In 2026, the United States will mark our Semi-quincentennial: the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Today’s young people are the leaders, innovators, and thinkers who will shape the next 250 years — and it’s important their voices are heard as we commemorate this historic milestone.

America’s Field Trip is a new contest that invites students across the country in grades 3–12 to be part of America’s 250th anniversary by sharing their perspectives on what America means to them — and earning the opportunity to participate in unforgettable field trip experiences at some of the nation’s most iconic historic and cultural landmarks.

Students may submit artwork, videos, or essays in response to the contest’s prompt: “What does America mean to you?”

Twenty-five first-place awardees from each grade level category will receive free travel and lodging for a 3-day, 2-night trip to a select historical or cultural site where they will experience one of the following:

• Tour of the Statue of Liberty in New York
• Tour and hike at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and Montana
• Weekend at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado
• Unique tours at the National Archives or the Library of Congress in Washington, DC
• Special tours at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, National Museum of African American History and Culture, or the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC
• Exploration of America’s iconic financial capital, New York City, with private tours of Federal Reserve Bank of New York Museum and Learning Center and The Bank of New York Mellon, the country’s oldest bank
• Trip to the National Parks of Boston with a special visit to the USS Constitution and a sunset cruise to Spectacle Island
• Candlelight tour at Fort Point at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge
• Costumed roleplaying experience at American Village in Alabama

Second-place awardees will receive a $500 cash award. The teacher associated with the top scoring student submissions in each grade level category will receive a $1,000 cash award.

Visit the America's Field trip Site for more details and complementary lesson plans.



The Digital Inquiry Group (formerly the Stanford History Education Group) is recruiting high school U.S. history teachers to receive free professional development from the Digital Inquiry Group (DIG) and use new Reading Like a Historian lessons that include digital literacy instruction. Illinois educators will earn 20 FREE PD hours and a stipend.

If you are interested in participating, the program’s application includes more information.

Applications are due April 24, 2024. 



With its historic passage in April of 2021, the Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History (T.E.A.A.C.H.) Act amended the Illinois School Code, ensuring every public elementary and high school student in Illinois learns about the contributions of Asian Americans to the economic, cultural, social, and political development of the United States.

The Illinois Civics Hub is partnering with Asian Americans Advancing Justice to offer FREE PD hours to K–12 educators looking to deepen their own understanding of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) history, and to gain classroom resources to support cross-cultural education for all students in Illinois, aligned with the revised social science standards.

Educators can choose from the following webinar opportunities:

For Elementary Level

• May 8, 2024, 4:30–6:30 p.m.

For Secondary Level

• April 24, 2024, 4:30–6:30 p.m. 
• June 11, 2024, 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Be sure to visit the Asian Americans Advancing Justice site for more resources to implement the T.E.A.A.C.H. Act.



The Civics Hive is a NEW podcast that takes you on a journey through the intersection of civics and technology, preparing students for active civic engagement in the 21st century.

In each episode, hosts MJ Warden and Mary Ellen Daneels will explore essential questions with expert guests including leading educators, tech innovators, and passionate advocates, all sharing their wisdom and experiences to empower you with the knowledge you need to make a difference.

This season opens with a thought-provoking discussion with award-winning author and EdTech Teacher Shawn McCusker who discusses the essential question, "Is AI good for Democracy?"

Follow the Illinois Civics Hub on Facebook and Twitter/X for future episodes that feature:

• Dr. Joel Breakstone from the Digital Inquiry Group
• Dr. Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg from the Center on Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement
• Dr. Joe Kahne from the Civic Engagement Research Group
• Dr. Leah Bueso from the University of Illinois-Springfield

Law Day is an annual commemoration held on May 1st to celebrate the rule of law and cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal system. The 2024 Law Day theme “Voices of Democracy” recognizes that in democracies, the people rule. For nearly 250 years, Americans have expressed their political views and wishes by speaking their minds and voting in elections. In 2024, the United States will hold its 60th presidential election, and Americans will address fundamental questions about democracy and the rule of law.

Find all the resources you need to plan and publicize your Law Day, and encourage engagement with the theme. The American Bar Association’s centralized landing page has articles, conversation participation, lesson plans, logos, marketing materials, virtual backgrounds, and many more resources to plan a successful Law Day.

April is Financial Literacy Month, and the Bill of Rights Institute has just the resource for you! The Building Blocks of Progress curriculum covers the role of individuals, government, and economic principles in creating a free society. BRI partnered with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University to create this resource, which offers six lessons, each one embedded with a Hoover Institution video.

After reviewing Building Blocks of Progress, students will understand the relationship between prosperity and other factors, including scarcity, price, the understanding of the role of constitutional government in promoting economic prosperity, as well as how prosperity is affected by government roles and free speech.



