Information for teachers and parents using Kids Voting Mecklenburg programs and resources in 2011-12

1. Civic Learning in Charlotte
For more information visit www.kidsvoting.org and watch for e-news updates
Providing the opportunity for K-12 civic education in Charlotte
Kids Voting Mecklenburg connects classroom education with community civic learning
opportunities help students in school (supporting K-12 goals in history, civics and language
arts), build civic literacy and develop young people as effective citizens and leaders.
Civics in Action: Programs and Resources
Kids Voting Mecklenburg programs and resources effectively combine classroom education
and community learning opportunities to maximize comprehension and impact. It’s the
best way for students to develop civic literacy and build leadership skills.
Classroom Resources
Aligned to NC Standard Course of Study
Themes center on government, citizenship, leadership
Civic Education partners
o Kids Voting o iCivics
o Civic Action Project o Newspapers in Education
o Civic Education Consortium o Others
Guides aligning civic education resources to local government resources, leaders, issues
Local curriculum and resources about local/state/national government, leaders, civic
participation, current events, etc.
Teacher support
Civic Learning Opportunities
Youth Civics/Local Government
Youth Voice/Civic Leadership
Civic Learning Center – resources for civic learning opportunities through the year
Kids Voting Election
Ways to connect to local government, leaders and opportunities for civic participation
Special events: Constitution Day, Election Day, MLK Day, President’s Day, State of the
Union, Black History Month, local government budgeting, 2012 Elections and
Conventions, debates and more
Contact
Amy Farrell, Executive Director
Kids Voting Mecklenburg
Email: amy@kidsvoting.org Phone: 704-343-6999
Web: www.kidsvoting.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidsvotingcharlotte
Kids Voting Mecklenburg
704-343-6999 info@kidsvoting.org Web: www.kidsvoting.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidsvotingcharlotte Twitter: www.twitter.com/kidsvotingclt
Overview – 1

2. Education Impact
For more information visit www.kidsvoting.org
Kids Voting Mecklenburg educates K-12 students about government,
leadership and citizenship through a combination of classroom education and
community learning opportunities. Programs and resources help students in
school (civics, history, reading, writing and more), build civic literacy and
develop young people as effective citizens and leaders.
Targets learning opportunities for high school students, especially 10th grade civics
through local and state government
Introduces civic concepts in grades K-8 through connections to reading, writing, math
and social studies
o Helps reading comprehension of information and nonfiction, communication skills,
writing opinions and more
o Links civic learning to grade-level focus – study of community, state, nation and
global studies to enable students to connect real-world experiences with historic
and global topics
Addresses the civic learning achievement gap
Develops 21st century learning skills, leadership and citizenship
Makes local government and civic learning relevant, accessible and meaningful
Links classroom learning with community experience to boost comprehension
Increases standards-based resources available to 5,000 teachers
Increases learning opportunities available to 140,000 students
Standards-based
K-8 social studies and language arts
Civics and Economics, US History, World History
Civic literacy: multidisciplinary, 21st century learning
Connects to all core subjects Connecting personal knowledge and
Persuasion, argument local issues with national, global or
historic events
Gathering and evaluating information
Analyzing data
Critical thinking
Solving problems
Making decisions
Communication, collaboration,
Comparing and contrasting
technology skills
information, drawing inferences and
making conclusions
Kids Voting Mecklenburg
704-343-6999 info@kidsvoting.org Web: www.kidsvoting.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidsvotingcharlotte Twitter: www.twitter.com/kidsvotingclt
Education Impact – 1

