| • What is this site for? | • Are there more lessons than what I see here? |
| • How do I use the site? | • How do I set up a class trip to a courtroom? |
| • The Curriculum Standards aren't for civics, why? |
This website has been created as an online accompaniment to a comprehensive civics education package created by the Superior Courts of Butte, Glenn, Napa, San Bernardino and Tulare Counties. The site contains a complete toolset for teaching core concepts of civics education to third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders, including lesson plans, activities, resource information and supplemental materials.
The site is designed in a modular format, allowing teachers to "cherry pick" the lesson plans they would like to use. Each lesson plan is aligned to conform to California Curriculum Standards, with the particular standards noted at the start of each plan. Key words or terms used in the lessons are outlined, and can be used as vocabulary assignments to further underscore the concepts explained in the lesson. Each lesson is then explained in detail, with supplemental materials available as printable PDF downloads.
These lesson plans have been specially developed to teach civics education while also conforming to California Standards for English Language Arts, History and other curricula, allowing teachers to use these plans to augment existing lessons in other subject areas, while increasing the level of civics education at early grade levels.
Yes. The "Download All" link in the main navigation menu will download the complete California Judicial Branch Education for Youth Project workbook, a comprehensive package with seven individual civics lesson plans each for Grades Three and Four, and six complete lesson plans for Grade Five, as well as overviews of the California and Federal Court Systems, and guides for arranging and preparing for field trips to local California court houses.
The procedure for setting up a courtroom visit are outlined in the downloadable Workbook, as well as in Section 6 of this site. Materials and activities for before, during and after the trip are also included.