Elementary Educators Literacy Seminar
Participants will improve their knowledge of the American political tradition and the ideas, traditions, institutions and texts essential to American Constitutional government and our American history and heritage.
Through their participation, in-service and pre-service elementary education teachers will:
- Expand their content knowledge and facility with interpretation and teaching of primary texts.
- Connect lesson plans to the ideas, institutions, texts and traditions of the American founding to the updated Iowa social studies standards.
- Explore best practices in non-partisan civics education related to civic virtues and the American founding, individual rights, Iowa as a constitutional subject and applied pedagogy related to the civic experience.
This daylong seminar for in-service and pre-service elementary teachers will focus on strategies for incorporating civic content into literacy instruction. Participants will develop teaching strategies for introducing civic stories by highlighting new readings — including pieces of primary documents — in connection with the development of literacy skills. During this experience, master teachers, content experts and literacy experts will introduce current and future elementary educators to content and its potential.
| Session 1 Timeline | Session 2 Timeline |
|---|---|
| Registration deadline: March 13, 2026 | Registration deadline: April 10, 2026 |
| Seminar at UNI: March 28, 2026 | Seminar at UNI: April 25, 2026 |
Note: The same content will be covered in Session 1 and Session 2.
The Center for Civic Education covers expenses associated with participating in the Iowa Civic Educators Institute as well as offering a stipend to all participants. This includes meals during the workshop and a $250 stipend.
Questions can be directed to: civiced@uni.edu
Registration will be available in February 2026!