Today’s post is the latest in an ongoing series to help teachers thoughtfully navigate the challenges of our current national political environment.
Two social studies teachers share what they are doing in the classroom. Math, English, and English-language learner educators will contribute their experiences in future posts, along with administrators and students.
‘Tug’ at Current Events
Christie Nold (she/her) teaches 9th grade social studies in a public school on unceded Abenaki land in South Burlington, Vt.:
As a social studies teacher, I believe in the importance of exploring contemporary issues and tracing their historical roots. When discussing the war in Ukraine, I know we must look to the annexation of Crimea. To understand the annexation of Crimea, we must consider the policy of Russification and deportation of the Crimean Tatar people. To understand the deportation, we must further explore Stalin’s reign of terror. Together with my students, we keep tugging the thread as far back as it might take us.
I see the recent orders coming from the White House no differently. In order to understand the question of birthright citizenship, we must trace back to the 14th Amendment. The context of Reconstruction era policies is essential to making sense of the 14th Amendment, which requires understanding of chattel slavery. Importantly, Indigenous people did not receive full citizenship for 56 years following the passage of the 14th Amendment.
When students are provided the opportunity to “tug” at current events, it can open a window of understanding as it relates to our historical past. It is, perhaps, unsurprising that the current federal administration might attempt to place limits on a teacher’s ability to pull at certain events. When the threads of contemporary policy lead us to xenophobia, racism, and colonial displacement, students often have questions.
So, how do we create space for these explorations? In our 9th grade classroom, we begin each day with the headlines. 69ý are encouraged to notice, wonder, and build connections to our current lessons. On Fridays, we pause for a full current events day. We work to integrate essential media literacy lessons and allow students to follow stories of choice, pausing when there is a direct connection to a current unit.
In a recent Friday lesson, students watched the delivered by Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde. Following her sermon, they viewed President Donald Trump’s immediate response followed by a post he wrote to Truth Social. From there, students explored the headlines. How was the sermon being reported? Which news outlets covered it favorably, which did not? Why does it matter that it was covered so many different ways? Ultimately, what did they think about the sermon and response?
In our Holocaust Studies class, Fridays are spent diving into stories together. What does it mean that ethnic cleansing is in the headlines? When was the term first used? Does it apply? How are German papers reporting on Musk’s support for the right-wing party? What is the role of the church in holding leaders accountable?
In each of these discussions, it is not about telling students what to think but encouraging them to consider how to think. To pull, build connections, and witness how our understanding of the past can help inform the present. Taking just 10 minutes each day to explore the headlines can lead to a rich year of learning and exploration together.
Helping 69ý ‘Feel Their Own Agency’
Sarah Cooper teaches 8th grade U.S. history and civics and is the associate head of school at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Canada, Calif. She speaks at conferences about pedagogy, AI, and more and is the author of two books, (Routledge) and (Stenhouse):
In all times and especially fluid times, we as social studies teachers can help students feel their own agency—beginning with understanding the news.
In my classes, students bring in an annotated news article for homework once a week. On the other days, I start class with a brief overview of a current event while they take notes.
One of my favorite approaches for navigating the information flow is to ask these 8th grade U.S. history and civics students to imagine that the news is water, and they should twist their own “news faucet” only as much as they feel comfortable.
Sometimes, students say, “Bring it on!” because they are feeling well resourced and want to immerse themselves in the world’s issues. Some days, they slow the torrent to a trickle because they were up until midnight, or their friends are asking for advice, or they’re worried about a math test. And some students regularly go niche, searching for articles about health, science, food, or business that only indirectly relate to top stories.
Beyond the news faucet, here are several approaches that ground students in the news, so that they can feel knowledgeable rather than helpless.
1. Define terms.
What could be more basic than this? But I’ve found that key terms unlock major concepts.
At the beginning of the year, the 8th graders memorize a list of common government ideas such as pension, supermajority, incumbent, due process clause, and redistricting. They learn even more during our Constitution unit second quarter, everything from what an amendment is to how a congressional compromise committee shepherds a bill toward law.
Throughout the year, I delight in choosing daily current events that will teach both political and general vocabulary, recently including tariff, executive order, and altruism. Bonus points if I can relate a current event back to the history or civics we’ve studied, such as enumerating the multiple ways policy happens in the U.S. (laws, court decisions, amendments).
Words emanate power, and students feel this power when a headline they would have skipped over transforms into one they can explain to their parents at the dinner table.
2. Go pro and con.
I’m always surprised by how much the simple strategy of listing pros and cons, for and against, elucidates both sides of an issue (for issues that truly have more than one side).
In just the past couple of weeks in our 8th U.S. History and Civics class:
- 69ý in pairs listed at least one benefit and one drawback of tariffs based on a Wall Street Journal article. When I asked whether anyone had talked about these levies with their families, a few discussed the potential effects on their parents’ businesses or building projects, making the news personal.
- We watched a recent NBC News clip about Starbucks employees striking and then, in desk partners, listed at least one perspective an employer and employee might have about forming labor unions. Another bonus: This current event linked to the rest of the lesson, which featured to the Lowell Mill workers in 1836. Such layering of history and current events feels rich and relevant.
3. Look for the good.
This mantra keeps me going when talking with adolescents, who hold our future in their hands, on their screens, and through their relationships with each other. If I’m going to present an article about a natural disaster or challenging event, it better be something that offers a margin of hope.
Most recently, our school community has been heavily impacted by the latest California wildfires. I’ve thought hard about which stories to share, and the two I’ve ended up with so far have focused on firefighters taking care of each other’s mental health and the forming of a half-dozen commissions to rebuild Los Angeles.
My students, savvy young people who carry the pandemic and now these fires as defining elements of their childhood, do not always buy the positivity I’m promoting. For instance, when I asked one class section about why private citizens would want to organize groups to help L.A. get back on its feet, they first brainstormed reputation and money—only offering love for the city after a little prompting.
But day by day, through a mix of giving definitions, listing perspectives, and highlighting helpers, I hope to create a sense that everyone has a voice and everyone can have an impact. Not incidentally, when teaching social studies feels more complex than ever, such conversations make me feel I might be having an impact as well.
Thanks to Christie and Sarah for sharing their experiences and advice.
I wrote the first, second and third posts in this series.
Morgan Polikoff wrote about education research and researchers.
Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.
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