Civics & History

Corporation for National & Community Service

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The resources in this topic help to make the connection between service-learning, civic education and democracy, and the need for a democratic society to educate its citizens in respect to such areas as human rights, individual dignity and worth, the rule of law, and the common good. An understanding of historically democratic political systems, and the foundations upon which they were built, is essential to civic education.
September 2004 (Updated July 2008)

NSLC Site Resources

Civics in K-12 Education (NSLC Fact Sheet)
Civic Education through Service Learning (Brian Garman, 1995)
The Civic Mission of Schools (CIRCLE and Carnegie Corporation of New York, 2003)
Fostering Civic Responsibility (Constitutional Rights Foundation, Service-Learning Network, Spring 2000)
Kids Around Town: Civic Education through Democratic Action (Kids Around Town, 1997)
Local Government: The Learning Laboratory (Constitutional Rights Foundation, Service-Learning Network, Spring 2001)
The Role of Civic Education (Center for Civic Education, 1998)
Service-Learning and Civic Education: Campus Compact Reader (Summer 2001) (448K pdf)
Service, Social Studies, and Citizenship: Connections for the New Century (Robert Shumer, 1999)

Relevant Links

Civics, Service, and History Links (categorized by the NSLC librarian)
Federal Resources for Educational Experience (FREE) List of Social Studies Resources Includes sub-categories for Civics, History, and US History
NSLC Civics and Civics Education Links
Our Documents: 100 Milestone Documents from History
We The People: An NEH initiative to encourage the teaching, studying, and understanding of American history and culture
The Center for Civic Education
Kids Around Town (KAT): A program presenting an interdisciplinary approach to civic learning
Kids Voting USA: An organization focusing on civic engagement through kids' involvement in the voting process, in part through educational programs in the areas of civics education (Civics Alive!) and service-learning (Destination Democracy)

Recommended NSLC Library Items* (How to Borrow)

K-12

Educating for Democracy: Lessons From Chicago (2007)
Project Citizen: A We the People Portfolio-Based Program (Level 2) (2007)
Project Citizen: A We the People Portfolio-Based Program (Level 1) (2006)
Restoring the Balance Between Academics and Civic Engagement in Public Schools (2005)
The Impact of Participation in Service-Learning on High School Students' Civic Engagement (2005)
CiviConnections: Constructing the Past Creating the Future: Educator's Guide (2004)
The Role of Civic Skills in Fostering Civic Engagement (2003)
Destination Democracy: The Activities (2002)
Service and Citizenship: A Connection for the Future (2000)
Civic Education: What Makes Students Learn? (1998)
Teaching the Presidential Elections: A Social Studies / Service Learning Teaching Unit for the Middle Grades (1997)
Serving to Learn, Learning to Serve. Civics and Service from A to Z (1996)
Active Citizenship Today Booklets
Implementation Guide: Questions and Answers About Service-Learning (1998)
Field Guide [Middle School Edition] (1995)
Field Guide [High School Edition] (1994)

Higher Education

Service-Learning in Higher Education (2005)
University Education for Community Change: A Vital Strategy for Progress on Poverty, Race and Community-Building (2005)
Civic Engagement Across the Curriculum: A Resource Book for Service-Learning Faculty in All Disciplines (2002)
Connecting Past and Present: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in History (2000)
Service-Learning and History: Training the Metaphorical Mind (2000) In: Connecting Past and Present: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in History
A Pedagogy for Citizenship: Service learning and democratic education (1998) In: Academic Service Learning: A Pedagogy of Action and Reflection, n73 (Spring 1998)
Seventh Q: a Resource Workbook for Civic Learning Objectives (1997)
Civics, Social Studies and Service: Topic Bibliography (1995)

Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

America's Most Comprehensive Service-Learning Resource

Civics & History