What We Do

Literacy Workshops

Our literacy workshops are designed to support teachers in implementing strategies that help all students—especially English language learners and diverse learners—access and analyze complex historical content. These workshops are aligned with the California Common Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies and the California ELD Standards, and they center the instructional shifts outlined in the California History-Social Science Framework: Content, Literacy, Inquiry, and Citizenship.

We model classroom strategies that guide students in reading primary and secondary sources with purpose and criticality. Tools such as the 7Cs for Critical Historical Analysis help students interpret evidence, recognize perspective, and evaluate credibility. For writing, we introduce scaffolded supports like the 11-sentence paragraph, which helps students build evidence-based arguments in clear, structured ways.

To strengthen speaking and listening skills, we introduce protocols like the Structured Academic Controversy (SAC)—a strategy that encourages students to examine multiple perspectives, use text-based evidence, engage in civil dialogue, and collaboratively develop nuanced conclusions. SAC supports key ELD Standards by promoting structured interaction, academic discourse, and the use of domain-specific vocabulary in collaborative contexts.

History-Social Science Framework Workshops

Our workshops introduce and deepen educators’ understanding of the California History-Social Science Framework, which marks a significant shift in how the state approaches history-social science instruction. Central to the Framework are the four instructional shifts—Content, Literacy, Inquiry, and Citizenship (CLIC)—which call on educators to teach updated historical content, build student literacy skills, center inquiry in lesson and unit design, and create opportunities for meaningful civic engagement.

As contributors to the development of the Framework, our team offers a level of expertise that is both practical and grounded in the document’s original intent. We support teachers, instructional coaches, and district leaders in implementing CLIC through interactive workshops that connect big ideas to day-to-day instruction and ensure history education is rigorous, relevant, and rooted in justice.

Ethnic Studies Workshops

We offer professional learning for schools and districts seeking to implement or expand Ethnic Studies. Our approach is grounded in the California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum and emphasizes the Guiding Values and Principles and Teaching Outcomes. We specialize in supporting teachers who are new to the discipline, offering conceptual grounding, curricular support, and resources rooted in identity, agency, and community.

Course Design

Using the Backwards Design process, we help educators design or redesign courses that prioritize inquiry, align to the History-Social Science Framework and the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, and balance content coverage with student-centered learning outcomes. We support teachers in crafting units that emphasize literacy, justice, and engagement from day one to final assessment.

Art-Based Workshops

Our art-based workshops help teachers integrate visual, performing, and literary arts into History-Social Science and Ethnic Studies instruction to build student literacy, critical thinking, and engagement. These workshops feature strategies that use art to support analysis of primary sources, foster creative expression of historical understanding, and encourage multiple modes of interpretation and representation.

We collaborate with local artists, educators, and cultural institutions to provide hands-on experiences, live performances, and scholar-artist talks that connect the arts to historical content and contemporary issues. Whether through mural analysis, zine creation, spoken word, or collage-based inquiry, our sessions equip teachers to use the arts as a powerful tool for culturally sustaining pedagogy and deeper student learning.

Curriculum Design

We work with districts and teachers to develop inquiry-based, standards-aligned lesson plans that speak directly to local histories and community needs. Our collaborative writing process—with teacher leaders, scholars, and partners—builds pedagogical knowledge and helps teachers re-engage in lesson development with renewed purpose.

AI Critical Literacy

As AI becomes more present in education, we help teachers explore its possibilities and pitfalls through an equity lens. Our work is informed by ongoing research with UCLA colleagues to investigate how AI can support inclusive curriculum design, ethical implementation, and student engagement—especially in history and ethnic studies classrooms.

Scholar Collaborations

We partner with UCLA and local scholars to provide history-social science and ethnic studies teachers with current, relevant content knowledge. From keynote presentations to co-designed lesson materials, we bring scholars into classrooms and districts across the region. We also support academics who want to adapt their research into inquiry-driven curriculum—like in our Belmar History + Art Project or the IE Stories collection.

Lesson Study

Cycles of collaborative planning, classroom observation, and student work analysis. This process builds trust, sharpens instruction, and centers student learning as the core of professional reflection.

Freedom Mapping

Freedom Mapping is our place-based civic engagement project that invites students to map their communities through the lens of cultural wealth, environmental justice, public health, and resistance. By integrating oral histories, spatial data, and community assets, this project reclaims mapping as a tool for liberation. Learn more at freedommappingproject.org.