Proposes using ceremonies in civics to involve students in writing, and to develop understanding of the achievements of various leaders and the impact of significant events on society. (MS)

Examines the nationalistic bias in the domestic public concept of U.S. foreign policy, and the educational neglect of the critical study of issues. States that critical education in which foreign policy issues are carefully analyzed is the end toward which schools should be striving. (GEA)

This book opens with an exploration of the first economic revolution, which set the stage for the dramatic unfolding of the role economics has played in world history. The lessons focus on two topics: (1) why some economies grew and prospered while others remained stagnant or declined; and (2) what causes people to make choices that help or hinder…

This teacher's guide accompanies a video which focuses on Ohio's government system. The 30-minute stand alone video offers a teaching opportunity for exposing high school students to the responsibilities of participating in elections. The video covers the division of powers among federal, state, and local governments; distinguishes between elected…

This booklet defines law-related education as an educational program for teaching non-lawyers about law, the legal system, and the fundamental principles and values on which constitutional democracy is based. The program's approach is characterized by relevant curriculum materials, interactive teaching strategies, and extensive use of the…

Youth courts, comprising teen courts, peer juries, peer courts, student courts, and other courts wherein juveniles sentence juvenile respondents, have rapidly gained popularity. In 1991 there were over 50 youth courts in 14 states. By 2002, the number of youth courts grew to more than 850 in 46 states and the District of Columbia. This digest…

Standards for teaching, learning, and assessing civics or democratic citizenship should emphasize two centrally important concepts: (1) constitutionalism; and (2) human rights. If students in schools and citizens in the polity fail to know, value, and act in terms of these concepts, then their prospects for building and maintaining liberal…

The challenge to educators is to structure the problem of preventing nuclear war by examining how such a war might start and specific routes to prevention. (MLF)

School curriculum should be made more meaningful for those students who are preparing for "an ordinary job" and for everyday life, as opposed to those in vocational or professional training. Such a curriculum was proposed by E. W. Butterfield in the 1930s. Elements of that curriculum are discussed. (PP)

Seven strategies that use sports to teach law, values, sportsmanship, and citizenship are described. The activities involve students in reading, analyzing, and discussing sports fiction and newspaper articles. (SR)

In the 1920s and 1930s, educational administrators and physical educators saw athletics as a means of developing those character traits associated with efficient citizenship in a modern industrial society. High school varsity athletic competition has changed little since the early part of this century. (CJ)

Identifies contributions which a study of world history can make to students' understanding of good citizenship. A major contribution of world history is that it can encourage students to reflect on situations of current political interest. Teaching methods are suggested (based on recall, inference, value analysis, and hypotheses) to improve…

Describes a recently developed test for measuring law-related attitudes among students at the junior high level and suggests ways in which teachers might employ this test in their own classrooms. The test includes all features of a satisfactory test for social studies outlined by Hunkel (1976). (Author/KC)

Maintaining that social studies classes should teach students to participate and acquire a feeling of political efficacy, the article suggests ways of introducing social participation into the formal curriculum. Ways of using students groups to promote participation are outlined. (DB)

Describes project for secondary school students which results in a written political analysis of a neighborhood. Students begin by reading modern historical, political, and sociological studies of communities in urban areas. This research provides them with the background for interviewing and observing groups in the community. (Author/KC)