SSYL-Sept25-FIN

Historical Graphic Novels • Perceptions of Leadership • STEAM • Black Historical Consciousness • Micro-Inquiries

Centering Joy, Expanding Perceptions A Quarterly for Creative Teaching in Grades K–5 September/October 2025 Volume 38, Number 1

Social Studies and the Young Learner 38 (1) p. 3 ©2025 National Council for the Social Studies

Sohyun An is a Professor of Social Studies Education at Kennesaw State University in Marietta, Georgia, specializing in K–12 Asian American Studies and Ethnic Studies. She taught middle and high school social studies in South Korea for five years and has been a professor for sixteen years in the US. Q. Why did you become a teacher?

A. My mother dreamed of being a teacher but was pulled from school after elementary due to poverty. She passed that dream on to me. In high school, a social studies teacher inspired me. She was a teacher activist in the 1980s and 1990s, standing up to Korea’s dictatorship and fighting for democracy. She showed me that teaching isn’t just about lessons and tests; it can be a form of activism. And that made me want to become a teacher too.

fulfilled seeing teachers bring these histories to students.

Q. When and why did you join NCSS? A. I believe social studies can be and should be transformative, centering the lived experiences of marginalized communities. I wanted to be part of a community that shares this vision and to work collectively toward making it a reality.

Q. What teaching success or career achievement are you most proud of?

A. I’m proud of supporting teachers in disrupting white settler narratives in school curricula. Through articles in Social Studies and the Young Learner, I strive to support teachers to center stories and perspectives of communities of color and marginalized communities. I’m most

Q. How has being a part of a professional association like NCSS enriched your career?

A. NCSS has helped me stay hopeful by connecting me with critical teachers and scholars.

It reminds me that critical social studies can be a space of liberation, challenging me to continue advocating for justicecentered education.

Junior Rho Kappa is the only national organization for middle or junior high school students that recognizes excellence in the field of Social Studies

LEARN MORE https://www.socialstudies.org/rhokappa/jr September/October 2025 3

Social Studies and the Young Learner 38 (1) pp. 4–10 ©2025 National Council for the Social Studies

“You Have to See It to Be It”: Expanding Students’ Perceptions of Who Can Be a Leader Zoe M. Oxley, Kerri D’Alessandro, Angela L. Bos, and Jill S. Greenlee Nearly 40 years after the passage of Title IX, during a discussion about that gender equality law, tennis legend Billie Jean King said, “You have to see it to be it.” Highlighting athletics alongside careers in STEM, King went on: “If you don’t see enough people that look like you—the kids want to see themselves—then you don’t think you have a chance.”1 In other words, for children to envision themselves engaging in certain activities or pursuing specific career paths, they need role models who look like them.

U.S. politics has been and continues to be dominated by white men. Because of this reality, when girls and children of color learn about presidents and other historical figures or when they are exposed to contemporary politicians, they are unlikely to see political leaders with whom they share identity characteristics. The message received by children, from multiple sources, is quite clear: politics is a domain for men, especially white men. Indeed, in elementary school, when students are asked to draw a picture of a political leader, most draw men and most draw a white leader. Furthermore, girls are actually more likely to draw male than female leaders as they advance through elementary school.2 These processes contribute to pre-adulthood racial and gender gaps regarding political engagement. White teenagers are more likely than teens of color to believe that the government is responsive to their interests and to engage in political activities.3 Compared to adolescent girls, boys of that

age indicate higher levels of interest in government as well as more ambition to run for political office in the future.4 When presented with a list of jobs they might want when they are older, at age six, girls are less likely than boys to select political ones. This gender gap widens by age twelve.5 In short, girls and children of color begin to disengage from politics beginning at young ages. These trends continue to and through adulthood, leading to their voices being less present in our political system.

This article suggests several fruitful avenues for K–5 classroom activities designed to expand students’ perceptions of who can be a political leader. These include introducing students to role models from marginalized groups as well as using a drawing activity to spark conversations about who political leaders are and what they do. In addition, we suggest some activities that highlight civic leadership and communal approaches to solving problems, both as ways to broaden understandings of what leadership entails. The multiple lessons we present connect to the C3 Framework indicators in Figure 1.

Diverse Role Models Help to Re-Envision Who Belongs in Politics

How can levels of political interest and expected future engagement among girls and children of color be boosted?

We know that real-life political role models are important

Figure 1. C3 Framework indicators addressed by the lessons

D2.Civ.1.K–2. Describe roles and responsibilities of people in authority.

D2.Civ.2.K–2. Explain how all people, not just official leaders, play important roles in a community.

D2.Civ.5.3–5. Explain the origins, functions, and structure of different systems of government, including those created by the U.S. and state constitutions.

D2.Civ.13.3–5. Explain how policies are developed to address public problems.

D2.Civ.14.K–2. Describe how people have tried to improve their communities over time.

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in shaping attitudes and behaviors, for both adults and adolescents. For example, voter turnout among Black young adults has been higher than among white young adults only in 2008 and 2012, when Barack Obama ran for president.6 Furthermore, more women run for office, and more adolescent girls indicate a future desire to run, when more women serve in political office.7 Role model effects are also present in STEM fields. Since the mid-1960s, studies document that children perceive science to be a field for white men.8 However, incorporating role models into school curricula, such as in books or via classroom visits by women or scientists of color, changes these perceptions and also increases interest in STEM careers among girls and children of color.9 We should expect similar effects when incorporating diverse political role models into the social studies curriculum. Repeatedly profiling historical and contemporary women leaders and leaders of color can help girls and children of color see themselves as future political leaders. Throughout the school year, heritage months such as Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month bring opportunities for schoolchildren to learn about the accomplishments of members from historically marginalized groups. In addition to providing examples during heritage months, elementary teachers can highlight diverse role models in their lessons all year long.

The Teaching Resources box at the end of this article contains some examples of books that showcase women and people of color. We have included books about real-life political leaders and about children taking on political roles. One story—Grace for President—features a young Black girl who runs for president of her class after noticing that all U.S. presidents have been men.

United States. Emphasizing that white men have predominantly held leadership positions helps students understand that often when we “picture” a political leader, a white man is what we see. On the other hand, class discussions regarding the characteristics (real and imagined) of leaders can expand children’s understanding of leadership and who can be a political leader.

Drawing Political Leaders

Classroom Discussion of the Students’ Drawings

For decades, the Draw-a-Scientist task has been used successfully in elementary classrooms to spark conversations about scientists and science. We adapted that tool to the world of politics, creating the Draw-a-Political-Leader (DAPL) activity. Appropriate for K–5 classrooms, this exercise opens with students creating their own drawings. In order to encourage students to reflect upon their visions of political leadership more deeply, we recommend classroom discussion of the students’ drawings. We also suggest a follow-up activity focused on gender stereotypes for students in grades 3–5.

Brief summaries of these activities and examples of students’ work follow; detailed lesson plans are available online (see Teaching Resources box).

The compelling question and one supporting question at the heart of the DAPL activities are, respectively, What does a political leader look like? and Should political leaders look like the people they represent? One aim of these lessons is for students to think about past and current leaders in the

The Draw-a-Political-Leader Activity

The DAPL drawing task begins by giving students the following instructions: Close your eyes and imagine a political leader at work. A political leader is a person who wins an election and then has the job of helping people and solving problems in the community and the country. Some examples of political leaders are people like the mayor, the governor, and people who work in Congress.

Students then open their eyes and draw what they imagined, using crayons, colored pencils, or markers that ideally include various skin complexion colors. Once their drawings are complete, the students respond to these prompts: • Describe what the political leader is doing in the picture.

• List three words that come to mind when you think of this political leader.

• What kinds of things do you think this political leader does on a typical day?

Older children could write down their answers to these prompts and/or discuss the topics with a partner. Partner discussion is encouraged for younger children.

After finishing their DAPL drawings, students compare and discuss their classmates’ pictures. One approach is to conduct a classroom poll. Either via a worksheet or a show of hands, the teacher poses the following questions and charts students’ responses: Who drew an actual leader from the past or a leader today? Who drew someone they know personally?

Who drew themselves? Who drew a boy or a man? Who drew a girl or a woman? Who drew a leader of color? Who drew a young political leader?

Another approach for generating discussion of the DAPL drawings is to create a gallery walk in the classroom. First, the teacher or the students hang the drawings of political leaders around the room. Students then stroll around the room, look at their classmates’ drawings, and take note of any commonalities and differences in the drawings of leaders. They then return to their seats and complete a handout (see Figure 3).

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Figure 2. Draw-a-Political-Leader drawing examples

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Either activity concludes with the students discussing what types of political leaders were drawn the most and drawn the least in their classroom. They are encouraged to discuss who and what they drew and also whether political leaders tend to have certain identity characteristics but not others.

This is also a good opportunity for the teacher to point out that women and people of color have been underrepresented in political leadership both historically and currently in the United States.

Figure 3. Art wall activity

Comparing Gender and Leader Stereotypes

Through the process of gender socialization, children learn that many adult roles are linked with behavioral expectations, depending on whether the career is populated mostly by men or mostly by women.10 For example, because women dominate caregiving roles, children learn that traits girls and women are expected to possess (e.g., compassion, empathy, warmth) are necessary for jobs in that domain. On the other hand, children infer that leadership requires stereotypically male traits (e.g., strength, decisiveness, assertiveness), given that most prominent leaders in society are men. Preferring not to act in gender-incongruent ways, children generally gravitate their interests and even their future career goals toward those that line up with expectations for their gender.11 An extension of the DAPL activity for grades 3–5 focuses on stereotypes of women and men. To introduce the concept of stereotypes, the teacher uses language such as the definition at the top of Figure 4. Next, working in pairs or small groups students create lists of gender stereotypes, focused around answering these questions: What assumptions do we make about the way women and men act? The activities they enjoy? Throughout, students are reminded that they do not need to believe the stereotypes but should share what they believe that other people think.

After a few minutes, the teacher brings the class back together and asks students to share their lists. Then, the class compares their lists of gender stereotypes to the traits apparent in their own DAPL drawings. Are the traits in the students’ pictures of leaders associated with men/boys rather than women/girls? The activity closes with the teacher pointing out that some people assume political leaders need to have traits that line up with stereotypes of men, such as being strong, in command, and not being sensitive or emotional. Because of that, girls and women might assume that they should not be engaged in governing, whether that be joining their school’s student council or becoming president of the United States.

Broadening Images of Leadership

Even though women are present in political roles in substantially greater numbers now than in the past, politics continues to be perceived as a domain where acting masculine (stereotypically male) is the norm. However, when the possibility to act in pursuit of communal goals (stereotypically

female, such as helping others or working collaboratively) is emphasized, high school girls and college-aged women display more interest in entering politics.12 In other words, changing perceptions of how adults act in certain roles can help re-imagine who belongs in those roles.

Another way to broaden perceptions of leadership is to introduce the concept of civic leadership. As articulated in the C3 Framework, “People demonstrate civic engagement when they address public problems individually and collaboratively and when they maintain, strengthen, and improve communities and societies.”13 Throughout U.S. history, civic engagement has been especially important for communities of color to address racial and economic inequality, criminal justice problems, and other matters. Among high school students of color, exposure to history lessons profiling leaders of color fighting injustice contributes to increased interest in future political engagement.14 Furthermore, civic leadership develops skills and knowledge that individuals can take into the political domain, serving as a springboard to political leadership.

Books that illustrate different types of leadership styles, including leadership that is communal in nature, can help to expand notions of what traits are welcome in leaders.

Furthermore, incorporating books with civic leadership and community engagement into the elementary classroom can demonstrate the variety of ways that people work to better society. The Teaching Resources box lists a few books that highlight civic leadership and communal leadership, including two Septima P. Clark Award-winning books. The Only Woman in the Photo: Francis Perkins and Her New Deal for September/October 2025 7

park. She encounters resistance from workers at City Hall but ultimately is successful.

Concluding Thoughts

Children’s images of political leaders—who they are, how they act, and what they do—develop from many sources.

The school classroom is only one. Yet, the traditional social studies curriculum likely reinforces what students learn elsewhere: that politics is a domain mostly populated by white men. This early learning can establish patterns

influencing who gets involved in politics later in life. Changes to school curricula, such as expanding instruction around political leaders from marginalized groups and expanding notions of leadership to incorporate civic activities and stereotypical feminine traits, could disrupt these patterns.

DAPL and the other classroom activities we suggest here are just a few examples that elementary teachers can adopt as early interventions toward encouraging girls and children of color to see themselves as effective political actors and leaders throughout their lives.

Teaching Resources The resources listed below are appropriate for grades K–5 unless otherwise noted.

Role Model Books All Rise: The Story of Ketanji Brown Jackson by Carole Boston Weatherford Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grimes Elizabeth Warren’s Big Bold Plans by Laurie Ann Thompson Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier (3–5) Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice by Nikki Grimes Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis by Jabari Asim (3–5) A Woman for President: The Story of Victoria Woodhull by Kathleen Krull (3–5) Civic and Communal Leadership Books Just Help! How to Build a Better World by Sonia Sotomayor (K–3) Malala: My Story of Standing up for Girls’ Rights by Malala Yousafzai (4–5) The Only Woman in the Photo: Francis Perkins and Her New Deal for America by Kathleen Krull (3–5)

Notes 1. Aspen Institute, “Billie Jean King—2011 Preston Robert Tisch Award in Civic Leadership,” recorded interview, November 30, 2011, www. aspeninstitute.org/videos/second-annual-preston-robert-tisch-awardcivic-leadership-recognizing-billie-jean-king/, 44:20 and 44:31.

2. Angela L. Bos et al., “This One’s for the Boys: How Gendered Political Socialization Limits Girls’ Political Ambition and Interest,” American Political Science Review 116, no. 2 (2022): 484–501.

3. Cathy J. Cohen, Democracy Remixed: Black Youth and the Future of American Politics (Oxford University Press, 2010).

4. Laurel Elder, “Why Women Don’t Run: Explaining Women’s Underrepresentation in America’s Political Institutions,” Women & Politics 26, no. 2 (2004): 27–56; Jennifer L. Lawless and Richard L. Fox, Running from Office: Why Young Americans Are Turned Off to Politics (Oxford University Press, 2015).

5. Bos et al., “This One’s for the Boys.”

6. CIRCLE, “2020 Youth Voter Turnout by Race/Ethnicity and Gender,” July 27, 2021, https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/2020-youth-voterturnout-raceethnicity-and-gender.

Our House is on Fire: Greta Thunberg’s Call to Save the Planet by Jeanette Winter Shirley Chisholm is a Verb by Veronica Chambers (3–5) Sofia Valdez, Future Prez by Andrea Beaty Online Resources Educator Tools for Teaching about Race, resources from the Smithsonian Institution (K–12), https://oursharedfuture. si.edu/resources/k-12-educational-resources How to Be an Action Activist #2, a comic created in collaboration with the Civics for All initiative, New York City Public Schools (K–3), www.weteachnyc.org/resources/resource/how-to-bean-action-activist-2 Kids & Politics, lesson plans for the DAPL activities and an educational comic, https://sites.google.com/view/kids-andpolitics Teaching Toolbox, tools for teachers from Teach a Girl to Lead Project, Center for American Women and Politics, Rutgers– New Brunswick Eagleton Institute of Politics, https://tag. rutgers.edu/teaching-toolbox/

7. David E. Campbell and Christina Wolbrecht, “See Jane Run: Women Politicians as Role Models for Adolescents,” Journal of Politics 68, no. 2 (2006): 233–47; Christina Ladam et al., “Prominent Role Models: HighProfile Female Politicians and the Emergence of Women as Candidates for Public Office,” American Journal of Political Science 62, no. 2 (2018): 369– 381.

8. David I. Miller et al., “The Development of Children’s Gender-Science Stereotypes: A Meta-Analysis of 5 Decades of U.S. Draw-A-Scientist Studies,” Child Development 89, no. 6 (2018): 1943–1955.

9. Susana González-Pérez et al., “Girls in STEM: Is It a Female Role-Model Thing?” Frontiers in Psychology 11 (2020), https://doi.org/10.3389/ fpsyg.2020.02204.

10. Alice H. Eagly and Wendy Wood, “Social Role Theory,” in Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology, eds. Paul A. M. Van Lange et al. (Sage, 2012), 458–76.

