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Washington Student Climate Assembly: Climate Change in the Civics Classroom

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The Student Climate Assembly (SCA) curriculum equips students with the knowledge and skills to engage meaningfully with climate change by integrating social studies and science for a holistic understanding of its social, economic, political, and environmental impacts. It aligns with Washington state civics standards, teaching students about government structures and local climate action plans. Through critical analysis, recommendation writing, and advocacy, students learn to influence climate solutions.Key themes include civic engagement, climate justice, governmental responsibility, scientific understanding, and tribal perspectives. These elements empower students to participate in democratic processes and advocate for inclusive, effective climate policies.

Material Type: Interactive, Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Julianna Patterson, David Ketter, Elizabeth Eschenbach, Barbara Soots, Lori Henrickson, Kathryn Kurtz, Washington OSPI OER Project

What Does It Mean To Be An American - Website Guidance

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Developed by the Mineta Legacy Project in partnership with SPICE (Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education), this free educational curriculum offers six lessons for educators, high school students, and college students to examine what it means to be American - Immigration, Civil Liberties & Equity, Civic Engagement, Justice & Reconciliation,  Leadership, and U.S.-Japan Relations. Each of the six thematic modules blends readings, primary source material, images, videos, activities, and assignments.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Unit of Study

Authors: Barbara Soots, Washington OSPI OER Project, OSPI Social Studies, Andrew Miller

Atlas of the Pacific Northwest

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This 2018 edition is the first to be released in a digital, fully-interactive format, designed to highlight facets of the Pacific Northwest landscape with novel approaches to data presentation. Where previous editions of the atlas were designed to ask and answer questions, this atlas serves as a platform for the geographically curious to explore the region, providing as many critical questions as it does critical answers. Beyond this page are maps of the familiar and the unfamiliar. Migration maps highlight human movement between the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the United States; a wildfire timeline chronicles the year-to-year spread of modern and historical fires; and the watershed guide abandons traditional political boundaries in favor of natural, hydrological borders. All data in the atlas were gathered from publically accessible sources, compiled using open-source software and coding libraries. This is an atlas designed to be open, responsive, and to satisfy the geographic curiosity of any and all interested.

Material Type: Data Set

Authors: Institute for Natural Resources, Oregon State University Libraries and Press

John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State

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The Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State instructional materials, have been developed by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in partnership with the Federally Recognized Tribes in Washington State, The curriculum uses an inquiry, place-based and integrated approach.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Authors: Barbara Soots, Washington OSPI OER Project, OSPI Social Studies, Willard Bill Jr

Resettling In Washington

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Students begin this unit by exploring the themes of humanity and community as they discuss  the many factors that influence the development of personal identities. They unpack together how we show versus hide different parts of ourselves, and how our identities can be both fixed and ever-changing. Then, students listen to oral histories by Vietnamese Americans in Washington to learn how displacement and resettlement have impacted them personally and shaped their outlook on helping others. Using evidence from these firsthand accounts, students answer the question: What can the experiences of displaced people teach us about community, resilience, and humanity? Throughout this unit, students work in teams to create a podcast where they reflect on their collective responsibility to stand in solidarity with displaced people.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Author: Educurious .

Decisions That Define Us

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Students learn about the controversial history of a mural in Anacortes, WA, and consider what it would take to create a more inclusive and accurate mural in Anacortes today. Then students learn about the tribes, immigrants, and settlers in the region where they live and how their stories are represented in local murals in public spaces. Students draw on what they have learned to respond to the unit driving question: What decisions and whose stories define Washington state? Then, drawing on local resources such as tribal members, historical societies, and museums, students work in teams to propose a new mural that tells an inclusive story of the people and place where they live.

Material Type: Lesson Plan, Module, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Authors: Educurious ., Educurious .

Connected

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This unit is designed to build inquiry about and interest in the themes and topics woven throughout Educurious’s multi-unit Washington State History course. To start off, students discover and share how they are connected to their classmates by participating in a “Web of Connectedness” activity. Throughout the unit, students engage in mapping, data visualization, and cost-benefit analyses in order to unpack the theme of connectedness and answer the unit driving question: How are people in Washington connected to each other and the rest of the world? As students learn about resources, economies, innovations, people, and places in Washington, they draft a series of six interactive community boards that educate others about the ways in which people are connected. For the culminating product of this unit, student teams finalize one of their six draft community boards to help students in their school make connections between themselves, Washington, and the world.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Author: Educurious .

Roaring Rivers

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This unit begins with a challenge in which students must make a decision for the common good. The task highlights the importance of considering various stakeholder perspectives in order to serve the common good. Students transfer what they have learned to their study of a major dam project in Washington State. Teams focus on one of four projects (Upper Skagit Hydroelectric Project, Lower Snake River Project, Columbia River Gorge Project, Columbia River Basin Project). Each team works together to understand the perspectives of diverse stakeholders as they develop a response to the unit-driving question: How can dams in Washington serve the common good? Teams apply what they have learned to come up with a recommendation for the future of the dam project that considers how it will impact people and places.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Authors: Educurious ., Educurious .

#Rights #Representation #Change

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Students learn how young people in Washington exercised their rights and responsibilities through “fish-in” protests to fight for tribal fishing rights in the 1960s. Students use this example of civic engagement to reflect on their rights and responsibilities today, then begin to consider the unit-driving question: How can we use social media to engage community members on issues of injustice? Working in teams, students examine a case study on one of three critical issues: natural resources, the environment, or hazard preparedness. The case studies help students understand how social media can be used to raise awareness and promote action. Finally, teams create a social media campaign that engages their local elected officials and community on an issue of social and environmental justice.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Module, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study

Authors: Educurious ., Educurious .

