Creating Citizens

Sarah Cooper teaches eighth-grade US history and is the Dean of Studies at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada, California. She is also author of Making History Mine (Stenhouse, 2009). She presents at conferences and writes for Edutopia, MiddleWeb, and other education sites.

• ContentsMeet the AuthorAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Why Civics, and What Does Civics Education Mean Today?Chapter 1: Fitting Current Events into an Already-Packed History CurriculumChapter 2: Staying Nonpartisan and Fostering Balanced DiscussionsChapter 3: Helping Students Find Their Stake in the NewsChapter 4: Teaching Civic Literacy Through Primary Sources, Then and NowChapter 5: Encouraging Students to Invest in Analytical WritingChapter 6: Fostering Student Ownership of Our Classrooms Through Discussion and DebateChapter 7: Cultivating Citizenship Through Empathy and Community EngagementEpilogue

"Cooper’s insightful tour of her social studies classroom is eye-opening and reflective. I am positive that when teachers read this book, it will change the way they look at teaching social studies. They will be guiding their students in the development of a deep desire to think, challenge, seek answers, and make a difference in the world."—Linda Biondi, MiddleWeb"Sarah Cooper has narrowed the focus of her extensive understanding of social studies pedagogy to the realm of civics and current events—addressing the challenges and opportunities of social studies teachers in seamlessly weaving the present into the history curriculum. She provides practical examples and gives teachers a glimpse into her classroom, into the minds of her students and a window into her own expertise. It is an important moment in history to be a history teacher, and Cooper provides a map to guide students and teachers through this complex and fraught path, bringing forth the imperatives of action and civic duty through engagement of the mind." – Jody Passanisi, Director of Middle School, Gideon Hausner Jewish Day School, Palo Alto, CA, and Author of History Class Revisited: Tools and Projects to Engage Middle School Students in Social Studies