11. Claire Etaugh and Marsha B. Liss, “Home, School, and Playroom: Training Grounds for Adult Gender Roles,” Sex Roles 26, no. 3 (1992): 129–47; Lin Bian et al., “Gender Stereotypes about Intellectual Ability Emerge Early

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ways to approach a problem.”7 Thus, STEAM emphasizes real-world contexts and problem-solving through action, providing a natural connection to social studies.

The National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) maintains that the primary goal of social studies education is “to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world.”8 In addition, social studies education researchers Blevins et al. argue there is a need to move civics education towards a more actionoriented approach. This is imperative as social studies has been traditionally taught through a pedagogical combination of “textbook-worksheet-lecture.”9 Citizenship education with a foundation in social studies should “prioritize teaching and learning about environmental issues as part of civic education, just as it includes political, economic, and social issues.”10 Additionally, especially for elementary teachers, due to pressures from standardized testing, content areas like science and social studies are often separated from other subjects. Key to the natural partnership between STEAM and social studies is joy. We argue that a play-based approach, which situates joy at the center, allows children to explore the materials and tools used by professional scientists.11 Social studies provides a valuable action component, as children take civic action to address and solve global environmental issues. Additionally, joy and imagination, when paired with this interdisciplinary approach, can increase student engagement and learning outcomes.

Best Practices: Joyful Collaborations Between Young Learners and Scientists

Adults and young children in TK–2 collaboratively working together can make a meaningful impact on the world, particularly when these collaborative learning partnerships are created between young children and scientific experts like STEM professionals, and students are seen as capable of cocreating new knowledge, rather than only passively receiving knowledge.12 NSTA maintains that adults play a central role in helping young children understand science.13 Teaching and learning about STEM content areas, in partnership with scientists, has been conducted in kindergarten classrooms.14 From this work, some best practices for integrating a scientist and their work into a classroom with young learners emerged: • Young learners need something tangible to associate with the scientist like a stuffed animal.

• Young learners need artifacts and tactile experiences to understand the scientist’s work.

• Young learners need scientists who are friendly, approachable, and outgoing.

• Young learners make sense of the world through experiential learning and play-based learning experiences.

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Drawing on the best practices above and building from the foundation of our original three-step framework, “Collaborative Partnerships Between Young Learners and Scientists,”15 we propose a continuation model framework grounded in STEAM Civics, joyful tinkering, and imagination. This new model framework emphasizes partnerships with bilingual and bicultural scientists, which highlights the importance of the NCSS curricular themes of CULTURE and GLOBAL CONNECTIONS. As today’s classrooms grow increasingly diverse, bilingual and bicultural scientists, like Latinx ornithologist Dr. Ari E. Martínez, demonstrate how global citizenship, bilingualism, and biculturalism are valuable personal assets and components to engaging in science.

Our framework for TK–2nd grade students (ages four to eight years old) will inspire diverse young learners to collaborate and tinker with Dr. Martínez and his students in the Forest Fear Lab. Within each unit, TK–2 educators will guide their students through three steps: • Step 1: Meet the scientists and learn about their story. Meet the scientists virtually through media and bilingual videos in English and Spanish (see Figure 1). Build a relationship with the scientists through literature and picture books. See what the scientists’ mission is and represent the mission with a stuffed animal that is the mascot and guide for the three steps.

• Step 2: Create and engage in joyful tinkering and experimentation. After young learners have background knowledge of the scientists and their mission, they will mimic the scientists’ work by using age-appropriate tools and engage in STEAM projects. Students will collect data and use the tools to help the scientists solve an important problem.

• Step 3: Creative Problem Solving and Taking Civic Action. Once young learners build the skill set of the scientists in Step 2, students will synthesize that skill into their mission to take civic action. It can expand on what the scientists are already doing, or the young learners can take on a new mission inspired by a scientist mentor and the needs of their community, focusing on what the student is passionate about.

An Example from the Field: Rainforest Adventures of Joy, Tinkering, and Imagination

Dr. Martínez and his student researchers tested out a variety of engineering methods to see if birds have different types of warning and alarm calls to alert other birds to the presence of predators, like a jaguar, similar to the stuffed jaguar Jasmine (Figure 2). Jasmine rides on an electric car or a “catmobile,”

Figure 2. Ari fixing Jasmine. Photograph reprinted with permission

by Richard Gottschalk.

to help with experiments in the field. Here is an example from their work, according to Dr. Martínez:16 • Mission of work/Why it matters: “Animals can convey information to other animals about predators.

If certain species, like birds, can provide helpful warnings to other birds, it can affect how different species of birds hang out together in the forest. This is like animal eavesdropping!”

• How the work is done: “Experiments using engineering are conducted in the rainforest where birds of the same species are exposed to models of different types of predators, like a jaguar. When the birds see Jasmine, the jaguar stuffed animal riding on the back of the car, we record the sounds they make. Do the birds become scared and make different sounds for different types of predators?”

For ease of teacher implementation in the TK–2 classroom, a signature item in our original framework was an interdisciplinary curricular kit that can be applicable across different content standards.17 Some signature elements in each kit for age-level buy-in and interest include a stuffed animal mascot, trade books, picture books to build background knowledge, and artifacts or scientific skills-building tools. The stuffed animal supports a nonprofit cause, and each picture book has been selected for the TK–2 grade band and approved by the scientists.

Teachers who would like to join The Forest Fear Lab’s Amazon adventures of joy, tinkering, and inquiry can utilize a specialized interdisciplinary curricular kit with the contents below. Many of these items may already be in the classroom or in local public or school libraries. We suggest Donor’s Choose, school PTA, or other donations for other items.

• Stuffed jaguar plushie from Wild Republic (or similar

jaguar or black cat plushie) • Stuffed bird plushies from Wild Republic (or similar bird plushie) • The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry • Explore My World: Rain Forests from National Geographic Kids • Tinkertoy Adventures building set (or building blocks, wooden blocks, etc.)

• Cat mask set for class research (can be made with art supplies) • QR code with link to videos from fieldwork in the Amazon in English and Spanish (Figure 1) • Picture of Dr. Martínez tinkering with the “catmobile” (Figure 2) After obtaining the activity materials above, teachers can engage with this step-by-step pedagogical example outlined below, inspired by the work of ornithologists in the Forest Fear Lab. See Table 1 for corresponding standards for each step.

Step 1: Meet the Scientists and Learn about their Story In Step 1, young learners build a relationship with the scientists and gain insight into their mission. During this step, students will be introduced to Dr. Martínez and his student researchers through a bilingual video in Spanish and English (see Figure 1), providing a behind-the-scenes look at the Forest Fear Lab before their Amazon fieldwork and experiments. The images and bilingual media will help teachers achieve the NCSS curricular themes of CULTURE and GLOBAL CONNECTIONS. Here we can see an example of the complementary nature of social studies and STEM because Dr. Christopher Emdin emphasizes that STEM classrooms have historically been seen as places for facts rather than culture or context. As Dr. Emdin explains, “These stories are also important so that young people from diverse backgrounds can see themselves as heroes, inventors, and participants in STEM, rather than just consumers of it.”18 Similarly, Dr. Martínez explains his intentions for these videos: Science is about collaboration among people, and kids must see the diversity in people who make science such a creative process. Having a Latinx background and speaking Spanish is such a huge advantage to building a community with scientists and other stakeholders in Latin America.

During this step, the students can also ask and answer questions about the scientists’ work. For example, here are some questions that first-grade students in Virginia asked after seeing the videos of Dr. Martínez’s work and September/October 2025 13

the “catmobile” in action19: • Why do you use cats? Why not dogs?

• Have you thought about plastic snakes to scare the birds?

• Can you train a real cat to do this experiment?

• What if the birds fly off before you can scare them because they hear you coming?

• Do you scare all birds or just the birds in the jungle?

• How did you learn to speak Spanish?

• Are there other scientists who speak Spanish?

• Where do people speak Spanish?

This correlates with the Inquiry Arc of the C3 Framework, particularly Dimension 1: Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries. TK–2 students who participate in these activities can fulfill grade-level content standards

Table 1. Standards Alignment: Join Dr. Ari E. Martínez in Rainforest Adventures of Joy, Tinkering, and Inquiry

Step 1: Meet The Scientists and Learn about their Story SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY Dimension 1: Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries Common Core ELA Standards: • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1.A: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1.C: Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion.

Step 2: Create and Engage in Joyful Tinkering and Experimentation CULTURE Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools Next Generation Science Standards, Science and Engineering Practices, Practice 2—Developing and Using Models: Grades K–2: Modeling in K–2 builds on prior experiences and progresses to include using and developing models (i.e., diagrams, drawings, physical replicas, diorama, dramatization, or storyboards) that represent concrete events or design solutions.

• Distinguish between a model and the actual object, process, and/or events the model represents.

• Compare models to identify common features and differences.

• Develop and/or use a model to represent amounts, relationships, relative scales (bigger, smaller), and/or patterns in the natural and designed world(s).

• Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool.

National Core Art Standards for Visual Arts—Creating: • VA: Cr1.1.PKa. Engage in self-directed play with materials • VA: Cr1.1.Ka. Engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials • VA: Cr1.1.1a. Engage collaboratively in exploration and imaginative play with materials • VA: Cr1.1.2a. Brainstorm collaboratively multiple approaches to an art or design problem.

Standards for Step 3: Creative Problem Solving and Taking Civic Action CIVIC IDEALS AND PRACTICES Dimension 4: Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action National Core Art Standards for Visual Arts—Connecting: Anchor Standard 10: Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.

Enduring Understanding: Through art-making, people make meaning by investigating and developing awareness of perceptions, knowledge, and experiences.

Essential Question(s): How does engaging in creating art enrich people’s lives? How does making art attune people to their surroundings?

How do people contribute to awareness and understanding of their lives and the lives of their communities through art-making?

• VA: Cn10.1.Ka. Create art that tells a story about a life experience.

• VA: Cn10.1.1a. Identify times, places, and reasons by which students make art outside of school.

• VA: Cn10.1.2a. Create works of art about events in home, school, or community life.

NCSS Themes from National Council for the Social Studies, National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies: A Framework for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (2010); C3 Framework Dimensions from National Council for the Social Studies, The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K–12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History (2013); Next Generation Science Standards from Appendix F: Science and Engineering Practices in the NGSS, www.nextgenscience.org/resources/ngss-appendices; National Core Art Standards from Visual Arts at a Glance, www. nationalartsstandards.org.

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(see Table 1). Encouraging students to ask questions about the scientists and their work can help students generate ideas for step 2, in which the scientists need help from the students to finish their experiments.

Step 2: Create and Engage in Joyful Tinkering and Experimentation

In Step 2, students will mimic the scientists’ work by using age-appropriate tools that support engineering and imitation, such as Tinkertoys and the jaguar stuffed animal, which appear in the recommended curricular kits. Step 2 connects with Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools.

In this step, students can watch a video linked in Figure 1 and help innovate solutions and improvements to help Dr. Martínez and his student researchers finish the experiment (the videos show that the scientists need help from the students and have posed a “problem” for the students to solve).

Most importantly, this step is designed to demonstrate to students that being a scientist is not about being intimidating or overly formal, and even scientists struggle to find solutions when encountering setbacks and failures. This step is about igniting their imaginations, encouraging them to dream, tinker, and explore from a place of joy, delight, and even humor. For example, inviting children into dramatic play is a thoughtful way to incorporate what Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer says is limbering up for the work of the world.20 Teachers can have their learners imitate the Forest Fear Lab team by creating and wearing cat masks and sending a few “cats” out to stalk the birds at a school playground while another team monitors birds’ responses, giving the imitation of fieldwork.

This is also an effective way for STEAM integrations such as connections to art standards and play-based learning while learning about environmental protection (see Table 1).

To be a scientist means being at ease with failure, ambiguity, trial and error, and embracing the spirit of experimentation.

According to Dr. Martínez, It’s one thing to come up with a method in the lab, but ultimately it’s when you are in the field where the method has to be used that a lot of the trial and error takes place: Who knew that tiny stems that remained from plants we cleared off the trail could hang up the entire car! Or that you need to be able to see where you turn the car around 65 feet down the road, or that inclines might end up turning the car over? There are a lot of unpredictable things that can happen, and you have to be adaptable.

Step 2 also pairs with the NCSS theme of CULTURE, as Emdin argues that we need to reimagine STEM education by connecting it “to aspects of the discipline that align with the human desire to imagine, create, and dream.”21 For example, one of the videos accessed via the QR code

shows the “catmobile” running into a problem in the field.

The video also shows perseverance in times of adversity and shows that even professional scientists struggle with experiments, which is not often talked about. Students can use their imaginations and creativity to help finish the experiment and make improvements to the model while realizing that trial and error is also a necessary part of the scientific process.

Step 3: Creative Problem Solving and Taking Civic Action

Once learners have acquired and built the skill set of the established scientists in Step 2, learners will synthesize that skill into their mission to take civic action in Step 3. The mission can expand on what the scientists are already doing, or they can take on a new mission of their own, which can be inspired by the scientists’ work. This corresponds with Dimension 4 of the C3 Framework, Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action. In this step, students expand on the scientists’ work and bring it into their local community. For example, students can choose to use art to communicate information about the Amazon rainforest and its creatures to wider audiences. Using art as a form of activism or scientific communication for environmental change would elevate global issues, such as deforestation and climate change, that threaten animals of the Amazon rainforest. Students could create posters of endangered animals to hang around the school or pamphlets about climate change or deforestation to pass out in the local community to spread awareness and inspire action.

Students could also start a penny drive, make donations to an organization, and use art as a form of advertising for the penny drive. Students will be inspired to use art as a medium for activism or scientific communication by looking at the vivid and captivating illustrations in The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry, and they can use the illustrations to help generate ideas about art, rainforest conservation, and science communication.

Scientific Literacy and Environmental Stewards: STEAM is All Around You

We believe that all teachers, especially social studies teachers, can serve as models for creativity, imagination, and civic action which is inherent and often not emphasized in science. We base this belief on the fundamental idea that the ability to engage in science is innate within all young people. It exists within them even before they enter the classroom and extends beyond as civic engagement and inquiry are fundamental components of scientific exploration. While researchers have written about STEM and civic engagement in classrooms,22 we propose STEAM Civics as a missing link to engage young learners in civic engagement and activism in early childhood.

September/October 2025 15

Deep engagement with STEM and science necessitates the acknowledgment and respect of the lived experiences and histories of diverse populations within the classroom.

This aligns with a particular focus on the NCSS themes of CULTURE and PEOPLE, PLACES, AND ENVIRONMENTS. It is our shared aspiration that students will begin to recognize the natural connections they make and realize that science serves as a language to express their brilliance, joy, creativity, and imagination. Social studies is the necessary glue and bridge to bring STEM and science learning into the world. Science is about creativity, and fostering creativity requires the expertise of scientists from all backgrounds. By integrating the tools of research with the flow of creativity in a structured classroom setting in STEAM Civics, we prepare students to become dynamic and engaged members of their communities.

Authors’ Note The creation of the original curricular framework, “Collaborative Partnerships Between Young Learners and Scientists” (see note 15) was funded by the National Geographic Society Grant: NGS-66892E-20, awarded to Jennifer Burgin and Kimi Waite. For the collaboration featured in this article, we would like to thank videographer Ricky Gottschalk, who captured the joy and creativity of the Forest Fear Lab. We would also like to acknowledge Eliseo Parra, Ari Martínez, and Allene Henderson for their contributions to the “catmobile” model. The Forest Fear Lab videos and fieldwork in the Amazon were funded by a National Science Foundation grant (A.E. Martínez and D.T. Blumstein, National Science Foundation grant #2032469).

Notes 1. An ornithologist is a scientist who studies birds.

2. Forest Fear Lab, www.forestfearlab.com.

3. National Science Teachers Association, Early Childhood Science Education [position statement], January 2014, www.nsta.org/nstas-official-positions/earlychildhood-science-education.

4. Steven Korte, “STEM Learning Must Go Beyond Memorizing Facts and Theories,” Robotlab Blog, October 31, 2019, www.robotlab.com/blog/stem-

9. Brooke Blevins et al., “Innovations in Civic Education: Developing Civic Agency Through Action Civics,” Theory & Research in Social Education 44, no. 3 (2016): 344–384, https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2016.1203853.

10. Margaret Smith Crocco, “Teaching Environmental Issues in Social Studies,” in Teaching Environmental Issues in Social Studies: Education for Civic Sustainability in the 21st Century, eds., Bethany Vosburg-Bluem, Margaret Crocco, and Jeff Passe (NCSS, 2022), 7.

