Following the news and understanding their rights and political processes is always important for kids (and all of us, really). It’s perhaps even more important as we soon head into another election year and a time in which so much is happening around our country and also throughout the world. So, for this week's Rising Resources post, we were excited to explore the KidCitizen website. KidCitizen is an online resource kids can use to watch videos and episodes about political events, news, and history. It helps students become better informed and interested in political happenings as well as how they can share their voice.
In addition to helping kids learn about evaluating, interpreting, and analyzing current events, the KidCitizen platform has so much interesting content to help them engage with important lessons on events and topics from different points in history. They have a library of videos—known as episodes—with which children can explore different concepts related to civics and government operations. These even include primary source photographs from the Library of Congress for added real-world context. And, all lessons help kids make connections between events of the past and what’s going on in their own lives.
The episodes feature narrations from an on-screen character, which makes them more engaging and more relatable for younger children. They don’t take long to complete and provide important information in a way that students can truly understand. The content is also designed to take advantage of how today's children prefer learning with active and social elements. And, their primary resources, including photos directly from the Library of Congress, that you'll see in the episodes allow for some really in-depth demonstrations of the most significant events and concepts while helping educators to ensure learning is more meaningful. These videos are also highly visual and draw on the natural inquiry that young students have.
Students can access the eight episodes on Macs, PCs, Chromebooks, and iOS and Android tablets. The episode library is still growing and each one helps to give children a better understanding of Congress and civics. Currently, the episode topics include these titles: What are Primary Sources?, Wondering with Maps, Rosa Parks: A Proud Daughter, Community Helpers, Congress and Child Labor, Capture the Flag, Agent of Change, and Welcome to Congress. Some topics include the history of the American flag, child labor laws, and who comprises Congress and where they work.
Beyond that, the KidCitizen platform even enables educators to create their own original episodes to share among students while teaching. The KidCitizen Editor is a tool within the KidCitizen site for designing their own activities using the same primary source photographs they'll see in the KidCitizen episodes. So, if they are teaching a particular topic that's not covered in any episodes, there’s no need to worry. This editor also works on any device and is free to use—you just have to register for an account.
Another service that is helpful for teachers is the KidCitizen TPS (Teaching with Primary Sources) Teacher Network. Basically, this professional social media platform is ideal for social studies educators. It allows them to host and facilitate community conversations, make new connections, and collaborate on primary source creation. It serves as a great extension to existing PLNs and it’s really easy to join. Once part of the network, they can find examples for using KidCitizen with children, ask questions to other members, share their experiences teaching (and teaching with KidCitizen), and learn how to best leverage all these primary sources from other educators who have been doing the same!
If you’re looking for something new to engage students in your classroom, KidCitizen is a great option. Be sure to visit the KidCitizen website to learn more about how it can help your students. And, make sure to check out our store as well for other hands-on technology solutions. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, too, to keep up with all of our latest news and updates.