In your honor, teachers everywhere are going to give their students the gift of civics. Civics – the art and practice of good citizenship – is a lost subject often sacrificed to scripted lessons in factory schools. The study of civics to include the mechanics of shared governance and the meaning of shared history is not always a curricular priority in schools in 21st century education. Civics also includes teaching current events that help students understand and appreciate their past and consider and prepare for their future.
Yet, there are few mandated standards and no high stakes tests for civics. Except in the case of immigrants. There is a test of civics that bestows citizenship on immigrants. So if you want to teach students to use their emotional strengths for the good of others and to contribute meaningfully to the democratic process, it is the most important test of all. Good citizenship is a most vital accomplishment - and we do test it with the U.S. Citizenship & Naturalization Test.
Civics is a subject and can be taught. Reading is not a subject - only a skill set that enables the study and mastery of civics. Yet, reading is taught pervasively and civics much less so. In 2009, former Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor was so concerned by declining civic knowledge and participation that she founded iCivics: http://www.icivics.org
ICivics prepares young Americans to become knowledgeable, engaged 21st century citizens by providing free and innovative educational materials. ICivics helps teachers to pass along the legacy of democracy to the next generation using 16 educational video games and other vibrant teaching materials. ICivics offers the most comprehensive standards-aligned civics curriculum available and it is free to all.
Curricular units such as the Bill of Rights and the three branches of government engage students in project learning. Each unit includes online games, interactive web quests, and fully prepared practical and engaging lessons. There is also a special impact competition where classrooms devise and execute a civics project that has impact in the community.
4th to 12th grade students – and some advanced 3rd graders - learn civics from different parts of the ICivics curriculum. Teachers can easily expand, extend, and adapt lessons at all grade levels. The students also learn positive psychology lessons as a byproduct.
Lessons and games build understanding and empathy for immigrants. Students learn that empathy must morph into cooperation with others to solve international crises. Students learn to solve disputes through reasonable argument that requires self-regulation of emotion. Students learn how to leverage collective strengths to improve their communities through competitions and examples of civic heroism.
George Washington, himself, knows the transformative power of civic heroism.
Do you teach civics as a subject in your classroom? Do you teach civics lessons in your classroom? Do you play civics games? Do students read newspapers or magazines? Do students watch news clips or watch videos on civics topics? Do students discuss, debate, record, and write on the topics of civics? Do you consider how to teach positive psychology lessons through civics: is our democracy resilient? Why? Is our government strong? Why? Were your grandparents immigrants? Do you feel empathy for immigrants?
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Notes
Web Resources
History Channel Road to Citizenship Quiz Game
http://www.history.com/interactives/the-road-to-citizenship-quiz-game
History Channel Citizenship Interactive Quiz
http://www.history.com/interactives/citizenship-quiz
U.S. Citizenship & Naturalization Teaching Materials
Great Online Resources for Teaching Current Events
http://res.hcpss.org/08492C81-0119EC4E.3/Student%20News%20Sites.pdf
PBS Current Events Teacher Center
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/
Annenberg Classroom Best Civics Sites for Teachers
Edutopia Using Game Based Learning to Teach Civics
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/game-based-learning-civics-andrew-miller
ICivics http://www.icivics.org
Teaching Civics http://teachingcivics.org
Civics Unrest: On Teaching Children to Love Democracy
http://www.edutopia.org/dispatches-civics-unrest
Scholastics Teaching Civics Resources
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/search/teacher?query=civics
Available March 2013: Positive Psychology in the Elementary School Classroom and is the first in a series intended to help teachers build positive psychology classrooms. http://books.wwnorton.com/books/Author.aspx?id=23961
Author Page: www.pattyogrady.com