In the coming days, the electoral process is going to play out in ways that may be all-consuming for many Americans.  This will deeply affect some students and not others.  The 2016 and 2020 elections were surprising and tumultuous in ways that left some of us scrambling for how to help our students understand the quickly shifting political landscape and government.  While this election will likely bring to light many new questions and uncertainties, we do know that our students will be engaged.  We have created and curated a number of resources that may be of help as you and your students navigate many parts of the election:

• The Teach the Election page offers curriculum, strategies, discussion prompts, and resources that can support teachers in teaching about the upcoming election.  There are recently published student-facing resources about the electoral college, party platforms, immigration and the role of the media.
• Teaching Civics is curriculum developed as part of The Yolo County Youth Civics Initiative.  This curriculum aims to increase student civic engagement by building their understanding of local government, developing their media literacy, and expanding their involvement in the civic process.  There is a day-long lesson in which students explore issues and candidates’ positions that matter to them at the national level.  There is also a local government lesson in which students explore how voters can impact local issues that matter to them.
• This Monthly Highlights page is a curated collection of resources including picture books, recent scholarship, and recommended tools for teachers to facilitate tough political conversations.
• This toolkit from Learning for Justice provides ways for teachers and leaders to foster respectful discourse. Especially helpful are the practical strategies about setting ground rules, teaching about controversy, and frames for discerning opinion and argument.
• Facing History & Ourselves has valuable tools about how to hold conversations about controversial issues and current events that get to the heart of issues.  

Teachers have always taken seriously the civic purpose of education. These few weeks will shine a light on just how important it is.