'This is a second-class citizen thing!': Educating justice-oriented citizenship through critical literacy in elementary social studies.

This study investigates how a fifth-grade class developed critical consciousness and justice-oriented citizenship through critical literacy integrated with social studies education. Using historical fiction focused on social justice issues, students engaged in discussions that challenged their prior notions of citizenship, examined power and privilege—particularly white privilege—and connected these themes to local and broader societal contexts. The research aligned the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for social studies with Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts (ELA) to support inquiry-based learning that fosters critical thinking and civic engagement. Findings indicate that critical literacy practices enabled students to deepen their understanding of democratic values, recognize systemic inequities, and develop sociopolitical awareness, positioning them as active co-constructors of knowledge and advocates for social justice.