Chapter 2: Civic Literacy: The Building Blocks for Creating an Active and Informed Citizenry

Recent education reform movements like the C3 Framework by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) have shifted the focus in the social studies classroom. The shift has been from memorization of facts to the promotion of higher order thinking through inquiry-based learning (NCSS, 2013a;,Lee & Swan, 2013). Social studies teachers need to implement activities that develop students’ analysis skills through the exploration of open-ended questions. These analysis skills help to prepare students for their roles as future citizens (NCSS, 2013b). Social studies teachers have a vital part to play in preparing students for their future roles as citizens (Dewey, 1916;,NCSS, 2013c NCSS, 2016).