Course Logistics

Discover strategies for fostering thoughtful civic dialogue and meaningful student participation. In this course, you'll explore how to help students engage with multiple perspectives through inquiry, self-reflection, and perspective-taking while creating a classroom culture that supports respectful discussion. You'll also examine inquiry routines aligned with the Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework and learn ways to strengthen students' understanding of community, decision-making, and civic action. Dates: Wednesday, October 21 to Tuesday, November 17, 2026 Live Sessions (via Zoom): Session One: Wednesday, October 28, 2026 from 3:30 to 5:30 pm EST OR Thursday, October 29, 2026 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm EST Course Format: Virtual & Asynchronous Duration: 15 hours; one 1.5 hour workshop, 6 hours asynchronous Professional Development Points (PDPs): 15 Fee: $600 for all educators outside of Massachusetts (no charge for Massachusetts public school educators)

Course Overview

8 Chapters · 31 Lessons

    1. (Included in full purchase)

      Introduction

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      Pre-Course Survey

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      Creating a Community that Welcomes Multiple Perspectives (Live Workshop via Zoom)

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      Closing

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      Resource 1: A Few Strategies for Checking Your Assumptions

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      Resource 2: Discourse Sentence Starters

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      Live Session One: Creating a Community that Welcomes Multiple Perspectives

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      Live Session One: Creating a Community that Welcomes Multiple Perspectives

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      Using Inquiry Strategies to Support Social Studies and Civics in the Elementary Grades

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      Introduction to Inquiry-Based Learning (30 minutes)

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      Inquiry Is Foundational for Social Studies and Civic Learning (25 minutes)

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      Questioning (25 minutes)

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      Investigating, Analyzing, and Evaluating Resources (25 minutes)

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      Communicating and Sharing New Understanding (25 minutes)

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      Assessing Inquiry-Based Learning

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      Putting it All Together to Create an Inquiry-Based Experience (50 minutes)

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      Closing

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      Resource 1: Seven Steps for Pre-Teaching Vocabulary (Inquiry Strategies)

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      Resource 2: Frames for Inquiry Questions in Social Studies (Inquiry Strategies)

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      Resource 3: The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) for Summative Assessment (Video Transcript)

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      Authentic Civic Participation in Grades K-5

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      Identity as a Foundation for Civic Participation (30 minutes)

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      Community Connections in the Classroom (30 minutes)

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      Civic Activities in the Classroom (30 minutes)

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      Community Connections Beyond the Classroom (40 minutes)

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      Civic Activities Beyond the Classroom (50 minutes)

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      Additional Resources

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      Closing

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      Resource 1: Introduce Yourself (Authentic Civic Participation

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      Post-Course Survey

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      Culminating Task: Building Communities Through Civic Participation and Inquiry

About Primary Source

Primary Source educates global citizens by working with teachers to foster students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions for thoughtful and engaged citizenship. With our guidance and resources, teachers cultivate students’ civic-mindedness, cultural awareness, and global competence, preparing them for our increasingly diverse and interconnected world. We collaborate with teachers, schools, and educational organizations to offer professional development programs and resources that help make global, civics, and cultural education an integral part of every student’s classroom experience. Our engaging face-to-face and online programs, curriculum resources, and international study tours enhance global understanding, civic engagement, and cultural understanding, and help thousands of teachers every year bring the wider world to their students. To learn more, visit our homepage at primarysource.org!