The portions of the We the People: Project Citizen text that are presented below provide an introduction to the types of activities that will engage students as they participate in the program. Because Project Citizen is unlike programs that are unit and lesson-based, it is difficult to understand the full scope and sequence of the curriculum without viewing it in its entirety. Project Citizen uses a process approach for teaching young people how to monitor and influence public policy in their communities. To reap the greatest benefit from the instructional program the class must complete every step of the process.

If you are interested in receiving a review copy of the Project Citizen student text, you may contact your state's program coordinator or send a request to projectcitizen@civiced.org.

Student Book

Teacher's Guide

Participating: A brief summary

A. Purpose

In the words of Abraham Lincoln, we have inherited a government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people. The right to participate in governing ourselves protecting our rights and promoting our common welfare carries with it certain responsibilities. Among these responsibilities are acquiring the knowledge and skills for intelligent participation and acquiring the willingness to promote liberty and justice for all people.

Goals

We the People: Project Citizen introduces students to and educates them in the methods and procedures used in our political process. The goal of the program is to develop students commitment to active citizenship and governance by

providing the knowledge and skills required for effective participation

providing practical experience designed to foster a sense of competence and efficacy

developing an understanding of the importance of citizen participation

We believe this program will add to students knowledge, enhance their skills, and deepen their understanding of how "the people" - all of us - can work together to make our communities better.

B. Preparing your class

Use the following procedure to prepare your class to participate. Begin by having students read and discuss the Introduction on pages 7 and 8 of their student text.

1. Defining public policy. This program focuses on the development of a public policy to deal with a specific problem in the community and the recommendation of that policy to the appropriate government or governmental agency. It is important, therefore, that students understand the term public policy.

   As used in this program, a public policy is an agreed upon way that our government, at whatever level, fulfills its responsibilities, such as protecting the rights of individuals and promoting the welfare of all the people. Some public policies are written into laws by legislatures. Other policies are contained in rules and regulations created by executive branches of government, the branches responsible for carrying out and enforcing laws.

   Because one of the main goals of this program is to help students learn how to participate in their government, we want students to examine problems that are or should be dealt with, at least partially, by their government. The solutions students develop to these problems, then, should include recommendations as to what policies government should be responsible for implementing. The policies they suggest also may include recommendations regarding the shared responsibilities of the people in a community.

   Public policy-making process. It is important that students understand the central role of government (local, state, national) in formulating public policy. They also should understand, however, that governments role is only one part of the process - all citizens in a community should be encouraged to participate as well. Democratic decision-making requires both the consent of citizens to be governed and their participation in that government.

   Policy-making begins when people in a community perceive that a problem exists. Perceptions about a problem may emerge from the media, politicians, citizen groups, or the institutions of government. Next, people formulate ideas for how best to resolve the problem. People with ideas try to persuade government to adopt their ideas and put their solutions into practice. In this process, there are likely to be differences of opinion over what should be done about a particular problem and who should do it. Frequently, alternative proposals emerge. The entire process includes collecting and analyzing data, assessing consequences of alternative actions, and gathering support for one proposal or another. Once people agree on an appropriate course of action, they must persuade the appropriate government or governmental agency to adopt the policy. Once the policy is adopted, it then has to be carried out.

   Citizens and the policy-making process. It is important that students understand the role of citizens in formulating public policies. Citizens can be involved at all levels of the process by attending public meetings, writing letters to their representative and to newspapers, making phone calls, monitoring proposals and counterproposals, participating in demonstrations, persuading other citizens to support a particular alternative, conducting research, submitting proposals of their own, and giving testimony at public hearings. This list is not exhaustive, but it illustrates that there are numerous opportunities for citizens to participate in the decision-making process.

2. Providing an overview of the instructional program and the competition. Review with students the information in the Introduction to the student text. It provides an overview of tasks to be completed for their project.

   If a competition is planned, you might wish to point out that although it is natural for the students to want to win, it is more important for them to concentrate on doing their best while learning in the process. The knowledge and skills they gain will endure far longer than the temporary pleasure of winning a contest.

3. Using adult volunteers. Although it is not a requirement for participation, we suggest you ask adults to volunteer to assist students with the tasks necessary to develop the class portfolio. Volunteers may be parents, senior citizens, teacher aides, scout leaders, or other civic-minded persons. Volunteers may: share real-life experiences and application of the ideas under consideration; enrich field experiences by serving as guides and responding to questions; and establish on-going relationships with the class in which the volunteers are available regularly, by phone or in person, to respond to questions or issues that may arise during the program.

   The following are guidelines for adult volunteers. The list in Appendix A may be copied and distributed to volunteers.

   1. Suggestions for adult volunteers to help students

      • Examining tasks and procedures. Help students understand the steps they must take in developing their portfolios. Help them understand the Portfolio Criteria Checklist (page 26 in the student text).

