New Hampshire Department of Education (NHED) has launched the first 42 lessons in a new series of engaging, New Hampshire-specific digital resources bolstering civics education for K-12 students across the state.  

Created by Discovery Education, under the direction of the Commission on New Hampshire Civics, the first set of digital civics lessons may be found in the New Hampshire Civics Channel within Discovery Education Experience. In 2021, NHED made Discovery Education content available, at no cost, to all New Hampshire educators and students when it selected the Discovery Education Experience K-12 platform to support the creation of high-quality learning environments statewide. Through this initial collaboration, 100% of New Hampshire schools have been using the platform and more than 1.6 million learning experiences have since been created.   

“The history and heritage that led to the development of the New Hampshire Constitution is fascinating. Learning about this history and heritage, as well as the New Hampshire Constitution itself, will ground students in the founding principles of our great state and our great country,” said Ovide Lamontagne, chairman of the Commission on New Hampshire Civics. “For students to fully function in our society, it is essential that they develop a deep understanding of our Constitutional Republic and how citizens engage in this form of government. The New Hampshire Department of Education is proud to partner with Discovery Education and the Commission on New Hampshire Civics on this important project. Together, we are providing K-12 educators with a new set of powerful resources they can use to engage today’s media-savvy students in the study of our founding principles.”   

Built specifically for New Hampshire students and designed for use throughout the school year, these new resources include ready-to-use lessons that can easily be integrated into instruction such as: New Hampshire-centric digital assets featuring state-specific artifacts; primary source documents that help develop students’ understanding of their state government and constitution; and other custom created videos, interactives and educational supports that help frame engaging civics questions for all learners.   

“Educating youth about the New Hampshire Constitution is essential to empower them with an understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens. This knowledge fosters informed participation, ensuring future generations can uphold and protect the principles of liberty and justice,” said Commissioner Frank Edelblut of NHED. 

When completed, this project makes available a full suite of multimodal, interactive, and interesting lessons to teachers and students in grades K-5, as well as 15 lessons for students and teachers in grades 6-8, and 15 lessons for teachers and students in grades 9-12.   

“Many of these lesson plans are wonderful supplements to add to your social studies curriculum,” said Hollis Wilson, a sixth-grade teacher at Weare Middle School. “And they are creative in ways that you can alter them or take only part of their plan and implement your own. The ideas are much appreciated and are helpful in so many ways.”  

All teachers using the Discovery Education digital resources provided by NHED have access to the Discovery Educator Network. A global community of education professionals, the Discovery Educator Network connects members across school systems and around the world through social media, virtual conferences, and in-person events, fostering valuable idea sharing and inspiration.   

“Discovery Education is excited to put the first of these exciting new digital resources into the hands of New Hampshire’s teachers and students on Presidents Day,” said Nellie Fisher, Discovery Education’s executive director of K-12 state initiatives & government affairs. “The New Hampshire Department of Education has created an ambitious vision for education in the state, and we are proud to have worked on this project alongside the Commission on New Hampshire Civics, without whose guidance the creation of these best-in-class resources would not have been possible.”    

Educators seeking access to the new Discovery Education civics resources are invited to visit the New Hampshire Partnership Resource page here.