Children's books and activities
Civics and Our Government
Civics teaches kids about the rights each of us has as a citizen, as well as our responsibilities, such as voting or serving on a jury — and getting involved in our communities to make them better for all. Do you know any kids who are eager to volunteer in their communities? Or kids who are curious about the history of voting rights in the U.S., how a bill becomes a law, how we elect our President, and stories about life (and pets!) in the White House? We've gathered up a great collection of books, activities, apps, and websites for learning all about civic engagement and our U.S. government.
Try pairing fiction with nonfiction books and exploring different genres [6] (like poetry and biographies) and formats (like graphic novels and audio books). You'll be creating your own "text sets" — collections of texts focused on a specific topic, such as civics and our government. Reading widely in this way helps children build background knowledge [7], vocabulary [8], and comprehension skills.
How to explore this theme:
- Read fiction and nonfiction books
- Try some hands-on activities
- Build writing skills with these fun ideas
- Dig deeper with kid-friendly websites
- Play and learn with mobile apps
More themed resources:
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Great Fiction & Nonfiction Books
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Print List
A Is for Activist
By: Innosanto Nagara
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Each spread presents a letter and a bit of social commentary urging children to take a stand...
Purchase book [15]
Apple Pie Fourth of July
By: Janet Wong
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase book [16]
Capital! Washington D.C. from A to Z
By: Laura Krauss Melmed
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase book [17]
Happy 4th of July, Jenny Sweeney!
By: Leslie Kimmelman
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Purchase book [18]
Hats Off for the Fourth of July
By: Harriet Ziefert
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Parades are part of the fun of any Fourth of July celebration. Young readers are invited to join...
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I Pledge Allegiance
By: Pat Mora
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Libby's great aunt, Lobo, is from Mexico, but the United States has been her home for many years...
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I Voted: Making a Choice Makes a Difference
By: Mark Shulman
Age Level: 3-6 years old
This picture book explains the concept of choosing, individually, and as a group, from...
Purchase book [21]
If Everybody Did
By: Jo Ann Stover
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Imagine the funny and terrible consequences of everyone doing his own thing! Children and adults...
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If I Were President
By: Catherine Stier
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Children describe the basic duties of the U.S. President, from campaign speeches to lighting the...
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Maybe Something Beautiful
By: F. Isabel Campoy, Theresa Howell
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Mira brings color and builds community through her beautiful art which she first gives to...
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One Vote, Two Votes, I Vote, You Vote
By: Bonnie Worth, Joe Mathieu
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The Cat in the Hat is back with Things 1 & 2 for a rhyming introduction to the steps in...
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Plant a Little Seed
By: Bonnie Christensen
Age Level: 3-6 years old
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The Ballot Box Battle
By: Emily Arnold McCully
Age Level: 3-6 years old
The inspiring story of a young girl named Cordelia whose relationship with her neighbor, the...
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The Curious Garden
By: Peter Brown
Age Level: 3-6 years old
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The Impossible Patriotism Project
By: Linda Skeers
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Caleb's class is making projects that represent patriotism but Caleb can't think of a way to...
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We March
By: Shane Evans
Age Level: 3-6 years old
Two children aroused by their parents join a march for equal rights. Short sentences and semi-...
Purchase book [30]
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Print List
A Very Important Day
By: Maggie Rugg Herold
Age Level: 6-9 years old
This multicultural narrative brings 12 families together in celebration of the...
Purchase book [31]
America Votes: How Our President Is Elected
By: Linda Granfield
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Elections are anything but dull, and participation is very important in a democracy. Just...
Purchase book [32]
Ballots for Belva: The True Story of a Woman's Race for the Presidency
By: Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
In 1884, when men were the only people allowed to vote in national elections, Belva Lockwood...
Purchase book [33]
Carl the Complainer
By: Michelle Knudsen
Age Level: 6-9 years old
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Celebrate Independence Day with Parades, Picnics, and Fireworks
By: Deborah Heiligman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [35]
City Green
By: DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan
Age Level: 6-9 years old
There is a garbage-filled, vacant lot on the street where Marcy lives. Instead of growing...
