Civics Project: Facilitating Research and Community Engagement in the Student-led Civics Project

Massachusetts public school educators register for free by using the coupon code "MACIVICS" at registration.

Course Logistics

Go deeper into supporting students through research and community engagement, with strategies for scaffolding diverse learners, evaluating sources, and connecting students to the issues that matter in their communities. Dates: Wednesday, July 15 to Tuesday, August 11, 2026 Course Format: Online, asynchronous Professional Development Points (PDPs): 15 Fee: $450 for all educators outside of Massachusetts (no charge for Massachusetts public school educators)

Jennifer Hanson

Jennifer Hanson is the Library Director at Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Prior to joining Saint John’s, she was the library director at New England Innovation Academy and Worcester Academy. She also spent 9 years as the librarian for Primary Source and has continued to facilitate online courses for the organization. She has over 20 years of experience teaching information and media literacy skills at the middle and high school level as well as the college and professional level. In her current role, she works closely with the 8th grade Civics course, teaching research skills for the Civics Action Project each student completes. She has presented at ISTE, MassCUE, NCSS, NCHE, Tech & Learning Live, the Boston Book Festival, and other conferences.

Course Overview

5 Chapters · 36 Lessons

1
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Introduction
2. (Included in full purchase)
  Pre-Course Survey
2
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Facilitating the Student-Led Civics Project—Stages 4 and 5
2. (Included in full purchase)
  What Can Student Action Look Like? (15 minutes)
3. (Included in full purchase)
  Learning Goals for Stage 4 (45 minutes)
4. (Included in full purchase)
  Learning Goals for Stage 5 (45 minutes)
5. (Included in full purchase)
  Resources for Stage 4 and Stage 5 (1 hour 40 minutes)
6. (Included in full purchase)
  Closing
3
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Connecting with the Community to Deepen Learning
2. (Included in full purchase)
  Important Considerations When Connecting With the Community (45 minutes)
3. (Included in full purchase)
  Benefits of Connecting With Community Members
4. (Included in full purchase)
  Taking a Culturally Responsive and Respectful Approach
5. (Included in full purchase)
  Supporting Multilingual Learners and Students With Disabilities
6. (Included in full purchase)
  Preparing for Outreach and Managing Expectations (15 minutes)
7. (Included in full purchase)
  Exploring the Community to Identify Pressing Issues: Stages 1 and 2 (30 minutes)
8. (Included in full purchase)
  Engaging Stakeholders in Order to Understand the Issue: Stage 3 (45 minutes)
9. (Included in full purchase)
  Engaging With and Learning From Stakeholders
10. (Included in full purchase)
  Taking Well-Aimed Action by Connecting With Influencers and Decision-Makers: Stage 4 and Stage 5 (45 minutes)
11. (Included in full purchase)
  Resources for Connecting With Decision-Makers and Influencers
12. (Included in full purchase)
  Sharing Student Work With the Community: Stage 6 (30 minutes)
13. (Included in full purchase)
  Closing
4
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Conducting Research in the Student-Led Civics Project
2. (Included in full purchase)
  The Research Stage in Action (20 minutes)
3. (Included in full purchase)
  Research Fundamentals: Including All Voices and Finding Credible Information (45 minutes)
4. (Included in full purchase)
  Including All Voices
5. (Included in full purchase)
  Using Credible Sources
6. (Included in full purchase)
  Deepening Research: Making Online Research More Accessible (40 minutes)
7. (Included in full purchase)
  Sources Other Than Text
8. (Included in full purchase)
  Organizing Research
9. (Included in full purchase)
  Deepening Research: Collecting Your Own Data (30 minutes)
10. (Included in full purchase)
  Data Collection: Interviews and Consulting with Experts (45 minutes)
11. (Included in full purchase)
  Interview Resources
12. (Included in full purchase)
  Data Collection: Effective Surveys (30 minutes)
13. (Included in full purchase)
  Closing
5
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Post-Course Survey
2. (Included in full purchase)
  Culminating Task: Facilitating Research and Community Engagement in the Student-Led Civics Project

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!