Billy Frank Jr. Statue Project

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Washington State passed legislation in 2021 to send a statue of activist and humanitarian Billy Frank Jr. to National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.Billy Frank Jr. dedicated his life advocating for equality, justice, and environmental protections. He fought to protect tribal treaty rights, native cultures and traditions, and the natural resources they are based upon. This resource links to information regarding the creation of the statue and associated educational materials provided by the Washington State Arts Commission (Arts WA) and the Nisqually Indian Tribe.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson

Authors: Washington OSPI OER Project, OSPI Social Studies, Michael Wallenfels

The State We're In: Washington - Teacher Guide Ch. 7: Local Government

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This is a Teacher's Guide for The State We're In Washington: Your guide to state, tribal and local government. These quides are developed by members of the Washington State Social Studies Cadre. Chapter 7 focuses on local government: counties, cities, towns and special districts and their role, organization, duties and services they provide to communities.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson, Module, Primary Source, Reading, Student Guide

Authors: Melissa Webster, Barbara Soots, Washington OSPI OER Project, Jerry Price, Kari Tally, OSPI Social Studies

Remix

The State We're In: Washington (Chinese Translation)

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Seattle Public Schools OER Grant has produced Chinese translations of The State We're In for use in Middle School Mandarin Dual Language Immersion Programs. The State We’re In: Washington is an online and printed educational publication written by Jill Severn for the League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund. Part of a larger Civic Education Project, this instructional resource establishes the link between public participation and effective government. Colorful graphs, historical photos and thought-provoking illustrations help to describe the basics of government, and the connection between a governing authority and culture and economy. Young readers and adults alike will gain a robust sense of past and present tribal governance and their relationship to state and local government in Washington. 

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Thad Williams

The State We're In: Washington - Teacher Guide Ch. 8: Civics and Nature

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This is a Teacher's Guide for The State We're In Washington: Your guide to state, tribal and local government. These quides are developed by members of the Washington State Social Studies Cadre.Chapter 8 focuses on the natural resources in the state of Washington including challenges the government faces when competing interests are at stake, as well as ways the state and individuals can have an impact on that future.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Barbara Soots, Amy Ripley, Jerry Price, Washington OSPI OER Project

The State We're In: Washington (Spanish Translation)

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Overview: Seattle Public Schools OER Grant has produced Spanish translations of The State We're In for use in Middle School Spanish Dual Language Immersion Programs. The State We’re In: Washington is an online and printed educational publication written by Jill Severn for the League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund. Part of a larger Civic Education Project, this instructional resource establishes the link between public participation and effective government. Colorful graphs, historical photos and thought-provoking illustrations help to describe the basics of government, and the connection between a governing authority and culture and economy. Young readers and adults alike will gain a robust sense of past and present tribal governance and their relationship to state and local government in Washington. 

Material Type: Textbook

Author: Thad Williams

The State We're In: Washington - Teacher's Guide Chapter 10: Good Citizen

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This is a Teacher's Guide for The State We're In Washington: Your guide to state, tribal and local government. These quides are developed by members of the Washington State Social Studies Cadre.Chapter 10 focuses on the cultural, economic, political, environmental, and ecological ways in which people in Washington can become actively engaged citizens and make a difference in their communities. 

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Barbara Soots, Callie Birklid, Washington OSPI OER Project, Jerry Price

The State We're In: Washington - Teacher Guide Ch. 6: Tribal Governments

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This is a Teacher's Guide for The State We're In Washington: Your guide to state, tribal and local government. These quides are developed by members of the Washington State Social Studies Cadre.There are key ideals established in state and tribal constitutions that determine the functioning of government. Washington state maintains important relationships among sovereign states (international and tribal) through both political and economic agreements. Tribes, as sovereign nations, have independent economies with different government regulations separate from the United States and Washington state. The economic impacts of tribes has been measured and positively impacts the economy of Washington in many ways.

Material Type: Lesson, Teaching/Learning Strategy

Authors: Barbara Soots, Leslie Heffernan, Washington OSPI OER Project, Jerry Price

The State We're In: Washington - Teacher Guide Ch. 5: Governing Washington

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This is a Teacher's Guide for The State We're In Washington: Your guide to state, tribal and local government. These quides are developed by members of the Washington State Social Studies Cadre.This chapter focuses on the concept that when governing Washington today there is a need for a complex understanding of the cultural, economical, political, environmental, and ecological needs of our state.

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan

Authors: Barbara Soots, Callie Birklid, Washington OSPI OER Project, Jerry Price

The State We're In: Washington - Teacher Guide Ch. 1: First People

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This is a Teacher's Guide for The State We're In Washington: Your guide to state, tribal and local government. These quides are developed by members of the Washington State Social Studies Cadre.Well before Washington was a state, tribes lived and thrived (and continue to thrive) on the land in communities and worked together for their common good. Chapter 1 focuses on how the first people of Washington governed themselves. 

Material Type: Lesson, Lesson Plan, Unit of Study

Authors: Barbara Soots, Washington OSPI OER Project, Leslie Heffernan, Jerry Price

The State We're In: Washington - Teacher Guide Chapter 8 - Tribal Governments Today

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Tribal governments are quite different from state or local governments, because tribes are “nations within a nation.” This is the teacher guide companion to The State We're In: Washington (Grade 3-5 Edition) Chapter 8. The resource is designed to engage students with a launch activity, focused notes, and a focused inquiry.

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Authors: Leslie Heffernan, Jerry Price, Kari Tally, Washington OSPI OER Project, Barbara Soots

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