RCSD Social Studies - High School

Grades 9-12: The Critical Researcher

High schoolers are ready for Lateral Reading and Geopolitical Context. They should be able to trace a modern event back to its historical roots.

Key Skills: Evaluating Global Systems

"What do other sources say about this source?" (Practicing lateral reading—leaving the site to investigate the author).
"How does this connect to history?" (Analyzing the Trump Corollary by comparing it to the original 1823 Monroe Doctrine).
"What are the ethical implications of how this is reported?" (Discussing the use of AI-generated images or "deepfakes" in current news cycles).
"How can I participate in civil discourse with someone who sees this differently?" (Using tools like Mismatch.org to engage in productive debate).

What’s Going On in This Picture?

A perfect "Warm Up" for high schoolers to build observation skills without the "baggage" of a political headline.

🛠️ Research Tools

1. The Digital Inquiry Group (DIG)

The Skill: Lateral Reading

How it works: Instead of staying on one website to see if it's "true," students are taught to open multiple tabs and find out what other sources say about that site.
RCSD Connection: Use their "Civic Online Reasoning" curriculum to have students verify local headlines.

Teaching Lateral Reading | Civic Online Reasoning

2. Teacher's Guides and Analysis Tool

The Skill: Primary Source Analysis

How it works: Teachers can select prompting questions from a Teacher’s Guide as needed to support students through an analysis process of observing, reflecting, questioning, and investigating further.
RCSD Connection: Have them compare the 1823 text with the 2026 "Trump Corollary" press release. Ask: "Is the definition of 'European interference' the same today as it was 200 years ago?

Teacher's Guides and Analysis Tool | Getting Started with Primary Sources | Teachers | Programs | Library of Congress

3. Google Scholar & Google News (Advanced Search)

The Skill: Vetting Academic Authority

How it works: Show students how to use the "Advanced" filters to find only peer-reviewed journals or news from a specific date range (e.g., searching for "Venezuela military action" only within the last 7 days).

Advanced Search: Researching with precision. - Google News Initiative

News in Real Time

4. Allsides.com

The Skill: While middle schoolers look for "Spin," high schoolers should use AllSides for Deep-Dive Synthesis.

How it works: The "Red Blue Translator"

AllSides has a feature that explains how "The Left" and "The Right" define the same word differently.

Example: How do different sides define "Intervention"?

One side might see it as "Liberation" or "Security."
The other might see it as "Imperialism" or "Sovereignty Violation."

HS Activity: Students pick a word from the 2026 Venezuela coverage and use AllSides to explain why that word choice signals a specific political goal.

The Editorial Comparison

HS Activity: Have students find one "Opinion" piece from a Lean-Left source and one from a Lean-Right source regarding the arrest of Maduro.

The Task: They must write a third paragraph that synthesizes the facts from both while removing the emotional language of both.

AP News or Reuters (The "Neutral Wire")
AP and Reuters are where almost all other news outlets get their facts before adding their own "bias."

The Lesson: Tell students, "If you see it here, it’s a raw fact. If you see it on social media, it’s likely that fact with a 'filter' on it."

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