A Framework for Social Studies Literacy and Inquiry

Created by educators with a first-hand perspective of today’s student, Source Squads presents a structure for students to read in Social Studies through collaborative and inquiry-based learning strategies.

“Source Squads promotes meaningful student talk, shared inquiry and close analysis of sources, making disciplinary literacy accessible for all learners.”
— Kristin, Washington Social Studies Coordinator
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Who We Are
What We Do

Source Squads provides collaborative learning strategies and ready-to-teach lessons that build disciplinary literacy skills across Social Studies classrooms.

Materials are available through a license that provides educators with shipped role cards and instructional resources shared digitally for teachers to modify for their students.

What We Do

Two women are seated at a table, engaged in an activity involving writing or drawing. One woman has light brown hair and is wearing a blue jacket, while the other woman has dark hair styled in a braid and is smiling as she writes with a yellow pencil. There are papers with text and images on the table, and a whiteboard with colored markers in the background.
Person in a yellow dress holding informational pamphlets, with some title headings visible such as 'Corroborator,' 'Close Reason,' and 'Contextualizer'.
Learn about Licenses
A group of people gathered around a table in a room with bookshelves and a glass window, engaging with laptops and papers.
Various educational materials and worksheets spread out on a desk, including a map of Europe and several colorful cards related to sounds and double-sided activities.

  • Engage with questions specific to Social Studies to analyze sources and think critically

  • Use role cards to support support, challenge, and extend each others’ ideas and perspectives

  • Practice interpreting sources through a consistent structure across classes year-over-year

What Students Do

Why It Works

  • Collaboration is authentic and supported so every student has a voice

  • Consistent structure helps students develop skills and deepen understanding

  • Provides a connective tissue across courses and subjects

Our Collaborative Learning Strategies

Hand holding several sheets of paper with text and graphics, overlaid with the title 'Source Squads: Secondary' and the subtitle 'Small group source analysis'.
Text overlay on a blurred photo of two people pointing at worksheets on a table, reading "Source Squads: Pairs Partner based discussion and reasoning."
Cover of a book or module titled 'Source Squads: Geography' with a subtitle 'Geographic thinking with maps and data', featuring a background map with marked locations and routes.
Title slide with text "Source Squads: Historiography" and the subtitle "Reassembling historical interpretations over time" over a blurry background of person holding puzzle pieces.
Explore Learning Strategies
Illustration of children working together around a table, writing on sheets of paper. The background is yellow with bold text 'Source Squads: Elementary' at the top, and instructions to flip the card for a guide.

Coming Soon…

Blue background with white text reading "Source Squads: Civics & Government". Below is a graphic of a government dome, and smaller text says "Distribute the Role Cards to your group and flip this card over to begin!" The source is Source Squads LLC.
A colorful educational card with the title 'Source Squads: Economics' and an illustration of bar graphs, an upward arrow, and a dollar sign coin, on a bright green background. The card includes instructions to distribute the role cards and flip it to begin.
A red background with the text "Source Squads: Advanced" in large blue letters with shadows. Below the text, there is an illustration of an open notebook with handwritten notes and sketches, stacked on top of two closed books. At the bottom, instructions say "Flip this card over to use as a guide as you work together," and there is a copyright note from Source Squads LLC 2026.

Ready-to-Teach Lessons

Slide presentation with a title in big red font reading 'Compelling Question: How do countries cooperate and clash over the Amazon region?' and a section of guiding questions on a red background, including 'What are characteristics of the site and situation of the Amazon Rainforest?' and 'How does the Amazon Rainforest influence conflict and cooperation between nations?'

Slides

Page titled 'Redlining' with sections on overview, guiding questions, objectives, materials, source material, and bibliography about banking policies during the 1930s and their impact on African American neighborhoods.

Lesson Plans

A document titled 'Objections to the Constitution of Government formed by the Convention,' George Mason, 1787. It contains a note about George Mason's influence, a comparison table with original and modified text regarding rights and government authority, and a copyright © Source Squads 2025 at the bottom.

Sources

A historical map of the thirteen original colonies in 1774, showing territorial divisions and geographical features of the region.

Other Instructional Materials

View Lessons and Sources

Source Squads was developed by teachers for teachers.

Learn more about our team below!

Founder Andrew Bedell

Andrew Bedell

andrew@sourcesquads.com

Andrew is a National Board Certified Social Studies and Special Education teacher who brings a wealth of experience to the Source Squads team. Andrew has taught for 11 years and holds a M.A. in American History. He is continually working to develop new curriculum and strategies to benefit his students, which has resulted in work at the district and state level, and multiple organizations including New American History, National History Day, and the Delaware Historical Society. His passion for historical literacy led him to create Source Squads, and after multiple years of testing and refining, he created this company to help students and educators across the country use the Source Squads curriculum. When he isn’t teaching or writing curriculum, Andrew can be found spending time with his family or performing locally as a freelance saxophonist.

Founder Erin Sullivan

Erin Sullivan

erin@sourcesquads.com

With over 20 years of teaching experience, a M.A. in American History and a M.A. in Economics, and National Board Certification for Teachers, Erin is passionate about social studies education. Her work has included curriculum development for multiple organizations including National History Day, National Endowment for the Humanities, The United States Institute of Peace, Delaware Historical Society, and Delaware Public Archives. Her favorite part about teaching history is helping students make meaningful connections to what they are learning and watching as they become confident young scholars. When she isn’t nerding out about history, Erin can be found with her nose in a book or spending time with her family and puppies. 

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What Educators Are Saying

  • "This is the most student engagement I've seen with source analysis. It has been awesome to see students take the ownership of the learning and be the leaders of the inquiry. "

    Amanda, Social Studies Coordinator

  • "Source Squads has been a powerful addition to my U.S. History classroom. I’ve seen noticeable growth in students’ literacy skills, historical thinking, and willingness to engage with complex texts."

    Daniel, Classroom Teacher

  • "Source Squads addresses two important goals of social studies instruction - disciplinary literacy and collaborative student talk. The protocol provides a clear framework to guide students as they work together to dig into evidence."

    Lisa, Social Studies Coordinator

  • "This has been an especially helpful protocol in my AP African American Studies classroom to get them to think critically about the sources in order to come to an evidence-based conclusion."

    Jenn, Classroom Teacher

  • "Working with Source Squads was a game changer for our museum! Erin and Andrew’s deep knowledge of curriculum, students' needs, trends in the field, and endless creativity makes the final product a premier program."

    Tom Guiler, Director of Museum Affairs, Oneida Community Mansion House

  • "As a new teacher, having Source Squads has been a major help in facilitating thoughtful discussions around texts with my students. Its clear structure in my classroom has noticeably helped my students feel comfortable taking chances in their learning."

    Arlo, First Year Teacher

  • "Source Squads offers a powerful, classroom-ready approach to building critical thinking in Social Studies through highly collaborative and interactive learning frameworks. Their team is incredibly responsive and willing to customize topics to meet specific instructional goals, state-specific content and student needs."

    Kristin, Social Studies Coordinator

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