Handout for CMS middle and high school inservice social studies

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. Kids Voting Mecklenburg
For more information visit www.kidsvoting.org and watch for e-news updates
Why does it matter?
Many K-12 students don’t know how our governments and communities work. Why?
Education trends, budget cuts and learning opportunity gaps. Without civic literacy, they
can’t succeed in school and graduate, or become effective citizens and leaders. Who’s
impacted? Everyone.
Students – our future citizens, employees and leaders - know less about civics and history
than other core subjects such as English, math and science. More than a third of
economically-disadvantaged, Hispanic and black students do not succeed in these classes,
required for graduation, compared to less than 10% of white students. Across all
demographics, students score lowest on questions about local and state government. That
knowledge is critical for our children, community and workforce.
Providing the opportunity for K-12 civic education in Charlotte
The organization connects classroom education with community civic learning opportunities
to 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.
Launched in 1992 by former Charlotte Observer publisher Rolfe Neill with other civic
leaders, Kids Voting Mecklenburg was initially an annual mock voting event. As the
organization heads into its 20th year in partnership with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and
others in the community, Kids Voting Mecklenburg is now an organization with a wider
impact on K-12 civic education and youth civic leadership.
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.
YouthCivics – Teens learn about local government, leadership, budgets, economics,
careers and more through evening courses. The program is aligned to 10th grade Civics
and Economics, a graduation requirement, and includes presentations by public officials,
discussion of key issues and visits to government buildings and meetings. Additional
resources are available for multiple age groups.
Youth Leadership and Voice – Leadership alliance of high school students who meet
regularly in government settings to discuss local issues and policies, engage with
officials and build civic leadership, interests, skills and confidence. Students connect with
leaders including Peter Gorman, Anthony Foxx, Jennifer Roberts, Eric Davis and others.
Kids Voting Election Experience – The traditional “Kids Voting” program engages
tens of thousands of K-12 students in the democratic process. The program educates
students about offices, candidates, elections and voting through mock votes in local,
Kids Voting Mecklenburg | www.kidsvoting.org | 704-343-6999 | info@kidsvoting.org

7. state and national elections and service-learning in polling places. Over 45,000 students
participated in 2010, and 75,000 in 2008.
K-12 Educational Resources - Free and easy-to-use activities and resources available
to 5,000+ Charlotte-area teachers. Age-appropriate resources cover topics including
leadership, government, citizenship, law, critical thinking and decision making; Civic
Learning Center and Classroom Resource Library; and, guides aligning civic learning to
district and state goals in language arts and social studies. Civic education partners
include Kids Voting, Civic Education Consortium, Civic Action Project, iCivics and NIE.
Teacher support – Leadership and professional development opportunities for K-12
teachers. Highlights best practices, fosters school leadership and collaboration, provides
continuing education credits, and connects teachers to the community. The program is
aligned with district and state objectives, including teacher performance criteria.
Give all students the advantage of civic education
We’re educating students and building leaders – and there’s still work to be done. Your
financial and volunteer resources provide current programs, build capacity and fuel growth
to meet the needs of schools, students and the community. 2011-2012 is the ideal time to
engage students in civic learning. Please help us to:
Boost civic education from an early age – connect K-12 classroom education with
community learning opportunities and experiences
Narrow learning gaps - increase educational opportunities and resources to help
students learn and connect civics to reading, writing, math, history and science
Increase teen civic learning and leadership opportunities – develop young citizens
and leaders while helping them succeed in courses required for graduation
Increase civic literacy – help students (and their parents and teachers) to understand
the roles and impacts of government, leaders and citizens
Strengthen young civic leaders and the community – give young people training,
mentors and opportunities to get involved in community issues, policies and decisions
How you can help
Connect your school or organization
Volunteer to help us educate students and build young civic leaders, or serve on a
committee or the Board of Directors
Invest critical financial or in-kind resources to build Kids Voting Mecklenburg’s capacity
and fuel growth to serve the needs of today’s students and schools
Kids Voting Mecklenburg
Julian Wright, Chair
Amy Farrell, Executive Director
Phone: 704-343-6999 Email: info@kidsvoting.org Web: www.kidsvoting.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kidsvotingcharlotte and www.facebook.com/youthvoice
Mailing address: 700 East Stonewall Street - Suite 710, Charlotte NC 28202
Kids Voting Mecklenburg | www.kidsvoting.org | 704-343-6999 | info@kidsvoting.org