Visit the PDE Social Studies Archive
February 2025 | Volume V, Number 2
Hello Everyone!
From PBS: Celebrating Black History Month
PBS is celebrating Black History Month 2025! This collection is curated to showcase Black excellence through contributions, achievements, and ideas across core subjects and eras. These classroom resources aim to inspire educators to intentionally include Black history and stories in all curricula, using PBS LearningMedia as a tool in doing so, and celebrate Black history this month — and all year long.
Explore videos, media galleries, lesson plans, and more for students!
From The Guilder Lehrman Institute of American History
In celebration of Black History Month, the Gilder Lehrman Institute highlights resources for studying Black history in America through various Institute programs. Explore essays, videos, primary source documents, lesson plans and more.
From The National Constitution Center
As a new presidential administration begins its term, explore the important role of the president in our constitutional system with your students.
Use these short learning videos, primary sources, and learning assessments in our Constitution 101 teacher-led high school curriculum or student-led course on Khan Academy.
Teacher-led Curriculum:
Video Activity: The Presidency
Analyzing Executive Orders
Student-led Course on Khan Academy:
Video: How does the modern president compare to the founders vision?
Video: When can the president use executive orders?
Video: Where does the president get the power to issue executive orders?
New From The National Council for Social Studies and inquirED
The National Council for the Social Studies and inquirED invite you to join their spring webinar series, Deeper Learning in Social Studies. This series features actionable strategies, tools, and research-based practices designed to support student engagement, build knowledge, and foster meaningful connections in social studies.
New Resources from The OER Project: Global Conflict in the 20th Century
Video: The Fallen of World War II
How can anyone comprehend the weight of millions of lost lives? This video helps by visualizing some of the key data, turning the numbers from abstract figures to something more concrete.
Article: A Lost Generation
Explore the years following World War I, through the eyes of a generation of artists and former soldiers struggling to make sense of it all.
Graphic Biographies: Women and War
In these one-page graphic biographies, you'll meet Rosa Luxembourg and Helen Fairchild, influential women who experienced the first World War from two unique perspectives.
Blog: The Cold War ended in 1991...right?
The United States funds proxy wars against authoritarian and communist regimes. A Russian leader threatens nuclear retaliation. The US, Russia, and China build elaborate alliance systems against each other. Sound familiar? No, it’s not 1964. It’s 2025. This blog digs into how the past continues to echo into today.
From the Pennsylvania Council for the Social Studies
We're delighted to share this exciting opportunity for K-12 educators working in schools, museums, homeschools, and elsewhere. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) recently awarded a major grant to the City of Brotherly Love (COBL) Institute to establish a 2025 summer program for educators on the theme of "City of Brotherly Love: Religious Diversity, Freedom and the Founding of the Nation in Philadelphia."
New From The Dialogue Institute
The Dialogue Institute at Temple University will host the COBL Institute for this two-week session held from July 28th to August 8th. Educators accepted into the program will receive a $2,200 stipend as compensation and to cover expenses. All are welcome, and we strongly encourage early career educators with 1-5 years of experience to apply. The deadline is March 5, 2025, by 11:59 PM (Pacific Time), but applications are now being accepted.
From Echoes and Reflections: How Do I Begin Teaching About the Holocaust?
Teaching about the Holocaust can be challenging but it is a critical piece of history for students to explore. If you are looking to introduce this topic into your classroom, explore our collection of guidelines and resources to plan responsible and meaningful instruction.
Professional Development Opportunities from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum offers a variety of resources to support educators teaching about the Holocaust. Educators can register for the virtual Belfer National Conference for Holocaust Education starting on Jan. 30, ask a Museum Educator questions on instructional resources and instructional strategies, and view the professional development video collections produced by museum educators and historians.
Learn more about the available opportunities and resources by visiting the museum’s Professional Development for Educators webpage.
Applications for the 2025 Monticello Teacher Institute Accepted Until Apr. 1
The Monticello Teacher Institute (MTI) is an immersive summer professional development program that provides social studies educators with the opportunity to research and study at Monticello and the Jefferson Library. The MTI is all-inclusive, providing stipends for participation and meals, as well as travel reimbursement. Lodging and transportation will be provided during the fellowship.
Educators can learn more about the program and complete the application on the MTI website. Educators can contact Monticello’s Education & Visitor Programs Department with questions at [email protected].
Bill of Rights Institute’s Government and Politics: Civics for the American Experiment Curriculum Now Available
The Bill of Rights Institute (BRI) recently released the first three units of Government and Politics: Civics for the American Experiment curriculum resource designed for on-level high school and AP American Government courses.
