Civics Pathway 3: Civic Learning in Grades K-5

LOCATION: In person and online options available
COST: Massachusetts Public School Educators: Free, All Other Educators: $15

Dates: January 8, 2025 to March 31, 2025
Register by: March 17, 2025

CIVICS PATHWAY 3: CIVIC LEARNING IN GRADES K-5

Working effectively with others; disagreeing civilly; considering other perspectives–civic learning happens at all ages. This pathway will help teachers of grades K-5 explore the social studies standards to think about civic learning opportunities in their classrooms. Participants will learn and apply pedagogy and content specific to their grade level. The workshops and modules are designed and facilitated by Massachusetts teachers.

Intended audience: Teachers and other educators in Grades K-5

If you have any questions, please email civiclearning@gse.harvard.edu

IN-PERSON WORKSHOP DAY (Up to 7 PDPs)

Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025; 9am - 3:30pm; Fitchburg, MA area

Join teachers from across Massachusetts for a day of civics-focused learning. You will be able to choose three sessions to participate in. All sessions will be co-facilitated by two Massachusetts teacher leaders, one who teaches grades K-2 and one who teaches grades 3-5. Workshops will address the topic from both the K-2 and 3-5 lens.

Participants can choose three workshops (from five) to attend over the course of the day:

Introduction to Civic Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions for Grades K - 5
Helping Elementary Students Engage with Multiple Perspectives
Culturally Sustaining Practices to Support Social Studies and Civics in the Elementary Classroom
Teaching Elementary Students to Have Meaningful Discussions
Using Daily Routines to Support Civic Learning in Grades K - 5

These workshops will also be offered virtually in January and February. See workshop descriptions and schedule below.

VIRTUAL INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS (1 hour, 20 mins / 2 PDPs each)

Pajama PD! Join these weekday evening and Saturday morning opportunities to learn with and from experienced civics teachers! These will be interactive Zoom sessions co-facilitated by two Massachusetts teacher leaders, one who teaches grades K-2 and one who teaches grades 3-5. Workshops will address the topic from both the K-2 and 3-5 lens. (The sessions will not be recorded. You must attend at the scheduled time in order to engage with the content.)

Introduction to Civic Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions for Grades K - 5

Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025; 7-8:20pm ET

The Massachusetts History and Social Science frameworks (standards) state that all students should demonstrate civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions (Practice Standard 1). Many states have similar standards. Join this workshop to deepen your understanding of what civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions are and what they look like at grade levels K - 5. You will leave with specific strategies for helping all your students meet the MA Practice Standard 1 of the HSS Framework or the similar standard in your state.

Registration deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, 5pm ET

Helping Elementary Students Engage with Multiple Perspectives

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025; 7-8:20pm ET; REPEATED ON Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025; 9-10:20am ET

Being a responsible community member at any level, from the classroom to the world, requires the ability and inclination to engage with perspectives other than our own. This workshop offers elementary school teachers the opportunity to learn practices and tools to enhance their current efforts to create a classroom culture that invites multiple perspectives.

Registration deadline: Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, 5pm ET for Jan. 21 session; Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, 5pm ET for Feb. 1 session

Culturally Sustaining Practices to Support Social Studies and Civics in the Elementary Classroom

Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025; 7-8:20pm ET

Culturally sustaining learning environments, which affirm students’ identities, cultures, and linguistic assets, are essential for fostering learning for all students. In this workshop, you will explore instructional strategies and tools for the elementary classroom that can help you enhance the cultural responsiveness of the social studies and civics curriculum you teach in your classroom.

Registration deadline: Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, 5pm ET

Teaching Elementary Students to Have Meaningful Discussions

Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025; 7-8:20pm ET

Being able to hold productive discussions with others is an important civic, and life, skill. It is also a powerful method for developing thinking and reasoning. This workshop offers specific strategies you can use with students in grades K-5 to improve their discussion skills and to increase participation and engagement in class discussion from all students.

Registration deadline: Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, 5pm ET

Using Daily Routines to Support Civic Learning in Grades K - 5

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025; 7-8:20pm ET

Daily routines are an important part of every elementary classroom. They are also filled with opportunities to foster the civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions included in the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework and in many US state standards. Join us to learn how you can leverage the routines you already use to enhance your students’ civic learning and your classroom community.

Registration deadline: Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, 5pm ET

SELF-GUIDED ONLINE LEARNING MODULES (6 hours / 9 PDPs each)

FOR 2024-25, OPEN ONLY TO MASSACHUSETTS PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATORS

Modules open on Jan. 27, 2025, and close on March 31, 2025. Participants can complete the modules at any time during this period. (Register by March 17, 2025.)

Go deep at your own pace and schedule! These self-guided learning modules let you explore a focused topic in depth, with examples, resources, and application for K-5 teachers.

Module structure:

Reading and exploring strategies and resources: 3 hours 30 minutes
Reflecting on and applying learning: 2 hours 30 minutes

Using Inquiry Strategies to Support Social Studies and Civics in the Elementary Grades

Inquiry is a foundational approach for high-quality instruction in social studies, and specifically for civics. This module aims to enhance your use of inquiry approaches for civics and social studies by presenting a practical framework for planning to include different modes of inquiry-based learning and offering specific inquiry-based strategies suited to instruction in social studies and civics.