Exploring Current Events through Civic Engagement Questions and Activities

Robert W. Maloy and Torrey Trust, University of Massachusetts Amherst

A key aspect of education is preparing youngsters for their roles and responsibilities as members of a democratic society — what is called “community engagement” and “civic action.” Knowing about, and making sense of, current events is an essential foundation for students’ local, national, and global lives.

Discussing current events with students is a popular instructional activity in history and social studies classes, and it makes great sense to do so in any subject and grade level. Students are interested in what is happening in the news, especially when certain people and events are getting lots of media attention.

Yet, in schools today, discussing current events is complicated. Some topics may be too horrific for younger learners (e.g., the war in Ukraine, school shootings, open violence against individuals and groups). Other events are highly politicized and politically polarizing (e.g., Supreme Court decisions on abortion and gun rights; the January 6 Committee investigations; state laws about what can and cannot be taught in schools). It can be difficult to find teachable topics that do not anger, traumatize, or alienate groups of students, families, and community members.

Even when teachers identify teachable topics for classroom discussion, students can be left feeling frustrated and powerless instead of informed and engaged. “What can I do about drought conditions, people who are hungry, or wars around the world?” students ask, uncertain about how they can respond to the issues and problems they are learning about when discussing current events.

For educators, two key points are clear. First, learning about current events requires identifying issues that are relevant and consequential for students, but not so controversial that productive discussions are stymied by politics and passions. Second, students need opportunities to respond to and act upon the issues and problems they are discussing. They need to see roles for themselves beyond the classroom walls.

To respond to these two key points, we have been designing civic engagement questions and activities for students and teachers as part of an open-access civics, government, and media literacy eBook, Building Democracy for All: Interactive Explorations of Government and Civic Life, published by EdTechBooks. A companion eBook, Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning, is also available. Both eBooks are free online to teachers, students, families, and schools.

We organized the Building Democracy for All eBook around seven core civics and government topics found in state and local curriculum frameworks around the country, including our state of Massachusetts:

1. The Philosophical Foundations of the United States Political System
2. The Development of United States Government
3. Institutions of United States Government
4. The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens
5. The Constitution, Amendments, and Supreme Court Decisions
6. The Structure of State and Local Government
7. Freedom of the Press and News/Media Literacy

In presenting these seven topics, we developed a three-part critical instructional design framework — what we call INVESTIGATE, UNCOVER, and ENGAGE — that encourages student-centered, culturally relevant explorations of the content in each chapter. “Investigate” invites teachers and students to explore resources and information about a standard or topic. “Uncover” offers teachers and students opportunities to discover hidden histories and untold stories about a standard or topic. “Engage” asks teachers and students to propose solutions to public or educational policy questions raised by a standard or topic.

The Engage sections throughout the eBook offer a way to begin activating student interest in current events through discussions and activities. We chose policy questions that were directly related to the standards, did not seem to be politically polarizing, and would be of interest and relevance to students. For example, in Topic 1: The Philosophical Foundations of the United States Political System (see examples below), we included questions to motivate student discussions about:

• Making classrooms more democratic based on the emergence of democracy in ancient Greece.
• Learning law-related Latin words while exploring ancient Rome.
• Providing expanded career opportunities for girls while examining the ideals of the Enlightenment.
• Expanding opportunities for young voters while learning about the origins of citizen participation and representative government.
• Ensuring that the names of geographic places honor and do not demean Native peoples while analyzing how Native Americans influenced the development of the U.S. political system.

Example Engage Questions for Each Section of The Philosophical Foundations of the United States Political System Topic

1.1 Explain why the Founders of the United States considered the government of ancient Athens to be the beginning of democracy and explain how the democratic concepts developed in ancient Greece influenced modern democracy.

ENGAGE question: How Can Teachers and Students Collaborate to Build More Democratic Classrooms?

1.2 Describe the government of the Roman Republic and the aspects of republican principles that are evident in modern governments.

ENGAGE question: What Law-Related Latin Terms Must Every Student Know?

1.3 Explain the influence of Enlightenment thinkers on the American Revolution and the framework of American government.

ENGAGE question: What Educational Opportunities Would You Create to Promote the Political Ambitions of Young Girls?

1.4 Explain how British ideas about and practices of government influenced the American colonists and the political institutions that developed in colonial America.

ENGAGE question: At What Age Should Teenagers (16-Year-Olds and/or 17-Year-Olds) Be Allowed to Vote?

1.5 Analyze the evidence for arguments that the principles of the system of government of the United States were influenced by the governments of Native Peoples.

ENGAGE question: Who Should Decide to Restore Native American Names for Geographic Places?

Each Engage section starts with an open question for students and teachers to consider together, just as voters and lawmakers are doing in local, state, and national communities and elections. Since each Engage question has not yet been decided, there are multiple opportunities for students to investigate the issues related to the question, analyze different viewpoints about the question, and develop their own approaches and solutions, individually and/or collectively.

Suggested learning activities for each Engage question ask students to not only investigate the issues but to envision actions they can take to make their voices heard. For example, as part of exploring how to make classrooms more democratic in the context of ancient Athenian government, students could conduct a poll of at least 5 other people (younger and older) about their earliest memories of participating in a democratic setting, listing times when those interviewed felt their voice and participation mattered and when it did not. They could use the results from this poll to engage in a class discussion and then collaboratively design guiding principles for democracy in their class. In another example, while exploring Native American names in geographic places, students could design an interactive Place Names map (on Google My Maps or Padlet) that shows Native American place names in their community or state. The map could include streets, towns, and natural landmarks while also identifying place names in need of change because of their negative or racist meanings. This map could be shared with community members as a way to raise awareness about Native American place names.

The key, as in each of these examples, is for current events in class to include not only student and teacher discussions but different forms of student action and engagement. As they investigate and act, students feel empowered and involved, building essential skills and informed understandings for their place as active members of our democracy.

Interested in identifying ways to bring more current events discussions and activities to your classroom? Check out the Engage sections in the Building Democracy for All eBook and explore the Current Events Learning Pathway.

Torrey Trust, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Learning Technology in the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her scholarship and teaching focus on how technology shapes educator and student learning. In 2018, Dr. Trust was selected as a recipient of the ISTE Making IT Happen Award, which “honors outstanding educators and leaders who demonstrate extraordinary commitment, leadership, courage and persistence in improving digital learning opportunities for students.”

Robert W. Maloy is a senior lecturer in the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he coordinates the history teacher education program.

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