Introduction
Civics
Online
is a collaborative, online project providing
a rich array of primary sources, professional development tools,
and interactive activities to help in the teaching of civics.
Civics
Online provides:
Teachers
Students
- To
search for and retrieve multi-media
primary sources using searches that speak to differing needs,
abilities, and grade levels;
- Grade
specific civic explorations that has students use primary sources
and trace civic themes in an interactive case based on the Elian
Gonzalez story;
- A
civic glossary
and timeline
to help with primary sources and explore civic terms and trends;
- A
digital notebook
so they can print or e-mail notes taken while online.
Parents
- Guides
and resources to help parents understand the civics curriculum
and participate and extend their child's civic education.
Pedagogically
Civics Online is designed to foster teachers' thinking about how to design
effective learning environments around ideas of democratic citizenship, and
to support students as they explore these environments. Beliefs about
teaching and learning civics embedded in this design reflect those found in
standards documents such as the Michigan Curriculum Framework. These
standards assert that students should actively construct knowledge and
understanding about civic life through a process of disciplined inquiry that
helps them make connections to the world in meaningful ways. Following this,
students should also be supported and encouraged as they engage in
thoughtful and purposive social action outside of the classroom around
issues that are meaningful to them. Through the design and enactment of
innovative and creative learning environments, teachers can foster skills
that encourage and empower students to become thoughtful citizens who
actively participate in democratic communities where human dignity is
privileged.
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