As U.S. politics has been and continues to be dominated by white men, girls and children of color begin to disengage from politics beginning at young ages, leading to their voices being less present in the political system in adulthood. This article suggests several fruitful avenues for K-5 classroom activities designed to expand students'…

The authors highlight two first-grade teachers who teach in New York City. Using a read-aloud, they explore differences between equity and equality and then engage children in a real-world scenario that engages concepts of fairness when allocating resources to disparate groups of people.

In this article, Kimi Waite and Jennifer Burgin describe a three-step interdisciplinary framework for learning partnerships between TK-2 students and scientists that covers the NCSS themes SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, SOCIETY and PEOPLE, PLACES, AND ENVIRONMENTS. The authors showcase standards-aligned learning activities and resources to help practicing…

Civics education shouldn't be confined to dusty textbooks, as evidenced by this assortment of projects. In one unit, elementary students play out the presidential election--from campaigning to inauguration day--using the Storypath approach. In another project, 5th graders explore the controversy about Confederate monuments by studying a local…

Civics education shouldn't be confined to dusty textbooks, as evidenced by this assortment of projects. In one unit, elementary students play out the presidential election--from campaigning to inauguration day--using the Storypath approach. In another project, 5th graders explore the controversy about Confederate monuments by studying a local…

This article presents an in-class exercise that teaches students how to call elected officials about a course-related issue of their choice. The goals are to connect classroom learning with real-life action, to show that contacting elected officials need not be difficult or intimidating, and to help students develop a sense of efficacy that can…

Civics education shouldn't be confined to dusty textbooks, as evidenced by this assortment of projects. In one unit, elementary students play out the presidential election--from campaigning to inauguration day--using the Storypath approach. In another project, 5th graders explore the controversy about Confederate monuments by studying a local…

The current political climate has created urgency around civic education. The authors argue that educators can best seize the moment by infusing authentic activities and experiences in content studies. They provide an example of one such hybrid instructional model from Democracy Prep Public Schools.

Election simulations are considered a viable tool to instigate democratic learning in schools. This paper reports an explorative qualitative inquiry into one type of simulation project: mock-elections (ME). Main objective was to gain an insight into the organization of ME-practices in eight schools in the Netherlands in 2012. Thematic analysis of…

Activities are described for helping students celebrate and learn about ratification and the historical debates preceding the Constitution's acceptance. (CB)

Teachers may use a variety of participatory activities to stimulate students' interest in the legislative arm of American government and in their own role as good citizens. Activities suggested include writing a play about Congress, writing to a congressional representative, and inviting a representative to class. (JL)

A teacher recalls how an entire elementary school became involved in the planning of a school-wide celebration and reenactment of the Constitutional Convention. Resource tips and activities are described. (CB)

The ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health represents an essential skill for a health literate individual. By providing opportunities to successfully engage in health advocacy and service learning activities, students may be motivated to become life-long advocates for health and continue to actively advocate and participate…

Teachers ought to be doers as well as teachers. A government teacher discusses how participating in the political process helped his teaching. Learning activities are suggested. (RM)

Describes a number of projects through which elementary school students in Massachusetts learned about their local and state community and gained skills needed for active citizenship. (PRA)