3. Classroom Resources Overview
For more information visit www.kidsvoting.org
Kids Voting Mecklenburg educates K-12 students about government, leadership
and citizenship through a combination of classroom education and community
learning opportunities. Programs and resources help students in school (civics,
history, reading, writing and more), build civic literacy and develop young people as
effective citizens and leaders.
Classroom resources
Standards-based resources integrating the study of government, citizenship and
leadership into different contexts
Useful tools that connect real-life experiences and current events with classroom
education to increase student interest and comprehension
Easy to use, flexible and adaptable, plug into existing lesson plans, fit time
requirements and curriculum goals
Organized in one place – you don’t have to search the web for content
Relevant, usable throughout the year
Includes
Resources and tools at www.kidsvoting.org: Classroom Resource Library, Civic
Learning Center, civic education resource links, government info, videos, games, etc.
Curriculum from civic education partners
o Kids Voting USA o iCivics
o Civic Education Consortium o Newspaper in Education
o Civic Action Project o Others
• Guides aligning civics resources to local government resources, leaders, issues
Local and state government resources, editable presentations, easy-to-understand
information about policies, issues and decisions
Education guides for civic learning opportunities including Constitution Day,
Election Day, MLK Day, President’s Day, State of the Union, Black History Month, local
government budgeting, 2012 Elections and Conventions, Debates and more
Civic learning opportunities connecting students with local government
Parent and teacher information about government and civic issues
How to access
• E-newsletter and learning opportunity updates: sign up for list amy@kidsvoting.org
• Available on website: www.kidsvoting.org
• The Classroom Resource Library is in the Civic Education Section
• The Civic Learning Center is accessible on the homepage and education section
• Some PDF files are password-protected: civicliteracy
Kids Voting Mecklenburg
704-343-6999 info@kidsvoting.org Web: www.kidsvoting.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidsvotingcharlotte Twitter: www.twitter.com/kidsvotingclt
Classroom Resources – 1

4. More information about Classroom Resources
Standards-based, easy-to-use lessons and resources from civic education partners
Kids Voting, Civic Ed Consortium, Civic Action Project, iCivics, Newspapers in Ed, others
Locally-developed tools and resources linked to Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Civic Learning Center
Accessible through www.kidsvoting.org
Highlights educational resources and learning opportunities (teachers, parents, students)
Quickly share info, digital content, highlight current events and learning opportunities
Classroom Resource Library
250+ lessons for elementary, middle and high school
Guides aligning civic learning to NC Standard Course of Study
K-8 Social Studies and Language Arts
High School World History, Civics & Economics and US History
Local government links, map, posters, editable presentations and other resources
Educator’s guides, ESL lessons, curriculum summaries and more
Classroom Resources and Learning Opportunities positively impact students
Elementary
Introduce students to civics concepts through reading, writing, math and social studies
Themes about civics, community, government, leadership, history
Aligned to NCSCOS
Increases learning opportunities tied to social studies, reading and writing
Middle
Continue civic learning process
Use local, state and national government and civics to compare, contrast and illustrate
Global Studies in 6th and 7th grades and North Carolina study in 8th grade
History of democracy, citizenship, leadership, government at different levels
Strong linkages to language arts goals, especially reading information and public
documents, critical thinking, evaluating information and writing
High
9th grade – World History foundations of democracy, comparative politics, civics
10th grade – Multiple Civics & Economics goals and objectives, especially state and local
government, leadership, civic participation and responsibility, politics, law
11th grade – Foundations of US democracy, history of suffrage, politics, more
Civic engagement and leadership opportunities, service-learning, more
Kids Voting Mecklenburg
704-343-6999 info@kidsvoting.org Web: www.kidsvoting.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidsvotingcharlotte Twitter: www.twitter.com/kidsvotingclt
Classroom Resources – 2

5. Civics in Action: Learning Opportunities
For more information visit www.kidsvoting.org and watch for e-news updates
Impact
Combines classroom learning with real content and/or experiences
The best way to build knowledge, skill and comprehension
Learning opportunities narrow gaps among at-risk students
Elections and Voting: Kids Voting Election
October and November
Student mock election on local, state and national races; service-learning in polls
Voting available online, in polling places and at school
Additional opportunities for student council elections (remainder of year)
Government, Citizenship, Leadership: Civic Learning Opportunities
All year
Discussion questions, resources and education guides for current and special events
Constitution Day, Election Day, MLK Day, President’s Day, State of the Union, Black
History Month, local government budgeting, 2012 Elections, Conventions, Debates, more
Opportunities to visit, learn about and interact with government and leaders
Local Government and Law: Youth Civics
Program November-December/ February-April; Resources through year
Students learn about local government and visit government meetings, courts, media
Different opportunities
o 6-week evening program (high school students only)
o Instruction for students visiting government meetings for extra credit
o Government presentations and resources for the classroom or home study
o Being developed: videos and other online resources; students watch meetings on
TV or online, participate in polls, text response and other ways to engage
Youth Voice and Civic Leadership
September-May
Youth civic leadership council of high school students who identify and address
school/community issues and advise local government leaders
Civic leadership mentoring
All high school students invited to participate
Being developed: opportunities to participate at school and via web
Being developed: video resources and curriculum for all grades
Kids Voting Mecklenburg
704-343-6999 info@kidsvoting.org Web: www.kidsvoting.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidsvotingcharlotte Twitter: www.twitter.com/kidsvotingclt
Learning Opportunities – 1

