
K-12
Illinois Council for the Social Studies Spring Conference
JMC Teacher Programs Manager Emilee McHorney will present the two sessions below at the Illinois Council for the Social Studies Spring Conference.
Framing the Debate: Essential Questions from the Founding to Today
This session explores how America’s founding era provides a foundation for crafting essential questions that challenge students to think critically about the American experiment in self-governance. Participants will engage in developing inquiry-based questions tied to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and key Federalist and Anti-Federalist writings. Attendees will leave with strategies for guiding students to ask questions that connect founding principles to contemporary social and political issues.
Unpacking Freedom: Primary Source Analysis with Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass’s writings offer a unique lens through which students can examine themes of freedom, justice, and equality in America. This session focuses on leveraging Douglass’s autobiographies, speeches, and letters as primary sources to guide students through analytical questions and engaging in primary source analysis.