Democracy & Civic Engagement

This Teaching Idea provides students with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of democracy and a framework for making meaning of news stories about the tensions and conflicts in democracies today.

As students take action after Florida's school shooting, introduce a framework for civic participation in your classroom. Facing History has also created suggested discussion questions to help you have the difficult conversations that follow traumatic violent events. Use these questions as a starting point to spark a dialogue around the ways youth can get involved, be Upstanders, and make their voices heard in their own communities.

Use this Teaching Idea to review the events of the summer with your students, learn about how they're processing the news, and discuss what issues resonate most with them.

This Teaching Idea invites students to think about the “tools” they have access to during the coronavirus pandemic that can help them take care of themselves, others, and their wider community.

This Teaching Ideas uses our Free and Fair Elections Explainer to help students reflect on the importance of elections, define the phrase “free and fair elections,” and learn about electoral systems in their region.