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Project Ideas
Civic Education
Service-Learning Project Ideas
Track Freedoms
Level: High School
Subject: Civics
Time: 20 minutes
Freedoms are never stolen, they're gradually eroded. Make a list of the freedoms that seem smaller (or less free) than they used to be. For example, freedom of speech is not as free as it once was on the Internet or in public where politically correct pressures are present. What other freedoms might make the extinction list? Post your students' list of disappearing freedoms (like a list of animals that are becoming extinct). See if anyone is inspired to take up the cause and fight for a freedom before it disappears all together.
1. What you can't say in public or on the Internet, you may, ironically, be able to print (say) on a T-shirt.
2. What you can put on your front lawn.
3. What is in your textbooks.
4. Where you can skateboard, meet, or smoke.
5. What is an invasion of your privacy.
There are often clashes between safety concerns and freedoms. Recognizing how a freedom has been eroded is important, because often a freedom isn't noticed until it's gone.
Create Your Own Case Study
Level: Middle School and high school
Subject: Civics
Time: Two to three class periods
Case studies bring social issues to life for students; they are also a great way to make classroom discussion less abstract -- by connecting curriculum to controversy.
These guidelines will help you prepare your own case study:
1. Identify a local issue. The issue should be of concern to the local community and have an element of controversy or conflict. Competing factions must ALL have good points. There's nothing as dull as a case study that ends with all the students reaching the same conclusion. Life isn't like that. Bland case studies -- that don't reflect competing viewpoints -- are death to interesting, constructive discussion. If all students agree, the case study or simulation doesn't reflect the real issues.
2. Develop and write clear and concise points of view about the issue. Gather information from experts, factions, or interest groups on at least two different sides of the issue.
3. Set the stage. Give students enough background information so that they'll understand the issue and relevant context. Even though the issue may be complex, keep the background as simple as possible. Students will be able to fill in the real complexities.
4. Write in general terms. Leave room so that students' own ideas can come through. Don't propagandize; don't steer your class toward a set solution (especially the real one). Students can often devise a better resolution to a problem than the government or its citizens are able to come up with.
5. Keep your case study between one-half page and two pages in length. No longer. To keep students' interest, you may want to add a visual.
6. Write a set of questions. Use the questions at the end of the case to help prompt and guide student inquiry and discussion.
7. Follow through. You can use the case study as a launching pad for student involvement in a local issue. After discussing the issue from several points of view, students are likely to be more objective in analyzing the problem and in devising a way that they can become involved.
Mark Gale
Coupeville Middle and High School
Coupeville, Wash.
Voting - Conduct a registration and voting campaign by identifying new families in the school district, design registration and voting information fliers, produce a local public service announcement for local cable TV encouraging voting.
Citizenship - Create congratulatory notes for people becoming new citizens.
Liberty and Justice for All - As students learn about the American Revolution, and the freedoms America fought for, they can "adopt" a newly immigrated refugee. The students can learn from this person or family why he or she had to leave their home country. They can also find out what their needs are and then take up a collection. Students can also tutor in english or train the refugees in basic skills (like how to find a doctor, grocery store, etc.)