Civics in Action: Classroom plus civic learning opportunities

Our civic learning programs offer students in kindergarten through high school a wide range of opportunities to learn about government, citizenship and leadership. Classroom activities introduce K-8 students to civic learning through social studies, math and language arts and further strengthen civic knowledge and skills in high school World History, Civics & Economics, US History and other courses. The resources support 21st century learning including but not limited to civic literacy.

Why does civic learning matter?

• Students need to understand how our governments and communities work, the roles of citizens and leaders, the impacts of policies and decisions and be able to evaluate information, think critically and make decisions.

• The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has defined 'Government and Civics' as a core subject and theme essential for student mastery in the 21st century. Further, civic literacy is highlighted as an interdisciplinary theme to be woven into core subjects for higher level competency.

• Connections across the curriculum: In public school, students in grades 3-8 must be able to read, and comprehend informational text - newspaper articles, nonfiction texts, instructions.

• Global thinking and learning: Learning about local government, leaders and decisions helps 6th and 7th grade students better understand, connect and contrast the governments, politics and citizen rights in other countries. In grade 9, students understand the foundations of democracy because they see it at the local level. Across all grades, students learn about leadership, history, government and more.

• Graduation requirements: When students reach public high school, they must pass Civics & Economics and US History classes to be able to graduate.

Increasing civic learning to narrow gaps

• Students - our future citizens, employees and leaders - know less about civics and history than other core subjects such as English, math and science.

• Across all demographics, students score lowest on questions about state and local government.

• At CMS, over 1/3 of disadvantaged and minority high school students do not succeed in civics classes, compared with less than 10% of white students.

• Barriers exist, due to focus on math, science and reading in early grades, budget cuts and traditional textbook resources, lack of civic literacy and participation of parents, and more.

Our civic learning classroom resources include

• Kids Voting Classroom Activities K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12
• Correlates to the NC Standard Course of Study in K-8 math, language arts and social studies plus high school World History, Civics & Economics and United States History
• Educator's Guides, vocabulary and age-specific reading lists
• Curriculum guides and resources for study about Constitution Day, Elections & Voting, President's Day & Black History Month, Local Government and more
• Connections to civic education partners from Civic Education Consortium, Civics Action Project and iCivics
• Opportunities for teacher professional and leadership development, civic community activities
• Local government learning opportunities

Classroom activities help students in multiple ways to

• Cultivate information-gathering and decision-making skills; develop higher-order thinking skills
• Integrate civics across the curriculum - including math, reading, writing and social studies
• Gain a knowledge and appreciation of democracy, government and civic processes, leadership
• Understand and participate in the civic life of the community
• Achieve academic success including tested subjects such as reading comprehension (includes nonfiction and informational text) and Civics & Economics and US History