Civic Education in the Elementary Grades

Civic Education in the Elementary Grades PDF Author: Dana Mitra
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 080777345X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 191

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Book Description
As former elementary school teachers, the authors focus on what is possible in schools rather than a romantic vision of what schools could be. Based on a 5-year study of an elementary school, this book shows how civic engagement can be purposive and critical—a way to encourage young people to examine their environment, to notice and question injustices, and to take action to make a difference in their communities and school. Focusing on the intersection of student voice and critical inquiry, the book describes how to embed civic engagement into curriculum, school decision-making processes, and whole-school activities. Chapters provide an overview of what research has demonstrated about civic engagement at the classroom, school, and community levels, including detailed descriptions of activities and lessons for practice. Classroom teachers, school principals, community members, and teacher educators can use this resource to foster a deeper, richer understanding of what is entailed in civic life. Book Features: A vivid portrait of a “typical” public school that wants to do more than teach to the test.An examination of the conditions that enable young people to participate in democratic practices, including identifying and questioning injustices.Concrete examples of student voice and critical inquiry in classroom contexts.Practices and activities that encourage children to get along with others, exchange perspectives, and work across differences. “Offers a suggestive range of evidence that high-quality civic engagement initiatives can enhance students’ academic, social, and emotional engagement. . . . It reveals the nitty-gritty of how experienced teachers can enable children who are immersed in meaningful civic work also to engage more deeply with mathematical problem-solving, peer collaboration, literacy and social studies learning, and development of empathy and mutual trust.” —From the Foreword by Meira Levinson “Mitra and Serriere show us not only that elementary-aged children are capable of civic engagement, but how such engagement can be nurtured in the classroom. Children can be active civic participants; this book demonstrates both the power of this idea and how we might accomplish this essential task.” —Beth C. Rubin, Rutgers University

Civic Education in the Elementary Grades

Civic Education in the Elementary Grades PDF Author: Dana Mitra
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 080777345X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 191

Get Book Here

Book Description
As former elementary school teachers, the authors focus on what is possible in schools rather than a romantic vision of what schools could be. Based on a 5-year study of an elementary school, this book shows how civic engagement can be purposive and critical—a way to encourage young people to examine their environment, to notice and question injustices, and to take action to make a difference in their communities and school. Focusing on the intersection of student voice and critical inquiry, the book describes how to embed civic engagement into curriculum, school decision-making processes, and whole-school activities. Chapters provide an overview of what research has demonstrated about civic engagement at the classroom, school, and community levels, including detailed descriptions of activities and lessons for practice. Classroom teachers, school principals, community members, and teacher educators can use this resource to foster a deeper, richer understanding of what is entailed in civic life. Book Features: A vivid portrait of a “typical” public school that wants to do more than teach to the test.An examination of the conditions that enable young people to participate in democratic practices, including identifying and questioning injustices.Concrete examples of student voice and critical inquiry in classroom contexts.Practices and activities that encourage children to get along with others, exchange perspectives, and work across differences. “Offers a suggestive range of evidence that high-quality civic engagement initiatives can enhance students’ academic, social, and emotional engagement. . . . It reveals the nitty-gritty of how experienced teachers can enable children who are immersed in meaningful civic work also to engage more deeply with mathematical problem-solving, peer collaboration, literacy and social studies learning, and development of empathy and mutual trust.” —From the Foreword by Meira Levinson “Mitra and Serriere show us not only that elementary-aged children are capable of civic engagement, but how such engagement can be nurtured in the classroom. Children can be active civic participants; this book demonstrates both the power of this idea and how we might accomplish this essential task.” —Beth C. Rubin, Rutgers University

Moral, Character, and Civic Education in the Elementary School

Moral, Character, and Civic Education in the Elementary School PDF Author: Jacques S. Benninga
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780807730560
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
Addresses the debate in the US over moral education, examining the two arguments: that children should be exposed to a direct programme advocating moral standards; and, alternatively, that they should be taught to cope and adapt through a variety of alternatives that allow them informed choice.

Building Better Citizens

Building Better Citizens PDF Author: Holly Korbey
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1475843453
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
Educating for citizenship was the original mission of American schools, but for decades that knowledge—also known as civics education—has been in decline, as schools have shifted focus to college and career, STEM, and raising reading and math scores. But over the last few years, spurred on by political polarization and a steep decline in public understanding, civics education is seeing a nation-wide resurgence, as school leaders, educators, and parents recognize the urgency of teaching young people how America works—especially young people who have been marginalized from the political system. But this isn’t your grandmother’s civics. The “new” civics has been updated and re-tooled for the phone-addicted, multi-cultural, globalized twenty-first century kid. From combatting “fake news” with fact checking in Silicon Valley, to reviving elementary school social studies in Nashville, to learning civic activism in Oklahoma City, journalist Holly Korbey documents the grassroots revival happening across the country. Along the way, she provides an essential guidebook for educators, school leaders and caregivers of all types who want to educate a new generation of engaged citizens at a critical time in American democracy.

What Can a Citizen Do?

What Can a Citizen Do? PDF Author: Dave Eggers
Publisher: Chronicle Books
ISBN: 1452176337
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 53

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Book Description
"Obligatory reading for future informed citizens." —The New York Times "[This] charming book provides examples and sends the message that citizens aren't born but are made by actions taken to help others and the world they live in." –The Washington Post Empowering and timeless, What Can a Citizen Do? is the latest collaboration from the acclaimed duo behind the bestselling Her Right Foot: Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris. This is a book for today's youngest readers about what it means to be a citizen. This is a book about what citizenship—good citizenship—means to you, and to us all.

