Recent scholarship on civic education has introduced some useful ways to engage students in learning about controversial topics, debating them, and participating in democratic life. However, while those are valuable tools for active citizenship, they're not sufficient. Democratic education should focus on issues that matter intensely to students'…

Examining data provides a unique opportunity to have students work actively with various technologies, such as computers or graphing calculators. Students can import data into spreadsheet software, execute mathematical calculations, create data graphs, and use this material in reports to present the results of their inquiry. Reinforcing the use of…

High school students examine the structure, function, services, finances, politics, and budgeting of county governments provided in this unit containing five lesson plans. Students interview all available county officials to obtain the widest viewpoint possible on the structure and function of county government, then rank the functions as most and…

A unit is described in which fourth and eighth graders in Peoria, Illinois, gained understanding of the world through careful and critical reading of their local daily newspaper. The focus was on news about local international involvement. The teachers who developed the unit believe that study of local newspapers enriches information about the…

This monograph is designed to provide materials, ideas, and strategies for school districts and teachers to broaden and expand the standards and requirements of Ohio studies. Section 1, "Introduction" provides an overview of the monograph. Section 2, "Organizing for Instruction" gives several alternative approaches to designing…

Appropriate for high school students, four units focus on the role, problems, and functions of city government. Designed to be covered in 5 to 6 weeks, the units involve students in interviewing city council members, listing community needs, inviting local officials as guest speakers, and examining problems resulting from the structure, limited…

This resource unit, developed by University of Minnesota's Project Social Studies as part of a course on Our Political System, introduces eighth graders to decision making at the local level. This unit, much shorter than the others in the course, attempts to have pupils use concepts learned earlier to analyze one or more crucial problems in their…

Part of a sequential series of curriculum units in environmental education for grades 4 through 12, this curriculum guide for grade 9 focuses on identifying problems, formulating hypotheses, considering alternatives, and making decisions in environmental education. The activities include the showing of films, making environmental decisions,…

Part of a sequential series of curriculum units in environmental education for grades 4 through 12, this sixth grade curriculum guide focuses on man's effect upon the environment. Extensive classroom activities and field trips introduce the student to population, technology, pollution, natural resources, responsibility, career opportunities, and…

Part of a sequential series of curriculum units in environmental education for grades 4 through 12, this curriculum guide focuses on environmental problems in the United States for eleventh grade students. This unit is designed to make the student aware of how the problems of the past become critical problems of the present. Activities foster an…

In this teacher's guide for grade 2, three common types of communities--farming, commuting, and urban--are presented for study. The curriculum's objectives, 11 key concepts taken up in grades 1-8, and a list of 20 behavioral objectives to be attained by the end of grade 2 are given. The year's program is organized into three units: (1) "Community…

Designed for inclusion in an eighth grade course on U.S. history or civics, this unit introduces local students to the history of Alexandria (Virginia) through a study of its buildings and urban growth. By examining factors which have changed the community (technology, transportation, economic influences) as well as the relationship between…

The social studies unit involves students in learning about how their families and neighbors view their community. In addition, students identify community issues and problems, and explore their own attitudes about their community. It is designed for use in grade five through junior high school. There are four parts to the community study project.…

In this award winning project for incorporating economics study into the curriculum, a fifth grade class studied economic interdependence as it applied to their community (Barling, Arkansas). Class readings of several books dealing with the development of an economic community preceded the students' creation of a mini-Barling with elected…

This combined teacher guide and student text is written with the broad goal of involving high school students in Bristol Bay, Alaska, in the planning and design of their region's future. Unit I introduces changes occurring on village and regional levels, discusses planning strategies for community development, and presents village profiles for…