Using the DCL Curriculum to Explore Food Security Issues

In this chapter, the authors discuss how inquiry-based activities through a unit plan in the Digital Civic Learning (DCL) project can be utilized to teach about food security issues in the elementary social studies classroom. The lessons in the unit plan help elementary students understand, apply, and connect geographic and economic concepts as they learn about food security issues. The authors also highlight methods for meaningfully integrating digital tools that were used in these lessons to enhance elementary students’ social studies learning and interdisciplinary thinking. The steps and resources needed to implement the unit from the DCL project about food security issues for the elementary social studies classroom are provided.