Civics

                                         
               Civics is the study of rights and duties of citizenship. Civics is also one of the five themes in social studies along with: history, geography, economics, and culture. It includes the study of civil rights and codes and the study of government with the role of citizens. I believe that children need to be aware of what civics is and how it is used in life.
               Civics is not a main topic included in elementary school curriculum, but it should be because it is an important topic that students should be knowledgeable about. Even when I was in elementary school, middle school, and high school I was never really taught civics, but there are so many different ways to teach it. This is a link that includes different worksheets, activities and websites students can go on to get a better understanding of civics. The website is divided into different topics of civics and then provides multiple lessons for different grades on the specific topic. This is extremely useful for teachers because it gives them ideas and engaging ways to teach all grade levels about history.
             The website youthleadership.net is the number one website for civics teachers.  A program of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, develops FREE education resources designed to assist civics teachers, and encourage students to participate in the political process. It includes lesson plans, unit plans, mock elections, democracy corps, games and E-congress. 
             A great way to teach civics is using videos and DBQ, document based questions. However, students may be passive while watching videos so it is important to give students questions to ponder while watching. In the article, These Google Forums turn Video to Passive to Active Learning it describes how a teacher got her class actively learning. She states, "I took inspiration from the standard document-based question activity, or DBQ. In a DBQ, students are given an essay prompt and must use the given documents and their own knowledge to support their response. There are often specific questions following each document to help ensure understanding of the material. My own take on that, which I call video-based question, or VBQ, is a series of videos with critical thinking and higher-level questions. The novelty of this idea is that students are in control of their learning." This is a great way to get students engaged in learning activities. 
              In the article, Revitalizing Civic Learning in Our school contains many different characteristics of Effective Civic Learning Implementation. These include:

Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools 5 identifies six proven practices that constitute a well-rounded high-quality civic learning experience:

1. Classroom Instruction: Schools should provide direct instruction in government, history, economics, law, and democracy in ways that provoke analysis and critical thinking skills. These subjects are vital to laying the foundation for civic learning and may also contribute to young people's tendency to engage in civic and political activities over the long term. However, schools should avoid teaching only rote facts about dry procedures, which is unlikely to benefit students and may actually alienate them from politics.
2. Discussion of Current Events and Controversial Issues: Schools should incorporate discussion of current local, national, and international issues and events into the classroom, particularly those that young people view as important to their lives. Engaging students in civil dialogue about controversial issues provides opportunities to foster character and civic virtue--important civic dispositions that are the habits of the heart and mind conducive to the healthy functioning of the democratic system. Examples include civility, open-mindedness, compromise, and toleration of diversity, all of which are prerequisites of a civic life in which the American people can work out the meanings of their democratic principles and values.
3. Service-Learning: Schools should provide students with relevant and motivational opportunities to connect formal classroom instruction with the principles and processes of democratic life through practical community problem solving. With guided practice in collaborative problem solving through public policy approaches, students learn to make long-term differences that will be sustained over time. They learn firsthand about the advantages of working as a group, the influence of public policy on human lives, and the intricacies of local government and community politics. They also develop firsthand knowledge of such abstract concepts as justice, diversity, opportunity, equality, and the common good, while developing empathy and compassion for others. Most importantly, students learn that American society is "unfinished" and that they can play a key role in narrowing the disparity between our democratic ideals and the reality of daily life by registering to vote, voting in elections and influencing public policy.
4. Extracurricular Activities: Schools should provide opportunities for young people to get involved in their schools or communities outside of the classroom. Extracurricular activities provide forums for students to practice civic skills and knowledge in purposeful ways while building important collaboration and communication skills. Civic activities such as mock trial, model congress, speech and debate, and model U.N. all have positive impacts on students' civic knowledge and engagement. Students who participate in these types of extracurricular activities are more likely to remain civically engaged well beyond high school.
5. School Governance: Schools should encourage student participation in school governance. Effective student governments serve a number of important purposes in our schools. They are laboratories in which students can learn and practice essential citizenship skills, respect for human dignity, and the value of the democratic process. They provide students with effective forums for advocating new ideas and initiating school improvements. Effective student governments also provide a platform for the orderly expression of conflicting viewpoints and procedures for resolving conflicts when students disagree with policies and decisions that affect their lives.
6. Simulations of Democratic Processes: Schools should encourage students to participate in simulations of democratic processes and procedures. Simulations of voting, trials, legislative deliberation, and diplomacy in schools can lead to heightened political knowledge and interest. Students learn skills with clear applicability to both civic and non-civic contexts, such as public speaking, teamwork, close reading, analytical thinking, and the ability to argue both sides of a topic. All of these are skills that prepare students both for active citizenship and for future academic and career success.

Below is a video of an example of a teacher teaching civics to her class: