New Jersey Center for Civic Education
The Laura Wooten Civics Law (2021) requires that every NJ middle school offer a separate civics course of study. Middle School Civics is a two-part workshop that will provide suggested curriculum guides, civics content, and instructional strategies to help teachers meet the Laura Wooten mandate. Please join us for Part 2 as we explore the promises made in the Preamble to the United States Constitution and the rights and responsibilities of citizens in ways that motivate students to engage in the civic life of their community, state, and nation.
New Jersey Students Learning Standards for Social Studies require the teaching of early civilizations in middle school. This workshop will offer teachers meaningful democratic themes around which to evaluate ancient Middle Eastern, Asian, Greek, Roman, and European civilizations. We hope to provide comprehensive background and innovative lessons for use with students as they strive to understand the sources of the structures and practices of our democratic republic. Content is drawn primarily from Teach Democracy! 's Development of Law Series and Of Codes & Crowns: From the Ancient World to the Renaissance. Please join us as we explore the ancient origins of the democratic ideas that influence our lives today.
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution is a dynamic curriculum that challenges students to collaborate and build consensus as they debate, develop, and present answers to complex constitutional questions. In this workshop, teachers will review background content, lessons, and proven strategies for implementing the curriculum in their classroom instruction. Then teachers will participate directly in We the People's culminating assessment, a simulated legislative hearing. The goal is to encourage teachers to explore these strategies and collaborative assessments with their students, first in the classroom, and then perhaps in the We the People state competition. Please join us as we explore a curriculum with the unique potential to foster a community of informed, reasoned decision-making.
An essential component of civic education is providing students with opportunities to assume the role of citizen. Project Citizen invites students to identify a problem within their community, then research and propose public policy solutions for that problem. After building consensus on the best solution, students collaborate to develop an action plan they can present to public policy decision-makers. In this workshop, we will model the process, invite teachers to participate directly in each stage, and provide the information necessary to implement Project Citizen in the classroom. We will also inform teachers how to enter their students in a statewide showcase. Please join us as we explore a unique curriculum that provides students the immediate opportunity to assume the role of a citizen.
