Our middle school resources both warns and strengthens students in grades 6-8 with two approaches: Experiences that improve decision making, and lessons that contribute to character development.
Some of the lessons help students understand how their actions can have personal and legal consequences for themselves... and the people around them. These experiences foster a desire to be law-abiding citizens in the students that we reach. The lessons we provide middle school students help them to see the power that comes with understanding structures of law.
These two approaches work together to curb anti-social actions while promoting civic engagement.
Grade 6-8 : Government, Choices, & You
Government, Choices, & You exposes students to more than 200 Nevadan and Federal laws. Civil procedures and Constitutional amendments help students understand their rights and responsibilities under the law, while criminal laws are included along with the punishments for breaking them.
This is no mere list of laws to follow. Instead, students are asked to 'do the math' on the total possible charges they could face when very-real decisions lead to very-real consequences.
This resource prepares students to understand their legal responsibilities in those situations in a manner that causes them to think before they act, and is offered across all three middle school grade levels thanks to the branching paths students can take each time they participate in it.
Grade 6: Government, Courts, & You (Intermediate)
Government, Courts, & You helps students gain a more refined understanding of the difference between civil and criminal court while reviewing the roles people take on in courts and the processes involved with cases. When possible, our reading material is combined with a field trip which shows students live criminal proceedings, confronting them with real consequences of making bad decisions.
Grade 7: Government, History, & You
Based on Play By the Rules, Government, History, & You enhances middle school history classes by having students apply modern American laws to events from the eras of US History they're learning about in class. Our non-scolding, non-disciplinarian approach to encouraging law-abiding behaviors continues here in a manner that is highly successful in encouraging students to pursue law-abiding and civically engaged lives.
Grade 8: Government, Immigration, & You
Government, Immigration, & You illustrates how laws and policies aren't just a reflection of a student’s environment - they are a part of that environment. This understanding helps students see the value of civic engagement by showing them how current events shape policies, and how policies shape current events. The illustration of that symbiotic relationship makes clear that students have two choices: be shaped by their world or take an active role in shaping it.