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D Is for Democracy: A Citizen's Alphabet
By: Elissa D. Grodin
Age Level: 6-9 years old
An A-Z trip through our government's structure, from its earliest beginnings to definitions of...
Purchase book [37]
Dear Mr. Rosenwald
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A 10 year old girl narrates this fictionalized story, based on real events and people, of how...
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Elizabeth Leads the Way
By: Tanya Lee Stone
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The life of early voting rights advocate, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, is presented in a compelling...
Purchase book [39]
Elizabeth Started All the Trouble
By: Doreen Rappaport
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Women could not attend college, enter politics or vote when the United States was established....
Purchase book [40]
Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty
By: Linda Glaser
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A gentle tribute to Emma Lazarus, who wrote the sonnet "The New Colossus" that gave a voice to...
Purchase book [41]
First Garden and How It Grew
By: Robbin Gourley
Age Level: 6-9 years old
White House gardens started with John Adams in 1800 and continue with Michelle Obama. History...
Purchase book [42]
Fly Guy Presents the White House
By: Tedd Arnold
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Buzz and his pet fly, Fly Guy, share what they learn when they visit the White House in...
Purchase book [43]
Founding Mothers: Remembering the Ladies
By: Cokie Roberts
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Hear the stories of heroic, patriotic women such as Abigail Adams, Martha Washington, Phillis...
Purchase book [44]
Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A girl and her mom want to have a sweet treat on a hot day but cannot sit at the soda fountain...
Purchase book [46]
George vs. George: The American Revolution as Seen By Both Sides
By: Rosalyn Schanzer
Age Level: 6-9 years old
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Giant Steps to Change the World
By: Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A book about activism and taking the big steps to set things right, using examples of people...
Purchase book [48]
Grace for President
By: Kelly DiPucchio
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [49]
Granddaddy's Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box
By: Michael Bandy, Eric Stein
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Based on the true story of one family’s struggle for voting rights in the civil rights–era South...
Purchase book [50]
Happy Birthday, America
By: Mary Pope Osborne
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Realistic watercolors present the summer celebration a boy shares with his family on the 4th of...
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Her Right Foot
By: Dave Eggers
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Meet the Statue of Liberty. She came from across an ocean like many of the people she continues...
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House Mouse, Senate Mouse
By: Peter Barnes
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A look at the legislative process, from drawing up a bill and committee discussions to voting...
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I Could Do That! Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote
By: Linda Arms White
Age Level: 6-9 years old
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I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
By: Debbie Levy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent a lifetime disagreeing: disagreeing with...
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If I Ran For President
By: Catherine Stier
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Six children discuss what they would do if they were running for president, describing the...
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If the Walls Could Talk: Family Life at the White House
By: Jane O'Connor
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The "beautiful 200-year-old mansion on 18 acres of land right in the heart of downtown...
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Independence Cake
By: Deborah Hopkinson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Since little is known about the real Amelia Simmons, the author invites readers to imagine what...
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Jackson Jones and the Puddle of Thorns
By: Mary Quattlebaum
Age Level: 6-9 years old
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John, Paul, George & Ben
By: Lane Smith
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Fact and fiction, old and new styles of illustration, wit and seriousness combine in this pithy...
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Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation
By: Cokie Roberts
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Journals, letters and other primary sources were used to introduce "a few of the women who...
Purchase book [61]
Lillian’s Right to Vote: A Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
By: Jonah Winter
Age Level: 6-9 years old
As she climbs the hill to the courthouse to proudly cast her vote for elected officials, Lillian...
Purchase book [62]
Lincoln and Kennedy: A Pair to Compare
By: Gene Barretta
Age Level: 6-9 years old
This brief introduction to two well-known U.S. Presidents presents similarities in their lives...
Purchase book [63]
Madam President: The Extraordinary, True (and Evolving) Story of Women in Politics
By: Catherine Thimmesh
Age Level: 6-9 years old
This inspiring look at the role of women in American politics — past, present, and future —...
Purchase book [64]
Marching with Aunt Susan: Susan B. Anthony and the Fight for Women's Suffrage
By: Claire Rudolf Murphy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
An inspiring story of the fight for women’s suffrage, based on the experiences of a real girl....
