Scope and Sequence for All Grade Levels are Here!

Posted on June 1, 2023July 31, 2024 by Luke O'Connor

Whether you enjoy finding opportunities within a well-structured sequence of resources or prefer looking around for pieces and bits that can be jigsawed together, our Scope & Sequence documents are a perfect reference point for jumpstarting your lesson planning for the upcoming school year.

Our Scope & Sequence documents—available for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms—list all of our resources in one place, broken up into curriculum units.

Our elementary Scope & Sequence organizes over 50 mystery lessons into units broken out by grade level and topic.
Our middle school Scope & Sequence organizes our 14 games and over 250 lesson plans into 21 units.
Our high school Scope & Sequence organizes our 14 games and over 100 lesson plans into 17 units.

Most of our resources stand alone and don’t require teaching another lesson first, so you can pick and choose what will work best for your students and the timing of your curriculum.

For those who prefer a structured approach to planning, the resources within each unit have been organized in an order that seems most logical to the iCivics Curriculum Team.

Use the Scope & Sequence to help you plan your iCivics classroom experience!

Annual Gameplay Giveaway is Open!

Posted on April 1, 2023August 8, 2024 by Luke O'Connor

Who’s ready to win iCivics swag? The Annual Gameplay Giveaway is open! Play any one of our 16 games and enter for your chance to win one of five exclusive prize packs from iCivics, Nearpod, and BrainPOP.

Entering is easy! All you have to do is:

Play any iCivics game with your students between Monday, April 3 and Sunday, April 30, 2023
Email the gameplay completion certificate. (Here is a quick tutorial on how to screenshot your Game Certificate.) You only need to submit one game certificate to enter.
Complete the form with a short write-up of top takeaways and memorable moments during gameplay to complete your entry.

Winners will be chosen at random through an automated selection process and alerted via email no later than Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Prizes will be mailed to all winners by June 2, 2023. Prizes will be fulfilled by iCivics, Nearpod, and BrainPOP directly.

Each prize pack includes:

1 iCivics tee
1 Nearpod tee
1 BrainPOP rubik’s cube
1 pair of Nearpod socks
1 Nearpod water bottle
10 iCivics Guides to the U.S Constitution
25 iCivics tote bags
30 BrainPOP (Moby) stickers
30 BrainPOP pencils
50 iCivics pencils

Thank you to our partners at Nearpod and BrainPOP for their generous contributions to the Gameplay Giveaway.

New High School Executive Branch Lessons & Activities Added to Unit

Posted on February 13, 2023July 31, 2024 by Luke O'Connor

The president is the most central figure within the U.S. government. What are the powers, purpose, and limitations of the presidency and the executive branch? Dive deeper into this role with our newly-updated Executive Branch Unit! Introduce high school students to the powers of the president, the function of the executive branch, and the president’s role in foreign policy with these new resources:

Lesson Plan: Why President?

Students examine why the Framers created the presidency and how it differed from other leaders around the world.

Lesson Plan: The Second Branch

Students take a deep dive into Article II of the Constitution to understand the structure and function of the executive branch.

Lesson Plan: Foreign Policy

Students learn what foreign policy is, as well as the role of the executive branch and the president in implementation.

Lesson Plan: The Modern President

Students explore how the role of the president has expanded and evolved since it was established.

WebQuest: What Can a First Spouse Do?

The president’s job is clearly defined, but what is the role of the First Spouse and how has it evolved over time? In this WebQuest, students learn how First Ladies have contributed to the leadership of the country.

Infographic: Order Up! Executive Orders

What the president says goes… or does it? This printable infographic explains what executive orders are, how they work, and what they can be used for, and how they are limited.

Looking for more resources for teaching about the presidency and the executive branch? Find all of our games, lesson plans, infographics, and other resources for middle and high school students in our Executive Branch curriculum unit!

Prepare for Presidents’ Day with our collection of resources.