Bringing School to Life

Bringing School to Life PDF Author: Sarah K. Anderson
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1475830629
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 201

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Book Description
Place-based education is on the rise. Tired of “teaching to the test,” educators are looking for authentic ways to connect their curriculum to real life. The place-based approach brings students into their communities to learn necessary content and skills by working to meet the needs of local agencies and organizations. Students are more engaged because they know they are doing real work, teachers are reinvigorated by creating exciting learning opportunities, and the school takes on a more active role in the community. At the heart of this process is the place itself: the land, the history, and the culture. Bringing School to Life: Place-Based Education across the Curriculum by Sarah Anderson offers insights into how to build a program across the K-8 grades. Anderson addresses key elements such as mapping, local history, citizen science, integrated curricula, and more. Additionally, Anderson suggests strategies for building community partnerships and implementation for primary grades. This book goes beyond theory to give concrete examples and advice in how to make place-based education a real educational option in any school.

Young Citizens of the World

Young Citizens of the World PDF Author: Marilynne Boyle-Baise
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135019371
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Young Citizens of the World takes a clear stance: Social studies is about citizenship education that is informed, deliberative, and activist—citizenship not only as a noun, something one studies, but as a verb, something one DOES. Its holistic, multicultural approach is based on this clear curricular and pedagogical purpose. Straightforward, engaging, and highly interactive, the book encourages students (and their teachers) to become informed, think it through, and take action. Each chapter is written as a civic engagement which is teacher-ready for use in elementary classrooms. A set of six teaching strategies that are constructive, inquiry-driven, dramatic, and deliberative bring the curricular framework to life through intensive, integrated meaningful studies of special places, important people, and significant times. Readers are invited to rehearse the projects in their social studies education courses and then to reinterpret them for their classrooms. The projects are supported by important resources for teaching, including supportive children’s literature, links to internet sites, and visual sources and by a Companion Website that enhances and extends the text.

No Citizen Left Behind

No Citizen Left Behind PDF Author: Meira Levinson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674069587
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 454

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Book Description
While teaching at an all-Black middle school in Atlanta, Meira Levinson realized that students’ individual self-improvement would not necessarily enable them to overcome their profound marginalization within American society. This is because of a civic empowerment gap that is as shameful and antidemocratic as the academic achievement gap targeted by No Child Left Behind. No Citizen Left Behind argues that students must be taught how to upend and reshape power relationships directly, through political and civic action. Drawing on political theory, empirical research, and her own on-the-ground experience, Levinson shows how de facto segregated urban schools can and must be at the center of this struggle. Recovering the civic purposes of public schools will take more than tweaking the curriculum. Levinson calls on schools to remake civic education. Schools should teach collective action, openly discuss the racialized dimensions of citizenship, and provoke students by engaging their passions against contemporary injustices. Students must also have frequent opportunities to take civic and political action, including within the school itself. To build a truly egalitarian society, we must reject myths of civic sameness and empower all young people to raise their diverse voices. Levinson’s account challenges not just educators but all who care about justice, diversity, or democracy.

National Standards for Civics and Government

National Standards for Civics and Government PDF Author: Center for Civic Education (Calif.)
Publisher: Center for Civic Education
ISBN: 0898181550
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
Voluntary national content standards for civics education for grades K-12, supported by the US Department of Education.

Teaching Civic Literacy Projects

Teaching Civic Literacy Projects PDF Author: Shira Eve Epstein
Publisher: Teachers College Press
ISBN: 0807755753
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
This practical resource shows teachers how to enact robust forms of civic education in today's schools. Both instructive and thought-provoking, it will inspire teachers to craft curricula addressing a wide range of genuine civic problems such as those related to racial discrimination, environmental damage, and community health. Dividing civic literacy projects into three key phases--problem identification, problem exploration, and action--the author provides concrete examples from upper-elementary, middle, and high school classrooms to illustrate and analyze how each phase can unfold. The projects ultimately provide opportunities for youth to participate in civic life while they develop essential literacy skills associated with reading, writing, and speaking. The final chapter outlines a curriculum design process that will result in coherent and meaningful civic literacy projects driven by clear goals. It includes practical tools, such as a sample unit timeline, an assessment chart, and student worksheets that can be modified for immediate use.

Black Ants and Buddhists

Black Ants and Buddhists PDF Author: Mary Cowhey
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1003842291
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
What would a classroom look like if understanding and respecting differences in race, culture, beliefs, and opinions were at its heart? If you were inspired to become a teacher because you wanted to develop young minds, but now find yourself limited by "teach to the test" pressures and state standards, Mary Cowhey's book Black Ants and Buddhists: Thinking Critically and Teaching Differently in the Primary Grades will reignite the passion and remind you that educators provide more than test prep. Starting her career as a community activist, Cowhey shares her roots and how they influenced her Peace Class, where she asks her students to think critically, learn through activism and discussion, and view the entire curriculum through the framework of understanding the world, and what they can do to make it a better place. Woven through the book is Mary's unflinching and humorous account of her own roots as well as lessons from her heroes: Gandhi, Eleanor Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King, Jr, and others. Her students learn to make connections between their lives, the books they read, the community leaders they meet, and the larger world. Black Ants and Buddhists offers no easy answers, but it does include starting points for conversations about diversity and controversy in your classroom, as well as in the larger community. Students and teachers investigate problems and issues together, in a multicultural, antiracist classroom.