Kickstart the Year with Inquiry: 5 First Week Activities for Secondary Social Studies Classrooms

Nystrom Young Citizens is a full K-5 social studies that sets the foundation for students to learn key social studies themes.

If there’s one constant in education, it’s change.

We’ve all seen it – we teach students the mechanics of checking and savings accounts, but still they struggle with impulse buys and the influence of social media ads.

Teaching social studies in 2025 means going beyond textbooks and bringing history, civics, geography, and economics to life in creative, engaging ways.

In today’s education landscape, data is everywhere—standardized assessments, classroom-based progress monitoring, attendance records, behavior reports, and more.

Think about this: every day, we engage in tasks that require the use of key 21st century skills—or the four Cs—critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration.

One of the most interesting policy questions in 2025 is the tariff.

In social studies classrooms, connecting the past to the present is more than a teaching strategy—it’s a way to make history meaningful.

Public education has long been considered one of the bedrocks of American democracy.