This in-person session will provide educators with a practical, hands-on introduction to teaching the We the People curriculum using the newly updated text, with a particular focus on preparing students for the program’s authentic culminating assessment: the Simulated Congressional Hearing. Over the course of six hours, participants will engage in modeling, discussion, and guided practice designed to support inquiry-driven civic instruction and meaningful student engagement.

Educators will leave with strategies and tools to:

1. Prepare students to develop and defend evidence-based constitutional arguments during Simulated Congressional Hearings
2. Strengthen students’ civic reasoning, literacy, and discussion skills through authentic civic learning experiences
3. Adapt lessons and instructional supports to meet diverse classroom contexts and student needs

This in-person session will introduce educators to Project Citizen as a powerful model for civic learning through the study of public policy and community problem-solving. Over the course of six hours, educators will explore how the program engages students in identifying community issues, researching policy alternatives, evaluating evidence, and developing public policy answers to address civic challenges. Participants will also examine how Project Citizen’s project-based structure strengthens literacy, collaboration, critical thinking, and civic reasoning skills through authentic engagement with public issues.

Educators will leave with:

1. An understanding of public policy and how Project Citizen helps students analyze and address the civic needs of their communities
2. Knowledge of the Project Citizen process and culminating portfolio and presentation components
3. Strategies to guide students through research, policy evaluation, and informed civic action in ways that build both academic and civic skills

This six-hour, in-person professional learning session will help educators design and facilitate authentic, performance-based civic assessments that allow students to demonstrate their civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions through meaningful public-facing experiences. Participants will explore instructional models such as Simulated Congressional Hearings and Public Policy Showcases while engaging in modeling, guided practice, and collaborative planning.

Educators will leave with practical strategies, assessment tools, and implementation support to confidently lead student-centered civic learning experiences that strengthen engagement, evidence-based argumentation, and civic participation.

This six-hour, in-person interactive session will immerse educators in media literacy content, instructional strategies, and curricular resources designed to help students navigate today’s complex digital information environment. Through hands-on engagement with Civics Inquiry lessons, media literacy videos, case studies, and current examples, participants will examine practical approaches for teaching students to evaluate sources, identify misinformation and bias, analyze digital media, and engage responsibly in civic discourse.

Educators will leave with increased confidence facilitating discussions about credible evidence, media consumption, and informed civic participation, as well as ready-to-use resources that support students in becoming thoughtful and critical consumers of information.