Close Up is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education organization that educates and inspires young people to exercise the rights and accept the responsibilities of citizens in a democracy. Since 1971, Close Up has served over 900,000 students and teachers through experiential programs and classroom resources. Close Up’s classroom resources provide the context, facts, and primary source documents to engage middle and high school classrooms in informed debate and discussion about pressing public policy issues. Ultimately, we seek to help young people better understand various viewpoints and come together to address shared challenges in their communities.

If you are interested in talking about current issues with your students, you are in the right place. The best way to get familiar with these resources is to browse our libraries and request a free trial. If you are teaching a specific course, grade level, or topic, please contact us at [email protected]! We have lessons that address a wide range of issues and themes, from specific policy debates (ex. immigration, health care, environment, etc.) to overarching questions about the role and structure of government.

We would welcome the opportunity to help you preview the site and share more information with you about our Professional Development opportunities for teachers.

You can experience the Close Up in Class library with a free 30-day trial of the Standard Platform or the Premium Platform. To learn more and find out which library is best for you, check out our features page.

Schools and teachers use Close Up in Class resources in a variety of ways. Some teach Current Issues untilizing the Public Policy In-Depth library as the main curriculum. Others use the libraries as a supplement to their Government, History, or English courses, selecting the discussion topics that are most relevant to their syllabus.

Typically, the Public Policy In-Depth library fits best in a high school classroom, although some middle schools use these resources for in-depth Civics units. The Controversial Issues in the News library is available in two reading levels - middle school and high school, and is generally the best starting point for both a middle and high school classroom.

Close Up in Class resources are generally used as a supplement to a Civics, Government, United States History, Foreign Policy, English, Debate or Humanities course.

Rooted in Close Up’s experiential approach to civic learning, Close Up in Class is designed to move students from passively reading and processing facts about an issue to actively discussing, debating, and engaging with members of their community. All materials are:

• Based on real-world debates: Our resources draw on the opinions of political leaders, activists, journalists, and other experts to help students understand who actually influences decisions in the policymaking process.
• Balanced: Our resources always take a multi-partisan approach to major issues facing policymakers.
• Easy to Use: Our online libraries are fast and simple to navigate, and the variety of resources in each library allows teachers flexibility to integrate lessons into their curriculum as best fits their needs.

Close Up in Class offers students a balanced and multi-partisan look at controversial issues by using a selection of primary sources (speeches, op-eds, videos, current legislation) drawn from decision-makers and experts on all parts of the political spectrum. We frame each issue around a central question drawn from a real-life policy proposal, and provide students with a synopsis of arguments for and against the proposal in question. By encouraging students to carefully consider both sides of a debate before developing their own opinion, we aim to foster a culture of civility, respect, and understanding.

The National Council for the Social Studies’ C3 Framework is based on core ideas about what citizens can and should do to understand and address public problems. Close Up in Class supports each dimension of the C3 Framework:

• Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries: Close Up in Class materials make connections to longstanding tensions in American government, encouraging students to investigate the root cause of unresolved issues in today’s society.
• Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools: Our lesson plans coach students to use democratic principles as they debate and deliberate on current issues with their peers.
• Evaluation Sources and Using Evidence: Using Close Up in Class, students develop an ability to analyze arguments and make well-founded claims about their political world.
• Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action: Close Up in Class includes resources for students to actively engage with their communities and express their views to leaders and decision-makers.

Close Up in Class also fulfills several significant Common Core Standards for English Language Arts, and state standards across the nation. Our resources are aligned with a number of College & Career Anchor Standards:

• Key Ideas and Details: Close Up in Class asks students to examine the evidence in their readings and use it to develop their own persuasive arguments.
• Integration and Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: Students must analyze the reasoning on both sides of a central question to evaluate which are the strongest arguments.
• Comprehension and Collaboration: Close Up in Class helps teachers facilitate productive classroom discussions and collaborative deliberation on diverse viewpoints.

If you would like more details on how Close Up’s curriculum meets your state standards and supports the C3 framework, please email us at [email protected].

Upon purchase, you will receive an email with your login credentials and the link to access Close Up in Class.

For those with the Premium Platform: Once you log in, you will be able to upload your students by class into the system, individually or via bulk upload. Once enrolled, you can share the link to access the resources and their login credentials with your students.

For those with the Standard Platform: There are no individual licenses. You will have unlimited access to all your purchased resources. You will also receive a single student login to share with your students.

For those with the Premium Platform: Upon purchase, you will be granted 200 licenses to use as you wish. If you need more licenses, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

Access will be granted for one year from the time of purchase.

Please click here to read about our pricing and packages.

The Close Up in Class libraries can be viewed in any web browser.

For those with the Premium Platform: The library is also available as an app through iTunes App Store and Windows Desktop App Store.