice, Unit 1: There Ought to Be a Law! provides a great opportunity for students to consider community, state, and federal actions such as quarantines, lockdowns, and restaurant closures in the context of community safety.
Constitutional Rights Foundation - Civic Action Projects Student Discussions. Students can discuss issues with other student leaders from across the U.S.
Topic: American Identity/Art History
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas presents an award-winning online course Exploring Personal and National Identity Through Art: includes amazing artwork, fun activities and a range of “Big Ideas” and opportunities for students to develop their own ideas about their identity and American identity.
Topic: Science Literacy
National Science Foundation Infectious Diseases: provides engaging and scientifically accurate instructional materials aimed at deepening high school students’ understanding of infectious diseases, enhancing their skills in seeking additional information to make informed decisions, and influencing their behaviors in response to an epidemic. Following an overarching storyline of the Ebola epidemic and measles outbreak, as well as emerging material on COVID-19, the resources are organized into four modules that can be used in sequence or individually.
Multiple Topics
National Constitution Center - video series on aspects of the Constitution, key Supreme Court cases, amendments, other historical event
National Constitution Center - interactive Constitution
National Constitution Center - podcasts and other resources
National Constitution Center - games
Khan Academy - U.S. History
Khan Academy - U.S. Government and Politics
Center for Civic Education - 60 Second Civics podcasts
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Curricular Resources
Consource - videos of lectures and indexed documents on the Constitution
Library of Congress - digital collection of historic videos, recordings, documents
PBS Learning Media - a range of grades, videos and interactive lessons on civics and U.S. history topics
iCivics Games and WebQuests, see examples below
Bill of Rights Institute - over 300 digitally accessible lessons and activities
Civics 101 - podcasts on a variety of civics topics
We the People / Project Citizen - Massachusetts Center for Civic Education high school lesson plans
Mikva Challenge and many other organizations - Online Civic Education Resources
Facing History and Ourselves - video library (free access for students)
The College Board AP Exam Information / Free Virtual AP Course Review
iCivics, through Study Edge: curated and tested AP® U.S. Government and Politics Exam resources for free. The study course features over 100 videos and accompanying study guides that break down all of the essential content, making it more accessible for all learners. All of the content can be used at home. Email iCivics@studyedge.com now to gain free access via a custom code that will be sent to you within two business days and be valid until Aug. 31, 2020.
Historians 4SC: primary sources, writing prompts and more on writing historical event-based argumentative writing pieces.
Also see lessons, activities, games listed under Students and Families Resources and Resources to address a range of ages, grade levels and topics.
**+ Resources to address a range of ages, grade levels, and topics **
Educational Resources for Students and Families -assembled by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to address the current crisis
Civics Renewal Network -provides a wide variety of activities and other resources for students K-12
PBS Learning Media -educators resources across the disciplines, including video and lessons
WGBH Distance Learning Center - designed to address the needs of parents, students, and teachers during the current crisis
Wide Open School -remote learning resources from many organizations and Common Sense Media
Digital Public Library of America’s Open Ebooks program provides thousands of free ebooks to Title 1 schools. Readers can immediately download works of the past and present, with no costs, no holds, and no late fees. Titles were selected by DPLA’s Curation Corps of school and youth librarians. Register your school today.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Curricular Resources - lesson plans, documents, photos and other resources
Emerging America - Teaching Civics online: games and activities: supported by Library of Congress; Six different products: Grades 2-12. School and family.
iCivics Remote Learning Toolkit, offers advice for remote/virtual learning, some suggested games, tools for structured research and activities on a range of civics topics
Boston Debate League is leading virtual PD sessions in April and May focused on activities that teachers of all content areas and grade levels can use to engage students more effectively and collaboratively over virtual platforms. E-Mail mike@bostondebate.org to receive the updated schedule of trainings.
Bill of Rights Institute - over 3,000 digitally accessible lessons and activities
The Student Reporting Lab at PBS has created a special unit, “Making Sense of Coronavirus Through Storytelling and Media Making” covering the basics of local community journalism, storytelling, scripting, and video editing.
News Literacy Project - provides tools to address misinformation about the current health crisis as well as free access to Checkology, an online platform to help students develop media literacy skills
National Constitution Center - games
Civics 101 - podcasts on a variety of civics topics
Supplement to the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for History and Social Science
The College Board AP Exam Information / Free Virtual AP Course Review
Facing History and Ourselves - streaming videos on a wide range of topics have always been free to teachers but now also are available to students directly without them needing a password to log in.
**+ Valuable Reference Resources **
Historical Documents, Museum Collections and Other Sources
Library of Congress
Online Exhibitions - hundreds of rich, well-researched, primary source-based sites (K-12, school and family)
Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project - 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former enslaved Americans.
Upworthy
Voice Recordings of former enslaved Americans - ABC News Nightline / Ted Koppel Accounts of former enslaved Americans in their own words recorded in the 1930s and 1940s. Ted Koppel narrates this segment from 1999. (Note: use of word “slave” as opposed to “enslaved person.”)