Presidents’ Day is just a week away on February 20. Use our games, lesson plans, infographics, and other resources to teach about the important role the president plays in the U.S. government.

iCivics Releases Private i History Detectives, a Curriculum that Uses Inquiry to Teach History and Civics to K-5 Students

Posted on October 25, 2022July 31, 2024 by Luke O'Connor

Private i History Detectives is iCivics’ first product made specifically for elementary students and fills a significant need for resources that teach the fundamentals of history and civics in K-5 classes. Product will be unveiled to teachers during a live webinar Nov. 1 for educators.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – October 25, 2022 – iCivics has released Private i History Detectives, a new curriculum for K-5 that taps into young learners’ natural curiosity and uses inquiry to teach the basic skills that students need to understand history and civics.

Private i History Detectives is a powerful new tool that elementary educators can now use to help their students build foundational historical and civic knowledge, as well as inquiry and critical thinking skills early in their education. This will ensure that students understand how history has and continues to shape our country’s institutions and our own roles as citizens as they continue through middle and high school and into adult life.

Born out of a collaboration between iCivics and History’s Mysteries, through the Library of Congress’s Teaching With Primary Sources (TPS) initiative, the curriculum challenges young learners to take on the role of history detectives. They must use primary sources and inquiry skills to answer “big questions,” such as “What does it mean to be a citizen?” It then guides them through age-appropriate discussions with teachers. The curriculum is easy to use and aligned with state standards.

Private i History Detectives is the first curriculum iCivics has developed specifically for the youngest learners, a segment of the learning population that is traditionally underserved when it comes to civics. Over the next few years, iCivics will continue to expand its K-5 resources.

“For civic education to be effective, we must approach the subject just like we approach STEM and literacy, teaching the fundamental skills starting in elementary school,” Taylor Davis, iCivics Director of Curriculum and Content, said. “Private i History Detectives, breaks historical inquiry skills into simple, easy to grasp concepts in a way that is fun and engaging so that we can meet young learners where they are.”

The full K-5 curriculum is now available for teachers to use, for free, on iCivics’ website.

“After working with many educators, it became clear to us that elementary teachers were hungry for quality, primary source based lessons that would excite and engage their students,” said Laurie Risler, Elementary Education Instructor at Westfield State University, and History’s Mysteries co-creator. “Private i History Detectives requires even the youngest students to think deeply and draw conclusions based on primary source evidence. In the role of history detectives, students do the work of historians as they answer questions using evidence from primary sources.”

Private i History Detectives will be officially unveiled at a launch webinar that is open to educators and school administrators on Nov. 1, 2022, at 7 P.M. EST. The webinar will feature Taylor Davis, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for iCivics, History’s Mysteries co-creators Kelley Brown and Laurie Risler, who are both educators, and Natacha Scott, Director of Educator Engagement at iCivics.

Series of 35 Short-Form Videos Exploring Every Article and Amendment of the U.S. Constitution Launches for Constitution Day

Posted on September 9, 2022July 31, 2024 by Luke O'Connor

With the support of Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin, “The Constitution EXPLAINED” gives middle and high school teachers a new, no-cost tool to educate students about the U.S. Constitution with modern context and relevance.

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – Sept. 9, 2022 – Leading civic education providers iCivics and the Center for Civic Education today announced the release of a new short-form video series to educate middle and high school students about the U.S. Constitution using a medium that teachers are finding incredibly effective and engaging in the post-pandemic classroom.

Funded by Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin, “The Constitution EXPLAINED” will be available for free in the lead-up to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, when public schools commemorate the Sept. 17 signing of the U.S. Constitution and reflect on the rights and responsibilities enshrined in this seminal document.

The video series was created in collaboration with noted constitutional scholar Linda R. Monk, author of The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution, and produced by Makematic. The 35 short videos dig deep into the U.S. Constitution by exploring every article and amendment in straightforward and easily digestible 2- to 4-minute segments that provide both context and modern relevance.

The information-packed animated videos provide a new approach to teaching the U.S. Constitution with maximum flexibility for multiple audiences, differentiating them from existing long-form explainer videos and publications. The videos are geared toward middle and high school students and can also be used by the general population as an engaging refresher on one of the country’s foundational documents.

A preview of the videos can be found on the iCivics website and the Center for Civic Education website.

