How do we integrate action civics throughout the fabric of our courses?
The key to this model is to integrate and apply the concepts and skills of civic action and change throughout the study of course content.
This website models an idealized integration of civic engagement and content. However, you can easily adapt and insert a strategy into an existing unit, and use as few or as many of these throughout the year as you wish.
Planning for Integrated Action Civics includes six analytical tools.
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IAC Scope and Sequence Planning
Where do we introduce action civics strategies and historical thinking skills throughout our course?
Unlike most traditional civic programs, this approach encourages integrating the concepts, models and tools of civic action and social change into the exploration of course content. This serves both to provide powerful lenses with which to study history, as well as to front-load the skills and understandings students need in order to respond to contemporary issues.
This planning scaffold encourages teachers to look at their course scope and sequence and plan for the most appropriate places in which these concepts and models can be introduced or reinforced.
RESOURCES
- Scope and Sequence Planner (G.Doc), (Alternate Spreadsheet Version)
- Sample - 8th Grade (G.Doc), (Alternate Spreadsheet Version)
- Ethnic Studies/US History - Sample Course Map Integrating Action Civics (G.Slides)
Current Context Unit Mapping
How does we present course content to help students make sense of their world?
Current context unit design situates the study of history in the context of the contemporary world. It starts by introducing a key theme that bridges both the current and historical period you're studying.
Students then apply historical thinking and civic engagement strategies to learn from historical case studies that connect with this opening theme.
Contemporary Analysis / ActionIn the last step, students return to the contemporary world to research and reflect on issues that echo the unit theme. They can engage in Socratic seminar, deliberative discussion, and/or launch into authentic student civic action to advocate for meaningful change.
Historical Investigation
The examination of historical case studies is made more relevant the more deeply students see connections with their lived experiences and current issues.
RESOURCES
- Unit Map Templates (G.Slides)
- Examples: California / Industrialization / US-Reconstruction / US-1950’s (G.Slides)
Finding Thematic Points of Connection
How do we choose the most appropriate connections between our course content and contemporary themes?
How do we connect with issues that are important to our students and their community?
This planner supports teachers in naming meaningful, overarching themes that run through their course. They then identify contemporary examples as well as historical periods or events that shed light on these interconnected themes.
Teachers brainstorm how students might be able to engage with the relevant issues, and are supported in selecting appropriate instructional approaches.
The planner also supports the generation of unit questions, teaching thesis and an outline of unit content. It can be used in conjunction with the unit mapping tools above.
RESOURCES
- Planning Scaffold (G.Doc)
- Modern US History Example (G.Doc)
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Putting It All Together - Sample Sequence
How does Change Analysis support student action and historical investigation?
The strategies in the Change Domain (aka 'Second Bubble') are offered to help empower your students to effect change in their community as well as support content exploration.
This collection illustrates idealized application of these strategies in the two different context: to support student action and to investigate historical content in your course.
RESOURCES
Contemporary Analysis / Action
- Improving School Lunches: This example illustrated scaffolding for an authentic student response following an investigation of poor nutrition in the students' local community. In this particular example, it closes a current context unit on the Black Power Movements of the 60's, including the Black Panther food programs. (G.Slides)
- Climate Change: This student action project aims to reduce plastic use at school. The example here follows a unit on the Industrial Revolution. (G.Slides)
- Student Work, Issue Analysis: Minimum Wage (11th) Health Care (11th)
Historical Investigation
The idealized sample sequences in this section are shown within the context of a single content unit. The goal is to illustrate how the different change strategies reveal different aspects of the historical event. However in practice, the full "2nd bubble" sequence would rarely be done within a single unit. It's better to introduce and reinforce individual strategies throughout the year where they best support exploration of a particular course topics. (See Scope and Sequence Planning above)
- SNCC Voting Rights - The SNCC example provides new lenses to examine the struggle for voting rights in the South. It draws on SNCC and other archival material from the era.
- Cuban Revolution - Students use differnet IAC strategies to investigate ways that the Cuban Revolution addressed various issues.
Ethnic Studies and Integrated Action Civics
How are Ethnic Studies and Integrated Action Civics mutually reinforcing approaches?
The concepts of Ethnic Studies are interwoven throughout the Integrated Action Civics. Conversely, the scaffolds and models of Integrated Action Civics offer powerful tools to support the Ethnic Studies exploration of power, systems of oppression, community, identity, allies, and the critically important healing and transformation that can be achieved through community-centered action and change.
Watch for this space for articulations and planning tools to create and deepen powerful and dynamic interconnections between Ethnic Studies and Integrated Action Civics.
RESOURCES
- Ethnic Studies & Action Civics Scope & Sequence Planner (G.Doc)
- Ethnic Studies - IACP Section
- Ethnic Studies/US History - With Integrated Action Civics - Sample Course Map Integrating Action Civics (G.Slides)
Framework for Student Empowerment
How can the Framework for Student Empowerment support unit planning?
In addition to being a powerful student self-reflection tool, the Empowerment Framework can help teachers think about the ways the various skills of history and civic engagement can build student self-awareness and agency.
Unit design should incorporate both content exploration as well as the systematic development of historical and civic skills.
Resource - Framework for Empowerment
Lesson Planning Template
How can we design our lessons to center justice and engage our students in our inquiry?
This lesson planning guide helps walk teachers through the various elements that might be included in designing justice-centered lessons.
Resource - Lesson Planning for Justice