High-Quality Instructional Materials Infusing Inquiry with Curricula
Experiential Learning
Our flagship programs include authentic experiential learning opportunities as summative assessments, enabling students to apply their knowledge in scenarios that mirror real-world civic participation, deepening their understanding through practical engagement.
Standards Aligned
The Center’s materials have been aligned to the social studies standards of all 50 states and D.C., AP Government and History, Educating for American Democracy Roadmap, and the C3 Framework.
At the Center: Inquiry
Inquiry is the lived practice of civic skills, knowledge, and dispositions which lead to informed engagement. By modeling these behaviors in the classroom, teachers reinforce the Center’s central goal, to develop active and involved members of society. The 5E Model builds upon itself, from Engagement to Exploration to Explanation to Elaboration, and finally, to Evaluation. It also invests students in their own learning, inviting them to draw from their own experiences and perspectives, which results in deep, culturally responsive civic learning.
Culturally Responsive
The inquiry method used in our curricula empowers all students to actively participate in their communities, regardless of background, creating pathways for historically underrepresented groups to engage in civic life, promoting inclusivity and encouraging meaningful civic involvement for everyone.
The 5E Model
We the People as High-Quality Instructional Material
Students who receive high-quality social studies instruction are likely to develop skills that will help them make civic contributions in the future. However, variability in state standards and a lack of research and work on a common definition has made it difficult to identify high-quality instructional materials, resulting in inconsistent and limited access to these needed materials for both students and educators.
Recognizing these needs in the field, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) partnered with EdReports, an independent nonprofit, to develop a comprehensive, rigorous, accessible, and flexible tool—evidence guides—that educational professionals across the nation can use to identify high-quality instructional materials for social studies.
AIR / EdReports Rubric: HQIM in Social Studies *
Criterion 1: Standards Alignment
Criterion 2: Social Studies Practices
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
. Educating for American Democracy (EAD) Roadmap Alignment: We the People aligns with the EAD Roadmap by integrating historical knowledge with civics, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of the democratic process and encouraging active participation in civic life.
. State Social Studies Standards: The curriculum aligns with the social studies standards of all 50 states, covering U.S. history, government, and civics, ensuring the curriculum can be used across different state contexts while meeting the unique requirements of each state’s educational standards.
. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and technical subjects: We the People is aligned with this set of standards which focus on building literacy skills through reading complex texts, critical thinking, argumentation, and evidence-based writing—all essential skills in studying civics and government.
. C3 Framework (College, Career, and Civic Life): The curriculum also aligns with the C3 Framework through inquiry-based learning, encouraging students to ask critical questions, gather evidence, and form well-reasoned conclusions—key aspects of effective civic education.
. Promotes Inquiry: The curriculum includes “What do you think?” prompts at the end of each lesson. These questions encourage students to reflect on the material and form their own ideas and interpretations.
. Incorporation of Primary and Secondary Sources: We the People integrates various primary and secondary sources for students to evaluate and analyze, modeling the work of historians and fostering critical skills such as sourcing, contextualizing, and corroborating evidence.
. Critical Thinking Exercises: Each chapter includes Critical Thinking exercises, where students are encouraged to draw conclusions based on the evidence they have studied. These exercises require students to use evidence to support their claims, a core component of historical inquiry and reasoning.
. Simulated Congressional Hearings: One of the standout features of the curriculum is the Simulated Congressional Hearings, which provide a hands-on, authentic assessment experience. In these simulations, students analyze constitutional issues and engage in structured discussion, putting their civic knowledge and skills into practice.
. Optional Activities in the Teacher’s Guide: Additional, optional activities in the Teacher’s Guide allow for deeper engagement with the content. These activities include deliberations, additional research projects, and case studies that offer students more opportunities to apply inquiry-based methods and develop their ability to think critically about historical and contemporary issues.
AIR / EdReports Rubric: HQIM in Social Studies *
Criterion 5: Instructional Supports
Criterion 6: Assessment Practices
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
. Critical Thinking Exercises for Small Groups: The Teacher’s Guide provides valuable suggestions for facilitating critical thinking exercises in small group settings, promoting collaborative exploration of key civic concepts.
