2025 North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Conference

Powerful learning happens when we share powerful evidence, ask compelling questions, and integrate edtech tools into lesson designs! We’ll showcase beginner, moderate, & veteran-level exemplar lessons based on the FIELD Guide, all guaranteed to engage students with primary sources, inquiry, and tech tools. Leave with ready-to-use materials and planning strategies. Objectives: This session will: Highlight the latest research on the impact of foundational evidence, inquiry-based activities, and technology tools on student achievement. Model concrete & practical strategies for integrating primary sources and edtech tools into inquiry-centered instructional activities, each one targeted to specific teacher experience and comfort levels. Demonstrate a framework for creating research-based lessons and units focused on increasing student content knowledge and historical thinking skills. Engage participants in small group and whole group discussions about how best to adapt our exemplars and to share their own best practice examples. Content/Skills: Attendees will: Learn about the FIELD Guide, a research-based framework for integrating foundational evidence, inquiry-based thinking skills, and edtech tools into social studies classrooms. Learn how to find powerful primary sources and integrate them in a variety of inquiry-based learning activities. Be introduced to the skills needed to find, rank, and integrate the most effective technology tools into their social studies instructional designs, using the FIELD Guide checklist. Build confidence in making lesson plan design decisions that align with their teaching experience level, background using foundational evidence, and comfort with using technology. Get a preview of a soon-to-be-published book about teaching social studies from Corwin publishing.