Civil Ideals and Practices

Grade Range: K-5
Resource Type(s): Reviewed Websites, Lessons & Activities
Duration: 60 minutes
Date Posted: 10/21/2016

This historical investigation is aligned with the C3 Framework and is from C3teachers.org.

Through the compelling question “Do we have to have rules?” this annotated inquiry investigates the relationship between rules and values as well as the role that rules play in maintaining a civil society. This question acknowledges outright that many students wonder about their roles in and responsibility for rule making. It gives voice to their legitimate concerns about the source of rules, the benefits of following them, and the consequences of not doing so. This inquiry taps into a common set of ideas that students have about the authority of rules and validates their honest hesitancy to follow rules simply because they are told to do so. Students learn that there is a key relationship between what we value and the rules we develop, follow, and enforce. Rules and laws are intended to express the shared values of a community, acting as statutes to uphold and protect such principles as fairness, equality, respect, and safety.


National Standards

Historical Thinking Standards (Grades K-4)

Standards in History (Grades K-4)

Common Core State Standards (Grades K-12)

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards (Grades K-2)

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards (Grades 3-5)