11. Shelly Lynn Counsell, “Preschoolers’ Science Learning Can Be Joyful—Using a Play-Based, Project Approach,” Science and Children 60, no. 1 (2022): 6–7.

12. Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, trans. Myra Bergman Ramos (Penguin, 1993).

13. NSTA, Early Childhood Science Education.

14. Kimi Waite, “Strategy Share: Empowering Students Through Connections with Explorers,” National Geographic Society Education Blog, August 23, 2019, https://blog.education.nationalgeographic.org/2019/08/23/strategy-shareempowering-students-through-connections-with-explorers/; Kimi Waite, “Strategy Share: Environmental Literacy and Connections with STEM Californians,” National Geographic Society Education Blog, June 12, 2019, https://blog. education.nationalgeographic.org/2019/06/12/strategy-share-environmental-literacyand-connections-with-stem-californians/.

15. Kimi Waite and Jennifer Burgin, “Interdisciplinary Learning Partnerships Between TK–2 Students and Scientists for Environmental Civic Learning,” Social Studies and the Young Learner 36, no. 1 (2023): 21.

16. Communications with Dr. Ari E. Martínez occurred through personal interviews on November 5, 2024.

17. Waite and Burgin, “Interdisciplinary Learning Partnerships.”

18. Emdin, STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream, 14.

19. The “Catmobile” is a stuffed animal jaguar that rides on a motorized electric car. The “catmobile” is intended to trigger a fear response or “alarm call” from the birds. See corresponding bilingual videos and media.

20. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teaching of Plants (Milkweed Editions, 2015).

21. Emdin, STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream, 20.

22. Meghan Condon and Amber Wichowsky, “Developing Citizen-Scientists: Effects of an Inquiry-Based Science Curriculum on STEM and Civic Engagement,” The Elementary School Journal 119, no. 2 (2018): 196–222; Waite, “Strategy Share: Empowering Students Through Connections with Explorers;” Waite, “Strategy Share: Environmental Literacy and Connections with STEM Californians;” Kimi Waite, “Kindergarten Deforestation Experts: Interdisciplinary Learning for Understanding and Addressing Global Issues,” International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education 8, no. 3 (2021): 20–39

learning-must-go-beyond-memorizing-facts-and-theories.

5. Christopher Emdin, STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream: Reimagining the Culture of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (International Center for Leadership in Education), 20.

6. Emdin, STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream, 20.

7. Constantina Spyropoulou et al., “Examining the Use of STEAM Education in Preschool Education,” European Journal of Engineering and Technology Research (2020): 1.

8. National Council for the Social Studies, National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (NCSS, 2010), 9.

Kimi Waite is an Assistant Professor of Child & Family Studies at California State University, Los Angeles.

Jennifer Burgin is the Exemplary Project Educator at Hoffman-Boston Elementary in Arlington, Virginia.

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16 Social Studies and the Young Learner

Social Studies and the Young Learner 38 (1) ©2025 National Council for the Social Studies

PULLOUT Table 1. All-Photo Inquiry: Women’s Suffrage Compelling Question

Who were the suffragists?

C3 Framework Standards

• D2.His.4.3-5. Explain why individuals and groups during the same historical period differed in their perspectives.

• D3.1.3-5. Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, structure, and context to guide the selection.

• D4.1.3-5. Construct arguments using claims and evidence from multiple sources.

Grades

3–5

Compelling Source

The First Picket Line—College Day in the Picket Line, 1917, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/97500299.

Connection to Question: This source illustrates the determination of women, particularly young, educated activists, to demand the right to vote by constitutional amendment. It highlights their fight against President Wilson to push for equality and suffrage.

Context Source

Suffragists Marching, Probably in New York City, 1915, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/item/97500064.

Connection to Question: This source provides context for the organized and public nature of the suffrage movement. It demonstrates how women used marches to collectively organize and advocate for suffrage and inclusion in political life.

September/October 2025 P1

Social Studies and the Young Learner 38 (1) ©2025 National Council for the Social Studies

Table 1. All-Photo Inquiry: Women’s Suffrage (continued)

Contrast Source

Men’s League for Woman Suffrage in New York, 1915, Library of Congress http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/ ggbain.14075/.

Connection to Question: This source challenges a narrow interpretation of suffragists as solely women advocating for their own rights. It demonstrates that the suffragist movement included male allies who recognized the importance of women’s suffrage and lent their voices to the cause of gender equality.

Complexity Source

Nine African-American Women Posed, Standing, Full Length, with Nannie Burroughs Holding Banner Reading, “Banner State Woman’s National Baptist Convention,” 1905–1915, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3c06646.

Connection to Question: This source adds complexity by highlighting the intersection of race and gender in the suffrage movement. For Black women, the fight for voting rights was part of a broader struggle against systemic oppression, illustrating that the suffrage movement’s goals and challenges were not uniform. The image connects to the fight for Black women’s suffrage by showcasing their leadership in grassroots organizing and emphasizing their role in broader movements for social justice and equal rights, including the right to vote.

P2 Social Studies and the Young Learner

160

THE

THE BUGLE

BUGLE.

ANTI-SLAVER- Y

VOL.

6.

n great cause, and not dio martyrs to hooks E'en now tho widowed mother's cry Women's Rights Convention.

Anatomy Physiology and Medicine. und bulloiis.

THE BRITISH PERIODICALS Ipon tho sir is passing by.

Sojourner Truth.

When Lady Wortley Montnsuc visited tho The aulrscriber would respectfully annnuncs AND Till 0 ! all yc tnd snd hrnVen hearted The New Costume. that lie is supplied with an increasptl number of Tuikish ladies, they inmiiied her corsets to Ono of the most unique an! interesting Who wither 'neath tho tyrant's frown superior facilities having recently mndo new n We aro compelled to LcUcvc, that fir once no cruel puiuslimcnt invented by lier souls of tho departed purchases lor demonstrating thc subjects perLiberal Ollin to Sew Subscribers! I nud pitied her sincerely. We have no speeches of tho Convention was mado by Sj O all yo fashion, U about to do a scnsiblo thing. Wc siieli i taining to the science of medicine ; having a we riinnot shelter ouisclvcs journcr Truth, an emancipat( d slave. Itisim- - 0 blighted, w ronged and trodden down-H- ear Hue Vim A ow,.r,-;.- ; have been a silent, but deeply interested specta- - behind such ii n ele.i; we liro self imimdat LEO.V.1HV SCOTT if CO, yc your witness hero to day. possib'.o to trun-fo- r it lo paper, or convey any Dried Preparation i Life silted, and hundreds of NO. tor o( the progress of tho propose! change in cd, snerilieini; Ijieanil health, mid lo uuy, To Oon we make our stern appeal SI GOLD STREET, NEW YORK, other Anatomical Plntes; a collection of the most dull nnd vapid, languid nud listless, adequate idea ol thc c Ifeel it produced upon the Against oppression's boundless sway Female dross. Wo Itavo been silent, because approved collored plates for illushalin medical Continue to publish the four leading British because liisbioii fjivea command clinging to audience. Tboso only eon appreciate it who botrtr.v, largo supply of Surgical instruments Quarterly Reviews nnd I)luckwood' tho work has been And Mammon's heart of atccl I !v thoso and thoso ixteriiids when inward beauty is gone, ns saw her powcrfu:i'orin, her Magaand plates and splendid piitludogical illustro-lionzine ; in addition to which they have recentnly cnpablo of its accomplishment. Had re- men cling to the nliar w hen reiigion isgrow gesture, and listened to her strong and Yet Courage I though mid shadows going besides a well selected modern library ly commenced the publication of valuable formers commenced its advocacy on tho ground ing cold, nud grasp nl coiivcniionaliiicft when truthiul tones. Shecamo forward to thc plat- The world moves darkly on its way, eoiitaiinng works on all tho various branches, Agricultural work, called the of physiological an! moral necessity, years teeling biK deiiailed. Wo slionld bavu n form and addressing tho President sai! with On thc for hills a light is glowing, ntinrding an opportunity of nn ordinary char-actto ladies and gentlemen for speedily and "Farmers' Cuidt to Scientific and Practical could not hare secured the co-cration of tlio (lillriciit st Ic ol di ess liir dilli rent periods great simplicity i . llright herald of a better day. lite, and different eharaeleis.

Let us take thoroughly acquiring such information.

Jlgricu'.ture? pres., as weeks, havo done under tlie influences, of May I si, y a few wards? Hcceivinj an afWo trust in Truth, and yet shall see ti hint Irom natute.

The modest dove is do- It being my design to continue to tench, it that arc now bearing onward this reform. The nied the ghnious plumago of the peacock, firmative auswor, alio proceeded I want to say I'roud Wrong into Oblivion hurled, F.B..S.,of Edinburgh,, shall bo ns heretofore, no less my pleasuro tlisn Br IIfmiit nnlborof tho "Hook of the Farm," oVc., Ate.,, (lesiro to mnko all tho instructions and demonHealth an! fadhim of the country linvc com- the lamh Ii is not the linn's Htreuth, mid tho a few words about this matter. I am a woman'. Thc humsn raeo shall nil bo free, nssisted by J011.1 P. Norton, M. A., Nsvn strations practical. menced the work. Wc presume tliul the desired nilu bnuiiiling deer has Inn tho biiiiio cover tilth's. I luivo asm uuh musclo as any man, War's bloody banner shall be furled, Those intending to study medicine would do Haven, Professor of Scientific Agriculture perfection of costume is not yet attuined, cilher lug as (lie sleek serpent. and can do as much work at any man. I have Where sorrow dwelt there shall be light w ell to commence College, &e., &c. at an enrlv period.

I havo seen a daik browed woman sink in regnrd to convenience crmfirt or elegance. pl.jwcd and reaped and husked and chopped and I'll. Eirth like Heaven shall know no night Tho term for Anatomy and Phvsiolgy will, as This highly valuable work will comprise usual commence on tho Hist Monday of Mo- - two huge royal orliivo volumes, coiitoiiiiiis But from tho despotic throne of fishiun ti c into inanity, in a dress suited to u blonde, mowed, and can any man do more than that And Go! shall rule the world I in life darb"over MbO pages, with 18 or 20 splendid steel K. O. mandnto lias been issued for cwiji-a- nd the when sbo should have appeared ing, (lushing, half masculine stylo soiled to 1 havo hord much about the sexes being equal ; 1851.

From the New York Independent. engravings, nnd more than ("CO engrnv ings on intelligence and good sense that now pervades her. rioiiiu sLw'idd bo severely simple, and I ran carry as much as any man, and can cat as N. B. Being in wood, highest People the desirous to style of dispose Case illustratotlhe nit, the of my prop. in Saul. tho community th.t now points woman to n others oi ieiital in their stxle ; but nil should much too, if 1 cun get it. I am as strong us nny erty I will sell nn very reasonable terms. ing almost every implement ol husbandry broader sphere and a nobler destiny than any to permit n lieer, Inlli r expansion, 'l'lie mind man that is now. A for intellect, ad I can say now in use by iho best huiners, the Iks!

BY REV. GEO. H. CHEEVER. Ihe is, if womun have a pint and man a which her sex has beforo aspired w ill perfect In conies crainpe.l when the body is Wcsicrn Farmers' Insurance (.'oinpiiiy, methods nf plowing, planting, buying, harquart why vesting, &c, &.v., 1I.0 various domestic tho work. Woman in assuming, as she is now world Wiiuhl never have been subdued by n canls'.ie have her Utile pint lull? Yon need ls One of the most instructive instances of Napoleon cased in w hahdioiie, or n Milton in their highest peileriion ; in short, XEir Lisnox, omo. about to do, her individuality nnJ responsibility have writicii "I'liiadise Lost" in n light buu not be afraid togivo u our rights for fear wo disobedience lo inhuman nnd imriuhleous the pictorial lenliiro of the book is liliiijUe, in nil tho organizations of society, will natun.l-l- net. Let llio lliind bo deehnd, thu laeul- - wiiltako too much, for wo cant take more law, is In he lomul in the case ol (be I'coplu This Company was organiied, and commenc- nnd w ill render it of incalculable value la The popu- ed issuing Policies the lirt of May, and of necessity drop tho badges and clogs ties improted, thu intellect ciilliviued, nnd than our pint'll bold. The poor ni'n seem to VS. H ml, in beh.ill of Jonathan.

13 in. the student of agriculture.

And, although it has been in operation but the heart and feelings disciplined, and then, be all in conludon, and dont know what to do. lar adjudication of ibis ease, simply by muled appropriate to her past dependent position.

The woik is moral power, nnd tho peneelul iehny of n'xiut eight mouths, we aro nblo to report as monthly NiiinhoiB,lieiiig(J4Published iu SemiTnat our reader may known what is doing and bating pcrliirmcd all our duties, having been Why children, if yon have w oman's lights givo equity over unrighteous law, aro ol (nigra each, exclurecorded in f jllows : true to all our responsibilities, wo mny lit sive ol the Sled iigmvings, and when net the valid reason fur change, we copy the followWholo number of Policies issued, 2,000 last, " like one, w ho wriuis the drapery of it to her and you will feel better. You w ill havo the J ltli chapter ol the 1st hook of Samuel. in connection with tho Keviews or ing articles. Tho first is from a southern cor- his cum Ii about him, lie down to pleasant your own rights, and 'hey wont bo so much The monarch had eoniiuaiided (bat tlirouuh- " nm't of property insured, $1,010,100 taken Blackwood, is sold nt SS cents each, or (5 " amount of Premium Notes, out the day ol battle, no loud should be eaten respondent of tho Ilomc Journal the organ and dreams.''

8,479 trouble.

I cant read, but I can hear. I havo till tho rntiro work in nuinliers, of which " " the c oning. Jonathan heard tail when of Cash Premiums, 6,831 fir vvhicloof New York fashion. there will be ut least tweiitv-two- .

Strs. Nichols, tho Editor of tho Windham heard the bible and have learned that Eve caus-- ' bis liilhor charged the oeonle w ith Ibis nail,: " " of losses, 700 if" worn an upset tho world, The British Periodicals ar Ilibmco of Cash Premiums abovo losses, fi,131 mid when they encountered n quantity ol Gkstlf.me.n Voii have so kindly interest- Co. Democrat, one of tho ablest and best papers c! man to sin. Well tho above it will bo seen that wo al- ns follows, viz: do give her a chance to set it right side up again, honey in their march, be init linth hj. i'.,,. ed yourselves in out f.vor, nnil so encouraof its class, wo receive, writes the following: ready number members than most of the Tiik I.0M110.1 QuAti. Rkvikw (Conservative,) The Lidy has spoken about Jesus, how he nev- mill eat of il ; and when the people, iulurmed Mutual Insuniinmoic ged, in your uhlu manner, thu contemplated e Companies that have been in Thf. New f'.vstiin.t ron Ladieh' Dar.ss- him of thu curse, thou said Jonathan. Mi ehnngu in ladies' dress, that I wiiiif llinnk r.s. er spumed woman from him, and she was right. operation for the last ten years, ami have more The Kih.ndlhoii Review (Whig,) w ufi one or Hi tiouk'tJ Ike land. lie nre, Li geiilleuieii eiliiors fulhtr Nevertheless, The I IIuitisii North Review (1. Church,) mil interested in thu subject, too. I Cmh on hand than any other Company in tho J on.

When I. izarui died, Mary and M utha camo to thus tar, though Hie ex.ieliou was severe and Stale on an small mi amount atkire Turkish trousers.

I inn mi anxious to two exception, exceedingly taken with tho risk. Tho ns. The Wkbt.mi.nkter Review (Libernl,) 1 iil'Klsli costume wiiicli WTiiiH lo liave ap him with faith and love and besought him to injmioiis, llio people each ono pa tonishing success with which of dun my tonic mid trousers, though rather this Conq any has Black woon's Lih.iiii iicii Magazine (Tory.) ufiaid yet, that I must beg you lo throw till pearedI ncai ly siimulaneousiy in Iheprmeip.d raise their brother. And Jcius wept and Laza- tiently enduring lur himself llio personal in- met is good ovidenco that il is one of the' best Although these woiks nre distiuguisbrd ' cities and villages ol tho r.asleru mid rus came forth. And how came Jesus into the convenience. insfiturions in the country; audit is believed by thu polilicnl shades above iiidiealed, yet Your learning, eloquence, refinement, mid Western plates. Tin; execitions only two Jlut when il came to nn immnratltj requir that it stands unrivalled for libcrulity and fair but n small portion of their tasto on our side. Will joii? We South world ? Through Ood who created him und contents it dewill have it that the wolo our knowledge ed ol tliein, or to their consent demanded to dealing. trnors luive such pretty leet ynu know tinr men, voted o polilicnl subjects.

