Steady encouragement
Students answer questions that guide them through the reading. These questions guide students through the text, maintaining their engagement and frequently checking their understanding of the content.
Presentation and exploration
Through studying a set of documents, students consider how the interpretation and realization of the values of the United States government have evolved over time. Students identify these foundational values in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, a selection of the Federalist Papers, and excerpts from the writing of Adam Smith. Then, they examine how the interpretation and realization of the values have evolved through the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
Each document is introduced with a guiding question to help students focus their reading. Then, the Civics Reader prompts students to consider the circumstances in which the document was created by providing some brief historical context.
The documents themselves also include clickable annotations on words and phrases to support students as they read for details. In some cases, these notes provide definitions for words that might be archaic or otherwise unfamiliar to modern readers. In others, they provide background information about the document’s circumstances. Each document concludes with an opportunity for students to engage in quick, informal writing about the guiding question.
Formative assessment
More than 200 multiple-choice questions encourage close reading and guide students to notice key information.
Everything you need
The Civics Reader provides everything you need to introduce civic literacy in your course—including the full text of the documents, questions, and an analytics dashboard. And we can tailor the documents included to match your state or program’s requirements.