Educators can explore the three units on the Bill of Rights Institute’s website. Additional units will be available later this year in preparation for the 2025-2026 school year.
From The Guilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Students are invited to participate in the 2025 Citizenship Challenge: Redesigning America’s Citizenship Test. Ten winning students will receive a $500 prize.
Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers
The application deadline for the 2025 Supreme Court Summer Institute for Teachers is one month away!
Apply by March 1 and you could be one of 60 secondary social studies educators selected to strengthen and expand your instruction on the Court and its cases.
- Gain unrivaled access to a stellar lineup of SCOTUS experts and advocates
- Learn innovative methods to teach about current and historical cases
- Hear decisions announced in the courtroom and attend a special reception at the Court (Court schedule permitting)
- View last year's Institute agenda
Application deadline: March 1, 2025
Save the Date: Civics Education Essay Contest Opens February 17
Each year, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) invites students in grades 3-12 to participate in our Annual Civics Education Essay Contest to encourage youth to engage with the principles of U.S. government.
Since 2014, the contest has experienced remarkable growth—from 65 entries to more than 1,700—thanks to educators, nonprofits, court partners, parents, and civics education advocates like you who champion our contest and encourage participation in your local communities.
We are pleased to offer prize money to the top three winners in each category—elementary, middle, and high school—to honor their achievements.
Mark your calendars for February 17, 2025, the day we reveal this year’s thought-provoking essay questions, entry guidelines, and a promotional toolkit to help you encourage participation.
Essays must be submitted by midnight ET on Friday, March 21, 2025. Winners will be announced and celebrated on May 1, 2025.
Please contact Molly Justice for additional information.
Are you preparing for Civic Learning Week? March 10-14th
Civic Learning Week (CLW) is hosted annually by iCivics and seeks to highlight the importance of civic education in sustaining and strengthening constitutional democracy in the United States.
By highlighting the civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions that provide the foundation for an informed and engaged populace, CLW seeks to further energize the movement to prioritize civic education across the nation.
Get the FREE Educator Toolkit to access resources for planning and communicating your participation in Civic Learning Week. The toolkit includes planning resources, sample social media posts, graphic assets, and more.
Visit the CLW website for a calendar of events and opportunities for your community to participate.
Apply for the Sphere Summit
Sphere Summit is a full scholarship professional development program for grades 5–12 educators and administrators. Summits are a fully in-person experience in Washington, DC, and will run June 29–July 3 and July 14–18. Benefits include room and board, 20+ hours of professional development, classroom resources, and a $500 travel stipend upon completion of the program.
New this year, each Summit has a unique theme. The Summit I theme is “Freedom, Rights, and America’s 250th” while Summit II centers on “Cultivating Curiosity, Openness, and Civil Discourse in Every Classroom.”
Each Summit offers distinct programming to meet the needs of both middle and high school educators and administrators, as well as educators teaching either on grade level or advanced courses like AP or IB.
Government and Politics: Civics for the American Experiment from the Bill of Rights Institute
Do your civics students struggle to understand how important self-governance is to American ideals? This is what the Bill of Rights Institute’s newest curriculum, Government and Politics: Civics for the American Experiment, dives into. This free resource sheds light on the inner workings of our government and shows how Americans shape it. The first three units—covering the foundation of American self-government, federalism, and the Legislative branch—are ready to use. Keep an eye out for more units on the executive and judicial branches, political participation and elections, and civil rights and liberties, coming by April 2025. If you need support for teachers using these new lessons, please reach out to Scott Petri, Manager, Program Partnerships at [email protected].
iCivics Education - Elementary School Resources
Learning about civics is for all ages. Introduce elementary students to civics, history, and geography with iCivics. These free teaching resources will support your young learners in developing their critical thinking skills, content knowledge, and civic dispositions in ways that are engaging and relevant. They include short inquiry lessons, digital games, and animated videos.
National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) 2025 Annual Conference
The National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) 2025 annual conference will be in Omaha, Nebraska, next October (17th-19). The conference is an excellent opportunity to connect with national and international experts in geographic education. The conference offers curriculum presentations, workshops, field trips, and the latest innovations in geography education. To learn more and register, click here.
Thank you for subscribing to the SAS Social Studies PLC and for all you do every day for the students in Pennsylvania!
Don McCrone
[email protected]
NOTE: Sites identified here have been reviewed by the content advisor; however, educators are advised to preview for appropriateness for their respective classrooms.