Philadelphia Writing Project
Supporting Civically Engaged Argument Writing with Primary Sources
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Curriculum Collection
Third Spaces for Teens
A "third space" is a location where people connect and socialize outside of home and work. In some communities, there may be rules or restrictions about where and when young people might gather. Additionally, digital devices and the internet have changed how people communicate and gather. Invite young people to reflect on where they spend time outside of home and school. Encourage students to ask older adults they know about what they did as teenagers outside of school and home. Do our communities have enough third spaces for young people? Explore this issue by digging into the historical record, engaging in cross-generational dialogue, and exploring current communities practices and policies.
FEATURED PRIMARY SOURCES
Photograph
Teen age [i.e., teenage] economy. 1964. (Library of Congress).
Newspaper Article
Philadelphia youths arrested as pickets. August 28,1937. The Omaha Guide. (Library of Congress, Chronicling America).
Newspaper Article
Teenage dance party. Smyrna Times [DE]. May 26, 1960. (Library of Congress, Chronicling America).
Photograph
Roller skating at the Savoy Ballroom on Saturday night. Chicago, Illinois. 1941. (Library of Congress).
TEXT SET
Introduce the Issue
Introduce the Issue
Teachers may introduce one or both of the featured historical primary sources above alongside more current news articles to introduce the issue and jumpstart inquiry.
Philadelphia teens don't have a lot of places to hang out. Newspaper article raising a question about third spaces for youth and laying out some of the issues. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 2023).
Wildwood curfew 2023: Updated emergency ordinance aimed at curbing unruly teens now in effect. News article about ordinances at the shore limiting where and when youths can assemble. (CBS News, 2023).
‘They won’t even let you in’: Center City stores are banning kids under 18. News article with quotes from young people about store policies related to young people. (Billy Penn, 2019).
Unruly teen behavior is jeopardizing the future of summer festivals and carnivals: ‘This is how things spiral’. News article describing concerns about youths actions during the summer. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 2024).
Go Deeper
Go Deeper
Students may use these texts—or excerpts from these texts—to identify additional perspectives on the issue.
We can’t blame the youth: Why young people need more than a ‘Third Place’. Op-Ed written by an adult advocating for more recreational opportunities for young people. (Philadelphia Tribune, 2023)
The disappearance of third spaces: a crisis for human connection. Editorial about lost third spaces written by a high school student for her school newspaper. (Le Sabre, 2025).
Are high school dances a thing of the past? Here's what some New Jersey students and a psychologist think. News article with various viewpoints about why a school has canceled a dance. (CBS News, 2025).
High school dances going extinct? NJ school cancels dance due to lack of interest. News video about a school cancelling its high school dance. (Inside Edition, 2025)
What are Third Places and why do they matter?. Blog post featuring research about third spaces. (Shanker Institute, 2024).
PLANNING & EQUITY INSIGHTS
Sequencing Lessons to Support Inquiry
Sequencing Lessons to Support Inquiry
Teachers in our Philadelphia Writing Project network and educators from the National Liberty Museum (NLM) collaborated on creating a text set and lesson ideas for the topic of third spaces for a workshop previewing the NLM's exhibition on "Freedom of Assembly."
Check out a suggested mini unit sequence of lessons below. As part of the inquiry trajectory, students engage with historical texts that provide windows into how and where young people gathered in the past, interview older members of their community to find out what third spaces they enjoyed, analyze multiple perspectives across multiple texts to uncover the current civic conversation about third spaces, and craft their own argument writing texts that contribute to the ongoing civic discussion.
The suggested lessons include links to routines and resources from the Library of Congress's Teaching with Primary Sources program and from the National Writing Project's College, Career, and Community Writers Program.
In planning the workshop at the National Liberty Museum, educators also developed a text set around the question about whether our communities have enough green spaces as third spaces. Check out the text set below.
This website features resources created by educators affiliated with the Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP), supported by a Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) grant from the Library of Congress. Content created and featured in partnership with the TPS program does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress.
The following Philadelphia Writing Project teacher consultants contributed to this page: J. Ross, A. Schear, and J. F. Smith.
Educators from the National Liberty Museum also contributed to this page.
Some of the resources and approaches referenced on this page were developed by the National Writing Project's (NWP) College, Career, and Community Writers Program.
Teacher Consultants in the NWP Write Now Teacher Studio and members of the Teaching with Primary Sources Teachers Network have provided feedback on and suggestions for this page.
This page was updated 4 December 2025.
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