      • Gathering information. Help students identify sources of information. Explain how to gather information. For example, adult volunteers might help students

        • find information at a library;

        • use phone books to locate offices of governmental agencies and private organizations that may have information on the problem under consideration;

        • locate and use computers to access electronic information networks (e.g. the Internet) that may have online information on the problem under consideration;

        • contact people in the community who might be good sources of information on the problem under consideration;

        • write letters requesting information;

        • prepare to interview resource persons by phone or in person; and

        • travel to interviews and other places where they can find information.

      • Preparing presentations. Coach students in making oral presentations of the portfolio. Help organize oral presentations before community groups.

      • Reflecting on the experience. Help students prepare written statements on what they have learned by participating in the program, what problems they encountered, and what they would do differently if they were to develop another portfolio.

   2. Limiting the assistance of adult volunteers

      • Information gathering. Adults should not gather information for students by

        • writing letters or making phone calls for them; or

        • doing research they are supposed to do.

      • Portfolio preparation. Adults should not assist students by

        • writing materials for them to include in the portfolio;

        • creating illustrations or other graphics; or

        • selecting materials to include in the portfolio.

      • Presentation preparation. Adults should not prepare presentations for students.

4. Holding a competition. Guidelines and procedures for conducting a competition are included as Appendix F of this guide.

5. Assessing the portfolio or judging a competition. Score sheets to be used by teachers for the evaluation of portfolios, or by judges for evaluation in a competition, are included as Appendix C. Score sheets to be used by teachers for the evaluation of oral presentations, or by judges for evaluation in a competition, are included as Appendix E. Teachers are encouraged to use these score sheets as tools for the assessment of student performance whether or not a competition is held.

Helping your students develop their portfolio

Help your students understand the steps involved in developing their portfolio by using these suggestions. You should feel free to change or modify these steps in any way you think might be more useful for your class.

Step I

Identifying Public Policy Problems in Your Community

1. Discuss the purpose of this step with students. The purposes of Step I are
   

   • to make students aware of what they already know about problems in their community

   • to discuss these problems with their parents, neighbors, or other members of the community to find out what they know and what they think about these problems

   • to gather enough information to select a problem that the majority of the class agrees is important to study

   A list of problems common to many communities is provided in the student text to focus student attention on this task.

   Inform your students that they do not have to study one of the problems contained in this text. They may select another problem in their community they find more significant. It is important, however, that the problem is one for which they can propose a reasonable and workable public policy.

   Portfolios should not be evaluated on the basis of the problem chosen for study. Evaluation should be based on how well the class gathers, reports, and evaluates information on the problem and how well they research and develop their proposed public policy and their action plan to promote it.

2. Discuss what students know about problems in the community. Lead students in an initial discussion of what they already know about the problems listed in their text. Then divide the class into groups of two or three students each and have them complete the small group activity described on page 10 of the student text. Finally, have students report and discuss their responses.

3. Assign homework. Assign the homework described on page 11. You may divide the class into groups, each responsible for one or more of the three assignments depending upon their interests and abilities. Make sure students know how to use the forms provided in the student text. You may have students use the forms in their texts or you may reproduce them for their use. A sample set of student forms is provided in this teachers guide beginning on page 59.

Step III

Gathering Information on the Problem Your Class Will Study

Once the class has selected a problem, students will need to gather additional information to use in the development of their portfolio. We suggest you use the following procedures.

1. Identify sources of information. Lead students in a discussion of the sources of information contained on pages 1718 of the student text. Add other sources that may be available in your community. As you discuss each potential source, ask students to share what they already know about the source and any experiences with it they might have had. You also might ask students if they know adults affiliated with the sources who might be contacted for information. For example, do they know a lawyer, a scholar, a person working in an agency of local government, or a community volunteer? If so, record this information for use by the research teams.

2. Review guidelines for obtaining and documenting information. Before asking students to contact sources of information, it is very important to review the guidelines on pages 1819 of the student text. Be sure that no more than one student contacts each office to ask for information or to make an appointment for an interview so that your assignment does not result in placing too great a burden on busy offices.

3. Gather information. Identify the sources of information your class will explore. Then divide the class into research teams, each assigned to obtain information from one source. The homework assignment on pages 19-23 of the student text provides guidance for students, as well as the forms to be used to obtain and document information. Review the forms with the students to be sure they understand the questions and how to use the forms to record responses. One or more adult volunteers may be asked to assist each research team to complete its tasks. Adult volunteers should help the students, but they should not do their work for them (refer to Appendix A).

Step V

Presenting Your Portfolio

We strongly suggest that every class make an oral presentation before another class and/or a group of adults as a culminating activity.

The oral presentation takes the form of a hearing in which each of the four portfolio groups presents and responds to questions from a panel of judges about its section of the portfolio. The hearing procedure, similar to hearings held by many governmental agencies as featured on C-SPAN, provides students an opportunity to learn an additional way in which they can participate in their government.

This culminating activity is a model for performance assessment. Specific instructions for the hearings are included on pages 33-34 of the student text and in Appendices F, G, and H of this guide.

The panel of judges may use the Criteria for Evaluating Oral Presentations, Appendix D on page 35 of this guide. Score sheets for the evaluation of students oral presentations are included in Appendix E.