It is their Lite-ra- n woman who bore him. Man, where is your in assuming tint new dress, nro ennn net of injustice und cruelly again.-.-! an loot oio cclclinitcd Hint really llinili, il cbmacter which gives them their chief coming up blcs.icd person, they nnhcdly and resolutely XoAn rnrnmiicK, thero is nny justice in Fashion, our timu is croaching upon man's prerogative assum- part? Dot tho women aro Aiitir-- Brnnicx, value, nnd in that they stand cnufesst dly fur When mi inquest was Alkxandkh coining. 1 should cry out, Liberty ! if I were ing "men's apparel !'' Such mi assertion is be (Jod and a few of thc men are coming up with refused obedience.

IIuwauo Powkus, iiboii) nil other juiirimla of their class. particularly amusing, since the dress short them. Hat man is in a tight pluce, tho poor held as lo the proceedings of the day, then Joskpii Ouu. PAnuusnx, lice of my lout, embarrassing, liinckienod, still under the muster ly guidance OFFICERS : shirts. Von ran easily imagine their in- skits and lull pantalets has been worn lor slave is on him, woman is coming on him, and Ihe King swore n great oath, thai in whosoof Christopher Xurth, inaliitnins its ancient years by thu missi n of nil nations in Christ ever Ihe sin bad been liiuud that day, though V. FiisnKtucK, Vca". J. M. Oii.mvm, TVcs TVmY celebrity, mid is, tit ibis time, uiiiisun y convenience. Just liiticy your etrnially he is surely betwecn-- hawk and A buzzard. it were in Jonathan biuiseli, be tdiuuhl sure enveloped in costly, voluminous luhls, from endom, and by nil the women nfiho I urkisli li'oiii the serial works of Bulwer J. McClymonus, Trnaurvr. I.BVI MillllM, nation from time immemorial. Wo never ly die.

Kut there was nut n man among nil which there is no escape, by any known nnil oilier litertiry iiutnbles. wriitcn lor tint V. J. llutoiiT, Uenenit Ajrnt.

For the Woman's Rights Convention. the people who answered him. They onlv Imngino n long (light of stops to saw or beard of nny man, or net of men, magi. zinc, nud first appealing iu ils columna A POEM. said, in calm determination, (j'o on with thy usccikI, or ti liorse riiiiniiir away with you, wearing petticoats nud pantalets; ami wu A both in (f'l'ent Britain and in tho lliitcd Traged) I trial ns seeineth good unto thee. So when the or your enrringo in danger, how on earth reckon the gentlemen who call tho dress n Such woiks i.s "Tlie Cnxioiis" nnil

BY GEORGE W. PUTNAM. Tho other day a young man in horrid looking Stales. truth was know n, Saul imsweied, CIod dn so. could you nsccutl tin; steps without rti pping masculine hahii, would ho the hist to bo plight, by some unaceoiintalilo circumstance "My New Novel" (loth by Bulwer,) "My nnrf more n'so,J'ur thou skull sure'; tlir, Jowilh-m- . on your dross? or spring from your horse caught in it. They would ci'Ktitu n greater Oil made all equal, guilty man Peninsular Meibd," "The (iiccn IIniid,"ainl a Kill now was the people's lino ; ami willi stepped into neat and commodious room three other seri.-ds-, without I i if caught, or bung, ur clear the sensation in our streets in such n rig, than of which iiiiinrrnus rival doors west of TYoseott's have been ublo to exeito in their II ith place! his foot on Woman's neck, ns united mid resolute a personal ilisobc.iitnce, can iun without lining disgracefully tripped the ladies nre issued by the lending publishers As many inches cut And bade her trcmblo 'ucath bis ban A AltO I) IV, tip? Rut the inconveniences nt this fashion, Icrtilo iuiaginiiliiiiiH. when this inhumanity was required ol llieiii. iu this country, have to be reprinted by these which wo have Imriiu so patiently, do not from Ihe lops nf ladies' dresses, under llio And follow ut his beck. ns ihe patient obedience which they hail ex The original Barber of Salem, with a Sanj publishers Ii on the pages ol Blackwood, atop here. You find walking, riding, mid sanction ot I leneli milliners, has passed on European ground ercised w hen the thing required of them was Froi.t" unparalleled in tho history of after il has been issued by .Messrs. Seott & Co., with these sunsitivo lictiilemen loo simply their own iilisiiueucu Irom loud, they S1I.VVIXO, Il iir Dressing and Shampoonin, so llu.t Subscribers, lo ihe Re print of that jumping, uttcmlcd wuli t,o ninny dangers do muster She lives, companion of tho beast I'e- took an astonishing ..harp lt.VZOit and amputry Killing, if y ou please. You may limey long, to make their extremo uuxietv liir Heel ircil, one linn till, mat tins should not ho. j With bar!cne! hands and brow sun browned the young man's beard, and w ith an other Magazine may always rely on having the As they had id, stained Irom loud ill obeying tated that you can, nl least, fit in peace; hut your malu modi sly uu thing but ridiculous. surgical instrument, not quit, as costly ns the earliest rending of these Inscimding tides.

Tim change in dress has r"sidted solely F.rat ut toil's never ctuaiug round thu King's coiuiiiiitiiliiieul, so now Ibey I troubles do not cense witlthicoinuiihii.

You inner, cut an dicve I tes Im r in such n tmly TI'.RMS AND Pit KM 11' SIS. An! latest at the least. would atisl.iiu Ii nm sin iiuninsi (.joD.niul Jj. draw a chair, and your skirt nrc spread front that general dissemination of physiolo. 10 give COM PI.1C I P, ri.V I'lSIACTION. See list of Premium Volumes Lelow.J ob'j it. It was i plain case of buy iig.insl stylo nromid you, us usual, carpeting the lloor gical iulin illation which has startled the srX Annm the counties tribes that roam, IVt'.ia wholo icquiriog but a very few mo-molality, nml morality egiin.-- t law. 'And with rich brocades or tissues, of into a consciousness ili.it Ihe present fashions In Christian temple Arab tent nts. Will uthvr Ucntlenieii in the sumo Pcrann. the H'cple said unto 'S ml, Sb.dl Jonathan as tho youth rcferod M, call und do likewUu tlx For any one of thc 4 Reviews and 1 T. vol. 3,00 ol dress Hie u general nnd learlul cause, ol In Ilussiun hut or Wigwam home, costly patterns nnd delicate hues. People, die. who has wrought this great salvution in Tor any two do S.ilcm, May 22, ISil. und perhaps children, urn tramping around impaired physical energies, disease, and pre- Her neck unto thc yoke is bent, 6 00 1" Ii tier that women have For any thrco Israel' (Jodlbibnl! As llio Lord livelli, do 2 7 oft you, und on your robes, of course. You rise mature death.

Man with his ruthless foot hath trod For all fourof the Reviews, Ibcre shall not one hair of bis head fall to 2 " souiciiociy t, ciiuir is on the hem ol your con ram to look like frights which, however, sc0 For Bint k wood's Magazine, tho ground; lor he bulb wrought with Cod 3,00 1" licnutilul dress; mill wlint n bit is taken out: is not a iieeess u y nllerniitive and secure to Careless upon thc treasure given, PLAIN' & FASHION1 ABLE TAILOR! For Blackwood and 3 Keviews, S " sioO his day. So the prop'.e rescued Jonathan, (hut themselves anil posterity tin; health lliat se- Annulled thc equal law of Uad 1 hint not only our purses, hut our temper For Blackwood & the i Reviews, 3 C i'.ti"j dom to order, and nil utri M'armnltft. he Hied not.'

10,00 sutler. The: tiro not hull' tin; eVils 1 could cures cheerfulness, vigor mid courage, than Thc good decree of Ilcuvcn, No..'- - tids, Main 3trcct, two d jjis Ii ho the nervous, helpless, miserable cuinher-er- s Now ibis is noi n mere common roso nf ol They produce n feeling of d enumerate.

For Farmer's Guide (in 22 Nob.) 1 " 6,00 For this we summon here to day ol' the ground w hicb many lire, and neardisobedience to u civil statute, but it was tho Siuc.n boast.ra. pchdence, and nil tinsticily is stilled. Thu " do. and 1 Rev' w or Black. 1 ' 7.00 ly nil by flat, a becoming, slavish submission Amid the Boomer's taunts a id mirth, nre downright, peaceable mutiny. Jt was n eiiRUinhcrcd, your friends, thu ladies, nrede " do. and any two Reprints 2 " 0,00 Farm fur Sale. restrictions in dress, and in- Thc best of Freedom's bright array, martial law as well as civil, under which barred uil licnlllilul exercise; there is no to " do. ' " thrco " 2 11,00 limy were held nl Saul's supreme command, BiiriiiL'ins', d Tho subscriber offers fors.de, a small Farm, no liuniidiii": no dulgence in diet. " do. " The purest, warmest, hearts of Ii.uth. four 3 13,00 both ns King nnd (Jenernl ; but, if in any consisting of Sixty A res of tirit rate land, situs-te- d " A majority of our very best exchanges Come lightness mid case ; hut ever thu same flow, do. all tivo 3 14,00 yo to us with spotlo?s hands, two miles North Kist of Salem. particular, S.iul commanded what was There are have nobly spoken in encouragement of a lately, carelid Btcp, and uneasy, cuiiilirouH to le made in all cases in Mranee.)

With thoughts of itiuip, with fearless tongues; beliiiu Und, their duly was lo disobey it. upon the premises a Ln House 1111.I small Barn, (Paymenls (irML'L'u'il, intKlily, dusty Iciuiou! I'o von rciorui in dress, looking lo health mid comJho I'remtums consist of the following Every one nl them, without exception, pro- ami one nf tho best veins of coal in tho neighnot perceive, my dear ifetitltineu, that our fort. I 'or oorscllj wo w ould not cm a single Speak the stem words which trulh demands ving liiithl'ul lo Chid, Saul could do notlmi! borhood. Tho property is that formerly held woiks, back volumes of which will be given leet nm ns iiselcKi nn tliotili wo wero nil inch from our skirls simply liir coiiveniencu Of Woman's rights and wrongs. nt id! with llieiii. Ho could not find a sinclo by Dr. Suml. Ball. Indisputable titles will be to new subscribers according to the number Do you not nee that our limb are sake, w hile llieru is the least danger Unit by Come from Chinese?

New England's rocky shore of periodicals ordered, ns above explained. individual to execute bis unjust command : given. lettered ; our tempers certainly not uiuiruved so doing we might cut away an iota of tho For Sale, and other particulars apply terms of lMgrim mothers Where thc stood, mill this being the Volumes.'

Premium case, seeing so enlui, uni to James and ull activity shamefully discouraged by iiilliienee which we have or may win, In carBarnabv, Salem, O. Come from tho settlers cabin aoor versal, hiui resolutu ii disoliedienee, lie dared una laviiion, milter wtueii wu liave licen ry forward lelorms vital to health and an Foreign Quarterly Review, (comprising 1 y'r.)

May 1, J. IIEACOCK. not attempt lo execute it himscit; The peoJ Hark wood's .Maruzine, (six months.) pronji itiy for years? Xow, thu hmo idea of morality. As wo would not expose Beneath the western wood, ple needed nothing in sueli a case, liir victonty goo J lo be u sliuuliling block to thu evil, Come forth from out the rich mnn's mill dclieato ludiea dressing out ill p .IU..Iooii London Qimrterlii liwiiw, (one year.)

Every llo-.IIttiu UiU Wnyll ry of thu right, but simple, liko men, is horrilily repulsive.

They step nor get so liir ill advance ol the age, that wo Whero Want's poor daughters toil forbrcaJ., to llenliey's Misctl'.uvy, (six months.) nnd moved our Shop, wo wrong. tho No violence was requisite, nor HAVING over barriers from which true modesty can't lend ti helping baud to tow it ahead; qo Where Lifo hath lost .linitttrgh l,iv:cw, (one year.) its power to thrill in saying that we will be able to nny appeal to ii. Their united will was e- shrinks; but o short, full, while length ol skirts is identified witli'lho Metropolitan Magazine, (six months.) liougli to maku the execution ol'lhe mandate Rive entire satisfaction in the way of skirt, and tight lioddiee, with the TuikMi uleii ol womanly delicacy lo any class ol The sickened heart and aching head ; H'estminster Jievirw, (one year.) ol'lhe tyrant impossible. It wasn peaceful, Sliuviug, II it i r Dressing, ami Sliampoouin?, trousers, nud perhaps ylittering anklets, tiirms persons we desire to iulluenee, we shall sub Whero avarice freely may despoil Consecutive Premium volumes cannot In triumphant viclory, oi equity over unrighteous to all of our old customers, and as many now nil cases bo furnished, exrept of the Foreign. n eostumu really pleasant to tho eye, and mil, as wo have done, lo ihe iucoiivcuiciico AH that God's mercy deigned to give, Law, by simple disobidienc'e, by simply refu- - ones as may favor us with a rail. both (lirlish mid graceful. There is iio'hiii); of holding up our skirts Irom lint mud, step- Where Woman livoth but to tod Quarterly Review. 'I'o prevent disappoint Masculine in this dress; nn tho contrary, it ping on them when wo go up stairs, nnd And toilcth but to live.

Mug lo obey man when bu required that Thankful for past favors, we hope to merit a ment, inereioie, where Hint work is 1101 alone which wns contrary lo (jod. liberal share of the public patronage. is lipht, becoming und ih lieate. No body having them stepped on by those behind wanted, subscribers will please oidrr as Now if this spirit everywhere prevailed, if rould object to so pictiircsipui n costume. when we come down. We hope, however, Ye spirits of tho wearied bands, many different wurks fur premiums 11s there With II izors sharp, nnd chairs mat s easy Como from your spectre dwellings forth it wero well known that men would not oiry S(piealiiish old mniils nud (,'iaihliiuillieis, the ladies will go ahead in every improveIn shaving wo'll be suro to please yo: uro volumes to which Ihey mny be entitled. unjust law, mid that men's consciences could need not adopt it, iinytiioro than they would ment promising comliirt und health. Wo And point with pulo and shadowy bunds Combs that s ready, with scissors keen, CLUBBING. short sleeves und iuliiut waists, (which tire shall light lor waists, short, loose, mid w ith- To tho full grave yards of thoNonb, not be bought or corrupted, to In: instruments Wc cut your hair both sleek and clcun ; A discount of twenlu-livver cent, from the in executing it, such n thing ns unjust law If your bead is coated with dundruf, yet eo urnccl'ul lor the youni; l.uly in her out points; at nil events, with u large abate Whero lay tho forms uncounted yet, above prices w ill bu allowed to Clubs order Give us a trial with our shampooing stuff, would soon cease out of existence. The lithe- - ment in the weiitht ot skirts. As lor kadinir leens.) lint, lor tho ynuiif;, . . . tug lour or more ol the uliove works. 1 line t nor tnuruerea victims ot tlioLoomi And it' you doubt at all and wish to sec, I be fashion, we never did allemol it most tyrannical government would bo shorn limbed bouthcrnrr, buvv chaim-inj- ( and i 4 copies of Blackwood or of 0110 Review will Call at Ambler's Block, just number three I it would be! Are not llonris nnd the hitherto hnvcoou.Wouly afar oil) und will) Whoso sun in early morning set of its power; for even Nero could not have be sent 10 one address lor $1) ; 4 copies ol the LKE & JOHNSON. Between tho Factory nnd tho tomb. idola ol'lhe IJarcni thud lobed? Do fpeuk u great amount of teeming. imprisoned or beheaded the whole people of four Reviews und Blackwood for (30 j end Salem April 12, 1.S51. up lor lis.

Spouk for our sis'crs sad, who now Home, supposing Ihey till, to n man, ihsolicy. so on.

Your constant render, ed mi unrighteous edict.

