Civic Literacy
Civic Literacy was the topic of a summit convened by Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson on October 5, 2004. Click on the links below for lesson plans and programs highlighted at the Summit that might be used in Family Literacy classrooms to build citizen participation in the democratic process.
* Please contact Justin I. Keibler to submit additional resources.
The Kentucky Summit on Civic Literacy
http://civicsky.nku.edu/index.htm
Information on the first Summit, including agenda and resources.
2004 Get Out the Vote
http://civicengagement.nku.edu/Vote2004.htm
This site maintained by the ScrippsHowardCenter for Civic Engagement uses an interactive question/answer format to present a wide range of information about voter registration, key issues in the current election campaigns, the accuracy of political advertising, and other related topics. It offers several mini-quizzes to test students' awareness of current issues and also provides information about resources for teachers.
GED Connection
http://www.ket.org/enterprise/gedprep/ged_connectseries.htm
GED Connection, part of the PBS LiteracyLink® Project, offers preparation for the current GED exam. Integrated video programs, workbooks, and online activities make GED preparation accessible for students with a variety of learning styles. Episode #120 focuses on Civics and Government, exploring the foundations and structure of American government and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
ESL/CivicsLink
http://civicslink.ket.org/about/main.xml
Offered by PBS, ESL/CivicsLink is a new online professional development system for adult education and ESL teachers that integratesEnglish literacy instruction and civics education. Kentucky adult education instructors participated in the development.
Easy Voter Guide
http://www.easyvoter.org/california/resources/tutorguide.pdf
A guide for adult literacy tutors and instructors. While the examples are specifically tied to California, this guide provides an outline for lesson plans that would work in any state.
Civics for Everyone: Promoting Political Participation in the ABE/GED Classroom
http://www.able.state.pa.us/able/lib/able/fieldnotes04/fn04civicsabe.pdf
An article by a Pennsylvania adult education coordinator makes the case for teaching civics in the adult education classroom.
Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement
http://www.civicyouth.org/practitioners/org_links.htm
Brief descriptions and links to more than 50 Web sites dealing with various aspects of civic literacy and civic engagement.
Center for Civic Education’s Teacher Resources Online
http://www.civiced.org/trs_internet.html
Links to more than three dozen Web sites related to different aspects of civic education and ways to assess its effectiveness.
We the People
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community/cc_wethepeople.php
Historic documents in this Library of Congress site include drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Gettysburg Address, papers of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, an Emancipation Proclamation timeline, slave codes, images of presidential inaugurations, how elections have changed, documents on policies aimed to keep peace between white settlers and Native Americans (1783-1815), duties of the President and other governmental officials in 1825, the role of religion in the founding of the colonies, and more.
Youth Leadership Initiative
http://www.youthleadership.net/index.jsp
Sponsored by the University of Virginia Center for Politics, YLI provides free, downloadable lesson plans that could be used in adult education classrooms.
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