. Graphic Organizers for Universal Design for Learning: The curriculum includes graphic organizers to scaffold learning for all students, helping diverse learners organize and process complex information effectively.
. Discussion Questions for Deeper Learning: Discussion questions are integrated into the curriculum to encourage deeper learning and critical analysis, enabling students to engage more fully with the material.
. Professional Learning for Simulated Congressional Hearings: Curriculum-based professional learning opportunities help teachers prepare students for the Simulated Congressional Hearing, offering strategies to guide students through this complex and authentic assessment.
. Civics Professional Learning Programs: Programs like Civics that Empowers All Students and the James Madison Legacy Project Expansion train teachers to adapt and implement We the People in their specific educational contexts, enhancing their instructional effectiveness.
. Formative Assessments and Summative Assessments: Each lesson includes review questions to assess students’ content comprehension and reinforce key concepts, additionally the teachers guide contains multiple choice based assessments to support the design of both formative and summative assessments.
. Simulated Congressional Hearing as Culminating Assessment: The Simulated Congressional Hearing serves as a summative assessment, allowing students to apply their knowledge in a realworld scenario that mimics authentic civic participation.
. Experiential Learning with Authentic Assessment Rubrics: The curriculum offers authentic assessment rubrics for experiential learning activities, ensuring student performance is evaluated based on real-world application of civic skills and knowledge.
. Involvement of Community Members as Evaluators: Teachers can involve community members in the Simulated Congressional Hearings, adding an external, real-world element to the assessment process.
Project Citizen as High-Quality Instructional Material
Students who receive high-quality social studies instruction are likely to develop skills that will help them make civic contributions in the future. However, variability in state standards and a lack of research and work on a common definition has made it difficult to identify high-quality instructional materials, resulting in inconsistent and limited access to these needed materials for both students and educators.
Recognizing these needs in the field, the American Institutes for Research (AIR) partnered with EdReports, an independent nonprofit, to develop a comprehensive, rigorous, accessible, and flexible tool—evidence guides—that educational professionals across the nation can use to identify high-quality instructional materials for social studies.
AIR / EdReports Rubric: HQIM in Social Studies * Project Citizen: Community Engagement in Public Policy
Criterion 1: Standards Alignment
. Educating for American Democracy (EAD) Roadmap Alignment: Project Citizen aligns with the EAD Roadmap by fostering civic engagement and encouraging inquiry-based learning, preparing students for active participation in civic life through understanding public policy, government structures, and democratic principles.
. State Social Studies Standards: The curriculum aligns with the social studies standards of nearly all 50 states, covering Government, and Civics, ensuring the curriculum can be used across different state contexts while meeting the unique requirements of each state’s educational standards.
. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy in History / Social Studies, Science and technical subjects: The curriculum supports this set of standards by developing students’ literacy skills in key areas such as research, reading informational texts, and argumentative writing. Throughout the project, students are required to gather evidence from multiple sources, critically evaluate information, and write persuasive policy proposals, directly supporting CCSS goals.
. C3 Framework (College, Career, and Civic Life): Project Citizen emphasizes inquiry-based learning and real-world application of knowledge. It aligns with the four dimensions of the C3 Framework: Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries, Applying Disciplinary Tools and Concepts, Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence, and Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action.
AIR / EdReports Rubric: HQIM in Social Studies *
Project Citizen: Community Engagement in Public Policy
Criterion 4: Usability . Paced for Classroom Use: The Teacher’s Guide supplies instructional timelines to assist educators in planning and pacing the public policy project, ensuring that all steps are covered within the available instructional time.
. Compendium of Student Handouts and Materials: A comprehensive compendium of student handouts, showcase materials, and evaluation tools is included in the appendix of the Teacher’s Guide, offering easy access to all necessary resources in one place.
. Six-Step Process for Manageable Lessons: The project is divided into a six-step process, which chunks the content into manageable, easy-to-plan lessons, helping teachers implement each phase efficiently and allowing students to progress incrementally.
