Source Squads Learning Strategies give teachers clear structures to build Social Studies disciplinary literacy skills over time.

Used independently or together, they create ongoing opportunities for feedback and growth and can be applied to any set of sources, including our own formatted and accessible lessons and sources.

Source Squads
Document Duos
History Puzzles
Geo Groups
Four students sit around a table in a study room, engaged in conversation. They have laptops, papers, and a pen on the table. One girl in a yellow dress appears surprised or amused, while another girl with glasses looks at her laptop. Two other students are partially visible, focusing on the discussion.

Source Squads, our first learning strategy, builds disciplinary literacy through a small-group environment.

Through Source Squads, students assume specific roles to facilitate discussion and annotation.

Close-up of colorful inquiry discussion cards on a table, including cards labeled 'Corroborating', 'Close Reading', 'Contextualizing', 'Sourcing', and 'Document Duos'.

Document Duos is a pair-based learning strategy.

As “Partner A” and “Partner B,” each student completes tasks with feedback from each other. Flexible grouping is available through a “Auditor” role.

History Puzzles is a learning strategy for the teaching of historiography and exploring how historical interpretation evolves over time.

Students consider how historians’ questions, use of sources, and connection to historiographical trends influences their conclusions.

A worksheet with instructions for analyzing historical questions. The worksheet instructs to identify the question(s) historians are trying to answer, cut and paste each piece into matching interpretation, and underline where the author answers directly or indirectly. The worksheet has four yellow puzzle piece shapes with questions: 'What effects did the War of 1812 have on American political decisions?', 'How did the War of 1812 influence the relationship between the U.S. and its neighbors?', 'Who won the War of 1812?', and 'What did the War of 1812 reveal about divisions within the U.S.?'. The source is credited to Source Squads 2025.

Geo Groups provides a structure for students to explore sources from a geography lens in small groups

Students assume roles and facilitate the analysis and annotation of geographic sources.

Curious to learn more about our learning frameworks? We’d love to connect! Fill out the form below and let us know how we can support your students.