How America Works

Civics has never been more engaging or easy to teach.

How America Works gives teens a fun, behind-the-scenes look at how the U.S. government works, why they should care and how they can get involved.

But this isn't just any old civics primer. From the editors of Junior Scholastic and the New York Times Upfront, this engaging guide makes civics exciting and easy to understand for students in grades 6-10.

Whether you're teaching a civics class or trying to squeeze civics into your curriculum, How America Works has everything your students need to know about government and civic engagement (and probably don't):

Make Civics Exciting (Really)

Eye-catching graphics, enticing debates and political cartoons get students excited to participate and discuss. What teen wouldn't want to talk about lowering the voting age or how Paul Revere would have live tweeted his ride?

Keep Lessons Fresh

How America Works features up-to-date topics you won't find in any textbook. Explore the youth voting wave of 2018, whether social media is good for democracy and more.

Teach What You Want, When You Want

How America Works is organized into 11 non-sequential units. Each one is ready-to-go and self-contained, making them easy to add to your lessons in any order you wish.

Get Even More Content Online

Order How America Works for your class and get exclusive access to videos, lessons and standards alignments online.

Table of Contents:

1. The Declaration of Independence
2. The Constitution
3. The Bill of Rights
4. How Washington Works
5. Supreme Court Cases Every Student Should Know
6. The Presidency
7. Why Voting Matters
8. The Long Struggle for Civil Rights
9. Immigration: Who Gets to Be an American?
10. You and the Media
11. Could You Pass America's Citizenship Test?