It’s an election year and the U.S. is experiencing a seemingly more contentious political climate than usual. In this episode of 3Ps in a Pod, hosts Donnie and Angelia discuss how they handled election seasons and politics in their classrooms before welcoming Beth Maloney, 2014 Arizona Teacher of the Year, to talk more about civics and respectful discourse.

Together, they discuss media literacy, differentiating opinion from fact, strategies for generating discussion, bias in the classroom, and communicating with parents.

Maloney sites Common Sense Media for Educators as a helpful resource for elementary school teachers. She also introduces Donnie and Angelia to the Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus campaign. Be sure to find more information about the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus here.

Click here to open up a reflection guide for this episode to help you plan your civics instruction.

Learn more about the Arizona K12 Center at azk12.org.