Purchase book [66]
Miss Rumphius
By: Barbara Cooney
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Miss Rumphius leaves the world more beautiful with an unusual legacy. This gentle story can...
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Pedal Power: How One Community Became the Bicycle Capital of the World
By: Allan Drummond
Age Level: 6-9 years old
How one person helped make one community into the bicycle capital of the world is told in...
Purchase book [68]
Presidential Pets: The Weird, Wacky, Little, Big, Scary, Strange Animals That Have Lived in the White House
By: Julia Moberg
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The White House has hosted U.S. Presidents and their families which have often included First...
Purchase book [69]
Red, White, and Boom!
By: Lee Wardlaw
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [70]
Revolutionary Friends
By: Selene Castrovilla
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [71]
Rutherford B., Who Was He? Poems About Our Presidents
By: Marilyn Singer
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [72]
Shhh! We're Writing the Constitution
By: Jean Fritz
Age Level: 6-9 years old
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Smart About the First Ladies
By: Jon Buller
Age Level: 6-9 years old
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So, You Want to Be President?
By: Judith St. George
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Anyone can be president, whether fat (William Howard Taft) or tiny (James Madison), relatively...
Purchase book [75]
Sonia Sotomayor: A Judge Grows in the Bronx / La juez que crecio en el Bronx
By: Jonah Winter
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Poverty didn’t stop this girl from working hard, reading lots of books, and graduating top in...
Purchase book [76]
Susan B. Anthony
By: Alexandra Wallner
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Susan B. Anthony lived and worked as a teacher when women were paid less for the same jobs...
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The American Flag
By: Elaine Landau
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Learn about the history of the American flag in this book from the True Books: American History...
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The First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial
By: Susan E. Goodman
Age Level: 6-9 years old
More than a century before Brown v. Board of Education, there was Roberts v. City of Boston....
Purchase book [79]
The Flag We Love
By: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Read this book aloud to young readers to teach them about the United States flag, its history,...
Purchase book [80]
The Golden Thread: A Song for Pete Seeger
By: Colin Meloy
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Pete Seeger was a musician, an activist, an environmentalist and more. An overview of his life...
Purchase book [81]
Those Rebels, John and Tom
By: Barbara Kerley
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Purchase book [83]
Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen
By: Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan
Age Level: 6-9 years old
A boy wonders about the people he sees on his city’s streets until he goes to the soup kitchen...
Purchase book [84]
Unite or Die! The Story of the Thirteen Colonies
By: Jacqueline Jules
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Though the first U.S. Census didn't start until 1790, the Forest Lake Elementary School...
Purchase book [85]
Vote!
By: Eileen Christelow
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The history of voting in the United States is presented using a town's mayoral election as...
Purchase book [86]
Wackiest White House Pets
By: Katherine Gibbs Davis
Age Level: 6-9 years old
How are dogs, alligators, sheep, cats, and a host of other animals similar? They've all...
Purchase book [87]
We Are Good Citizens
By: Ann Bonwill
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Kids can be good citizens, too. They have freedoms within the groups they belong to and...
Purchase book [88]
We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States
By: David Catrow
Age Level: 6-9 years old
The dry, difficult words from the preamble to the constitution are made easy to understand...
Purchase book [89]
We the People: The Constitution of the United States
By: Peter Spier
Age Level: 6-9 years old
In this visual celebration of the U.S. Constitution and America's founding fathers, Peter Spier...
Purchase book [90]
We the People: The Story of Our Constitution
By: Lynne Cheney
Age Level: 6-9 years old
An illustrated history of how the Constitution came to be. In May 1787 delegates from across the...
Purchase book [91]
What Can a Citizen Do?
By: Dave Eggers
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Across several seemingly unrelated but ultimately connected actions, we watch how kids turn a...
Purchase book [92]
What Lincoln Said
By: Sarah Thomson
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Lincoln's own words punctuate this overview of his life and times including lighter moments...
Purchase book [93]
What's the Big Deal About Elections
By: Ruby Shamir
Age Level: 6-9 years old
From ballots to bonfires, from suffrage to stumping, this kid-friendly picture book filled with...
