Tasking Middle Level Students with Disciplinary Thinking and Civic Engagement Using Inquiry and Zoom

Jeremy Clabough (The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Alabama, USA.)
John Bickford (Eastern Illinois University at Charleston, Illinois, USA.)
William Russell (University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA.)

Research in Social Sciences and Technology
Vol 11 No 2 (2026): Research in Social Sciences and Technology (Special Issue)

This case study situated middle level students to experience inquiry through best practices in social studies education pedagogy and cutting edge technology. The curricular unit positioned students to engage in close reading, text-based writing, and critical thinking about accessible, age-appropriate texts using discipline-specific strategies and effective scaffolding. Findings included students’ civic engagement with complicated material, criticality using political thinking skills, and appreciation for the Zoom experience. Students developed, refined, and communicated evidence-based conclusions about an important public issue, the Freedom to Vote Act. This case study serves as one pathway for social studies teachers to help develop middle school students’ political thinking skills about public issues.