The Community Health and Disability Inclusion Program at the University of Illinois Chicago has developed a service learning curriculum in partnership with Project Sidewalk that relates to disability, urban planning, technology, and advocacy.

Project Sidewalk is currently seeking middle and high school social studies teachers to pilot the curriculum and participate in surveys and a focus group to improve upon it.

More details can be accessed here.

Interested? Let us know!

https://forms.gle/KWg4uEwiwRXXaMC36

Questions? Contact: Jaimee VanAssche at jphipp3@uic.edu

The Empowering Youth for Positive Change (EYPC) program is a civic-engagement program that guides youth (aged 13-18) through the process of getting a policy, ordinance, or resolution passed in their community. Youth involved in EYPC will bring about positive change in their community by exploring an issue and the change they want to make, engaging in data collection and analysis to develop their message, spreading their work and engaging the community in support, and working with decision-makers to enact real change.

EYPC is excited to share that we have another Facilitator Training session on April 24th. EYPC Facilitator Training is designed to teach you how to implement the EYPC program with youth in your community. Participants in the EYPC Facilitator Training receive a facilitator's guide with activities, step-by-step instructions, and resources. Additionally, start up support and policy technical assistance are provided!



Register

Join Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center on Tuesday, April 30 for an evening of learning and preview of the new, Voices of Genocide Exhibition, before it opens to the public on May 1. Enjoy a cocktail reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres, be the first to explore the exhibition, and hear from renowned genocide scholar, Dr. James Waller, Christopher J. Dodd Chair in Human Rights Practice at the University of Connecticut and author of Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing. Dr. Waller will talk about the psychology of perpetrators of genocide, including how people come to do this evil, how to teach about rank-and-file perpetrators, and why it is important to understand the psychology behind perpetrator behavior in order to prevent genocide.

Evening Includes:

• Classroom Resources
• Preview of New Exhibition before it opens to the public
• Cocktail Reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres
• Workshop with Dr. James Waller
• 3 Clock Hours/CPDUs

Tuesday, April 30 | 4:30 - 7:30 PM

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, IL 60077

Free to attend. Registration is required.

April is National County Government Month! Use It’s All Local, from Well Versed, iCivics new animated music video series created in partnership with Nickelodeon and ATTN:, to spotlight what local government is and how it functions. In the video, Max and Jade step up to plan a birthday party for their friend Carla, similar to how local governments step up to address the needs of the community.

Along with an original pop song, It’s All Local includes a viewing guide with:

• Pre-watch questions, including “Who are the people who know you the most?”
• Post-watch questions, including “Why are locals best prepared to make decisions for their city or town?”
• Activity and game ideas such as the free iCivics game Counties Work where students learn about local government by acting as a county official responding to citizen requests.
• A lyric sheet, allowing a closer look at what the characters are singing about.

Boogie to all the videos in the Well Versed series! There are eight videos for elementary students (ages 6–11) and four for preschoolers (ages 2–5) that teach kids about civics. Each includes a viewing guide created by iCivics.

Every election is important, and this year's U.S. presidential election will not be an exception. The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research's student-developed, educator resource Campaign Weathervane helps players understand the relevance and importance of polling in global democracy.

...go back in time to win the presidency and change the world for the better! Navigate the winds of public opinion through American history, you’ll answer each question according to how you think the American public would have felt at the time. Your goal is to gain favorability and, ultimately, a seat in the Oval Office!

Campaign Weathervane is part of a larger initiative, years in the making, known as the America's Voice Project. A suite of elements that will help Roper Center disseminate our important data to more people around the world through our member-supported Roper iPoll platform.

The Constitution EXPLAINED, a series of 35 short videos, is now available in English and Spanish. Make the U.S. Constitution accessible to all students by exploring the preamble, the articles, the Bill of Rights, and additional amendments in straightforward and easily digestible segments that provide context and modern relevance. 

Get started with these 3 videos:

Todo sobre la Constitución: Nosotros, el Pueblo

Constitution EXPLAINED: We the People

The Preamble to the Constitution is the mission statement of the U.S. government. In just one sentence, the Preamble expresses the source of the Constitution’s power and summarizes its goals.

Todo sobre la Constitución: ¿Quién elige al presidente?

Constitution EXPLAINED: Who Chooses the President?

Article II of the Constitution creates the office of the President of the U.S., determines how they are selected, and states the oath of office. This video is a great tool for your students ahead of the 2024 Presidential Election!

Todo sobre la Constitución: Libertad de expresión

Constitution EXPLAINED: Freedom of Expression

The First Amendment protects freedom of speech and of the press. This idea is essential to the values that make up the U.S. democratic government. 