Simple disohe-diencIn City garrets, dark and dim, No premiums will lie given where the DAVID WOODRUFF, Virginia. liir conscience-sake- , when it becomes Anecdote of Children. above allow unco is made to clubs, nor will With trembling hands and pallid brow .Vaiiirtcrurw of Curriuycs, liuryict, S'llkiei, palsies general, Ihe unrighteous ol' powiirin whose Finith Mrs. Oakcs brulisnt talents premiums in nny case be furnished unless Weary heart and aching limb A Reucral assortment of carrogo onstantly the subscription money er. Il is the iiiosi perlcct security nl liberty, is paid in full to the have commanded the respect of all classes, and Those who Invc these "latest arrivals" from Arc toiling for their scanty bread it is belter than millions of soldiers, stronger on hand, ma le of tb 1 best rr.: .eriid Bid in lh( publishers, without recourse to mi agent. given her position the highest, recently de- Heaven ns much as wo do, will like lo hour With horror's midnight hanging neatest stylo. All rkwaiiiitcd tUuti ten thousand navies. o'er them, Money, current in the States w here issued, , O. Shop on Main stri :t. livered a lecture on tho subject, in N. Y. city, it little story that mado us laugh a moment Or hastin; tho durk pulh to will bo received at par. trea! ago: Of tho two children of u clergyman TiieCkyvtal Palace Reatex Dr. Dull", The following is an extract : Remittances nud communications should NEW STORE, in ibis city, n boy mid n girl, the characters, Of guilt and shamo before them. in his speech at tho niinivesaiy meeting nf This movement is not ono fiirthn lower or are very different. The boy is very serious. In pity let us seek each den be always uddrosscd, postpaid or fruliked, tO the Wesleyaii Methodist .Mission Society iu MAIN ST., NEAU THE BANK, SALEM, O. thu publishers, tho higher class. I iceonizo no higher ami mid is liuiil of pouring out bis thoughts in Where Sin its foulest work hath wrought Loudon, thus described ouu of thu heathen THE Subscriber offers for sulc, I'pper Lealhrr no lower class in thia country no LKONARD SCOTT & Co. I'liiyeii-- , uamniy hwk mm n iiuumuu con- - lno and and guilty Magdulon temples of India: C,tlJ!;iiH, Situ and lliirncss Lea'her, iSirocoi Fultoii-si.- , if by that is meant tho aristocracy li Lsio,,, N. Y., entrance 54 Cold-st- . on his knees, ol all thai has occ.n red " Ju Sei iiighmii voii h ive tho hitgest hea and lliiuliivj Skiaa ; Alto, n'l kinds of Shoe 79 nf money. (Jod Unhid! Amon those who to bun liming the day. J he girl is younger Likc Je(lU, christ forgetting not, then temple that Can be liuuid from Ihe Leather cut to pattern.

Is. LLDKIDUK. rani their bread by the sweat of their brow, and hon.ew lint wilder. An evening or two And pray tho mercy of h.gh Ircnvcn I. TUESCOTT & CO. Salem, Ohio, Au;(. 1, 8 mo., lbjO. North lo the South pole. It is u square, each hern are ninny since, tho boy (John) was saying bis prayers, 0n Bmlt bc'or( Starvation driven I WHOLESALE Dealers in School, Miseella. side being a uiilu in length, so that is lour women, who would put to bliuuie the porge-fittalund giving an enumeration of nil the sins of Hark ! from theslavo land comoth up neons and Moral Reform Book s j 1'nprr, Ink, miles around. Talk of your Crystal Palace!

Siinsl attired, mindless puppets of fashiona. .

Ids sister which he wanted forgiven. After xhe Stationery j Drills and Medicines, l'aiiiLs, Why, ns a man would put n penny in his crj. of ,istcrs brulscd and , ble lilh. W'ciiltli ia more vulgiiriziiiff than WE have about 1300 copies of our selection Oils, and Dycstuffs; Dr. Tow nsend's Celebrated listening patiently lor sumo tune to thu Inst ,. iUl1 pocket, you might put your Crystal Palace of ' poverty; bow else will wo account lor the dra,n thc tl,cr CUP Sons on band, which we will Siirsnparilla ; Fuhncstnck's, Melarne's and Selthingi .he bad doi.fc since ...o,. into the pockei of this bugo pagoda. The sell Wholesalo and rude elbowing, thu undaunted Raze, nud un- ofuuugh.v Kctail orders from a dis- ler's Yermifugo and Pills ; and all tho Popular f ""6' tongue hath not named. it.g, the lit t lo girl inleiriipted him, with wal. a lire 25 feet high, nurl 4 or 5 leet thick, tance shall be promptly attended to. womanly retort iiom liivoreil with u Medicines of the Day. ALSO, " Now, Johnny, you stop! Let pood God God heal thtir wounds let thcii poor hands und in the centre of each wall rises a lolly larpo aliiirn of this w orld's Idessinys?

I. TUESCOTT, & Co. AuK. 10, 1830.

HOOTS A SHOES and Shoe Findings Dry. !" This is a comment on the "burthen" Take hold on morcy's garment hem. tower. Entering the first square you come Home would retuin the present enstumo, alone floods and Groceries,, Ifcc. fce.

Aur.9, '60 to another with a wall us high, nnd four more Denial Surgery. merely becauso tliey disliku iiuiovuiions. Tho oi niHiiy prayer., which we do not think Our souls aro heavy w ith their bands should bu thrown nwuy. llomt Journal. towers. Within thai square is another, mid O heart of hearts, remember them I Mime iwrsoiiH in days would have SALEM J. W. WALKER, would nanounee to Ids within that again there is mint her crowded friends, clung to tho fashion then preuiiline;, to the and the public generally, that bo is Often to base ambition's cull BARNABY ft WIIINI2RY Dealers in Books. by thousands of lliahiuins. The great ball hoop, which ahould bo lilted on one aide to to cxecuto all woik in the above profesIII GE.IEnAI.ITIES AND PeSO!ALITIES Stationary, &c., A'urfA tide of Muin it., 0 The arm of Tower hath torn away, lor pilgrims is supported by a thousand pil- sion, that may bo intrusted to him. nllow the owner to pet into a pnwto the H'hril Contitls Vie D'ffatncei? .Mollieru's Husbands and chiUren, brothers all A general assortment of Literary, 6oiciitiJt lars, each cut out of u single block of stone." linttlenif ntod towcra thai defended the head "'i'arluH'u" was wilhdrawii Now Lyme, Aug. 17th, 1850. from the singe, Reformatory and Miscolluncous Boo art nud iiiado coquetry iluiiguroua, if not terrible Ht'lcr a lew representations, nud its peiibrin-mic- e That lights! up life's wintry day, school books, kept constantly on band. Filcee A Few weeks ngo, a sweet litilo gill in lid to Ihe thiitisand other moustiositica that Tho Young Abolitionists J inlenlieted by iiuthorily. 'i he Tarluffo And battlo ground and foaming flood reasonable. Terms, L'ASU, New Haven, only three years old, wns promtunliioii haa alnmped w ith her approbation.

OR Conversations on Slavery By J. Elua sotiio severe satires on the clerical Been crimsoned with their priceless blood.

Salem, Ohio, 1849. ised ono evening that sho should accompany both Jones. Wo havo purchased the edition of Lven in our own days wo buve seen women contained profession. n very ptofaua Th prow ling wolf and vulture fed, this lime, At her parents to Uoston the next morning. railing bH'ore tho w ind likn u ship with ull farce bait an unmolested run. Louis this book, ana can supply Buch as may wish to XIV JOHN C. WIIINERY, She was much elated nt tho prospect of the purchase at w holesale. Thoso in naiicr can bo her canvass spread, nud a good sized balloon expressed soma astonishment at this, ami Sweoily, upou tho butchered dead, journey, end when she bud finished repeat- sent by mid, price 20 cts., Muslin i!i cts., per SURGEON DENTIST!! Offics orr t) "ti each arm. 'J 'I it so have pi.bscd awuy, but in.ked the Hrinco of Conde to explain. 'Sire,' The surface of thc sunlit earth ing her liitlo "Prayer, as aim laid down to copy. i. TllKSCU lT, Co, i.olthe diseiiocs they engendered; many suf-i-r said he, Mho Tarluffa attacks tho priests; Is whitened with their blccehing bonos Book .SVor. All operations in Dentistry Ties sleep, the said with exquisite simplicity, Also, at D. Anderson's Baptist fiom the tftlcta etiil, voluntary martyrs while tho farce only aimsjit religion.' Com. And childran weep beside the hearth formed in the best manner, end all wtrk Good bye, God Good bye, Jesus Christ I 3i w est tin ri., Cincinnati. elegant and durabl. C'Aerfsi nssnosse but, if wo will be let us bo so in Journal. .

And starve in desolated home.

August 10, I860. am going to ISoston in the morning.

Ssdcro, Sept. 80i, 1840.

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Social Studies and the Young Learner 38 (1) pp. 17–20 ©2025 National Council for the Social Studies

Teaching Young Learners with the C3 Framework

Big Thinking for Little Learners: Making Social Studies Accessible with Micro-Inquiries Sarah J. Kaka, Ryan Suskey, and Lauren M. Colley Teaching social studies to younger learners can be a challenge, especially given the time crunch many elementary teachers face trying to cram social studies into their week. Add in the many diverse needs we encounter in our classrooms and the hyper scrutiny teachers are facing within their communities, and we have a perfect storm of uncertainty and apprehension.1 The response to these barriers is often the oversimplification of social studies into a read-aloud or single children’s book to meet a teacher’s literacy goals.2 We know that teachers would like to offer more robust and engaging social studies lessons but may not know how to do so.

Enter micro-inquiries, a method that breaks down rich, meaningful content and skill explorations into short lessons that teachers can include in less than a single lesson. These lessons integrate multiple perspectives, allowing teachers to teach within the constraints of divisive issue legislation.3 In our foundational publication, we introduced micro-inquiries as a streamlined adaptation of the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) and C3 Framework.4 Recognizing that full IDM implementations can be time-consuming and challenging for elementary teachers, micro-inquiries retain the IDM’s core components—compelling question, sources, and argument task—while significantly reducing time and complexity. This allows teachers to offer meaningful inquiry experiences even within tight instructional periods, addressing common classroom constraints such as limited instructional time, diverse learning needs, and the necessity to navigate controversial issues sensitively.5 We have found that these lessons also make clear that elementary students can study a topic from diverse viewpoints, escaping the oversimplification that too often plagues materials created for elementary-age learners.

More importantly, micro-inquiries also provide opportunities to tailor the experience to meet each student’s diverse needs. By using visuals, simplified texts, and clear step-by-

step activities, teachers can make the content and inquiryassociated skills accessible for all learners. This can also help ensure that students with emerging literacy skills still have opportunities to investigate compelling questions and form their own evidence-based conclusions all within a focused social studies task.

What Are Micro-Inquiries?

As educators and inquiry designers, we have worked to address the challenges of traditional full IDM inquiries by developing micro-inquiries. While we believe strongly in the value of more robust inquiry experiences for students (i.e., the original blueprint as seen in Inquiry-Based Practice in Social Studies Education: Understanding the Inquiry Design Model6), we recognize that the challenges of teaching and curriculum construction do not always permit many opportunities for inclusion. Micro-inquiries are a streamlined inquiry format that retains the core elements of inquiry while providing more structured guidance for teachers.7 Micro-inquiries build on the IDM creators’ acknowledgment that there are countless ways to adapt and personalize inquiry blueprints to fit diverse classroom needs.8 Like their larger inquiry counterparts, micro-inquiries are composed of the three essential elements—a compelling question, an argument task, and a set of sources. Swan and colleagues emphasize the necessity of framing inquiries explicitly around these components to support students’ critical thinking and analysis.9 Micro-inquiries connect closely to other IDM adaptations such as the Building Block IDM, trade book inquiries, and focused inquiries. The progenitors of the C3 Framework have long recognized that a one-size-fits-all model of inquiry is not realistic, and as such much of the innovations in the last decade have been to build upon and adapt the IDM September/October 2025 17

to fit varying lengths of time and student autonomy.10 The Building Block IDM11 introduces modular inquiry activities tailored for educators new to inquiry-based instruction, while trade book inquiries12 leverage children’s literature to create engaging inquiry experiences for younger learners. Focused inquiries zoom in on specific historical events or concepts.

Micro-inquiries complement these adaptations by offering a structured, concise inquiry approach, thus broadening the inquiry toolkit available to elementary teachers.

However, micro-inquiries are designed to fit in as little as 15 minutes (yes, really!). This format allows teachers to manage time effectively while providing students with a complete inquiry arc. Unlike larger inquiries which have little in the way of guardrails, micro-inquiries are designed to give explicit direction on exactly how many sources should be included and what each source needs to accomplish. By narrowing the scope of sources and focusing on a single compelling question, micro-inquiries allow educators to create meaningful inquiry experiences within tight time constraints, making them especially well-suited for today’s elementary classrooms.

Micro-inquiries achieve this through working through the 5 C’s and an argument task:13 • A compelling source sparks curiosity and engages students in exploring the inquiry’s central question.

• A compelling question is a weighty question that encourages critical thinking and allows multiple valid answers, supported by provided sources.

• A context source situates the compelling source within its historical, cultural, or other context.

• A contrast source presents an alternative perspective or counterargument to the compelling source, fostering debate and critical evaluation.

• A complexity source adds nuance or a third perspective, challenging binary thinking and deepening analysis of historical events or issues.

• An argument task is a concise argument that includes a stance, a “because” statement, and supporting evidence.

All-Photo Inquiries

Adapting Micro-Inquiry for Younger Learners

For students who are beginning their reading journey and are just getting comfortable with reading short texts, small adjustments can go a long way. Providing simplified texts is a good first step. Giving students primary source excerpts rewritten in age-appropriate language can go a long way to assisting students who are emerging readers. Briefly summarizing otherwise long excerpts is also an important piece of the puzzle. While there is certainly value in having students interact with unaltered sources, there is great value in meeting students where they are in their learning journeys, saving more complex texts for literacy-specific exercises.

Using audio supports can also go a long way to making social studies content more accessible.17 Instead of just giving students a hard copy or electronic copy of a source, give learners an auditory option by playing a recording of the

Micro-inquiries are excellent for younger learners and those who may be struggling readers because they emphasize engagement over extensive reading and writing while still supporting literacy skill-building and social studies proficiencies. Because the sources are short and limited in number, you have more flexibility in the supports you put around the sources that help to lift students up.

One of the wonderful things about micro-inquiries is that they can be tailored for all students, including emerging readers/writers or English Learners (ELs). While a variety of different techniques and modifications can help to serve students, two we will cover in this article are increasing reliance on visual sources and using short, modified text sources for students.

18 Social Studies and the Young Learner

Although history is by definition centered on writing, the reality is that students can still engage in history without needing to rely on text. We know that photographs and images can help overcome literacy barriers.14 Let’s say you want to highlight women’s history with younger learners (see Table 1 in this issue’s Pullout). Instead of diving into complex texts, display photographs of suffragists holding protest signs or an image of Rosie the Riveter. Guide students to notice details, asking them scaffolded questions to assist them to interpret what they see. Discuss any questions they raise, all without getting bogged down in heavy reading. Then have them answer a question that requires them to use evidence from the photographs to justify why they think what they do. Pair images with brief, easy-to-understand captions, providing multilingual translations as needed for ELs. This visual approach still encourages critical thinking and assists students in developing historical inquiry skills because students’ ability to interpret historical time and basic chronology begins young.15 The inclusion of visual sources within micro-inquiries is a great way to lower the entry barrier for students. Non-text-based sources create an opportunity for students to engage in different kinds of tasks that rely on visual cues, tap into their innate curiosity and emotional responses, or allow them to exercise wonder. In the inquiries we present here, teachers have latitude to explore assessment types promoted by groups like Project Zero’s “See, Think, Wonder” and the Library of Congress’s “Observe, Reflect, Question.”16 While inclusion of some visual material is beneficial for all students, we can go further, however, and create rich inquiry experiences that are exclusively visual. In the following example, we offer our thoughts about how sources on an inquiry topic reflect our 5 C’s approach. Each of these sources is brief in nature and would be used strategically in an inquiry to help students accomplish learning outcomes related to the 5 C’s.

Techniques for Emerging Readers and Writers

source or reading it aloud while the students follow along with their own copy of the source.

Finally, all students can benefit from creating an argument by using sentence stems.18 By giving the students a shell to fill in with their details, you can help to ensure that the mechanics of writing do not get in the way of their emerging skills of argumentation. Guide students’ responses with prompts such as, “I think the answer is ___ because ___. This source helped me learn this: ____________.” Some teachers even find it helpful to include posters around the classroom with sentence starters like this or decks of flip cards that each student can keep at their desk to help them construct responses.

