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This What Does It Mean to Be an American? activity also includes:
- Full Civics Curriculum Guide
- Civics Curriculum Guide (.html)
- Activity
- Worksheet
- Vocabulary
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A series of four activities focuses young scholars' attention on what it means to be an American. They identify key qualities, values, and virtues they consider shared by Americans. Participants then pretend they have been selected to draft a plan to introduce Zoinko Van Zipzonk, the Ambassador from Mars, to America. (For this fantasy, Mars is inhabited by an advanced civilization.) The plan includes places the ambassador should visit, foods to taste, people from American history she should meet, etc.
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Concepts
Instructional Ideas
- Instructors should read the accompanying "Civics Curriculum Guide" for an overview of the entire series
- Spread the sections throughout the year using one activity each week
- Play Neil Diamond's "America" to launch the first activity in this section
Classroom Considerations
- The first section in a 10-part civics unit
- The third activity presumes participants live in the areas of the country that have four distinct seasons
- Each of the four activities requires copies of the included worksheets, one per pupil
- While the series is designed for grades six through 12, this section is most appropriate for middle schoolers
Pros
- Each of the four activities comes with extension suggestions
- Includes a list of the civics concepts incorporated in each activity
Cons
- None