“iCivics and the Center for Civic Education have created these videos to meet teachers where they are right now,” said Julie Silverbrook, Senior Director of Partnerships and Constitutional Scholar in Residence at iCivics. “Research shows that short videos are an incredibly effective tool, as they hold student attention from start to finish and can be a compelling entryway into teaching even complicated subjects. We know this will be an invaluable tool for educators across the country, as well as for adults and families who are looking for a fun and engaging way to learn more about the text and history of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.”

“I’m incredibly excited about the launch of ‘The Constitution EXPLAINED,’” said Christopher R. Riano, President of the Center for Civic Education. “This collaborative effort shows what is possible when organizations work together, and has produced a rich collection of resources that can be used by students of all ages. We’ve made a special effort to tell the story of American constitutional democracy in an intellectually and visually engaging way and are very proud of the result.”

The video series is already generating anticipation among teachers, who are looking for new tools to educate students about the U.S. Constitution.

“I’m really excited about this collaboration between iCivics and the Center for Civic Education,” said Katie Boland, an AP Government and We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution teacher in Trumbull, Connecticut. “These quick videos will enable teachers to bring experts in the field into our classroom and allow us to explore different topics related to the Constitution in a nonpartisan manner. It’ll be an invaluable resource to all civics teachers and also citizens to watch and learn about our government.” Katie is also a member of the iCivics Educator Network.

For media inquiries, contact jacob@oneallen.com or gage@civiced.org.

About iCivics

iCivics was founded in 2009 by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to transform civic education and rebuild civic strength through digital games and lesson plans. iCivics is the country’s largest provider of civic education content and is currently used by up to 145,000 educators and 9 million students annually. All of its games are free, nonpartisan and available online at icivics.org.

About Center for Civic Education

The Center for Civic Education has long been recognized as a leader in providing civic education to K–12 students and adults, with its research-based curricula reaching more than 42 million students and 440,000 educators in the United States and in more than 80 countries since 1965.

AAPI Heritage Month: Lesson Plans and Resources for the Classroom

Posted on May 12, 2022July 31, 2024 by Luke O'Connor

Updated for May 2023

The month of May honors the generations of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) who have enriched the history of the United States and continue to ensure its success. In celebration of this month that presents an opportunity to introduce classroom discussions and reflections about the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to our collective history, we are sharing resources from iCivics to support learning and conversations in the classroom.

Four iCivics Resources to Use This Month

VIDEO: Patsy Mink: Changing the Rules

In this video, students meet Patsy Takemoto Mink, a third-generation Japanese American born and raised in Hawaii, who was the first woman of color elected to Congress.

LESSON: United States v. Wong Kim Ark

This mini-lesson introduces students to Wong Kim Ark, who was born in San Francisco, California, to Chinese immigrant parent. He sued the United States to be recognized as a citizen, and his case led the Supreme Court to establish that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted citizenship to almost everyone born in the United States.

LESSON: Korematsu v. United States

Students will meet Fred Korematsu, a U.S. citizen born in the United States to Japanese parents who refused to relocate to an internment camp during World War II. This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court’s decision that the government acted constitutionally in interning Japanese Americans, and explores the effects of this decision.

LESSON: Lau v. Nichols

In this mini-lesson, students learn about Kenney Kimmon Lau who, when the schools in San Francisco were integrated, was one of the 1,800 students of Chinese ancestry who did not speak English but were placed into classes taught only in English. His case resulted in the Supreme Court decision that required public schools to provide language supports to English and multilingual learners.

iCivics & History’s Mysteries Partner to Expand Innovative History and Civics Curriculum for Grades K-5

Posted on December 6, 2021July 31, 2024 by Luke O'Connor

iCivics acquired History’s Mysteries’ elementary curriculum, and will continue to work in partnership with the creators to further develop the product, making it available to K-5 students nationwide.

iCivics is partnering with History’s Mysteries to integrate its K-5 learning offerings into the iCivics suite of educational materials. This marks a significant investment for iCivics in elementary civic education, which has historically been underserved by the field.