Table 2 in this issue’s Pullout is one example of a microinquiry on Sojourner Truth that is structured to support emerging readers. In this instance, we relied on adapted text, annotations with vocabulary supports, non-text sources, abbreviated text, and sentence starters to support students with a lower command of language. Teachers can read sources aloud for an auditory option. The inquiry concludes with students answering the compelling question by completing the sentence: “Sojourner Truth faced these challenges in fighting for equality: _______________. I know this from _________ source.” They will support their response with evidence from the sources provided.

Practical Tips for Teachers

Small-scale investigations like our micro-inquiries can make a big impact in elementary classrooms. In comparison to larger scale inquiries, educators working with micro-inquiries have said that they can more easily conceptualize what this will look like in their classrooms and how students will experience it.

It all starts with choosing sources that are clear and appealing, but the activities that students use to interact with the sources should also be compelling and punchy to encourage student engagement and keep the inquiries moving along.

Images, simple texts, or brief audio clips are often the perfect thing for younger learners or those who need extra support to find their way through the content.19 This allows the emphasis to stay on critical thinking and analyzing sources, not on tackling dense material. Guiding questions also play a key role. A protocol like “See, Think, Wonder” from Harvard’s Project Zero can spur students to observe carefully, think deeply, and pose thoughtful questions.20 It offers structure without stifling curiosity, helping younger learners stay motivated throughout the process.

It is important not to get lost in the details of novel, unique, or catchy activities to analyze sources. The sources themselves should generate the excitement, not necessarily your activity. The goal is that students interact with sources to extract understanding. To meet this goal, guiding questions and straightforward discussion-based activities are completely valid. Relying on sources as the hook creates space for more straightforward student tasks that teachers can readily under-

stand and recognize.

Concise tasks such as argument trees or sentence starters allow students to organize their ideas efficiently—and make quick work of evaluation for teachers. Keeping assessment streamlined means these investigations can happen more regularly without piling on extra grading for teachers.

Finally, strong scaffolding and clear directions are essential.

We encourage teachers to model expected responses to demonstrate the ways source analysis can occur.

Conclusion

In the twelve years since the publication of the C3 Framework,21 we have learned a great deal about how to make inquiry more manageable, practical, and beneficial for students. Drawing upon the strong foundation laid by the IDM and its variations, we are excited to bring another interpretation into the mix.

By leaning into what we know works for students—rigorous instruction that teaches students to explore multiple perspectives—micro-inquiries present an opportunity for teachers who want to maintain best practices around social studies pedagogy and content while still complying with state and district expectations.

In contrast to larger more complex inquiries, micro-inquiries help make rich social studies content accessible for all learners. Modifications like visual sources, simplified texts, and read-alouds help students overcome literacy barriers that are so common within the social studies. Moreover, the condensed fifteen-minutes-or-less nature of micro-inquiries means that the challenge of time is no longer the limiting factor when integrating rigorous social studies in the elementary classroom. Once these barriers are removed, teachers are free to experiment with inquiry more often, encouraging and developing skills like curiosity, critical thinking, and argumentation.

Notes 1. Sarah J. Kaka, Joshua Littenberg-Tobias, Taylor Kessner, Anthony Tuf Francis, and Katrina Kennett, “‘I have never wanted to quit more as a teacher’: How ‘divisive issues’ legislation impacts teachers,” Educational Research: Theory and Practice 35, no. 1 (2024): 133–156.

2. Christina M. Tschida and Lisa Brown Buchanan, “Tackling Controversial Topics: Developing Thematic Text Sets for Elementary Social Studies,” Social Studies Research and Practice 10, no. 3 (2015): 40–56, https://doi.org/10.1108/ SSRP-03-2015-B0003.

3. Ryan Suskey, Sarah Jane Kaka, and Lauren Colley, “Meeting the Moment: How Micro-Inquiry Could Save Us in These Divisive Times,” Social Education 88, no. 6 (2024): 356–362.

4. S. G. Grant, Kathy Swan, and John Lee, Inquiry-Based Practice in Social Studies Education: Understanding the Inquiry Design Model (Routledge, 2017); National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K–12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History (NCSS, 2013).

5. Suskey et al., “Meeting the Moment.”

6. Grant et al., Inquiry-Based Practice in Social Studies Education.

7. Suskey et al., “Meeting the Moment.”

8. Kathy Swan, S. G. Grant, and John Lee, Blueprinting an Inquiry-Based Curriculum (National Council for the Social Studies, 2019).

9. Kathy Swan, Ryan M. Crowley, and Gerry Swan, “Inquiry as a Compass:

September/October 2025 19

Revising a Social Studies Education Program Around Questions, Tasks, and Sources,” The Teacher Educator 60, no. 1 (2025): 104–116.

10. Swan et al., Blueprinting an Inquiry-Based Curriculum.

11. Kathy Swan, Alicia McCollum, and John Lee, “Taking a Leap of Faith Toward Inquiry: Introducing the Building Block IDM Blueprint,” Social Education 88, no. 6 (2024): 363–369.

12. Kathy Swan, Laura Darolia, and Nick Stamoulacatos, “Trade Books Beget Inquiry: Anatomy of a New IDM Blueprint for Elementary Classrooms,” Social Studies and the Young Learner 37, no. 1 (2024): 24–30.

13. Suskey et al., “Meeting the Moment.”

14. Jennifer Drysdale, “Overcoming the Barriers to Literacy: An Integrated, Contextual Workshop Approach,” in The Routledge Companion to Dyslexia, ed. Gavin Reid (Routledge, 2012), 236–247.

15. Keith C. Barton and Linda S. Levstik, “‘Back When God Was Around and Everything”: Elementary Children’s Understanding of Historical Time,” American Educational Research Journal 33, no. 2 (1996): 419–454.

16. Project Zero, “See, Think, Wonder,” Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2002, https://pz.harvard.edu/resources/see-think-wonder; “Teachers Guide: Analyzing Photographs & Prints,” Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/ programs/teachers/getting-started-with-primary-sources/guides.

17. Sarah J. Kaka and Christopher Dobeck, “Using Music from the Past Century as a Primary Source in the U.S. History Classroom,” History Matters 31, no. 5 (2018).

18. E. Michael Nussbaum, “Scaffolding Argumentation in the Social Studies Classroom,” The Social Studies 93, no. 2 (2002): 79–83.

19. Anne Nielsen Hibbing and Joan L. Rankin-Erickson, “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Visual Images to Improve Comprehension for Middle School Struggling Readers,” The Reading Teacher 56, no. 8 (2003): 758-770.

20. Project Zero, “See, Think, Wonder.”

21. NCSS, The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

Sarah J. Kaka, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Education at Ohio Wesleyan University and a founding member of EdClimb Learning Partners.

She can be reached at sjkaka@owu.edu.

Ryan Suskey is the Director of Professional Development and Programs at the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education and a founding member of EdClimb Learning Partners. He can be reached at Ryan@edclimb.com.

Lauren M. Colley, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Secondary Social Studies Education at the University of Cincinnati and a founding member of EdClimb Learning Partners. She can be reached at colleyln@ucmail. uc.edu.

From NCSS and the C3 Teachers!

Kathy Swan, S. G. Grant, and John Lee The publication of the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards on Constitution Day in 2013 marked the beginning of a revolution: an inquiry revolution of ideas. From the New York Toolkit project in 2015 to the widespread adoption of the Inquiry Design Model (IDM), educators around the world have been activated and inspired by the Inquiry Arc in the C3 Framework. This book is not only a celebration of the improbable victories and a recognition of how far we have come as a social studies community, but it is also a testament to the gathering of the inquiry forces unlike any curriculum effort in the past.

The twenty-seven published articles in this book, drawn primarily from the “Teaching the C3 Framework” columns in Social Education, demonstrate how the ideas of the C3 Framework have made their way into many facets of social studies: standards, curriculum, instruction, assessment, and teacher education. Looking back on a decade of inquiry, Kathy Swan, S. G. Grant, and John Lee invite you to join the celebration of the C3 Framework’s impact on social studies education and to continue blazing the inquiry trail and fueling the revolution. ¡Viva la inquiry revolución!

Member/List Price: $29.95 / $39.95 https://members.socialstudies.org/store 20 Social Studies and the Young Learner

Social Studies and the Young Learner 38 (1) pp. 21–27 ©2025 National Council for the Social Studies

Historical Graphic Novels: Three Concepts to Highlight for Comprehension of Historical Information Jennifer M. Smith and Marla K. Robertson Social studies, and later history, were some of my (Jennifer) least favorite subjects as a young student. I struggled to find textbooks engaging, and I was not motivated to read the content. Yet, I learned to love history as an adult through historical fiction and nonfiction biographies as people, places, and events came to life. Now a university professor, I use historical fiction, narrative nonfiction, and expository text to help my students learn about historical people and events.

Students are often surprised to learn that many graphic novels provide historically accurate information, include primary sources such as photographs in the back matter, and can be an engaging way to learn history.

Reading, discussing, and understanding the complexities of historical graphic novels provides my students a framework for using graphic novels with their future students to support both history content and literacy components. For example, one student stated that he planned to use Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood to supplement the World War I curriculum because the graphic novel clearly introduced the complexity of this war and the countries involved. Another student, who read and discussed The Underground Abductor with a small group, reflected on how the graphic novel and discussion helped her take away deeper meaning about Harriet Tubman’s role in the Underground Railroad. Other students who read Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918 made connections between The Spanish Flu and COVID-19, which supported their comprehension of the historical event.1 Using graphic novels as a tool to learn and better understand history can be powerful, but graphic novel readers must also understand the complexities of these multimodal texts and the components that readers should attend to in order to deeply comprehend the content.2

Much has been written about the benefits of integrating social studies and English language arts standards. Because of the focus on reading and math as a result of accountability practices,3 a practical way to ensure social studies remains part of the curriculum in elementary grades is to integrate the curriculum.4 Historical graphic novels support teaching in content area subjects, particularly social studies. Research shows that students met the standards and more fully understood abstract and complex events from reading graphic novels in a social studies unit,5 partly because of the support of the illustrations. Graphic novel use in social studies can also help students understand “economic, political, and societal forces” at play in historical events and how those represent historical agency.6 The graphic novels highlighted in this article cover both events and people from the past and may be categorized as either nonfiction or historical fiction. We use the term historical graphic novels because we recognize that nonfiction, informational, and historical fiction texts can all be used to share information about historical events or people.

In this article, we recognize the importance of integrating social studies with reading, consider how graphic novels have been used alongside social studies and history content, and provide recommendations for teachers interested in using historical graphic novels to supplement social studies or history content or to make these multimodal texts available for children interested in expanding their knowledge on historical topics.

While many graphic novels have been written about historical topics (see Table 2 for examples), this article features two graphic novelists who have both published extensively September/October 2025 21

on historical events or people. Don Brown and Nathan Hale are popular graphic novelists among upper elementary and middle grade readers. Their styles differ in terms of the way information is presented, how dialogue and narration are included, and the quantity and size of panels on most pages.

Each of these considerations impact the graphic novel as a whole and, ultimately, the readers’ experience with the historical content and the graphic novel format.

Brown’s graphic novels are categorized as nonfiction or informational texts and have covered topics such as the Dust Bowl, the Holocaust, and war in Ukraine, among others.

These graphic novels use minimal text, and the illustrations provide essential context to understanding the topic. Though not covered here, his series Big Ideas That Changed the World addresses topics such as vaccines, machines, and democracy with more color and significantly more text than his graphic novels outside this series.

Hale is author of the Hazardous Tales series about historical events and people, including various wars, Westward Expansion, Harriet Tubman, and Nathan Hale (the spy).

The novels in the series are sometimes considered historical fiction, as Hale blends elements of fiction with historically accurate information. Yet, some consider the series nonfiction

due to the well-researched historical content. Hale notes in One Dead Spy, the first graphic novel in the Hazardous Tales series, that the information “is almost 76% accurate.”7 These conflicting opinions point to the need for educators to support students as they navigate reading historical graphic novels.

Graphic Novels

Graphic novels, a novel-length text format in which authors use sequential panels and comic conventions to share stories and information through text and images, have been popular with students for years. Educators have used graphic novels with students to promote reading engagement,8 make connections to personal experiences,9 explore the multimodal elements of story-telling,10 increase comprehension,11 and understand that comprehension strategies used with traditional books also apply to graphic novels.12 They encompass a variety of genres including fantasy (e.g., Zita the Spacegirl

by Ben Hatke), realistic fiction (e.g., Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson), memoirs (e.g., El Deafo by Cece Bell), historical fiction (e.g., Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier and Marc Lizano), and nonfiction (e.g., In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers by Don Brown), among others.

The variety of graphic novel genres means that students must

Table 1. Sample Social Studies Standards for Historical Topics Historical Topic

C3 Framework Standards

American Revolution

D2.His.5.3-5. Explain connections among historical contexts and people’s perspectives at the time.

D2.His.9.3-5. Summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain events in the past.

Civil War

D2.His.14.3-5. Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments.

D2.Civ.12.3-5. Explain how rules and laws change society and how people change rules and laws.

Exploration/Westward Expansion

D2.Geo.6.3-5. Describe how environmental and cultural characteristics influence population distribution in specific places or regions.

D2.Geo.7.3-5. Explain how cultural and environmental characteristics affect the distribution and movement of people, goods, and ideas.

The Spanish Flu

D2.Civ.6.3-5. Describe ways in which people benefit from and are challenged by working together, including through government, workplaces, voluntary organizations, and families.

D2.Civ.13.3-5. Explain how policies are developed to address public problems.

World War I

D2.His.9.3-5. Summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain events in the past.

D2.His.10.3-5. Compare information provided by different historical sources about the past.

World War II

D2.His.5.3-5. Explain connections among historical contexts and people’s perspectives at the time.

D2.His.14.3-5. Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments.

Holocaust

D2.His.3.3-5. Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped significant historical changes and continuities.

D2.His.4.3-5. Explain why individuals and groups during the same historical period differed in their perspectives.

U.S. Disasters/Tragedies

D2.Geo.9.3-5. Analyze the effects of catastrophic environmental and technological events on human settlements and migration.

D2.Geo.12.3-5. Explain how natural and human-made catastrophic events in one place affect people living in other places.

Immigration/Refugees

D2.Eco.2.3-5. Identify positive and negative incentives that influence the decisions people make.

D2.Civ.13.3-5. Explain how policies are developed to address public problems.

22 Social Studies and the Young Learner

understand not only graphic novel complexities13 but also the specific genre.

Historical Graphic Novels in Curriculum Integration

Historical graphic novels are potential resources to supplement social studies content while also integrating literacy skill development. Table 1 shows examples of historical topics with possible standards from the C3 Framework,14 although others may also be appropriate. Researchers have found that reading graphic novels with social studies content can help students recall more key ideas on a topic and can increase reading enjoyment for students.15 Further, using graphic novels with history content can provide students with a “textual and visual reworking of traditional linear narratives,”16 and the limited text can make the content more accessible than some traditionally text-heavy historical accounts.17 Historical graphic novels may also offer students opportunities to make connections to current events.18 Reading them, however, does require some specific disciplinary skills related to reading the format19 and to learning from the text type.20

Three Concepts to Support Students’ Comprehension of Historical Graphic Novels

We realized through our own reading and analysis of historical

graphic novels that, to support students, it is first important for teachers to notice and understand the complexities of the text type of graphic novels,21 notice how texts share historical information, or recognize how authors may do things differently.22 We highlight three concepts that are essential to understanding historical graphic novels using two graphic novels from each author (see Table 3; possible standards provided in Table 1). We explain each concept and include examples from Brown’s and Hale’s graphic novels. Explicit modeling, including talking about what teachers notice and how these elements influence their understanding, is necessary for students to attend to and use these features during their own reading. Also, including student discussion of texts complements comprehension and learning.

Concept #1: Attend to the Front Matter and Back Matter.

Historical graphic novels may contain important information in the front matter (before the main text begins) and in the back matter (after the main text is complete). Brown and Hale both make use of these peritextual elements. Teachers can draw students’ attention to the front and back matter before reading to build background knowledge or after reading to further understand the main text.

