C-SPAN is a non-profit public service television network created by the U.S. cable television industry to provide viewers live gavel-to-gavel access to the proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and to other forums where public policy is discussed, debated, and decided. This guide presents a brief history of how…

This book presents a collection of ideas about how social studies and language arts can be combined to promote learning and to create an active, informed citizenship for the 21st century. Chapter titles include: (1) "By the Book: Learning History beyond the Text"; (2) "A Place at the Table: Investigating Global Issues in a Day"; (3) "Across the…

This American Indian supplement to the 1994 National Civics and Government Standards aims to provide classroom teachers with useful ideas for instructional content focused on American Indian-related civics and government issues. Like the national standards, this document is divided into the grade level groupings of K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. The…

This book is a collection of essays on political education for democratic citizenship in higher education developed out of meetings over 5 years of a small group of faculty, administrators and students who gathered to discuss the way academia was educating young people for political responsibility. Following a foreword and an introduction by…

Although the humanistic and democratic practices in the Czech Republic secondary schools are currently insufficient due to the communist regime prior to 1989, a tradition exists in the Czech cultural background for humanity and democracy in education, and those values can be incorporated into the school environment again. The long term isolation…

During 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported findings about elementary and secondary school students' knowledge of U.S. history, geography, and civics. In 1988, the Joint Council on Economic Education reported findings from its national study of high school students' knowledge of economics. The designers and…

The textbook for a social studies course on citizenship rights and responsibilities in the United States, presented entirely in French, consists of eight chapters. Each contains a preview of vocabularly and key ideas; a brief introductory text on the chapter topic; and a series of more specific texts, with illustrations, a list of questions for…

Designed to motivate eighth-grade civics students in the study of the United States Constitution, this game is intended to simulate the basic problems faced by the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. The four parts of the game introduce the governmental concepts of the bicameral legislature, the executive branch, the judicial branch,…

The second step of implementation of the legalization program of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) began on November 7, 1988. This second step is the process by which undocumented immigrants, initially granted temporary residence, may adjust to their status change to permanent resident. Certain aspects of the adjustment are…

This first edition of a new semiannual publication for secondary school teachers of social studies features the article, "The Federal Deficit: Challenges and Opportunities for Policy Makers" (Walter Heller and Bruce Dalgaard) and provides ideas for subject area teaching activities in economics, U.S. government, and world history that…

One of a series of booklets designed to make available to a wide audience thoughtful perspectives on issues of domestic and foreign policy, this booklet contains two essays which provide a solid base for elementary and secondary teachers to communicate the nature of America's place in the world, its responsibilities, ideals, and traditions to…

There are few curricular programs or activities in the schools which help students develop skills that enable them to participate actively in voluntary civic or political activities. Literacy, and especially civic writing, is critical for participation in the civic process. But teaching civic writing, which is distinguished by its purposes,…

This ERIC digest discusses civic education in U.S. schools in terms of: (1) its meaning; (2) its place in the curriculum; (3) its effects on learners; and (4) suggested methods of improving it. Civic education involves the development of skills in making decisions about public issues and participating in public affairs and encompasses the…

Intended to help secondary and college students and adults develop a clearer understanding of how our democracy works, this booklet examines how Congress makes legislative decisions and how it collects the information necessary to legislate. With 100 Senators, 435 Representatives, and 20,000 staff people receiving and processing information,…

The belief in citizen participation, along with the values of liberty and equality, have shaped the U.S. character and are reflected in the nation's institutions and behavior. This participation is manifested by electoral participation, citizen action, citizen involvement, obligatory participation, volunteer service, and mutual self-help. To take…