Purchase book [94]
What's the Big Deal About Freedom
By: Ruby Shamir
Age Level: 6-9 years old
From the Constitution to civil rights, from women's rights to the four freedoms, this picture...
Purchase book [96]
Woodrow for President: A Tail of Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
By: Peter Barnes
Age Level: 6-9 years old
Featuring Woodrow G. Washingtail, a civic-minded mouse with presidential ambitions, readers will...
Purchase book [97]
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Print List
A Kids' Guide to America's Bill of Rights
By: Kathleen Krull
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Find out what the Bill of Rights is and how it affects your daily life in this fascinating look...
Purchase book [98]
Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights that Changed America
By: Russell Freedman
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fifty years ago well-known civil rights leaders came together with other lesser known but key...
Purchase book [99]
Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty
By: Tonya Bolden
Age Level: 9-12 years old
What led up to Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation? Who were the abolitionists and what...
Purchase book [100]
Generation Fix: Young Ideas for a Better World
By: Elizabeth Rusch
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Young people see a need and work to better their world in this upbeat chronicle of youthful...
Purchase book [101]
How the U.S. Government Works
By: Syl Sobel
Age Level: 9-12 years old
This easy-to-read book for children explains the federal system as it works in the U.S. today,...
Purchase book [102]
Independent Dames: What You Never Knew about the Women and Girls of the American Revolution
By: Laurie Halse Anderson
Age Level: 9-12 years old
This fact and fun-filled look at female contributions to the American Revolution provides a...
Purchase book [103]
Kid Presidents
By: David Stabler
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Growing up is never easy, not even when one is on a path to the White House. Though each of...
Purchase book [104]
Know Your Rights!: A Modern Kid's Guide to the American Constitution
By: Laura Barcella
Age Level: 9-12 years old
In simple, accessible language, this book describes how the Constitution was drafted and who the...
Purchase book [105]
Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger
By: Anita Silvey
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Pete Seeger lived a long life sharing his music and his convictions about equality with...
Purchase book [106]
March: Book One
By: John Lewis, Andrew Aydin
Age Level: 9-12 years old
John Lewis, son of a sharecropper, grew up to become an activist and later, a U.S. Congressman....
Purchase book [107]
Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out
By: National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Over 100 well-known authors and illustrators have provided pieces to this fascinating compendium...
Purchase book [108]
President of the Whole Fifth Grade
By: Sherri Winston
Age Level: 9-12 years old
A funny, heartfelt chapter book that illuminates the election process while inspiring determined...
Purchase book [109]
Purchase Kindle version [110]
Rightfully Ours: How Women Won the Vote
By: Kerrie Logan Hollihan
Age Level: 9-12 years old
The century-long struggle for women’s suffrage in the United States. In addition to its lively...
Purchase book [111]
Purchase Kindle version [112]
The Bill of Rights: Protecting Our Freedom Then and Now
By: Syl Sobel
Age Level: 9-12 years old
When the U.S. Constitution was first written, many of the freedoms we now take for granted were...
Purchase book [113]
The Everything U.S. Constitution Book
By: Ellen Kozak
Age Level: 9-12 years old
This accessible guide contains the complete text of the Constitution, with short, descriptive...
Purchase book [114]
Thomas Jefferson Grows a Nation
By: Peggy Thomas
Age Level: 9-12 years old
A well-research picture book biography of Jefferson, with source notes for each quotation....
Purchase book [115]
Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer
By: Carole Boston Weatherford
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Stirring poems and vibrant collage illustrations combine to celebrate the life of Fannie Lou...
Purchase book [116]
Voices from the March on Washington
By: J. Patrick Lewis
Age Level: 9-12 years old
An August day on the national Mall has been made famous by the powerful "I Have a Dream" speech...
Purchase book [117]
We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices
By: Wade Hudson Cheryl Willis Hudson
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Fifty of the foremost diverse children's authors and illustrators — including Jason...
Purchase book [118]
Purchase audio version [119]
Purchase Kindle version [120]
What Is the Constitution?
