Curriculum Resources

Informational resources, topic briefs, and guided activities designed to educate students about current events and public policy.

Unit 7: Civic Participation

This is our capstone unit, featuring a long-term project that has students apply the teachings from proceeding units to create a tangible product showcasing civic engagement.

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Unit 6: Extent of Civil Liberties

This unit discusses various stances on civil liberties, touching upon topics such as tech privacy and vaccines.

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Unit 5: Environmental Policy

This unit discusses the role of government in regulating environmental practices, as well as the historical contexts for current stances on environmental policy.

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Unit 4: Foreign Affairs

This unit touches upon the United States’ relationships with other countries and how those relationships have evolved over the history of America.

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Unit 3: Social Services

This unit dives into social welfare programs and their impact on society, as well as how social service programs have evolved over American history.

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Unit 2: Economic Policy

This unit focuses on economic and fiscal policy, as well as the role of government on the economy’s function.

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Unit 1: Positions, Argumentation, and Discourse

The focus of this unit is the role of government in our day to day lives. The three branches of government, as well as aspects of the Constitution and our founding documents, are discussed.

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Unit 0: Foundational Unit

This unit prepares students with essential discourse and argumentation skills to hold productive, evidence-backed conversations on difficult subjects.

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Israel-Palestine Handouts

This lesson will equip students with the tools necessary to have civil and informed conversations about the Israel-Palestine conflict through two activities: (1) an activity helping students recognize bias and misinformation on social media, and (2) an activity helping students thoughtfully express their viewpoints on the Israel-Hamas War and listen to the ideas of their peers. The specific activities in this lesson were developed by two high school students of Jewish and Muslim backgrounds who sought to start thoughtful dialogues and build understanding among their peers on this challenging topic.

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Polarizing Topics Resource

Our Guide to Teaching Polarizing Topics contains topic briefs and guided activities on polarizing issues, including abortion, immigration, affirmative action, environmental issues, and gun control. Our goal is for students to develop a thorough understanding of controversial topics so that they become equipped to hold productive discourse and ideate solutions.

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2024 Election Resource

Our 2024 Election Guide contains informative resources on upcoming elections that serve as a basis for further exploration. These can be implemented alongside topics being discussed in the classroom. We have also included guided activities that allow students to construct their own arguments by analyzing media, legislation, and the areas of difference and commonality among different politicians’ views.

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