The partnership with History’s Mysteries will allow iCivics to address this fieldwide deficit, and provide a full library of learning materials for every grade level K-12, giving elementary educators an accessible way to engage younger learners in history and civics during the most foundational years of their education.

Founded in 2009, iCivics reaches more than 145,000 teachers and 9 million students annually through free, nonpartisan games and interactive lesson plans that teach the fundamentals of civic education by putting students at the center of learning.

Similarly, History’s Mysteries places young learners in grades K-5 in the center of the action by challenging them to act as history detectives. Its curriculum asks students a “Big Question” such as “What does it mean to be a citizen?” and then guides them through a discussion with teachers in which students use primary sources such as images, videos and texts to form conclusions.

Over the next few years, iCivics will expand History’s Mysteries’ K-5 content and make materials easier for teachers to use by aligning the content to standards in all 50 states. As part of the partnership, History’s Mysteries will be rebranded as Private “i”: History Detectives. The new, upgraded History’s Mysteries content will be available at iCivics.org in time for the 2022-2023 school year.

Of the partnership, Kelley Brown and Laurie Risler, who created History’s Mysteries, said, “History’s Mysteries originated from educators asking for accessible primary sources, inquiry-based learning, and engaging materials. We developed a foundation of historical mysteries that will undoubtedly grow and improve with such an incredibly respected and knowledgeable organization. iCivics’ long track record of creating quality, balanced, and engaging materials for learners makes me so excited for the future of our partnership and the new Private “i” History Detectives in elementary classrooms all across the country.”

“iCivics has wanted to expand into elementary curriculum for quite some time. The building blocks of lifelong civic learning can and should be laid in the earliest grades. We’re incredibly excited about History’s Mysteries and what it will bring to our youngest learners,” iCivics Director of Curriculum and Content Taylor Davis said. “We already know that K-5 students are eager to learn more about civics. What better way to do that than by building on young students’ natural curiosity and asking them to take on the role of history detectives in search of civic knowledge and skills through the close-reading of primary sources and critical thinking.”

This collaboration grew out of the Library of Congress’s Teaching With Primary Sources (TPS) initiative, which provides grants for organizations to build materials and tools that teach key concepts using the Library’s digitized primary sources and other online resources. iCivics and History’s Mysteries are both grantee organizations and members of the TPS Consortium.

Ethel Payne: First Lady of the Black Press

Do students see their communities and the issues they care about covered in the news? More inclusive coverage of national and world events is due in part to Ethel Payne, the second Black woman to become a member of the White House Press Corps. In her position, she asked leaders tough questions and wrote hard-hitting news stories. Her persistence brought civil rights issues to a national audience and put Black people’s experiences on the front page.

Patsy Mink: Changing the Rules

Does your school have a women’s soccer team? And do your students aspire to careers in law, science, or engineering, regardless of their gender? Patsy Mink helped make that possible as the co-author of Title IX, the landmark legislation that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal money. Mink was the first woman of color elected to Congress and in her 24 years as a Representative battled inequality by changing the laws.

Rachel Carson’s Fight for the Environment

The United Nations Climate Change Conference starts this weekend in Glasgow, Scotland. Many of the issues world leaders will be discussing and taking action on were first brought to light in Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking book, Silent Spring.

Looking for more lessons about how women have impacted history? Our suffrage resources will help you teach about the importance of voting and how women have had to fight for their right to vote.

5 iCivics Election Day Activities

Posted on November 2, 2021July 31, 2024 by Luke O'Connor

Happy Election Day! Today, important local elections will be held around the country. These races and ballot measures are a great way to introduce students to voting, explore how the process works, and talk about the impact casting a ballot can have right in their local communities. If you’re searching for fun Election Day activities for your class, look no further! Check out some of our top resources.

1. Cast Your Vote Game

Cast Your Vote demonstrates the value of becoming an informed voter. In this game, students will research candidates, identify issues important to them, and then participate in a simulated local election.

The Extension Pack explains concepts and vocabulary that may be new to students and turns many parts of the game into teachable moments. The game offers English language learner (ELL) support and a pre/post-game assessment quiz, which will help you gain insight into what students learned during gameplay.

