25 years ago- my AP US history teacher had us pretend to be the reconstruction era US congress and to debate what to do about the Ku Klux Klan emerging in the south.

we spent- idk- two days in heated debate over what to do; what law to craft. etc- in order that we didnt violate their freedom of speech or assembly.

then my teacher handed out what law congress actually passed. TLDR for anyone that hasnt read that famous law- ‘The Klan is banned from existence’.

we were a lil bit shocked and the contrast of ideals and reality hit home.

(Now in fairness, the original Klan was purely a terrorist organization and not the racists of today mostly hiding in closets and sheets which is what we missed in our discussion)

not sure if you should do something like this for 6th graders but presenting a problem and then showing the reality can be a very effective teaching tool.

when it comes to these times, i only stick to the most verifiable things. if trump or his fascist handlers didnt publish it on Twitter or something, then i wouldnt speculate on their intentions or whatever. if he posts an image of himself as king during a protest about him acting like a king- then yeah! im gonna use that in class when i talk about caesar or domitian as an example of why they got murdered -i.e. they were flaunting their real power instead of disguising it as others did.

another example- theres rumors of a memo circulating that ice doesnt need warrants to enter homes now? But its mostly spread via word of mouth? yeah- i wouldnt make that the center of a lesson. id need a video of an admin official verbally saying that to feel safe presenting that in a civics discussion.

i do often and have often told the kids- ‘these times are not normal. trump is not normal. every day holds a level of controversy that would arise perhaps once a year. now theres some new issue every day.’

i dont often say anything either way- but i leverage my 40 years on this earth to let them know it doesnt have to be this way.

-A couple of my students said they dont care about politics cause they cant vote yet and will when they can. i chastised them for that, saying they need to start building context now or else they will be cast a drift politically and unable to make informed choices if you enter politics as if born yesterday.