Our Commitment to Students | Our Commitment to Parents | Our Commitment to School Districts
OUR COMMITMENT TO EDUCATORS
Whether you’ve been with iCivics from the beginning or are just getting started, one thing is clear: Our commitment is always to you and to your students. That’s why our curriculum staff is made up of former teachers. We work tirelessly to ensure you have free and open access to carefully constructed, standards-aligned, comprehensive resources to make teaching civics and history easy, relevant, fun, and thought-provoking for your students. We serve more than 145,000 educators and over 9 million students annually in all 50 states. Read our commitments to learn more about what you can expect from iCivics.
High Quality
iCivics is committed to providing the highest quality resources and programs for students, educators, and parents/caregivers. Our materials are produced and reviewed by teachers and scholars who are experts in their fields. This means parents/caregivers can rest assured children are getting the highest quality, most thorough civic education possible.
Engaging
iCivics is committed to enhancing the delivery of state standards through engaging and relevant content that develops civic skills and dispositions. Since 2009, iCivics has been the leading provider of high quality and engaging civic education with a first-of-its-kind digital civic library including more than 260 curricular resources, digital literacy tools, professional learning materials, and educational video games.
Nonpartisan
iCivics is committed to nonpartisan civic education that is engaging, trustworthy, and useful. We approach civic education in a way that reflects the experiences and contributions of various peoples, engaging across a plurality of viewpoints. iCivics believes that constitutional democracy is made stronger through the act of civil discourse across a range of viewpoints
Meets State Standards
iCivics is committed to developing high-quality materials that meet the standards of the states in which they are used. We design our resources to meet educators' myriad instructional needs with minimal preparation required. All instructional materials have been linked to standards from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Customizable
iCivics is committed to providing students with high-quality materials that are relevant to their local context. This is why our materials are customizable, allowing school districts and teachers to adapt them in order to meet state and district policies.
Resource Feedback
We welcome constructive suggestions and feedback from users of iCivics resources. If you would like to provide such feedback, please submit a support ticket. Thank you for your interest in iCivics resources and materials, and ensuring the highest quality civic education for sustaining and strengthening our nation’s constitutional democracy.
FAQs for Educators:
What resources does iCivics have for educators?
iCivics offers over 260 high quality and engaging resources for educators, including: online games, lesson plans, DBQuests, WebQuests, videos, and more.
How can I search for resources for my classroom on iCivics?
You can search the entire iCivics resource library from the Teach Page. To get to this page, click the green “teach” button in the navigation bar at the top of the screen and then “SEARCH OUR LIBRARY” in the dropdown. You can search all of our materials in four ways, by: Content Type, Filters, Keyword, Standard.
What grade levels are iCivics materials designed for?
iCivics offers civic education materials for elementary, middle, and high school. If you are looking for grade breakdowns for lesson resources on our site, we invite you to search our library by selecting the elementary, middle, and high school filters on the Teach Page.
I’m a teacher, where should I start?
Welcome to iCivics! We appreciate our teachers and are ready to assist you in optimizing your experience on our site. We recommend you go through the following steps:
- Sign up for a teacher account and check your email for confirmation.
- Visit the Get Started page for an overview of iCivics resources and how-to videos.
- Read the iCivics Scope and Sequence document for an overview of our resources.
- Visit the Teach Page to access our Standards Search, Curriculum Units, and search the full iCivics Library.
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to stay connected to our teacher community!
What do I need in order to use iCivics?
To use our games and digital tools like DBQuests and WebQuests, all you need is a computer and Internet access. In a classroom setting, most of our games are best experienced in a multi-computer classroom or computer lab. Some games work well with a single computer and projector. There are also many iCivics Lesson Plans that require no technology at all! Click here to view our no-tech-required Lesson Plans.
What are the benefits of using iCivics lessons, games, and activities with my students?
iCivics lesson plans and online activities are written by veteran teachers and designed with ease and functionality in mind. Individual activities are easy to manage, self-contained, and there is always something you can collect from students at the end of the period. Lesson materials are visually appealing and written in a conversational tone to foster students’ interest. They teach the material in the context of problems and issues that are relevant to students. You won't have to search for supplementary readings or type up a last-minute worksheet. Just give the materials to your students, follow the Step-By-Step instructions, and teach!
How tech savvy do I need to be, to enjoy iCivics?
iCivics games were designed for novices and serious gamers alike. Each game includes a printable game guide, an in-game tutorial, and a help button if you get stuck. We encourage you to play a few iCivics games and get the feel for them. Our other materials are available on the Teach Page and can be searched for by Content Type, Filters, Keyword, and Standard. Follow these instructions on how to search for resources for your classroom.
How can I effectively use videos and online games in the classroom?
Checkout our bite-sized professional development videos to learn more about “Why and How to Teach with Games.”
For how long will iCivics stay free?
iCivics has been offering high-quality and engaging content to students and educators at no cost since 2009. Thanks to the support of our donors, we continue to do so today and expand our one-of-a-kind library of civic education materials. Not only are we committed to supporting educators in the classroom, we work through our CivXNow coalition to help pass bipartisan legislation that secures resources for teachers, materials, training, and dedicated classroom time for civic education.
Why should I create an iCivics teacher account?
All iCivics accounts are free and take only a few minutes to set up! A teacher account provides access to our Teach Page, which houses all of our curriculum units, state standards-aligned lesson plans, and digital resources. With an iCivics teacher account, you can establish virtual classrooms through our LMS, assign games and digital tools, track student progress, and manage class discussions. Register for your free teacher account now!