By: Patricia Brennan Demuth
Age Level: 9-12 years old
The Framers — 55 men from almost all of the original 13 states — argued fiercely for many months...
Purchase book [121]
When You Grow Up to Vote: How Our Government Works for You
By: Eleanor Roosevelt, Michelle Markel
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Eleanor Roosevelt’s book on citizenship for young people now revised and updated for a...
Purchase book [122]
Purchase Kindle version [123]
Words That Built a Nation: Voices of Democracy That Have Shaped America’s History
By: Marilyn Miller
Age Level: 9-12 years old
From the Constitution and the Gettysburg Address to the 2015 Supreme Court ruling on same-sex...
Purchase book [124]
You Are Mighty
By: Caroline Paul
Age Level: 9-12 years old
Being a good citizen means standing up for what’s right ― and here’s just the way to start. From...
Purchase book [125]
Purchase Kindle version [126]
You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton?
By: Jean Fritz
Age Level: 9-12 years old
This biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton is as spirited as the women's rights pioneer herself....
Purchase book [127]
Purchase Kindle version [128]
Hands-on Activities
Build on what you're learning together through books with these family-friendly activities, experiments, and crafts.
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"I Am America" Quilt [129]
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Ben's Government Crossword [130]
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Bill of Rights: Illustrate the Amendments [131]
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Constitutional Amendments Fortune Teller [132]
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Design Your Own Money [133]
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Design Your Own Stamp [134]
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Family Postal Service [135]
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Government in Your Community Scavenger Hunt [136]
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I Have a Dream Mobile [137]
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Kid's Guide to Running for President [138]
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Red, White and Blue Nature Scavenger Hunt [139]
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Writing a Petition! [140]
Summer Writing
Give kids a chance to flex their writing muscles all summer long. Try one of these prompts, selected from our writing contest archives and other literacy organizations.
- Take a Letter [141]
Great Websites for Kids
Dive deeper into topics of interest with these media-rich and interactive sites.
- Activate: Community Involvement Online Game (iCivics) [142]
- Argument Wars: Try a Real Supreme Court Case (iCivics) [143]
- Ben's Guide to U.S. Government [144]
- Brain Pop: Elections [145]
- Brain Pop: The Law [146]
- Brain Pop: U.S. Government [147]
- Brain Pop: U.S. Presidents [148]
- Cast Your Vote (iCivics) [143]
- Checks and Balances Game [149]
- Executive Command: Be President! (iCivics) [150]
- Harry Potter Alliance [151]
- How a Bill Becomes a Law [152]
- How Coins Are Made [153]
- How to Become President of the United States [154]
- iCivics [155]
- Immigration Nation (iCivics) [156]
- Interactive Constitution [157]
- Kids in the House [158]
- Law Craft: Be a Member of Congress (iCivics) [159]
- My Voice National Student Mock Election [160]
- Represent Me: Meet the Needs of Your Constituents (iCivics) [161]
- Schoolhouse Rock: America Rock! [162]
- Sortify: U.S. Constitution Game [163]
- Supreme Decision [164]
- The Electoral College Explained [165]
- We the Civics Kids [166]
- Win the White House (iCivics) [167]
Mobile Apps
Educational apps recommended by Common Sense Media and other trusted reviewers.
- American Presidents for iPad [168] $
- News-O-Matic [169] $
- Presidents vs. Aliens [170] $
- Roadside Presidents [171] $
More Themed Resources
Growing Readers Tip Sheets
Simple activities for parents and kids to do together to build reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Read online or print the PDF.
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Five Literacy-Based Ways to Celebrate Earth Day [172]
Download PDF: English [173] | Spanish [174] -
Preparing 21st Century Learners [175]
Download PDF: English [176] | Spanish [177] -
The Importance of Reading Widely [178]
Download PDF: English [179] | Spanish [180]
Our Summer Blog
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Stories: Step by Step [182]
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Madam President [184]
Washington DC for Kids
Places
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Carter G. Woodson Home [188]
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Library of Congress [193]
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Lincoln Memorial [194]
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National Archives [197]
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National Postal Museum [201]
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The White House [204]
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Washington Monument [209]
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World War II Memorial [210]