Table 2. Example Graphic Novels on Historical Topics (suggested grade levels) Historical Topic

Graphic Novels

American Revolution

One Dead Spy, Nathan Hale, Amulet Books, 2012 (grades 3–8) Lafayette!, Nathan Hale, Amulet Books, 2018 (grades 5–8)

Civil War

Big Bad Ironclad!, Nathan Hale, Amulet Books, 2012 (grades 5–8) The Underground Abductor, Nathan Hale, Amulet Books, 2015 (grades 3–8)

Exploration/ Westward Expansion

Donner Dinner Party, Nathan Hale, Amulet Books, 2013 (grades 3–8) Major Impossible: A Grand Canyon Tale, Nathan Hale, Amulet Books, 2019 (grades 5-8)

The Spanish Flu/ The Flu of 1918

Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918, Don Brown, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019 (grades 5–12) Gemma and the Great Flu: A 1918 Flu Pandemic Graphic Novel, Juliet Gilbert, illustrated by Dan Freitas, Stone Arch Books, 2023 (grades 3–6)

World War I

Above the Trenches: A World War I Flying Ace Tale, Nathan Hale, Amulet Books, 2023 (grades 5–8) Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood: A World War I Tale, Nathan Hale, Amulet Books, 2014 (grades 5–8)

World War II

Raid of No Return: A World War II Tale of the Doolittle Raid, Nathan Hale, Amulet Books, 2017 (grades 5–8) Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, John Hendrix, Amulet Books, 2018 (grades 5–12)

Holocaust

Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust, Loic Dauvillier, illustrated by Marc Lizano, First Second Books, 2014 (grades 1–6) Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust, Don Brown, Clarion Books, 2023 (grades 7–12)

U.S. Disasters/Tragedies

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, Don Brown, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015 (grades 5–12) In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks, Don Brown, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021 (grades 7–12)

Immigration/Refugees

The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees, Don Brown, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018 (grades 9–12) When Stars are Scattered, Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed, Dial Books, 2020 (grades 3–12)

September/October 2025 23

Don Brown Back matter in Brown’s books includes source notes and a bibliography. These are listed in a linear fashion, unlike Hale’s graphic novel style. The source notes reveal that many of the details and quotations used in Brown’s graphic novels are from primary and secondary sources such as newspaper accounts (e.g., New York Times, Washington Post), films (e.g., Cries from Syria), books, and a wide variety of online sources (e.g., agencies, blogs, research reports). The robust back matter in The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees details Brown’s interest in and perspectives about the topic. It includes journal summaries, photographs of his time visiting refugee camps, and a postscript. This back matter provides credibility for the historical content and gives readers insight into Brown’s personal interest and experience with refugee camps.

Nathan Hale

Hale includes a map inside the cover of his Hazardous Tales books. The map is related to the content of the main text and uses color to draw readers’ attention to areas relevant to the text (see Table 4 for an example). He incorporates names and images of the three narrators (Nathan Hale the spy, the provost, and the hangman) on the title page of One Dead Spy, the first book in the Hazardous Tales series. In his other books in the series, he reintroduces these three narrators before or as the story begins. This information is easy to overlook but important for understanding the historical context. In the back matter, Hale continues his use of panels, dialogue balloons, and other comic conventions to share information about the content, bibliography, an “author’s note” with research information, and a humorous section titled “Correction Baby” that includes noted corrections.

This back matter includes primary and secondary sources, is visually and informationally “full,” and allows readers to expand their understanding of both the content and accuracy of the information if they take time to read the information.

Concept #2: Notice and Interpret Graphic Novel Elements.

Graphic novels offer a unique reading experience. Readers must consider how characters interact, how color influences the message, and how elements such as panels (division of time, usually bordered with a frame), gutters (the white space between panels), lines, and speech or thought balloons

contribute to understanding the information.23 Additionally, graphic novel authors differ in the ways they use space, image, and text. Teachers can draw attention to how Brown and Hale address these elements so students are more likely to read with attention to detail and understanding.

Don Brown

Many of Brown’s graphic novels consist of large panels, many narration boxes, and little dialogue. The colors in his books are often muted grays, browns, and blues to match the settings and, possibly, the mood of the events portrayed. The large panels allow the images to convey much of the information, and the narration boxes often summarize or explain the panel.

Though the text is straightforward, the reader should attend to the images for a deeper understanding of the content. For example, Drowned City includes a two-page spread with four vertical panels that depict a New Orleans couple on the staircase of their home as water gradually rises, and they are forced to escape by using a hatchet to create a hole in the attic’s ceiling.24 The four vertical panels visually portray the water rising up the stairs and into the attic. The gutters between panels allow the reader to infer what has happened from one panel to the next, that is, the water rising and the couple climbing to the highest point in their home before realizing they need to exit through the attic’s ceiling. The dark blue water appears intensified against the muted blues and browns of the people, staircase, and ceiling.

Nathan Hale

Hale’s Hazardous Tales are visually and textually heavy.

Most pages have multiple panels, often smaller than Brown’s, which move the story along by using both illustrations and conversations among characters through dialogue balloons.

Each Hazardous Tales graphic novel has a color scheme (e.g., muted red for One Dead Spy; burnt orange for Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood). Various shades of the signature color are used throughout to differentiate sky color for time of day, locations on maps, and other portions of the illustrations meant to stand out among the grays and whites.

It is also important for readers to pay attention to the color of characters’ dialogue balloons. White dialogue balloons with black text are used when characters are conversing in the historical story. Colored dialogue balloons (e.g., muted red or pink; burnt orange) are used when the narrators are

Table 3. Four Books Used in Discussion of the Three Concepts Book

Author and Year Published

Topic

One Dead Spy

Nathan Hale (2012)

American Revolution

Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood

Nathan Hale (2014)

World War I

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans

Don Brown (2015)

Hurricane Katrina

The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees

Don Brown (2018)

Immigration / Refugees

24 Social Studies and the Young Learner

talking “outside” of the historical story to explain the event further and provide clarification. These differences in color are not explained but must be noticed and used by the reader to fully understand the details of each story.

Concept #3: Identify How Information Is Shared in the Main Text.

Both nonfiction and historical fiction texts can teach readers about topics, people, or events. This information is presented through the main text and vocabulary and through textual and visual features such as differences in typography, images, sidebars, graphs, and charts.

shares Britain’s perspective, and the hangman brings comic relief and asks clarification questions. Hale (the author) uses these narrators’ conversations to define vocabulary words such as lobsterback, casualties, and siege in One Dead Spy and mobilization, nationalism, and patriotism in Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood. When Henry Knox says, “Those filthy lobsterbacks have taken over the whole city,” the hangman asks, “What’s a lobsterback? Some kinda monster?” and Nathan Hale responds, “A British soldier, red-backed, like a lobster.”28 In this way, the narrators (hangman and Nathan Hale) are defining a term used by a character (Henry Knox) within the historical story.

Don Brown

Three Concepts Applied in One Graphic Novel

Most of the historical content in Brown’s texts is shared within narration boxes. Most of the dialogue balloons indicate individuals’ actual speech and are referenced in the source notes. These powerful statements help the reader understand the intensity of the moment. For example, Drowned City portrays two people on a roof above a flooded area. One says, “Oh, baby, I don’t think we’re gonna make it,”25 which powerfully captures the emotional experience and leaves the reader to ponder what the characters will do if the water continues to rise.

Brown also shares information by citing dates in the headings, important numbers in the narration boxes (e.g., “Coast Guard rescues 33,500 people”26), visuals with names of buildings and street signs, maps of the focal areas, and a combination of facts, numbers, and personal stories. Readers must attend to both the text and illustrations to fully understand the historical information presented in these graphic novels.

Nathan Hale

In contrast to Brown’s large images and minimal dialogue, Hale uses few narration boxes and relies on the dialogue to move the story along. The dialogue balloons are not indicative of direct quotations; these are highlighted with quotation marks or an asterisk with a note at the bottom of the page. For example, Ethan Allen speaks two sentences in dialogue balloons in One Dead Spy that are marked with an asterisk that draws the reader’s attention to the corresponding asterisk at the bottom of the page, which states these are actual historical quotations.27 It is unclear if other (unmarked) statements are direct quotations. The playful exchanges lead us to infer that most of the dialogue is not a direct quotation.

While these nuances may seem trivial, they are important as students read this genre and determine what information is a direct quotation and what information is paraphrased or is presented using creative liberty.

As noted in Concept #1, three characters serve as narrators throughout the Hazardous Tales series, and each provide a unique perspective. Nathan Hale is the spy who provides readers with America’s perspective, the provost

Table 4 provides examples for highlighting these three concepts when supplementing instruction in a unit on the American Revolution with Hale’s One Dead Spy. Before reading this graphic novel, teachers should inform students that it addresses the American Revolution, is written in a narrative storytelling format, and uses three narrators to tell the historical story. Readers should pay attention to the words, illustrations, and color throughout.

Conclusion

Evident in Brown’s and Hale’s books, graphic novelists approach the sharing of historical information differently, and one author may also differ in stylistic choices from one book to another. For example, some of Brown’s more recent graphic novels include more color and dialogue. Because of this, students need exposure to a variety of authors and styles to explore the many ways these authors tell historical stories.

Many of the same skills needed in reading traditional informational or historical texts are also needed to fully comprehend historical graphic novels, such as inferring, using context (i.e., text, illustrations) to support vocabulary understanding, and locating and exploring important information in the front matter, back matter, or in the graphics (e.g., graphs, maps).

Guiding students to use these three concepts in an integrated social studies and literacy curriculum in thoughtful ways can help students learn in a meaningful context, enjoy reading historical graphic novels in more effective ways, and learn about history at the same time.

Children’s Literature Brown, Don. Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.

Brown, Don. Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918. Clarion Books, 2019.

Brown, Don. The Unwanted: Stories of Syrian Refugees. Clarion Books, 2018.

Hale, Nathan. One Dead Spy. Amulet Books, 2012.

Hale, Nathan. Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood. Amulet Books, 2014.

Hale, Nathan. The Underground Abductor. Amulet Books, 2015.

Notes 1. Robin R. Griffith and Jennifer M. Smith, “Another Fever Year? Making Sense of Pandemics with a Historical Graphic Novel,” Literacy 58, no. 1 (2024): 83–91. http://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12349.

September/October 2025 25

Table 4. Example Concepts to Highlight for Students in One Dead Spy Example standards (listed in Table 1): D2.His.5.3-5. Explain connections among historical contexts and people’s perspectives at the time.

D2.His.9.3-5. Summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain events in the past.

Concepts

Questions

Examples

Before reading Look in the front and back matter. Are there Attend to the front and photographs, maps, timelines, or other back matter (Concept #1) graphics? Is there a prologue before the story begins? How do these materials connect to your prior knowledge of the person, place, event, or time in history? What do you wonder that you hope to have answered while reading?

Front matter (Map of North America, 1775): Notice the colors used to organize regions and the dates listed.

Back matter (pp. 115–117): Draw attention to “A Little More Biographical Info About…” to learn more about historical people in the book. Focus on Nathan Hale for context.

During reading Notice and interpret graphic novel elements (Concept #2)

Are there many panels on a page or few? Do the size or number of the panels on a page influence how long you spend looking at a panel or page? Does this influence your understanding of the topic? Explain. Does this graphic novel include narration boxes, speech balloons, and thought bubbles? What are you learning from these? What colors are primarily used? How do these colors impact the characters’ emotions, mood of the story, or provide information?

pp. 23, 30: Notice the color of the speech balloons: white for historical story and pink for narrators. pp. 30–31: There are many panels on the pages which mostly consist of people talking. Continue to pay attention to the color of the speech balloons. We also see a birds-eye view of the camp (p. 30) and a map (p. 31) to help us understand how close together the camps were. Spend a bit more time on the camp panels to understand the setting.

During reading Identify how information is shared in the main text (Concept #3)

Who are the important people in this graphic novel? How do you know? Slow down to read the words and to study the illustrations. Give an example of how you used the words and illustrations to understand a panel or page.

Is there a word that you did not understand before you read this graphic novel? How did the author help you with the definition (through the words or the illustrations)? What is an interesting fact that you learned from reading? Where did you find this information?

pp. 7–9: Read the speech balloons and attend to the illustrations carefully to understand the characters’ roles: p. 7, Panel A: “Welcome, one and all! I am the hangman. I am here to hang the man!” said by the man holding a noose. p. 8, Panels A–D: The words and illustrations show a spy who will be hanged. The British soldier references his allegiances to the king and his orders to hang him. p. 9, Panel B: The spy identifies himself as Nathan Hale. p. 30: Use the dialogue between the characters to understand their role and the historical content. p. 30: Lobsterback is used by Henry Knox. The next panel shows the three narrators asking about and defining the word lobsterback. p. 69: The infographic provides information on the number of ships and soldiers.

After reading Return to the front and back matter. What do you know now about these materials Attend to the front and back matter (Concept #1) after reading that you did not know before reading? How does the information in the back matter extend your understanding of the topic? How does the author cite sources? Does this provide information on the accuracy of the historical content?

Back matter (pp. 115–117): Draw students’ attention to the section titled “A Little More Biographical Info About…” to learn more about some of the historical people mentioned in the book.

2. Jennifer M. Smith and Kathryn Pole, “What’s Going on in a Graphic Novel?”

The Reading Teacher 72, no. 2 (2018): 169–177.

3. Paul G. Fitchett et al., “Assessment, Autonomy, and Elementary Social Studies Time,” Teachers College Record 116, no. 10 (2014): 1–34; John S. Willis and Judith Haymore Sandholtz, “Constrained Professionalism: Dilemmas of Teaching in the Face of Test-based Accountability,” Teachers College Record 111, no. 4 (2009): 1065–1114.

4. Walter C. Parker and Terence A. Beck, Social Studies in Elementary Education, 15th ed. (Pearson, 2016); Rachel K. Turner et al., “Curriculum Integration Using Picture Books: Combining Language Arts and Social Studies Standards to Address Controversial Issues,” Social Studies and the

26 Social Studies and the Young Learner

Young Learner 36, no. 1 (2023): 27–32.

5. Kari Bosma et al., “Social Studies Content Reading about the American Revolution Enhanced with Graphic Novels,” Social Studies Research and Practice 8, no. 1 (2013): 59–76.

6. J. Spencer Clark, “Teaching Historical Agency: Explicitly Connecting Past and Present with Graphic Novels,” Social Studies Research and Practice 9, no. 3 (2014): 67.

7. Nathan Hale, One Dead Spy (Amulet Books, 2012), 119.

8. Carla K. Meyer and Laura M. Jiménez, “Using Every Word and Image: Framing Graphic Novel Instruction in the Expanded Four Resources Model,” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 61, no. 2 (2017): 153–161.

Social Studies and the Young Learner 38 (1) pp. 28–33 ©2025 National Council for the Social Studies

Teaching Local Black Histories Through Art: Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers’ Ingenuity, Resistance, and Tradition Sara B. Demoiny, Edward F. Lam, Anna Lauren M. Gleghorn, Kaylea M. Cummings, Katherine M. Meyer, and Martina P. McGhee We think of inheriting as land or something, not things that people teach you. We came from cotton fields, we came through hard times, and we look back and see what all these people before us have done. They brought us here, and to say thank you is not enough —Louisiana Pettway Bendolph1 Louisiana Pettway Bendolph, a Gee’s Bend quilter, expressed the richness of her inheritance—one of cultural tradition shaped by resistance, resilience, ingenuity, and joy. Louisiana is one of many women from Gee’s Bend, Alabama, who are revered for their unique and innovative modern art quilts.

Although they have gained international acclaim in the last couple of decades, quiltmaking has been a treasured tradition passed down for nearly two centuries in the community.

Originally, the women did not identify themselves as artists because quiltmaking was simply a communal act where women took what they had around them and created while talking, singing, and praying.2 Quiltmaker Nettie Young said she never considered her quilts artwork, but “now we have joy on the walls to look at.”3 The Gee’s Bend quilts are a tangible extension of collective storytelling sharing the histories, challenges, perseverance, and joy of the community. This rich history and artwork are the local Black histories students in Alabama (and across the United States) need to learn and be inspired by. Although Black histories, such as those of the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers, are important and plentiful, Black histories are consistently excluded from mainstream U.S. classrooms.

When elementary students learn Black histories, they often learn about the same historical figures4 each year with little complexity and a focus on heroification.5 Alabama has rich 28 Social Studies and the Young Learner

local histories of Black cultural citizenship,6 yet these Black histories frequently are reduced to single, one-dimensional figures taught during February.