6. Building Civic Literacy from an Early Age
For more information visit www.kidsvoting.org
Civic learning covers a range of topics involving government, law, civic
participation and leadership. Here are a few examples of civic literacy
integration at different grade levels. (NC Standard Course of Study for Social
Studies, Language Arts, Core Standards and Essential Standards.)
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Kindergarten
Understand the roles of good citizens; express an opinion and share it with others
First Grade
Know history and significance of national holidays, community services, why laws are
needed, different kinds of leaders; reading and writing information; communication skills;
connecting ideas and events
Second Grade
Understand the purpose of governments, and roles and responsibilities of citizens;
government services, structures and leaders in a community; read and write information,
express opinions clearly and persuasively; connect issues, events and ideas
Third Grade
Local government, leaders, issues, economy and history, economic development;
connections between local, state and federal government; civic engagement, debate and
student voice; citizenship, elections and voting; read, analyze and write information,
communicate a position in writing and conversation
Fourth Grade
North Carolina government, laws, issues, economy, leaders and history; connections
between local and state government; citizenship, democracy, rights and responsibilities;
read, analyze and write information; analyze and connect historic events; read and process
information from different sources; effectively participate in conversations; write opinion
pieces that clearly state and reason a viewpoint
Fifth Grade
United States government, laws, issues, economy and leaders; connections between US and
global governments and economies; democracy, citizenship, civic participation,
communicating with officials, elections and voting; connect ideas, concepts and events in
texts; read, analyze and write information; write reasoned opinion pieces; communicate a
position and listen to others in a conversation; evaluate speaker point of view, bias
Kids Voting Mecklenburg
Educational programs and resources build civic literacy from an early age to help students in school (core
curriculum and graduation requirements) and develop young people as effective citizens and leaders.
704-343-6999 info@kidsvoting.org Web: www.kidsvoting.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidsvotingcharlotte Twitter: www.twitter.com/kidsvotingclt
Civic Literacy/Curriculum Standards – 1

7. MIDDLE SCHOOL
Sixth Grade
Read, analyze and summarize historic documents and information; understand political,
social and economic significance of historic events and issues; compare historic and current
events; understand the development of governments, political systems and political thought
in different places; compare the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in different places
Seventh Grade
Read, analyze and summarize historic documents and information; connect and analyze
global interactions and political, social and economic issues, events and conflicts;
understand the development of governments and political thought in different places;
compare rights and responsibilities for citizenship in different places; compare government
and political leader and powers in different places
Eighth Grade
Read, analyze and summarize historic documents and information; read and evaluate
information for fact, opinion and judgment; analyze and connect history, decision-making,
conflict, compromise and negotiation in North Carolina and United States government;
connect political, economic and social issues, events and conflicts in the US and NC; actions
and impacts of leaders and citizens; North Carolina economics; local, state and national
government history, leaders, issues, politics and history; rights and responsibilities of
citizens in North Carolina; civic participation and leadership
HIGH SCHOOL
World History
Read, analyze and assess historic documents and information; connect historic and current
events, issues, policies and leaders in different places; understand the development of
democracy and other forms of government
Civics & Economics
Read, analyze and understand public documents and information; read and evaluate for
fact, opinion and judgment; Understand the founding principles of the United States;
analyze and understand local, state and national government connections, structures,
functions, rights and laws; connect policies and issues in local, state and national
governments; understand the political process; understand the legal system, rights of
citizens, laws and public policies; understand the roles and responsibilities of citizens, civic
participation, civic engagement through debate, voice, voting; conflict and negotiation;
economies, government budgets and taxes; civic leadership
US History
Read, analyze and assess historic documents and information; read and evaluate
information for source, bias and point-of-view; connect historic and current perspectives
and issues; analyze key political, economic and social events and issues during different
periods of US history and connect to current events and issues; understand the
development of the United States politically, socially and economically; understand how the
three branches of government impact different levels of government, events and issues;
understand the roles of citizens and leaders
Kids Voting Mecklenburg
Educational programs and resources build civic literacy from an early age to help students in school (core
curriculum and graduation requirements) and develop young people as effective citizens and leaders.
704-343-6999 info@kidsvoting.org Web: www.kidsvoting.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidsvotingcharlotte Twitter: www.twitter.com/kidsvotingclt
Civic Literacy/Curriculum Standards – 2