National Park Service
The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks - online visits and exhibits
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Curricular Resources, lesson plans, documents, photos and other resources
Emerging America
Radical Equality: Utopian Abolitionism, Steamboat Barnet, and Forge of Innovation: The Springfield Armory and the Genesis of American Industry - Interactive online exhibits. Grades 3-5 and 6-12. School or family.
The Boston Athenæum
Digital collections of visual and textual primary sources, including materials related to the study of government and civic engagement, particularly in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as:
Harriet Hayden Albums - two photograph albums featuring portraits of white and Black abolitionists, activists, soldiers, and parishioners.
Nineteenth-Century Political Ballots - collection features some state and national candidates, but majority are from Boston political elections
Broadsides - single-sheet publications; the BA’s collection includes materials related to the American Civil War, poetry, governmental proclamations, as well as a range of other political, religious, and historical subjects.
The Events Archive (book talks, lectures, panel discussions) includes recorded programs (video and podcast formats) with scholars, authors, and artists on topics across the humanities and arts.
Digital Public Library of America
Primary Source Sets - DPLA’s free primary source sets explore topics in history, literature, and culture developed by educators and include teaching guides for class use.
DPLA Search: Search to access more than 36 million images, texts, videos, and sounds from DPLA’s 4,000+ partner institutions across the country. The collection is useful for primary source research and analysis and research projects on almost any topic, as well as creating things like scavenger hunts and games for putting a little fun in e-learning.
Massachusetts Historical Society
Boston Tea Party - print materials, including broadsides and poems.
Phillis Wheatley - poetry of the first published African American writer in America
Coming of the American Revolution - primary sources and contextual essays arranged into 15 topics relating to the events leading up to the American Revolution.
Perspectives on the Boston Massacre - letters, pamphlets, diary entries, legal notes, and engravings relating to the Boston Massacre.
Fire! Voices from the Boston Massacre - view video of re-enactors portraying eye witnesses to the events of March 5, 1775.
John Adams and Abigail Adams Correspondence - John and Abigail Adams exchanged over 1,100 letters, beginning during their courtship in 1762 and continuing throughout John's political career (until 1801).
54th Regiment - visual materials from the MHS relating to the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the first military unit consisting of black soldiers to be raised in the North during the Civil War.
African Americans and the End of Slavery in Massachusetts -historical manuscripts and rare published works that serve as a window upon the lives of African Americans in Massachusetts from the late seventeenth century through the abolition of slavery under the Massachusetts Constitution in the 1780s.
The Case for Ending Slavery - primary sources that reveal how slavery, and debates about slavery, contributed to the formation of the United States, including letters, diaries, broadsides, artifacts, songs, legal notebooks, and photographs representing a variety of viewpoints.
Images of the Anti-Slavery Movement in Massachusetts - digital images of 840 visual materials that illustrate the role of Massachusetts in the national debate over slavery, including photographs, paintings, sculptures, engravings, artifacts, banners, and broadsides that were central to the debate and the formation of the antislavery movement.
Massachusetts in the Civil War (1861-1862) - letters, photographs, and broadsides that provide examples of the great cost to families from Massachusetts in the first two years of the Civil War, 1861-1862.
Women’s Suffrage and Anti-Suffrage - learn about pro-suffrage and anti-suffrage activities and activists from Massachusetts.
MCN Guide to Virtual Museum Resources
The MCN Guide to Virtual Museum Resources offers access to a vast set of collections K-12.
World Digital Library
The World Digital Library - 19,147 captivating items from 193 countries (K-12).
National Archives
Online Exhibits (K-12)
Ellis Island
Ellis Island Virtual Tour (Grades 2-12)
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Virtual Tour (Grades 2-12)
Perkins School for the Blind
Virtual Museum (Grades 3-8)
New York Historical Society Online
Access to the New York Historical Society’s extensive collection, special exhibits and educational resources
Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC.
Online Resources, including virtual tours and experiences
The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)
True Justice, HBO's documentary about Bryan Stevenson focuses on Mr. Stevenson's life and career and tracks the intertwined histories of slavery, lynching, segregation and mass incarceration.
U.S. Census Bureau
New activities designed specifically for the 2019-2020 school year spotlight the 2020 Census and the importance of making sure everyone is counted, especially children. Use activities for pre-K through 12th grade today to help your students, school, and community.
The Nature Conservancy
Nature Lab - Interactive lesson plans for teachers, students and families to explore nature around the globe alongside Conservancy scientists
New York Times: The Learning Network
The Learning Network - publishes about 1,000 teaching resources each school year, all based on using New York Times content — articles, essays, images, videos, graphics and podcasts — as teaching tools across subject areas. Most of the resources are free (only lesson plans are limited to five per month for non-subscribers). Intended audience is middle and high school teachers and students.
CNN
CNN 10 (formerly CNN Student News) - news of the day in 10 minutes
CIRCLE
CIRCLE Data Tool offers a unique way to explore the relationships between voting and other forms of civic participation, and some of the conditions that shape such engagement. It features more than 40 unique indicators and includes data at the national, state, congressional district, and county levels. The classroom companion illustrates examples for teachers from many disciplines to use the data in inquiries and other projects.