United States history standards are written through a Eurocentric lens, centering white people’s experiences. This occurs in schools by teaching some Black histories, but not through (or by) Black people’s perspectives.7 In other words, white people are narrating the stories of Black experiences. In a recent survey, teachers said they try to teach Black history, but they do not feel prepared to do so.8 With this context in mind, we share the development of a C3 inquiry informed by the Black Historical Consciousness Framework.9 In summer 2023, pre-service teachers in Sara Demoiny’s social studies methods course cofacilitated a summer enrichment camp at a rural Alabama elementary school with the freedom to plan social studies and language arts inquiries. During one week of camp, pre-service teachers focused on cultural arts connected to Alabama histories. The fourth- and fifth-grade inquiry investigated the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers in Boykin, Alabama, to highlight their brilliance, joy, and perseverance.

Black Historical Consciousness Framework as Guide

LaGarrett King developed the Black Historical Consciousness Framework as “an effort to understand, develop, and teach Black histories that recognize Black people’s full humanity.”10 We wanted to teach the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers’ histories through their perspectives, particularly through the quilts they have made in their community for nearly two hundred years. The quilts represent and tell stories of survival, power, resistance, creativity and communal bonds.

History of Gee’s Bend Quilters

Gee’s Bend is an area in Boykin, Alabama, surrounded by the Alabama River on three sides. It is situated in the Black Belt, southwest of Montgomery and Selma. In 1816, Joseph Gee built a plantation on the land. During this time, enslaved women creatively used their sewing skills to weather the elements.11 Using pieces of old clothing and sacks, they made quilts for warmth in the winter and protection from mosquitoes in the summer. After the Civil War, many freedmen and freedwomen remained in Gee’s Bend as tenant farmers.

During the Great Depression, Gee’s Bend residents faced hardships that led to poor living conditions and increased debt as the price of cotton fell drastically.12 In 1932, a white merchant who had provided many loans to Gee’s Bend farmers died, and his wife sent for a collection of debts from the entire community, taking livestock, farming equipment, and stored food.

In 1962, U.S. Congress approved dam construction on the Alabama River, resulting in flooding that destroyed the community’s farmlands, stifling a significant portion of their income.13 A few years later, in 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. visited Gee’s Bend and called upon the community to take action in seeking voting rights.14 Following King’s visit, the community increased their activism through participation in civil rights marches and protests. In backlash to their activism, Wilcox County officials shut down the ferry between Gee’s Bend and Camden, making access to vote virtually inaccessible, as citizens had to walk or drive fifty-five miles to the nearest polling center.

As the Gee’s Bend community consistently faced systemic racism, they remained committed to one another. One way they resisted was through evenings spent quilting together.

They met regularly, similar to a book club, to quilt and discuss civil rights. With support from Father Francis Xavier Walter, sixty quiltmakers established the Freedom Quilting Bee.15 They sold quilts to generate income for the community, and their quilts were auctioned in New York City, drawing recognition among artists. The attention of Gee’s Bend quilts dwindled until the late 1990s and early 2000s, when Bill Arnett, a controversial white collector of African American art in the South, worked with the community to found the Tinwood Alliance. Newfound attention helped the community develop better infrastructure. Now, Gee’s Bend quiltmakers are internationally recognized for their artistry, receiving praise from publications such as the New York Times as “some of the most miraculous works of modern art America has produced.”16 Eventually, the quilt designs became part of the American Treasures U.S. postage stamp series.17 Currently, Gee’s Bend quilts can be found in museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Black Historical Consciousness Principles

We used King’s Black Historical Consciousness (BHC)

Framework to develop an integrated social studies inquiry focused on Principle 2: Agency, Resistance, and Perseverance; Principle 4: Black Joy & Emotionality; and Principle 7: Community, Local, & Social Histories.18 These BHC principles are represented within the Gee’s Bend quilt designs and encompass how this art form was used to preserve their community, resist oppression, and remember one another.

Gee’s Bend quilts are known for their abstract modern art designs that merge different quilting forms and use various materials not seen in quilt design before. For instance, some are called “work-clothes quilts” or “britches quilts”19 because they are made from community members’ work clothes, like denim, flannel, or corduroy. The quiltmakers organize the material in various patterns, sometimes representing the physical environment of the community, and the quilts honor and memorialize the physical labor and care for a family member or friend. This example aligns with Principle 7 in showcasing the everyday lives and work of community members. Gee’s Bend quilts also represent ways the women of the community used quilting as an act of survival during enslavement and as acts of agency in establishing the Freedom Quilting Bee to financially support their community and civil rights activism—all of which connect to Principle 2. The Gee’s Bend quilts represent Principle 4, Black Joy and Emotionality, through their existence. The art of quiltmaking is a tradition that has been passed down in the Gee’s Bend community for generations.

The quilts represent the places, people, and experiences they found important, and the Gee’s Bend women owned their artistic expression as they created their own “rules” for quilt designs. Gholdy Muhammad defines joy as “not a fleeting feeling of happiness, but a sustained sense of fulfillment and self-determination, self-liberation, and self-empowerment.”20 The art of Gee’s Bend quilts represent the self-determination of the women to create beauty and seek liberation amid whatever they faced in their daily lives. The BHC framework is integral to teaching the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers’ histories and legacies through their experiences and artistry.

C3 Inquiry

Along with BHC principles, we developed the inquiry using the C3 Framework structure (see Figure 1). Elementary students reflected on how quiltmaking symbolized the stories from Gee’s Bend and how the tradition was passed down through generations, guided by the compelling question, “How do quilts tell the stories of the Gee’s Bend community?” (Dimension 1). The following inquiry is adapted from the original taught during the summer camp with rising fourth- and fifth-grade students. The inquiry begins by displaying the 2006 “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” U.S. postal stamps and asking students (1) What is this item? (2) What do you see on the stamp? (3) Why do you think there are quilts on the stamp? Throughout the inquiry, students use historical disciplinary skills by describing the perspectives September/October 2025 29

and experiences of the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers (D2.His.6.3–5) and analyzing primary and secondary sources related to the Gee’s Bend quilts and the community (D2.His.10.3–5). We organized the inquiry into four days, and we used Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt as a mentor text.21 During the inquiry, students examine various types of sources, such as photographs, documentary excerpts, a picture book, and an encyclopedia entry (see sidebar below), to gather evidence that addresses the compelling question (Dimension 3). On Day 4, students communicate their conclusions through a class concept map and then take informed action by creating a museum display of quilts they designed with plaques describing the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers’ histories and how their artwork inspired the stories students told in their own

quilts (Dimension 4).

Day One

After introduction to the inquiry, Day 1 begins with the supporting questions—“Where is Gee’s Bend? When and why did people start making quilts there?”—and a read-aloud of the Stitchin’ and Pullin’ excerpt “Who Would Have Thought.”

Then, we pose the following questions: • Who made quilts in Gee’s Bend?

• How did people use the quilts originally?

• Looking at the illustration, how is this Gee’s Bend quilt being used?

• Why do you think the author asked, “Who would have ever thought?” at the end of this poem?

Figure 1 Stories of Gee’s Bend Quilts C3 Inquiry Outline Dimension 1 Compelling Question: How do quilts tell the stories of the Gee’s Bend community?

Engage to Inquiry: 2006 “The Quilts of Gee’s Bend” U.S. Postal Stamps Dimension 2 D2.His.6.3-5. Describe how people’s perspectives shaped the historical sources they created.

D2.His.10.3-5. Compare information provided by different historical sources about the past.

Dimension 3 Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Where is Gee’s Bend? When and why did people start making quilts there?

How did Gee’s Bend women use quilts to encourage and remember activism?

What do the Gee’s Bend quilt designs mean?

How can I tell my story through a quilt?

a. Stitchin’ and Pullin’—“Who Would Have Thought” b. Map of Gee’s Bend and Alabama c. The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend (4:35–6:02)

a. Stitchin’ and Pullin’—“Dr. King Brings Hope” and “The Right to Vote” b. “Quilting at Gee’s Bend” photograph c. “Quilt Auction” poster d. Encyclopedia of Alabama excerpt e. The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend (43:55–48:05)

a. Stitchin’ and Pullin’— “Colors” and “Nothing Wasted” b. Gallery walk of Gee’s Bend quilts with captions c. The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend (41:05–42:58)

Stitchin’ and Pullin’— “Remembering” and “The River Island”

Dimension 4 The class will make a concept map to address the compelling question. Students create their own quilt squares with museum plaque.

Set up class museum exhibit.

Inquiry Sources (in order of appearance) U.S. Postal Stamps: https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/media/gees-bend-quilt-stamps/ Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt by Patricia McKissack Maps of Gee’s Bend & Alabama: https://stories.artbma.org/timeline-the-freedom-quilting-bee/ Documentary The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend from Alabama Public Television: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQHTLn4mA7s Photograph of Quilting at Gee’s Bend: https://digital.archives.alabama.gov/digital/collection/photo/id/19916/ Encyclopedia of Alabama entry, “Freedom Quilting Bee”: https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/freedom-quilting-bee/ Poster of Quilts Auction: https://fqblegacy.org/history/ Gallery Walk Photographs: https://legacyweb.philamuseum.org/doc_downloads/education/ex_resources/geesBend.pdf

30 Social Studies and the Young Learner

In small groups, students analyze the two maps of Alabama and Gee’s Bend. Students locate Gee’s Bend on the state map and compare the location to where they live in Alabama. The pre-service teachers asked, “What body of water borders Gee’s Bend? Why do you think the area is called a ‘bend’?” After establishing Gee’s Bend as a place, revisit the second supporting question as students view the documentary excerpt, posing questions such as the following: • Who lived in Gee’s Bend during the mid-1800s?

• Why did enslaved women begin making quilts?

• How did they make the quilts?

Day Two

Students focus on the ways the Gee’s Bend community was involved in the modern civil rights movement through the supporting question, “How did Gee’s Bend women use quilts to encourage and remember activism?” This begins with reading the poems “Dr. King Brings Hope” and “The Right to Vote” from Stitchin’ and Pullin.’ During the read aloud, ask the following questions: • Who visited Gee’s Bend in 1965? Why did he visit?

• Where did the people in Gee’s Bend have to go to vote?

• Locate Camden on the map. Why was it a problem that the local government shut down the ferry? Why would the government do that?

• How did the people of Gee’s Bend respond?

Next, students learn about how the women in Gee’s Bend worked to support their community who experienced poverty and racism. Students rotate through stations to analyze primary and secondary sources with the following analysis questions (from National Archives22): “Quilting at Gee’s Bend” photograph • What do you see in this photograph?

• What are people doing in the photograph?

• Why do you think the photograph was taken?

• Write a caption for the photograph.

“Freedom Quilting Bee” encyclopedia excerpt • What is the Freedom Quilting Bee? • When was it created?

• Why was it created?

“The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend” documentary excerpt • Why did Mary Lee Bendolph say the ferry was closed?

• Why was the Freedom Quilting Bee cooperative created?

• How did the Freedom Quilting Bee help the community?

Quilts Auction Poster • What type of document is this?

• Read the words on the poster. What does this tell you?

• Who was supposed to see the poster? What was the purpose of the poster?

• Based on the other sources, when do you think this poster was made?

Day Three

At this point in the inquiry, students focus on the cultural artistry of the Gee’s Bend quilts as they analyze various designs. Students participate in a gallery walk of photographs of selected quilts. Using a two-column notetaking table, students write observations of each quilt: what they notice, how the quilt makes them feel, and what the quilting designs may mean. Then, they read “Colors” and “Nothing Wasted” from Stitchin’ and Pullin.’ Discuss the poems with the following questions: • How does the author describe colors?

• How do certain colors make you feel? What did colors on some quilts represent?

• What materials did the grandma use to make a quilt?

• What do you think the title “Nothing Wasted” means?

Additional Resources “Art in Depth: Gee’s Bend Quilters,” Virginia Museum of Fine Arts: https://vmfa.museum/learn/resources/art-in-depth-gees-bendquilters/ Belle, the Last Mule at Gee’s Bend: A Civil Rights Story by Calvin Alexander Ramsey and Bettye Stroud, illustrated by John Holyfield (Candlewick Press, 2011) “Gee’s Bend: Yellowhammer History Hunt,” PBS Learning Media, https://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/gees-bend-video/ yellowhammer-history-hunt/ The Quilts of Gee’s Bend by Susan Goldman Rubin (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2017) “Stitched in Time,” by Shay Maunz, April 15, 2021, Time for Kids, www.timeforkids.com/g56/stitched-time-2/?rl=en-840

September/October 2025 31

Next, play students a short clip from The Quiltmakers documentary. Ask, “How did people use quilts to remember loved ones? How did Gee’s Bend quilters make the housetop pattern? How did the physical environment of Gee’s Bend influence the quilt designs?” With their new understanding of the quilt designs, students return to the gallery walk and complete the right-hand column of their note-taking sheet, responding to the same prompts as they think about what they learned from the texts and documentary. Then, share the description on the actual museum plaque from the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Art exhibit.23

the compelling question. Students will need to draw upon evidence from the inquiry’s sources and the class concept map to describe the histories of Gee’s Bend quiltmakers’ cultural art. In the second paragraph, students will explain their quilt design. During our summer camp, one fifth-grade student was inspired by the Gee’s Bend work-clothes quilts and the ways the quiltmakers honored family members.

The student created her own quilt representing some of her family members and described how each one was an integral part of her life in her museum plaque.

Day Four

The Gee’s Bend quiltmakers are significant to our teaching context in Alabama, yet we believe their histories are relevant for students across the United States. Their quilting artistry has been celebrated around the country, and the community’s local histories connect to national histories, so educators could use the Gee’s Bend community as a case study of how citizens experienced a national historic event or time period (e.g., experiences during the Great Depression, voter suppression). Additionally, teachers could use portions of this inquiry to spark student interest in the unique ways people share their stories and use art as acts of survival, resistance, and celebration. Specifically, teachers can use the BHC principles and this inquiry outline as a structure for learning about local Black histories told through various art forms in their state. The following questions may be used as prompts for planning: • What local Black art is exhibited within museums and at historic sites in your state?

• What stories are told through these art forms?

• How are these stories related to national historic events, movements, or time periods?

• How does this cultural art portray the varied and collective identities and experiences of Black people in your state’s or community’s history?

• How may your students reflect upon their identities through analysis of the art?

On the final day, students consider how the cultural art of Gee’s Bend quilts could be used as a guide to think about how they can tell stories important to them and their community. In our summer camp, one of the preservice teachers opened the lesson with a t-shirt quilt her grandmother made. The students hypothesized what each part of the quilt stood for. This leads into the question, “How can you tell your story through a quilt?” Following this hook, read the poems “Remembering” and “The River Island” from Stitchin’ and Pullin’ and ask students the following questions: • How does the quilt help the little girl remember different family members?

• How do the brown and green cotton strips represent the physical environment of Gee’s Bend?

• What do the squares represent?

After examining multiple sources describing the various Gee’s Bend quiltmakers’ designs on Days 3 and 4, revisit the compelling question, “How do quilts tell the stories of the Gee’s Bend community?” Using sticky notes, have the class respond by creating a concept map. If needed, prompt students to consider the artistic representation of the physical environment, labor, and loved ones and to reflect on the ways the quilts symbolize resistance, by providing for one’s physical needs during enslavement and raising funds for civil rights work and to support their communities during economic hardship, and joy, by passing down a cultural art tradition for generations.

Once students have brainstormed a response to the compelling question, explain that they will be constructing a museum exhibit for the school by creating their own quilt and an accompanying museum plaque. Students will decide if their quilt will represent their feelings about a certain event, honor a loved one, or represent the physical environment of their community. Students may use construction paper, cloth materials from home, or natural materials from the physical environment. Like an actual museum, each piece of art will include a plaque written by the student artist. The first paragraph should respond to 32 Social Studies and the Young Learner

Connecting to Your Context

Conclusion

The Gee’s Bend quiltmakers are culture bearers who have passed down a treasured art form for generations that holds their stories of survival, resistance, and ingenuity. This local history is a source of pride and inspiration for Alabama elementary students, and the long history of the Gee’s Bend quiltmakers helps students connect local state history to the national historical narrative. We encourage elementary educators to intentionally teach Black local histories within their classrooms where students can explore the complex, multifaceted lives of Black people’s experiences in their communities and states—stories of resistance, ingenuity, joy, and cultural traditions.