Education for Democracy California Civic Education Scope & Sequence

California, the most populous and diverse state in the United States, must maintain its commitment to civic education. The curricular goal of democratic understanding and civic values is centered on an essential understanding of the nation's identity and constitutional heritage. This scope and sequence for civic education describes ways in which civic education content and skills are introduced in the primary grades and built upon through high school. A sequential civic education program is not an additional requirement for California's history-social studies teachers since civic education is embedded in the History-Social Science Content and Analysis Skill Standards adopted by the California State Board of Education. The scope and sequence for each grade level is organized as follows: civic education content and skills drawn from the California History-Social Science Standards; an overview of the content for that grade level; a description of the topics addressed within each grade level; and a matrix, displaying the columns: California History-Social Science Standards, National Standards for Civics and Government, Other Relevant California Standards, Sample Classroom Applications, and Sample Resources. The scope and sequence is consonant with the strands of the "History Social Science Framework" and is designed to assist school administrators, district curriculum development coordinators, and classroom teachers in their efforts to meet state-adopted standards that help them achieve the civic mission of the schools. (BT).