2. Voting Rights Lesson Plan

Even though your students may not be old enough to vote, they still can have major influence on elections. From registering voters to contacting elected officials, young people have many opportunities to participate in this democratic process. This resource guide – designed to be used independently – gives students tools, ideas, and guidance for engaging in elections outside the ballot box.

4. The Spectrum of State Election Laws Infographic

The rules for voting can vary greatly from one state to another. Keeping track of the differences can be difficult, but this interactive infographic lays out the various options and allows students to pinpoint which laws apply to their state. From registration to IDs to recounts, this infographic truly covers the election law spectrum.

5. Got Ballot? Lesson Plan

One of the best ways for students to understand how voting works is to see a ballot themselves! This lesson takes students to the voting booth and explains what they could see on a ballot. From referendums to recalls, students will get a better understanding of how voters have the opportunity to initiate change in state and local government.

These just scratch the surface of iCivics’ options for Election Day activities. Check out our Election Headquarters and Politics and Public Policy curriculum unit for more!

Try a Game Sandwich: Meet the iCivics Extension Pack

Posted on August 9, 2021July 31, 2024 by Luke O'Connor

What’s on the menu today? The iCivics Game Sandwich! We use this term to describe how our Extension Packs can be used with our games to dig deeper into the concepts presented.

The Game Sandwich

How can game content be more accessible to all learners, especially English and multilingual learners? By integrating it with other methods to create robust and engaging classroom experiences around complex disciplinary concepts. In other words, teach around the game.

We call this approach the “Game Sandwich” because we’ve “sandwiched” opportunities for deeper learning around the game via our Extension Packs.

The game is the “meat” of the sandwich
The top “bun” consists of pre-game extension activities
And the bottom “bun” features post-game practice

Extension Packs are made up of slides and a PDF document with printable activities. These provide tips, instruction, and guidance on making the most of our games in the classroom. Extension activities build reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills (as well as content knowledge!). They are great for all students, not just English (EL) and multilingual (ML) learners. The Extension Packs are flexible with a lot of pre- and post-game activities, so you can pick and choose what you’d like to use in class.

The slides include visuals from the game and offer additional support for visual learners. Each of the activities from the PDF has a corresponding interactive slide so that the activity can be displayed on a whiteboard or smartboard for modeling or whole-class instruction. You can download and make a copy of the slides to use while teaching. With your copy, you have the ability to add, delete, and edit slides.

Extension Packs include these components:

Pre-game: We begin by activating and pre-teaching critical content with a starter activity and mini-lesson. ELL extensions highlight how to adapt activities for different proficiency levels. There are also guided graphic organizers students can use to write down notes and ideas.
Vocabulary: Supporting language learners in vocabulary development is key, so each extension pack has game-specific Tier II and III vocabulary with practice activities. These can be done before or after the game to build or reinforce new vocabulary and academic language.
Game: We include a teaching strategy for game play. We encourage partner or group play for all students. It adds another dynamic to the game because it gets students talking. For ELs/MLs, it’s a low-risk way to support oral language development as they talk to their peers.
Post-game: There are a variety of post-game activities that create opportunities for students to reinforce what they have learned in the game. Some are very quick “can you show me you got it” comprehension checks, and others are more open-ended and ask students to dig deeper. They all include a Mini-Quiz assessment.

Where can you find the sandwich?

In the game-specific Extension Packs! Make sure you are logged into your educator account. Then simply click on “Game Extension” under the “Tags” section of the search feature from our “teach” page or access a game-specific one from the “Download Teacher Resources” button on a game’s page. When you open the PDF, you will find a link to the google slides under “Materials.”

For more ideas for English and multilingual learners, check our our landing page: iCivics & ELL: Resources to Engage your Multilingual Classroom

Written by Kristen Chapron

Kristen Chapron is Senior Editor of Digital Learning and ELL at iCivics. As a leading “chef” for the iCivics “game sandwich,” Kristen has been serving up and guiding the direction of Extension Packs for more than four years.

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