Tag: civics

January 11, 2021 by Mary Ann Cappiello

Teaching Ideas for a Democracy Under Assault

What can educators do? We can offer young people an opportunity to better understand and make sense of this moment through information. Nonfiction books for young people offer us gripping accounts of the past and present in language that engages young people’s hearts and minds. Nonfiction books for young people provide a “container” of information vetted and researched, with evidence documented in bibliographies and chapter notes, acknowledgements and author’s notes. Nonfiction books for young people personalize and problematize history. Nonfiction books for young people can be juxtaposed in the classroom so that students can hear a range of perspectives and make sense across texts. Nonfiction books for young people can model inquiry and informational literacy, while also providing essential information about our past, our present, and the government structures within which we operate.

September 27, 2019 by Mary Ann Cappiello

Need a Brush Up on the Constitution?

Current events this week may leave you and your middle grade students with more Constitutional questions than answers. Perhaps our entry on teaching with the 2018 Orbis Pictus Honor Book Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws That Affect Us Today can help!