Criterion 5: Instructional Supports
. Graphic Organizers for Universal Design for Learning: Graphic organizers are included to support the Project Citizen process, helping students organize their research and manage the flow of information as they work on public policy projects.
. Whole Group and Small Group Suggestions: The Project Citizen Teacher’s Guide offers suggestions for whole and small group activities, including discussion questions, bibliography resources, and communication templates to support student inquiry and collaboration.
. Professional Learning Opportunities: Professional development is available to support teachers in implementing the curriculum, including adapting it for different learning contexts and guiding students through the portfolio process.
. Public Policy and Civics Resources: Teachers are provided additional resources to help students understand public policy, civic duties, and the work of government institutions.
Criterion 6: Assessment Practices . Ongoing Formative Assessments: Project Citizen includes formative assessments throughout the process, such as evaluating student research and group work, ensuring that students are on track toward completing their projects.
. Portfolio as a Summative Assessment: The portfolio serves as a culminating assessment, in which students compile their research, policy proposal, and action plan, demonstrating their learning and application of civic skills.
. Public Presentations as Authentic Assessment: Students participate in public presentations of their projects, often to local government officials, providing an authentic assessment of their ability to communicate, persuade, and engage in civil discourse.
. Rubrics for Evaluation: The curriculum includes rubrics to evaluate the quality of student portfolios, research, and presentations, offering clear criteria for assessing understanding and skills.
Textbook Pricing from the Center for Civic Education
Level 1
Grades 4–6
. Student edition:
248 pages and 24 lessons
. Published 2020
. $700 set*
. $27 student book
. $37 teacher’s guide
. $9.99 ebook**
Level 2
Grades 7–8
. Student edition:
328 pages and 29 lessons
. Published 2017
. $1,000 set*
. $42 student book
. $49 teacher’s guide
. $9.99 ebook**
. Spanish edition available
Level 3
Grades 9–10
. Student edition:
400 pages and 39 lessons
. Published 2016
. $1,400 set*
. $59 student book
. $72 teacher’s guide
. $9.99 ebook**
The Citizen & Democracy
Grades 3–5
. Student edition:
141 pages and 11 lessons
. Published 2020
. $600 set*
. $25 student book
. $31 teacher’s guide
Level 1
Grades 5–8
. Student edition: 76 pages
. Published 2022
. $450 set*
. $25 student book
. $35 teacher’s guide
. Spanish edition available
Level 2
Grades 9–12
. Student edition: 140 pages
. Published 2024
. $600 set*
. $29 student book
. $34 teacher’s guide
American Legacy
The United States Constitution and Other Essential Documents of American Democracy . $4.99 each
Pricing valid from January 1, 2024
* Each classroom set contains 30 student textbooks and one teacher’s guide.
** Interactive ebooks can be purchased through Actively Learn. Ebook pricing is per user, per year. Visit activelylearn.com/social-studies
For More Information 818-591-9321 sales@civiced.org civiced.org/curriculum
Civics in Minutes
Free Podcasts & Videos for Your Classroom
60-Second Civics Podcast
60-Second Civics is a daily podcast for middle and high school students and the American public, devoted to topics important to understanding American constitutional democracy. More than 5,000 episodes have been produced since the podcast’s debut in 2009.
60-Second Civics podcasts are brief, simple, and free.
The Constitution EXPLAINED
The Constitution EXPLAINED is a series of brief, two- to three-minute videos explaining key aspects about the U.S. Constitution in everday language. This series of 35 videos was created by the Center for Civic Education in partnership with iCivics and constitutional scholar Linda R. Monk, JD, to explore the Constitution, explain how it has changed since the founding period, and make the content more accessible to all.
Series Topics:
. About the Constitution . Three Branches of Government . Articles of the Constitution . Amendments & Ratification . The Bill of Rights . Reconstruction Amendments . And more!
at Civiced.org/constitution-explained
Project Community Free Media Literacy Lessons & Videos
The Center and its partners developed a new set of lessons and teacher resources that integrate media literacy with hands-on engagement in public policy. Each one of these media literacy lessons is also associated with a short, animated video to engage students thinking about the lesson’s compelling question. These videos are free and open for use.
