This document is the 1992 guide for student participants in the Close Up program in North Dakota. The program is described as a citizenship learning adventure in which students are provided with opportunities to meet the state's leaders. In this program issues are covered from different sides, seminars provide detailed information, and meetings…

This student text and teacher's guide are part of a curriculum unit that examines the process and progress of democratic government from ancient Greece and Rome through the beginning of the twenty-first century. Part 1, "What is Democracy?" explores the growth and spread of democratic principles throughout the Western world, with…

This paper provides a definition for the word democracy and examines some of the many definitions and descriptions of democracy that have been offered over time. The paper offers a lesson plan for teaching about democracy, beginning with an introduction: "Democracy as an Argument or a Developing Dialogue" (Donald Bragaw; Michael…

Discusses a study of the voting attitudes of students at several southwestern New Mexico high schools. Reports that most respondents had not voted on an issue of particular importance to themselves while in school. Indicates that most expected to vote in the next presidential election, but few were able to define democracy. (SG)

This article provides examples of how a teacher can take childhood as a main topic of a unit of study and create interesting lessons that cover many aspects of social studies. It describes how a classroom learning community can be a place for helping students practice democratic principles while addressing academic subjects. It demonstrates that…

This book describes and analyzes authority relationships in classrooms through explorations of theory, prior research, and contemporary qualitative studies. The emphasis is on the social construction of authority and the crucial role authority plays in K-16 teachers' pedagogy and students' academic engagement and achievement. The introductory…

This document is a collection of supplemental classroom materials on Poland to be photocopied for use in secondary schools in conjunction with the Education for Democracy's Classroom-To-Classroom project. The materials offer an historical framework for considering current events, as well as some insight into the events, ideas, issues, and…

This document is a collection of supplemental classroom materials on Czechoslovakia to be photocopies for use in secondary schools in conjunction with the Education for Democracy Project. After decades of Soviet domination and communist dictatorship, Eastern European countries are demanding democracy, human rights, and an end to the Soviet Union's…

Since the end of the Cold War, those teaching about developing democracies in Central and Eastern Europe have taken on new responsibilities: dispelling cultural attitudes formed and taught during the Cold War, helping students to understand the concept of democracy, and analyzing the effects of these events on the world. This high school lesson…

This document is devoted to the topic of citizen leaders. The first article, "Defining a Citizen Leader" (Richard A. Couto), provides a pragmatic definition of citizenship by describing citizen leaders with whom Couto has worked. "The Making of the Citizen Leader" (Cheryl Mabey) describes ways to educate for leadership while showing that…

Content weakness in textbooks is a major obstacle to effective social studies teaching. Chapters 1-3 of this book provide the Education for Democracy Project's Statement of Principles, a consideration of history's role as the core of social studies education, and the role of textbooks in teaching world history. Chapters 4-14 examine five selected…

The historic events of 1989 changed the political map of the world. Students and workers in China rose up to demand democracy. Democracy bloomed in Chile, Brazil, and other Latin American countries where freely elected governments replaced repressive rulers. Communist dictatorships in Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Rumania were…

Offers three sample lesson plans for elementary grades designed to demonstrate the religious values inherent in the United States Constitution. Each lesson plan focuses on one amendment and includes a discussion of class activities. (DMM)

Noam Chomsky's prolific writings have made him one of the most-quoted educators in history--the only living writer on a most-cited list that includes Plato, Shakespeare, and Freud. Yet until now, no book has systematically offered Chomsky's influential writings on education. In this book, Noam Chomsky encourages a larger understanding of…

This magazine aims to help high school teachers of civics, government, history, law, and law-related education program developers educate students about legal issues. This issue focuses on voting. It contains 11 articles: (1) "The Project of Democracy" (A. Keyssar) demonstrates how the story of the right to vote represents a slow and…