Explore The Constitution EXPLAINED

Join the Illinois Social Studies Leaders Association (ISSLA) and shape the future of social studies education in our state! As an aspiring affiliate of NSSLA and ICSS, ISSLA offers a platform to connect, collaborate, and advocate for excellence. Enjoy networking, targeted PD, resource sharing, and championing social studies.

Complete our interest form today at bit.ly/ISSLAIF and be part of this transformative organization!

In collaboration with The Rockefeller Foundation, the Kettering Conversations on Democracy event, "Democracy Is Not Partisan," will bring together leaders with distinguished careers in public service and with different political views, to sit side by side to discuss their common concerns about democratic backsliding and consider what might be done to reverse it. Panelists will consider whether there is space for pro-democracy constituencies within or across the major parties and how we can rebuild a shared conviction in support of democracy and a common understanding of what democracy means. 

The program will include a panel discussion on governing across partisan divides with Kathleen Sebelius, Christine Todd Whitman, and Judy Woodruff; a conversation between Sarah Longwell and Brad Rourke on maintaining democratic principles within a fracturing movement; a panel discussion on the importance of institutions with Neal Katyal, J. Michael Luttig, and Melissa Murray; and reflections from Sharon L. Davies. 

Join via Zoom, on May 9 from 11 am to 2 pm ET. Register by May 1 to watch this event live; once you register, you will receive a Zoom link and calendar invite. 

REGISTER HERE

Political memes are a way to broadcast opinions on social media channels, often with a dose of sly humor. They are, in the words of one expert, “the people’s editorial cartoons.” As election season heats up, they’re being weaponized by the left and the right to score political blows, sometimes below the belt.

This new lesson and student activity has students examine some historical political cartoons, then turning their attention to creating their own political memes. A.P. U.S. Government and Politics teachers will find a new Concept Application F.R.Q.

These resources were created by Ryan Werenka, a Social Studies teacher at Troy High School in Troy, Mich., and member of Retro Report's Council of Educators.

Explore Resources

IllinoisCivics.org has curated resources to help educators meet the recommendations made by the Inclusive American History Commission Report to meet the mandates for teaching Inclusive History. The Teaching Inclusive History Toolkit includes free, high-quality resources aligned to:

• Disability History
• Ethnic Groups and Labor Unions
• The removal and illegal deportation of Mexican-American U.S. citizens during the Great Depression
• Contributions made to society by Americans of different faith practices
• Women's History
• Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History
• Black History
• Women's History
• Holocaust and Genocide
• Inclusive Curriculum (LGBTQ history)

Check back often as we add more resources!

Join the Constitutional Democracy Project and the ABA Division for Public Education for an exciting professional development opportunity to empower educators in Illinois, particularly those serving in underserved communities as well as prospective teachers, with dynamic and inclusive resources on American government, history, and civic engagement. We provide the tools and knowledge to not only meet but exceed Illinois' inclusive history and civics instruction requirements. Become a part of our program to make a real impact in the classroom and shape the next generation of informed, active citizens!

SAVE THE DATES FOR AN INSPIRING SUMMER OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT!

CHICAGO: JUNE 10-14, 2024

SPRINGFIELD: JULY 22-26, 2024

BENEFITS:

• Professional Development integrated into current standards
• Ready-to-use classroom resources
• Innovative Curriculum
• Expert Instructors
• Numerous Networking Opportunities
• $2,500 stipend for teachers
• $1,000 stipend for pre-service teachers
• 30+ CPDU credits
• Complimentary hotel accommodations

TEACHER COMMITMENT:

• Attend scheduled professional development in Chicago OR Springfield
• Participate in all surveys, reflections, and evaluations
• Participate in 3-4 workshops post PD (either on ZOOM or in-person)
• Bring 10 student delegates to Student Constitutional Convention
• Participate in the culminating Student Constitutional Convention in Spring 2025

Click here for more information and to apply.

The Illinois Civics Hub has partnered with the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida to provide educators the opportunity to earn their microcredentials in facilitating the proven practices of civic education outlined in the 6-8 and 9-12 civics course mandates.

Courses include:

• Current and Controversial Issue Discussions
• Simulations of Democratic Processes
• Informed Action through Service Learning
• Constitutional Democracy as Content and Practice

Courses begins April 29, 2024. Participants will complete one module per week and can expect to spend 2–3 hours per week on coursework.

Registration information and course syllabi are available on the Guardians of Democracy homepage. Those who successfully earn a Bronze Certified Guardian of Democracy Educator badge via Badgr earn 15 PD hours. Members of the Illinois Democracy Schools Network can also earn a $300 stipend.

There are three strands of courses for each proven practice of civics education. Graduate credit is available through the University of St. Francis for completing all three courses. For more information, please visit the Guardians of Democracy homepage.