Core Democratic Values
Core democratic values appear in the America's founding documents, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.  They also appear iin current events.  Below are teaching resources on core values.  This topic is among the items on the Social Studies Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP).  K-8 teachers are responsible for teaching Civic Perspective, Content Standard II. and corresponding benchmarks,  so students will demonstrate deep knowledge and skills about core democratic values.  

• Core Democratic Values On-line

• Michigan Epic Core Values Animation Sites
• News Hour Lesson Plans  Scroll Down the Page and Select PBS.  Select K-2, 3-5 and 6-8 lessons plans.
• Bill of Rights Lesson Plans
• Bill of Rights Amendments and Hurricane Katrina
• Utica Community Schools Lesson Plan
• U.S. Constitution
• AskEric K-8 Current Events Lesson Plans
• Twenty-Five Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events
• Bringing the First Amendment to the Classroom
• Organizations that Encourage International Cooperation
• Animations and Interactive Timelines
• Lower Elementary
• You Be the Judge
• Green Gold.
• A Freeway Story
  
• Keeper of the Light:  Elizabeth Whitney Williams
  
• The Constitution and Liberty Lesson Plan
• The Liberty Tree
• What are Your Liberties
• How Constitutions Protect Liberty
• Liberty Near and Far
• Protecting the Liberty of the People
• Culminating Activity – Label the Liberty Tree

• Upper Elementary
• The Flint Sit-Down Strike
  

Using Higher Level Thinking Skills
K-8 students can be guided to interpret the media at the analysis and evaluation levels of thinking.  Have students to analyze a current events article by examining the parts of the article.  Look at the examples of analysis questions.

Analysis Type Questions

• Which statement is an example of a fact in the article?
• Which statements are examples of __opinions in the article?
• What is the main idea of the article?
• What statements are __ supporting details?

• Focus uon the position of one or more person in the article.
  
• Whose position, presented in the article, is more related to yours?  Explain. 
  
• With whom do you agree? Explain 
  
• Whose postion do you like best?  Explain
• With which part of President Bush's proposal do you agree? Why?

• Ask students to identify the problem as presented in the article 
  
• Which section(s) of the article clearly state(s)the problem?
• Ask students to explore both sides of an event or position taken by the key players.
  
• Whose description of the event is more accurately stated?  Support your position with evidence.

Analysis Objectives
 Items 7, 8, 10, and 11 are K-5 objectives.  All others might be used for middle level learners.
From reading the current event article, students will be able to identify ....(Select one of the following to complete statement.)

B.  K-2 students will interpret the five Ws and H to analyze and report news stories

• Who
• What
• When
• Where
• Why and
• How

A.     Create a news bulletin board on a particular topic.
        Give opinions of how to solve problems and/or improve situations.

B. Develop or create a mock television and radio newscast with roles.  Include a script for each newscaster on a particular topic. The following roles might be structured to give opinions about how certain situations can improve.

• anchor person
• weather reporter
• on the spot reporter
• sports reporter
• editorial commentator

• Post names, photos and articles of people related to a particular topic of study.
• Indicate how their views might affect society in the future.