This content analysis explored how Civics and Government textbooks and the Virginia Standards of Learning for Civics and Government courses reflect citizenship outcomes, specifically deconstructing the unique needs of marginalized students. The coding frame was constructed by using themes and categories from previous literature, specifically…

As teachers progress in life and career, generation gaps may begin to appear that decrease not only the effectiveness of interaction with students but also the ability to produce generationally relevant course content. Situated in a framework of socioculturalism (Vygotsky 1978), this article presents The STORRI Method--a strategy for exploring and…

In May and June of 2013, CIRCLE surveyed a national sample of high school civics and U.S. government teachers. Complete survey responses from 720 teachers provided a wealth of information on more than 1,000 civics and government courses that they taught. The teachers responded to questions about key activities and topics; attitudes towards civic…

This article concerns textbook analysis regarding the presentation of socialism in four leading high school social studies books, one in each of the following subjects: United States history, world history, United States government, and economics. Findings indicate that students relying on these texts to gain understanding of socialism and…

Using Kelly's (1986) four perspectives on teacher disclosure, I analyze the quality of instruction present in the classrooms of six high school government teachers during their coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election, an event that received widespread media attention and elicited strong feelings on both sides of the political spectrum. Four of…

This paper reports a design experiment that attempted to strike a balance between coverage and learning in an exam-oriented, college-preparatory, high school course--Advanced Placement (AP) US Government and Politics. Theoretically, the study provides a conceptual framework for penetrating the depth/breadth tension in such courses, which are known…

Role playing Congress provides high school American government students with a unique opportunity not only to learn the workings of the Congress, but also to be active participants in the learning process. Research studies have shown that students enjoy those classes in which they are actively participating. (RM)

High school students need to be able to analyze specific social and political events, as well as political institutions within a system. They should analyze the existence of democratic behavior and the level at which the democratic behavior operates. Discussed are six criteria for determining democratic performance within society. (RM)

Presents a student's description of the Close Up program in Washington, D.C. High school students and teachers participate in workshops and seminars with Senators, House members, and government administrators. Activities stress the importance of cooperation, conflict, and compromise in the political process. (AM)

In this activity for high school American government classes, students examine and discuss six documents concerning the transfer of power to Lyndon Johnson after the Kennedy assassination. The objective of the lesson is to help students understand how power is gained and used. (AM)

This book identifies books suitable for high school and beginning students studying American government and politics. The contents reflect a variety of scholastic levels and should be evaluated by the teacher or librarian in determining the suitability for the school library. The book is organized by topics that appear in most high school…

Textbooks may indicate the quantity and quality of subject content in a secondary school curriculum. They tend to conform to state departments of education and large local school districts' curriculum guides and to be the dominant instructional medium in high school courses. Examinations of widely-used textbooks may indicate the strengths and…

Offers a lesson which is designed to help twelfth grade American Government students understand the process and dilemmas of congressional reapportionment or redistricting. Includes objectives, teaching procedures and a map of an imaginary state showing districts and their populations. (JDH)

This bilingual handbook on American government is one in a series developed to help Vietnamese-American high school students who are literate in their native language, but who are limited-English-proficient, in meeting graduation requirements. In the first part of the book, major concepts in American government and a glossary of important and…

Reviews the growing literature on the forecasting of elections, providing an example in the form of 1988 congressional election predictions. Briefly discusses the history of election outcome prediction and outlines two scientific forecasting models which, the authors state, are appropriate for use in the classroom. (GEA)