Connecticut Explored’s Textbook and Online Resources Answered COVID-19 Challenges

Connecticut Explored debuted their third-grade social studies textbook, Where I Live, in 2017, successfully meeting teachers’ demands for content that adhered to the State’s newly-revised social studies framework. Little did the statewide magazine know that three years later, their text and accompanying online resources would answer another burgeoning demand – this time amidst a global pandemic – and attract unprecedented usage by teachers and their students.

When the State of Connecticut updated its social studies framework in 2015, it introduced a Connecticut content requirement for third grade, entitled, “Our State and Our Town: Yesterday and Today.” Initially, teachers struggled to find good resources to respond.

“They didn’t want lesson plans or curriculum because they were building their own; they wanted the material upon which they would base their lesson plans and curriculum,” explained Elizabeth Normen, publisher at Connecticut Explored.

A statewide, collaborative effort among educators, publishers, and staff members from local historical institutions ensured Where I Live – a textbook with free supplemental online resources – provided a comprehensive account of Connecticut’s rich history. It was precisely what teachers were looking for.

“Steve Armstrong, the social studies consultant for the State Department of Education, connected me with a group of educators,” Normen recalled. These curriculum specialists included Melanie Meehan of Simsbury and Ashley Callan of West Hartford, both of whom had worked with the State on drafting the new social studies frameworks.

In addition to Meehan and Callan, the team contracted six teachers, as well as history professionals – including Jenn Matos, Executive Director of the Noah Webster House and Christopher Newell, who was then Head Educator at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum. Connecticut Explored, led by Normen, did additional writing, fact-checking, and editing.

After compiling the comprehensive 80-page book, Meehan and Callan were passionate about creating online content that would allow students to further explore topics of interest. To bring this to life, the team of teachers were joined by Simsbury 5th grader Bobby Shipman, a student of Meehan’s, whose grandfather had gifted him a subscription to Connecticut Explored magazine. Shipman wrote roughly a dozen extension essays on varying topics, which were then fact-checked and posted online by Normen.

Since its debut, the Where I Live online content has been updated with additional material as needs arise. Recent add-ons include individualized “My Town” pages on numerous Connecticut communities – crafted by Normen, teachers, and local historical societies – and Read Along videos that provide engaging support for students.

These online resources proved more beneficial than ever when COVID-19 caused schools to transition to distance learning in March. Already part of the spring social studies curriculum, Where I Live quickly became a go-to site with an array of accessible content for tens of thousands of Connecticut elementary school students.

The new home-based learning landscape resulted in an unprecedented user spike on the Where I Live website. In a year-over-year comparison, the website saw an 81% increase in users, going from 11,769 in 2019 to 21,380 in 2020. Page views also increased by 125% – rising from 37,788 at the end of May 2019 to 85,040 at the end of May 2020.

It quickly became apparent that those finding the website for the first time were sold on the benefits of the material being provided, seeing firsthand how in synch it is with the state’s curriculum requirements.

Now, with another unpredictable school year on the horizon, Connecticut Explored continues to provide resources for the State’s students. In addition to Where I Live, their material ranges from content on their Kids’ Page to free resources for middle and high school students.

Normen and her team also launched Venture Smith’s Colonial Connecticut this past fall, for fifth to eighth grade students. The textbook, available for purchase in print and digital formats, is accompanied by a complete curriculum, created by Carol Luckenbach, a curriculum consultant in Connecticut.

The 108-page book and supplemental material recount the true story of Venture Smith, initially published in 1798. It details his capture as a boy in West Africa, survival of the Middle Passage, and dramatic quest to free himself from slavery to become a successful farmer, fisherman, and trader in the American Revolutionary era in Haddam, Connecticut. The material is consistent with the state’s current social studies framework.

Looking ahead, Normen explained, “Our focus is making sure all of our content about African American and Latinx history is available to support the new high school elective, to the extent that the course touches on Connecticut’s part of the story.” That model curriculum is currently being developed at the state level, and is expected in classrooms as soon as next year.

To learn more about Where I Live, discover educational resources, or subscribe to Connecticut Explored magazine, visit their website.

This story was reported and written for CT by the Numbers by Elizabeth Marone, a freelance writer based in Hartford.