This book turns to political theory as a framework for understanding the rise of political and religious extremism, and in particular the Christian Nationalist position, identifying solutions to civic challenges, and arguing for the vital role that public schools play in providing the civic education that prepares young people for participation in…

This unit examines the responsibilities of being a U.S. citizen. It surveys the need for the participation of all citizens in the governing of the United States. Lessons explain that while the United States Constitution does not require the people of the United States to be good citizens, citizens need to work hard in order to stay free. The unit…

This curriculum has been designed to provide high school students with an increased awareness of the importance of responsibility in their own lives and its place in contemporary society, and to encourage their capacity and inclination to deal with issues of responsibility wisely and effectively. Students are asked to examine and make decisions…

The Civic Achievement Award Program (CAAP) was established by the U.S. Congress in response to national concerns about the need to increase civic literacy among the nation's young people. The program was designed to provide elementary and middle school educators with interdisciplinary materials that focus on providing a base of civic competence,…

Inviting high school students to be a part of Close Up Washington, this brochure describes a program in which students from across the United States and around the world travel to Washington, D.C., to learn about the workings of the U.S. federal government. The brochure explains benefits of participating in the program and discusses activities in…

This book presents, in words and pictures, a history of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. Fifteen chapters in the book are entitled: (1) Origins; (2) The Colonial Experience; (3) The American Crisis: Road to Revolution; (4) New Order of the Ages; (5) The Bill of Rights; (6) The Civil War; (7) A Changing America; (8) War & Reaction;…

Increasing numbers of students with disabilities receive a majority of their formal education in general education settings where they must be taught the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to lead fully equitable and participatory lives in a democratic society. Given the need for all students to acquire civic understanding, the purpose of…

This booklet is designed to help student participants in Close Up's Washington and Williamsburg Special Focus Program make connections between colonial Williamsburg (Virginia) and the present. Students are encouraged to see Williamsburg as a historical backdrop by which to study four fundamental ideas that have shaped the development of the United…

The North Dakota Close Up experience is based upon the belief that students need to have an understanding of the roles of state and local governments, of politics and law, and of the rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democracy if the U.S. experiment in self-government is to survive. This document is designed to help students and…

Democracy is more than a creed or a doctrine. It must be a continuing force in the daily thinking, working, and living of all our citizens. American schools and colleges can strengthen democracy by practicing it--by showing concretely the basic advantages it offers to human beings. It is in the homes and in the schools, in home towns and local…

The student's and teacher's resource books contain primary sources that focus on the values, beliefs, and interests that influenced the political development of the United States as a nation. Students revisit the events and controversies of 1763-88 through primary source documents and reconstructed debates to gain a deeper understanding of the…

This teacher's guide is part of a media package that also includes 5 video dramas, a 2 CD-ROM set, and a set of 30 student resource portfolios. The teacher's guide contains a semester of learning activities; the five video dramas use real-life situations to illustrate and teach civic events; the student resource portfolios have more than 40…

This 3- to 5-day currriculum unit for secondary students centers around four possible directions for U.S. foreign policy during the 1990s. Designed as a culminating exercise at the end of the year or as an introductory activity to open the semester, this unit, and the possible futures it presents, should be thought of as a vehicle for guiding…

Presents a lesson to help students understand the development and controversy surrounding the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. Examines constitutional amendment suggestions presented by four states represented at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Includes two sets of student questions and four primary source readings. (CFR)

This curriculum presents an overview of responsibility as a concept intrinsic to the functioning of a democratic society. The curriculum has been developed to provide students with an increased awareness of the importance of responsibility in their own lives and its place in contemporary society, and to encourage their capacity and inclination to…