In this activity, students will analyze a primary source document to find relevant historical data and measure the degree of agreement and disagreement during the Constitutional Convention.

The WSCSS K-8 Conference was about culturally responsive teaching in Social Studies classrooms. Listen to recorded sessions from Washington educators.

These resources are available for free online viewing.

These 5 posters celebrate influential Americans of Chinese Descent in the state of Washington! 

Use this rubric to review lessons and units with respect to the Washington State Social Studies Learning Standards and the Washington ELA and Literacy in History/Social Studies Standards. 

Highlights from the past and present of the state of Washington, from the rich online collections of the Library of Congress.

Black Washington is the Washington State Historical Society’s ongoing initiative to commemorate the presence, contributions, and evolving impact of local Black communities..Read, watch, and listen to stories about community organizing, engaging in labor and operating business, striving for civil rights, achieving education, pursuing the arts, and overcoming adversity and racism.

Social studies is a vital component of education in Washington state. The Office of Superintend¬ent of Public Instruction (OSPI) envisions “all students prepared for post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.” Additionally, the National Council for the Social Studies states, “The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an inter¬dependent world.”

Students who receive quality instruction in social studies are engaged in learning that promotes inquiry and thoughtful civic participation. With this in mind, we are pleased to introduce OSPI’s updated Washington State K–12 Learning Standards for Social Studies. Our hope is that you will find these standards to be rigorous, thoughtful, inquiry-driven, and organized for easy accessibility.

This is a seven-day unit that explores how people create, interact, and change structures of power and authority over time by answering these essential questions/key ideas:
• Why is the right to vote the most important right?
• Who was Emma Smith Devoe?
• Why did she work so hard to get women the right to vote?
• Why were the Western States more open to women voting than the East?
• What arguments did men and institutions use to keep women from voting?

In this lesson to accompany an online exhibit, students will:
• Review the different roles of government on the federal, state, tribal, and local level.
• Predict roles women have played in the government of Washington state and at the federal level.
• Analyze the growing impact women have had on Washington state governments.
• Engage in small and large-group discussions that use evidence-based arguments.

Water rights are a big deal for many reasons. In this lesson, students learn where water comes from, what water rights are, and how a variety of competing interests factor into managing water resources in Washington State.

Got a 1:1 classroom? Find fillable PDF versions of this lesson’s materials below.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Identify key factors involved in Washington’s water resource management
Explain the basics of water rights and the prior appropriation doctrine
Analyze how competing interests affect water resources
Predict how impacts on a water source could affect competing interests

The goal of this inquiry is for students to gain an informed, critical perspective on the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North and West from 1915-1970.  By investigating the movement, including the injustice of Jim Crow in the South, and the racism migrants continued to face in the North and West, students will examine how the migration changed the social fabric of the United States.  Through taking a critical look at the documents, students should understand the extent to which this movement was “great,” and determine if the title Great Migration is fitting. Photo: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Jean Blackwell Hutson Research and Reference Division, The New York Public Library (1168439), CC BY 4.0 

In this activity, students will examine the original and final drafts of the Constitution and evaluate the significance of the selection of the words "We the People."

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known as our Bill of Rights, which serve as a guarantee for our freedoms. But these amendments almost didn’t happen. Join a group of middle schoolers on a tour of Washington, D.C. as they learn about the Constitution and what it means to be “We the People.” The “We the People” videos are produced in collaboration with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

Once a vision for the United States of America, crafted by our founding fathers, the Declaration of Independence is preserved as living proof of our history at the National Archives and Records Administration. Join a group of middle schoolers on a tour of Washington, D.C. as they learn about this document and others and what it means to be “We the People.” The “We the People” videos are produced in collaboration with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

The president of the United States serves as the chief executive and commander of the armed forces, all defined in Article II of the Constitution as the executive branch. Join a group of middle schoolers on a tour of Washington, D.C. as they learn about the Constitution and what it means to be "We the People." The "We the People" videos are produced in collaboration with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

Of the three branches of our government, many believe that the most important is the one directly elected by "We the People": the legislative branch, represented by the two houses of the U.S. Congress at the Capitol building. Join a group of middle schoolers on a tour of Washington, D.C. as they learn about the Constitution and what it means to be "We the People." The "We the People" videos are produced in collaboration with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

Shellfish like oysters and clams are an important part of Washington State native traditions, the economy and coastal ecosystems. Shellfish have faced and continue to face many challenges including overfarming, pollution and ocean acidification. Shellfish also have an important role in addressing these challenges because of their ability to provide habitat for other species and filter pollutants, bacteria and excess nutrients from the water.In this unit students learn about the stakeholders, history, economics and cultural importance of shellfish in the Puget Sound/Salish Sea regions. Then they learn about how shellfish interact with their environment and their importance in local ecosystems. Finally they learn about some of the current environmental challenges and some solutions linked to shellfish. They will create a persuasive product from the viewpoint of one of the stakeholder groups. They should argue from evidence why shellfish are important to that group and what should be done with shellfish in the future. 

Recording of Day 1 of the Three Branches Institute, featuring a condensed version of WHHA's "White House 101" lecture, exploration of WHHA's 360 Virtual Tour of the White House, and some discussion.

Please note that there will be "dead air" during the mid program break as well as the second half breakout rooms.

White House 101: Over 200 Years of the Executive Mansion

This PDF contains copies of the slides used by the White House Historical Association's K-12 Education staff during their White House 101 lecture during Day 1 of the 2021 Three Branches Institute. A link to a video recording of this session is also available on the Hub.

Ever since John and Abigail Adams moved into the President's House in 1800, hundreds of individuals have worked behind the scenes to help the White House fulfill its roles as a home, office, and museum. White House staff serve the many needs of the first family in a variety of occupations. They prepare family meals, serve elaborate State Dinners, maintain the grounds, and much more. There is no such thing as a "typical" day in the White House. Explore the dedication and skills of the residence staff, their cohesion as a community, their special relationship with the first family, and their experiences as witnesses to the nation's history.