The Core Democratic Values
Simply
put the Core Democratic Values are ideals that are important to us as Americans.
These values
Take a look at the Core Democratic Activities I have gathered for you. They will not only help you discover if your students truly understand the concepts but give them practice identifying and internalizing them.
I have put together a neat activity that I use whenever I introduce the Core Democratic Values for the first time. Take a look at The Core Democratic Sketchbook Activity and see if it fits your needs.
Life, Liberty
and the Pursuit of Happiness
Life
A
good definition here would be that as Americans we have the right to live
without the fear of injury or being killed by others.
We believe everyone has the right to live.
Seems simple enough but there are still too many countries around the
world where this basic
No
Jumping on the Bed by Jim Alvaro is
a great book to use in illustrating this idea.
Liberty
"Liberty
is the only thing you cannot have unless you are willing to
give it to others."
William
Allen White
Pursuit of Happiness
"Go
West young man and grow up with the country."
Horace
Greeley
In
our country everyone has the right to pursue happiness in their own way as long
as they don't violate the rights others.
Having
fun at home or school, but following the rules is another way of sharing this
idea. The rules for adults say you
may pursue happiness your way as long as it's legal, doesn't endanger the
health, safety, and security of our country, and doesn't violate the rights of
others.
A good book for sharing this concept is the Big Orange Spot by Daniel Pinkwater.
The Common
"Ask
not what your country can do for you,
The
common good is when we are all working together
Justice
The
concept of justice is the concept of fairness.
"Be fair!" or "That's not fair!" is usually the first
thing we hear from our students when something doesn't go their way.
Fairness is what we all expect from each other and our leaders. When
correcting wrongs or making decisions, we expect justice.
We expect everyone to be treated fairly.
Taking turns and being fair is a good way to share this concept with
younger kids.
Heroes
by Eleanor Estes deals with the concept of justice.
Equality
Martin Luther King
1963
According
to our Constitution, people
in our country, whether black or white, young or old, male or female, are
guaranteed the right to be treated equally and fairly when it comes to politics,
the law, or economic issues
This
hasn't always been the case and our history is full of examples of people
recognizing this and working to correct injustices.
Share
the fascinating story Ruby Bridges by
Diversity
"Variety's
the very spice of life that give it all its flavor."
Someone
once told me America is a mixture of different cultures blended together with
equal liberties under the law. In
America, we respect and even celebrate those differences.
There are many examples of diversity that the kids see every day that you
can share. On the other hand you
can talk about the many moments in our countries over the last 100 years where
diversity was not appreciated.
Working
and playing with everyone comes to mind when one thinks of diversity.
Be
Good to Eddie Lee by Virginia
Fleming is a
great book to read to your students to share the concept of diversity.
Truth
William
Shakespeare once said "Above
all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou
canst not then be false to any man."
I
believe that the concept of Truth is the most important Core Democratic Value.
American democracy depends on our government and its citizens telling the truth.
Our nation works because of the bond between its citizens and its
leaders. Truth is the glue of that bond.
Truth is trust, and without trust, we have nothing. We expect our
government and its leaders to be truthful to us and they can expect the same.
Share
the book A Days Work by Eve Bunting with your students.
Popular Sovereignty
"We
the people…" The Constitution
This
is the idea of majority rules. Whether it’s a vote for the President of the
United States or the presidency of your class, the
one with the most votes wins. But
it is more than that. It’s
the idea that the power of this government comes from "We the People",
that the American government, our government, is ruled by its people through
their votes.
Patriotism
"What
a pity it is. That we can die but once to serve
As
we wrap up our quick look at the Core Democratic Values, I want to remind you
that they are all important to us, that they all work together to make this
great experiment called America work.
Simply
stated, patriotism is a personal display of love and devotion to our country,
its values, and principles. Standing
up during the singing of our national anthem at the start of a sporting event is
just one way of showing patriotism. Patriotism
is more though, it means being aware of all of our Core Democratic Values and
using them both at home and school.
American
Too by Elisa Barione is one book you can share with your students that
develop the concept of patriotism.
All information including, but not limited to, graphics, conceptual design, and elements of "look and feel", accessed through this site is the property of Jim Alvaro and Kathy Vredevoogd and may be protected by applicable copyright law.
©2001 Jim Alvaro/Kathy Vredevoogd